Twitter: @ScienceSparks

Twitter: @milkteef

Online since April 2009, 2011 was a banner year for the site – with national press and television quotes for both 20th Century Fox’s Horrible Bosses, Dreamworks’ Puss in Boots and the UK’s very own Horror Channel. Plus this year we’ve been nominated for a Total Film Blog of the Year Award, a Richard Attenborough Film Award for Best Film Blog. We’re also ranked in the Top 5 cinema blogs in the UK by social media analysts eBuzzing.

Twitter: @backstagebiz

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to say that Handpicked Media is officially on Christmas break starting today (22/12/11).

We’ll back and open for business again beginning 3rd January 2012.

If you need anything in the meantime please use the following contacts:

Ad operations: chris@handpickedmedia.co.uk

General inquires: dil@handpickedmedia.co.uk

Everything else: krista@handpickedmedia.co.uk

Have a brilliant Christmas and a happy New Year!

Aussie's going BIG! A warm welcome at our Aussie event...

We had a brilliant night with Aussie this week to celebrate the launch of their new BIG sizes. Since we all can’t get enough of them, Aussie have released super sized versions of their best-selling shampoos and conditioners including Colour Mate and Miracle Moist.

Aussie Ambassador Liz Taw (who, among other celeb clients, has been styling dreamy Gary Barlow on this year’s X Factor) was on hand for individual haircare/styling tips – check out this stunning 5 minute ‘do on Katie from Katie’s Beauty Blog!

Styled by Liz Taw for Aussie

Thanks to Aussie for a very fun and informative evening – keep an eye on our blogs for their bespoke tips and tricks from Liz!

Twitter: @scaredcrows

Twitter: @BeautyFulfilled

The site was first launched in September 2009 under the name The Beauty and the Feast as a hobby and soon became a full time occupation. It was soon transferred from a blogspot address to a co.uk and the readership (and support) has grown in leaps and bounds.

Twitter: @liz_randell

Occasionally there are posts on fashion, books and films but a post on my new favourite eye shadow or lipstick is never far away.

Twitter: @amymcjohnson

It doesn’t get any deeper than that.

Twitter: @lollipop26

Twitter: @msbudgetbeauty

Twitter @Sophieismadeup

Just a quick post to say thank you to everybody who attended Handpicked Media Gets Social today! We had brilliant and inspirational talks from Garry Davis, Rebecca Miskin, Sháá Wasmund, Mark Borkowski and Jane Cunningham as well as lively discussion and debate on our Beauty and Fashion panels.

Better still, #HPMSocial trended on Twitter nationwide 3 separate times during the event! A huge success all round, thanks to all who tweeted/re-tweeted and a special thanks to our speakers and sponsors.

Keep an eye on this site for updates, pictures and video from the event in the coming week.

If you represent a brand and are interested in supporting the next #HPMSocial event, please contact Krista at krista@handpickedmedia.co.uk

If you’re a blogger or agency and would like to register your interest to attend the next #HPMSocial, click here to submit your details!

South of the River Mum loves story-time and making yellow submarines out of cardboard boxes as well food, wine, reading, travel, skiing and making the most of London.   She is interested in news on maternity issues, education, theatre, parenting, days out and after-school activities.

Twitter @southrivermum

As a by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of mama, I am passionate about encouraging, uplifting and inspiring mothers – at every age and stage, and in all the amazing forms motherhood takes – to feel their happy, healthiest best! (And chocolate, cakes and carbs are DEFINITELY allowed. In fact, they’re required).

It’s all in the mix here – from express beauty tips to fashion finds, foolproof recipes (if I can pull them off, I promise you, they are) to fresh ideas for family fun – and I’d love it if you’d share yours, too!

It’s a little bit random, and definitely unpredictable. Can you relate?!

Twitter @nonstopmama

We are pleased to announce that yesterday we officially launched our Handpicked Community.

There are so many great blogs that we want to include in our Handpicked family but some are just not quite ready to join our Collective. By building our Handpicked Community we can stay in touch with you and hope that the community will become a useful stepping stone to help bloggers grow and expand their blogs further, with a view to eventually joining Handpicked Media Collective. The HPC is a collection of fledgling  and established blogs which although are not part of our collective have still been handpicked by us to join.

Members of the community will receive press releases about brands,  invitations, samples and exclusives but only from us here at Handpicked Media, we will not be passing your details on to third parties.

We are excited about this new venture and from last night’s Twitter activity we can see you are too! Click the image below to see what our new community members have been saying about it all!

If you are a blogger and wish to apply to join the Handpicked Community please email debbie@handpickedmedia.co.uk

If you are an agency and would like to enquire about our Handpicked Community outreach service please do email Debbie at the above too.

