As of late January 2019, the UK government updated their rules regarding what constitutes the necessary levels of transparency for social media influencers. As such I want to make it clear to any readers of this blog what kind of benefits I receive as a blogger and social media influencer.

• GIFTS: I receive gifted items from brands/companies regularly, particularly new products for each new Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer season, in exchange for honest reviews on my blog. I only accept or request items I love the look of, and I review those items using only my honest opinion with no input from the companies who have sent them. I do regularly turn down offers for gifted items if I feel they are not an authentic match to my tastes, or sometimes because my schedule is just too full to commit to blogging about additional items.

Previously I disclosed when an item was gifted by writing ‘C/O’ (courtesy of) in the outfit breakdown descriptions within reviews of any newly gifted item. I didn’t repeat that ‘C/O’ marker moving forward every time I wore a gifted piece in my monthly Outfits Round Up posts or inside reviews that focused on other products because I thought this would be unnecessary clutter for my readers to sift through every time. From February 2019 onward, all previously gifted items will be disclosed as such freshly anytime they are featured on my blog or social media.

• PAID PROMOTIONS & ADS: I don’t and never have accepted money to promote a product or brand. However, ANY post displaying an item from a company is seen as promoting them, so all posts on my social media will have to be marked as #Ad in future.

• DISCOUNT CODES: I do not receive commission from any purchases made with the use of any discount codes I am able to offer my readers.

• REFERRAL LINKS AND AFFILIATE LINKS: I will sometimes provide you with a referral link (transparently marked as ‘referral link’) to products or websites I love and use if said link enables you to make a purchase at a lower price. (For example, in the past I have shared referral links to JustFab boots I regularly wear, which has allowed readers to buy the same boots for up to 75% off regular RRP.) In exchange those referral links will usually offer the referrer (in this case, me) customer points that can be exchanged for money off future purchases, or perhaps some store credit. I only use referral links for items or services I love and would recommend.

I have affiliate accounts with Unique Vintage, Amazon, MAK Sweater, Blue Banana and eBay. That means when I use an affiliate link to direct you to a product sold on either of those sites, I receive a small percent commission if you complete the purchase of that product within a certain number of days.

• PAST RELATIONSHIPS – The new rules surrounding social media disclosures also now say that even if I’ve bought an item with my own money and post a picture of that item, if I’ve had a working relationship within the previous year with the brand who makes it I still have to point out I’ve worked with them previously. Those rules aren’t explicitly listed within the rules that focus on blogging disclosures, so in the interest of reducing the number of long-winded disclosures tacked onto the end of any product details in an outfit breakdown, I won’t be adding that disclaimer into the central text of any blog posts. Instead such disclaimers will be located at the end of relevant blog posts.