Blake Lively or Gwyneth Platrow? The goop vs. Preserve showdown
For those not in the know, Blake Lively's lifestyle site, Preserve, launched yesterday, Monday June 21, with some rather, well, "goop-y" intentions. We all know and love goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website that preaches healthy living and features expertly-curated collaborations. The thing is, we're not sure the world can handle another goop, though Blake Lively is intent on proving us wrong with Preserve. So, who would really win in a celebrity lifestyle site showdown? Continue reading to discover the winner!
CHARITABLE INITIATIVES:
Both goop and Preserve donate a percentage of proceeds to charity, but who has the most charitable chops?
Preserve, from what we can gather, carries hand-made goods from artisans found here in the United States. 5% of proceeds go to charity, and the Preserve team has stated that their first goal will be providing 5,000 warm meals, 2,000 blankets, and 2,700 "warm hoodies" to children in need. OK, that's cool.
Goop boasts of a "big heart" in the "goop Giving" section of its website. In the past, goop has donated proceeds to various charities, such as the Edible Schoolyard Project and the David Lynch Foundation, which provides free transcendental meditation instruction to youth in urban schools. Also, lest we forget that one time when Gwyneth had a "yard sale" and sold Beyonce's shoes. That was awesome.
Winner: Gwyneth! In Blake's defense, you can't top auctioning off Beyonce's shoes. Sorry, girl.
CONTENT
Blake and Gwyneth both have lots of things to read on their sites. The real question is, which one would we rather spend time perusing?
Gwyneth has her content plan down pat, and she knows what works for her. Sections like "Make", "Do", "See", "Get", and "Be", provide readers with inspiring tidbits on where to travel, what to eat, how to work out and how to relax, for example. A variety of professionals and celebrities (always friends of Gwyneth, of course), often weigh in to give their valuable two cents. The site also has a big recipes section, if you want to cook like Gwyneth, and has been ramping up the fun features lately, like a guide to the best food trucks in Los Angeles, and one on how your cleaning products are secretly harming you.
Maybe it's because we're newbies to Preserve, but we're a little confused by its content. Most of it seems to revolve around the artisans featured in Preserve's shop, which is great, but we can't get past the flowery language. We will say, however, that girl's got jokes. Consider this excerpt from Preserve's FAQ section: "Everything you'll ever see on PRESERVE comes from companies that are based in America and keep their production happening right here on our soil. Eventually, we hope to link with our brethren in Central America and follow in our founder's footsteps by merging with Canada. ;)" LOL, OK Blake, we see you.
Winner: We decided to make this one a tie. Both goop and Preserve are equally entertaining in their own special ways.
SHOP-PABILITY
OK, now for the fun part. Who's got the better stuff?
When it comes to collaborations, goop's got a really solid lineup (maybe because Gywneth has so many friends?). Necklaces by Jennifer Meyer, Steven Alan blouses, Sonya Dakar oils, and more can be found in goop's e-commerce section. Say what you will about Gwyneth, but we love us some goop merchandise.
Preserve is also highly shoppable, and is hawking mainly fashion and food products made by, again, homegrown American artisans. One thing we love about Preserve is the ability to shop by price (and OMG, there's a $0-$19.99 section -- now, that's what we're talking about). We do wish Preserve was a bit more organized, but we're assuming that'll come in due time. Once you play around with it, you realize there are several filters to choose from, and you can stop staring at the $16 truffle salt page.
Winner: Blake wins by a close margin, but only because she seems more price-conscious, which we can't ignore. Our friends at Kitchen Daily even did a little digging to find their favorite products, see what they chose here!
So, who is the real winner of the celebrity lifestyle showdown? The truth is, we'll most likely end up reading Preserve just as often as we peruse goop. So really, how can we pick a true winner? Our time is better spent reading up on cancerous chemicals in household cleaners and homegrown, all-American artisans. Alas, don't forget to VOTE in the poll below, and tell us what you think on the whole Gwyneth vs. Blake debacle.