Many of us will have trials to overcome during a lifetime, but thankfully most of us will only have one trouble to deal with at an time. Jessica Jones, editor of Chemo Chic, initially set up the blog as a method of coping with her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Soon it became a bit more than that turning into a forensic investigation of the beauty products in her bathroom. She has now published her memoir, ‘The Elegant Art of Falling Apart’, which tracks addiction, a broken love affair, emotional upset and living with cancer. Her story of strength and recovering is truly inspiring, visit Chemo Chic and look out for the novel which is published by Hachette Australia.

All content on HerUni.com is created for students by students. HerUni.com is a great platform for students to publish their work, whether written or visually creative, on a site viewed by thousands of readers, giving them the opportunity to show dedication, commitment and a forward-thinking attitude to future employers.

Twitter @HerUniUK

Come join us at the best blogger event of 2011, #HPMSocial!

When – 21st November 2011
Where – RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects): 66 Portland Place, London W1.

Handpicked Media has hosted over 40 highly successful blogger events with our exclusive collective of bloggers and now we’re putting on our largest event to date – open to all with a passion for blogging!

Handpicked Media Gets Social is the place for bloggers to meet, mingle and enjoy sessions with a host of some of the best people in social media plus some of the biggest brands.

For Bloggers
The day will include sessions on how to grow your blog, how to form relationships with companies and brands and PR’s. Find out what makes a truly great blog and how to turn your blog into a brand. Meet & listen to some of the most successful fashion & beauty bloggers in the UK.

For Brands
This is not just another Social Media Conference, we will be pulling in an audience taken from our own stable of highly influential and successful bloggers and mixing it up with those that are on their way to joining them.

For more details and to book tickets head to handpickedmediagetssocial.com

Twitter: natalyafgm

For the Young Dude – a name shamelessly taken from Mr. Bowie – is simply a place for me to share all the things that interest me. I couldn’t find a place that does it already so I did it myself!

It’s all the stuff I think a Young Dude needs to know, or this one at the very least.

Stick around, it’s fun here…

Twitter @ForTheYoungDude

I love cooking and baking all sorts of food but if pushed to name a favourite I’d say puff pastry for the cathartic, repetitive action and deeply satisfying sight of the layers rising in the oven. Add some sausage meat to the puff pastry and I’m in heaven. I am also slightly addicted to making sugar paste animals to adorn the top of cakes.

Twitter @HollyBellMummy

In an unfamiliar part of town and looking for something interesting and different to do? Look no further as Culture Compass has launched! This virtual compass, launched by  Courvoisier The Future 500 members Loma-Ann Marks (founder and editor of online arts and culture magazine Culture Compass, formerly Open Magazine and member of Handpicked Media) and David Prior (technologyspecialist) will direct you to your next exciting culture event while inviting you to become a Culture Spotter and suggest your own creative happening, be it a gig, play, exhibition, reading or recital – you decide what fits the term ‘culture.’ Since 2008, Courvoisier The Future 500 has challenged members from different backgrounds to come up with an exciting and innovative business proposition and in 2010 awarded the winning concept £10,000 to bring it to life. The result of 2010’s competition is Culture Compass.  So join this community of culture aficionados connecting, sharing and shaping the cultural landscape at iTunes or on Android visit here.

Twitter @MovieMoron

This is a brand that’s been around a long, long time (50 years to be precise) and it’s always great to get together with the Creative Beauty Director of  Head & Shoulders, Peter Lux. Peter is a creative whizz and once everyone had relaxed with a fairly lethal cocktail or two, they all had a chance to create (under Peter’s watchful eye of course) some really impressive looks with a ‘head of hair’ dummy and a selection of styling tools. In homage to the age of the brand, we all created a classic ‘Audrey’ then moved on to a more on-trend look straight from the catwalks with a sort of Rock ‘n’ Roll meets Forties up-do. Several more lethal cocktails and a few mini-burgers later and the Handpicked Media bloggers left The St Martins Lane Hotel with some great pictures and blog post inspiration.

Twitter @westlondon_mum

We promise to push your beauty buttons with lots of exclusive competitions, thought-provoking features, breaking beauty news, and tried and tested reviews.

Twitter @BeautyPages

Twitter @Clayandblossom

Twitter @Sarah_Berryman1

Twitter @bestforfilm

Twitter @FashionNBarbie

Twitter @vipxo

Twitter @fayerios

Hopefully my blog will teach you a few new tricks, introduce you to a few great products and stop you from buying the not so great ones. I do also like adding a few posts about a fashion and lifestyle which are just a bit of a change from my normal beauty posts.

Twitter @sabrinalovesyou

Twitter @ShirleyBEniang

A recent graduate now working as a Fashion Designer. BIG passion for both fashion and beauty.

Twitter @stylesuzi

@Kates_Wardrobe

Twitter @burntheblonde

Twitter @kate_burt

Twitter @ViviannaMakeup

When you think of MouldyFruit you needn’t think an item you once had but instead the opportunity to immerse yourself in my everyday indulgences.

