By Alayna Putterman

All over the web, celebrities have started to create their own blogs. In terms of lifestyle blogs, Gwyneth Paltrow and Blake Lively are on the radar as the current “in blogs.” Each of these blogs is special in its own way and brings a unique twist to the lifestyle world, but they both inspire fans and young people all over the world.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s blog called Goop can be accessed by going to Goop.com. Although this blog is not new and was founded in 2008, the blog is now gaining attention and momentum. Paltrow created this blog with the founding mission to “share all of life’s positives.” The “What is Goop?” section, describes what this blog is all about — “Gwyneth began curating the best of lifestyle to help her readers save time, simplify and feel inspired…for many, Goop has become their most trusted girlfriend on the web.”

Goop is growing beyond its origin as a blog and is now a digital media and e-commerce company. Goop now has its own app called City Guides. The app costs $3.99 to buy, but seems to be worth it for its pre-loaded guides of New York, London and Los Angeles. It claims to be “filled with all the much-loved and under-the-radar places, along with classic favorites.”

Goop refers to its blog as “a wealth of knowledge and an indispensable resource for all who love to make, go, get, do, be and see,” which are the different sections under the “Journal” section of the blog. Goop also features sections for recipes and shopping, but the products featured in the Shop section are extremely expensive and potentially could be found on a different site at a lower price. On the other hand, Goop has many links to articles that offer good advice and insights on trendy items, ranging from clothing to food.

A celebrity blog that contrasts Paltrow’s entirely is Blake Lively’s blog Preserve, which can be found at preserve.us. Blake Lively created a “Letter From the Editor Section” where she writes she is “hungry for experience” and that “everyone has a story to tell.” She writes, “Preserve is a creative space. A space which honors both tradition and innovation — a space which honors the future, while having a love affair with the past…” Preserve considers itself to be more than just a blog, but also a “magazine,” an “e-commerce hub” and a “philanthropic endeavor.” To me, the layout of the blog is slightly overwhelming and the color scheme hard to handle, but the content seems to be powerful and innovative.

Preserve was named as such because the blog’s mission is to preserve traditions and history. They believe that it is “wonderful to discover something that has been cast aside, to pick it up and restore it to its original beauty.” Preserve has tabs or categories called “passions,” including taste, style, projects, wellness, home, intimacy, culture and celebration.

The Shop section of this blog is a lot more affordable than most of the items for sale that Gwyneth Paltrow and her team featured. Preserve has merchandise for sale in every price range, whereas Goop did not have many items that cost less than $100. Also, Preserve is interesting in that it has an artisans section that gives a description of each of the designers, details their backgrounds and provides a link to their products. This makes the customer feel as if they are investing in products that are one-of-a-kind and specially handcrafted, whereas Goop sells high-fashion designer items. It all really comes down to the buyer’s preference, because both have their pros and cons.

This may not matter to some, but for others this may be a deciding factor: shipping and returns. Preserve has a much better return policy than Goop, which is a factor to consider when making purchases on either site. Do not forget to check any site’s policies before pressing check out!

What is special about both blogs is that they both focus on giving. Goop and Preserve give a portion of their funds to projects, foundations or individuals who are in need.

I really encourage all of you to check out these blogs, or if you are not a fan of celebrity blogs, still try to delve into the blogging world.

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Alayna Putterman is a Contributing Writer for The Fordham Ram.