YouTube regularly spawns flash-in-the-pan celebrities, but few have managed to build a profitable business out of their exposure. Lauren Luke is a rare exception—the British self-taught make-up guru built such a loyal following with her chatty tips on how to imitate celebrity looks, that she just launched her own line of cosmetics: By Lauren Luke.

In contrast to high-profile make-up artists like Bobbi Brown, Luke has true girl-next-door appeal. The former taxi dispatcher started experimenting with brightly coloured make-up in high school. While selling cosmetics on eBay as a 26-year-old single mom, Luke started making simple, unedited YouTube tutorials for her customers, which have been viewed over 40 million times since she started posting them 18 months ago.

The By Lauren Luke line, sold exclusively through Luke’s website to customers in the US, Canada and Europe, features kits of hand-picked shades. Naturally, each kit comes with a video tutorial on how best to apply ‘Fierce Violets’, ‘Vintage Glams’, ‘Sultry Blues’ and ‘Luscious Greens’. Luke hopes her customers will do what she does whenever she receives new cosmetics in the mail: “chew the postman's hand off with excitement”. From her deft use of social media, to how she generously shares her skills to attract a loyal following, most seasoned entrepreneurs could learn a thing or two from Lauren Luke.

Website: www.bylaurenluke.com
Contact: www.bylaurenluke.com/contact.html

Back in 2006 we wrote about Belgian tour operator Wasteels' Club Tour program enabling amateurs to plan trips for customers and then earn a commission. Now taking the customer-made theme a step further comes YourTour—which also happens to be Belgian—which lets consumers do it all themselves.

YourTour is a free, personal tour planner that uses a mathematical algorithm to automatically generate fully customized trip plans. Currently focusing on self-drive tours of France, the technology was originally developed for tourism professionals by deciZium, a spinoff company from the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons. Users begin by entering their initial criteria, including the region they'd like to visit, the dates, the type of tour, and the starting and ending points. YourTour then generates a proposed tour including hotels, activities and budget, allowing the user to choose at each step along the way whether to keep or delete any suggestion. deciZium has partnered with Lonely Planet for the suggested activities while Booking.com handles the online hotel reservations once the user is satisfied with their plan. For professional use, YourTour is accessible as a web service in ASP or in XML. More countries will soon be added to its trip-planning capabilities, the company says.

While YourTour undoubtedly offers myriad benefits for DIY consumers, there are clearly also intriguing opportunities for related businesses. A hotel chain, for example, could use the technology to suggest tours built around its own hotels, as the site suggests itself; similarly, a tour operator could let clients create customized tours around its own offerings. Hospitality professionals: time to do some brainstorming! (Related: Trip planner suggests travelling music — Route planner with a wiki twist.)

Website: www.yourtour.com
Contact: www.yourtour.com/TourPlanner/contact/contactus.aspx

In this era of crowdsourcing and customisation, consumers are accustomed to having their say on matters large and small. Demonstrating that customer input can be applied to just about everything, a car park is giving its customers a say in how its stairwells smell.

UK parking provider NCP recently adopted new technology that helps it combat the "special" smell so commonly found in parking stairwells. Gone will be the olfactory suggestion of recent unsavoury activities, replaced instead by the aroma of roses, freshly baked bread, roast chicken or some other pleasant smell. All that remains is for consumers to choose which delectable odour they'd prefer, because rather than pick one in autonomous fashion, the company is asking its customers to vote instead. So, users of four trial NCP garages—in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Leeds—are now invited to chime in with their preferences on the company's site. The smells with the most votes will be implemented, and if the program is really successful, NCP will roll it out nationwide.

Need we say more? Let the crowds have their say whenever possible, and you'll rarely go wrong; fail to do so, and you may not like what you hear! ;-)

Website: www.ncp.co.uk/stairwellsmells
Contact: www.ncp.co.uk/contactus.aspx

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

The pro photography scene might be in for a revival, thanks to a Yorkshire-based studio with a razor-sharp focus and web-based approach. Their name says it all: We Shoot Bottles. The studio takes photos of everything from gin to fabric softener. As long as it’s a bottle, they’ll take a professional shot of it for GBP 30 or less.

It’s all done remotely: clients send bottles to We Shoot Bottles' office, where they're shot at high resolution by a professional photographer. After a bit of re-touching to get rid of scrapes and scratches, a cut-out path is created for the client to either use in print or web design, allowing for professional-looking white or coloured backgrounds. Finally, the images are uploaded to the Bottle Bank, where clients or their designers can access them. Or, if preferred, a cd-rom can be sent through the post.

Everything on offer is straightforward and to-the-point, from the studio’s process and copy–a single-page site says everything in around 150 words—to pricing. In contrast to most traditional studios, prices are disclosed upfront—appealing to time- and money-strapped solopreneurs who need professional services at start-up prices, and saving the studio the hassle of preparing individual quotes. We Shoot Bottles was launched earlier this year as a side project for Red Photography Ltd. One to expand on in other regions, and for other product categories?

Website: www.weshootbottles.com
Contact: studio@weshootbottles.com

Spotted by: Marty Webster

Consumers in the market for a new children’s playhouse have a wide variety to choose from, with pint-sized properties ranging from thirty-dollar cardboard versions to uber-premium, custom-built chalets. A new product from the Netherlands takes the market one step further, allowing kids to become designers by creating their own one-of-a-kind playhouses.

The qb playhouse is completely customisable, giving children the option to pick their own colours and patterns for doors, windows and siding. Those seeking to be entirely unique can upload a pattern, drawing or text of their own design. qb playhouses are available in three unorthodox shapes—Original, Tree and City—and are constructed using sustainable wood. Not targeting the low end of the market, the houses are priced from EUR 699 to 999.

Enrolling children as co-designers is a sure way to draw attention amidst an avalanche of toys. One to expand to other children’s products and services? (Related: Bedding designed by (and for) kids.)

Website: www.quubi.nl
Contact: quubi@quubi.nl

Spotted by: Judy McRae