Follow me through my love of life, products and photography.

Twitter @MouldyFruit

Our up-to-date ‘what’s on’ section will give you plenty of inspiration if you’re stuck for ideas what to do, and vintage-loving Londoners themselves are sharing their top tips so you can experience vintage in the city just like the locals.

Twitter @myvintagelondon

Twitter @AGinChelsea

Here is Emma from Beautyandthedirt and The Beauty Button having a Champney’s hand massage…

Leading women’s magazine Cosmopolitan have launched their second Annual Cosmopolitan Blog Awards and Handpicked Media are partnering to judge the lifestyle category. We will be looking for blogs that are a bit different so if you’ve got a blog that covers subjects that we haven’t seen before, written with style, a unique take and bags of personality then make sure you enter and let us know about it! We are looking for the most charming, inspiring or simply funniest blogs to get us all excited here at Handpicked.

Last years Cosmopolitan Blog Awards had over 15,000 entries and when the winners were announced the Awards became one of the top trending topics on Twitter.

We think this will be even more popular this year so get your entry in early. Here are the categories where Cosmo are looking for talented writers, skilful photographers, and blogs that engage and impress – and it’s open to bloggers to either nominate themselves or those who read blogs and have a favourite or two they’d like to nominate.

The categories for 2011 are:
• New fashion blog (less than 18 months old)
• Established fashion blog (more than 18 months old)
• New beauty blog (less than 18 months old)
• Established beauty blog (more than 18 months old)
• Health, diet and fitness
• Student blogger
• Sex and relationships
• E-tailer or brand blog
• Technology and gadgets
• Celebrity
• Maleblogger
• Lifestyle, partnered by Handpicked Media

All shortlisted entries will also be considered to join Handpicked Media so what are you waiting for?

Never before have so many bloggers been obsessed with a kitchen knife and secateurs than at our Sainsbury’s event last night. This was the first time Sainsbury’s opened their doors to bloggers and we were thrilled that it was exclusively for our Handpicked team. It was a chance for our home, design and food bloggers to mix with the lifestyle and parenting as we were lead through the perfume workshop, to smart bathrooms and immaculate bedrooms.

A Christmas in July event would not be complete without Christmas trees, mince pies and gifts under the tree, with the rain pouring down outside we were actually writing our Christmas lists in our heads. Nice to meet some HP newbies; Emily from Atticus & Finch, Pippa from Pippa Jameson Interiors and Kate from Your Home is Lovely amongst the teal and aubergine cast iron casserole dishes.

Me and Mine was taking orders from The Women’s Room for a bulk order of the shears for us all, in fact I think I saw a tweet from the Forever 21 party..

“Highlights of tonight, knives and shears at Sainsburys and meat and roller-skates at Forever 21 .” > Can’t say fairer than that!

To see what everyone thought check the tweets for #SainsburysHome

Handpicked Media bloggers had a chance to take an exclusive look at the new Aveda Hair and Beauty collections for Summer this week at the Penthouse Suite of the Soho Hotel. Rumours are that P Diddy was staying in that same room earlier in the week…

Our Style bloggers had a chance to take a peek at Aveda’s latest products as well as receiving a complimentary Aveda blowdry – check out ReallyRee‘s luscious locks above.

Thanks very much to Aveda for the brilliant event, we’ve never seen such a perfectly coiffed group!

Glossy magazines, Company and Cosmopolitan have teamed up  with Handpicked Media and Max Factor make-up artist Caroline Barnes to create this summer’s hottest looks for make-up.

Starting with this month in both Cosmo and Company Lina from Makeuptomakeout, May from Maylovesmakeup and Nicola from NicolaVC86 feature creating their own looks using the latest Max Factor colours and lots of inspiration from Caroline.

Look out for other Handpicked members in the next two issues of the magazines where they will be featured creating other looks that are strong on colour and on trend for summer ’11!

I offer honest reviews and general beauty chatter along with the odd miscellaneous post here and there, all scattered with plenty of photos – perfect for a bit of cosmetic indulgence.  Enjoy!

Twitter @PrettySolitaire

Twitter @AtticusandFinch

I do reviews of children’s books under the label Our New Bestest Book and adult novels under I’ve Just Read/

I blog personally on family issues, political issues and social trends as well as reviews and shopping posts.

Twitter @tremendously2

Twitter @KateSnooks

Started in mid-2009, the site has been featured on BBC6 Music (editor Chris Laverty was interviewed by Lauren Laverne), in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Empire, The Guardian, Paris Vogue, Nylon, NBC, GQ and many others, plus nominated as Blog of the Year by Total Film.

Well connected in Hollywood and able to get access others cannot, Clothes on Film is the resource for screen style and costume.

Twitter @ClothesonFilm

A recent graduate now working as a Fashion Designer. BIG passion for both fashion and beauty.