Big Brands and You: #YSLEyeStyle and Clarins' The Beauty Society

The beauty landscape has changed significantly thanks to the rise of the internet.  Consumers are more savvy about products they might buy from counters, beauty blogs abound, and social media can promote or sink a product incredibly fast.  Brands have slowly been embracing the internet as a way to interact with their consumers; via blogs, or via their own Twitter/Instagram accounts, which encourage a level of interaction far more personal than anything we've seen before.

Now, some of the biggest brands are taking a leap forward and establishing their own social hubs.  YSL have just launched the #YSLEyeStyle microsite in conjunction with the launch of their newest eyeshadow palettes - it cleverly combines a very quotable hashtag alongside a one-stop destination for eye makeup, offering tutorials and opportunities to have your own eye makeup showcased alongside that of professional artists.  It's interesting in that the eye looks submitted by regular consumers don't have to be made up with YSL products.

In a similar vein, Clarins have launched The Beauty Society, a forum-style site to allow consumers to chat about beauty in general - not just Clarins products.  Discussion is themed around different topics, and there are regular competitions which encourage users to share tips and tricks.

What do you think of the new social sites launched by YSL and Clarins?  Will you be sharing your eye looks and opinions?  What's the next step as the beauty brands get ever closer to their consumers?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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