Zoella.co.uk was one of the first two blog’s I followed. Set up in 2009, she posted about her life, her favourite beauty items and just general chit-chat – the same kind of conversations you’d have with a good friend. She had a natural, witty flair for writing and a pretty pink layout – which eventually inspired my blog (at the time) in a new direction.
Fast forward a couple of months and I was invited to my first ever blogging event, held at the Aldwych Hotel by Glam Media – an agency I’d just signed up with. Looking rather lost and overwhelmed by how luxuriously lovely the hotel was, I scrambled into a lift and found myself face to face with Zoe. Recognising her from her blog, I squeaked a shy hello before muttering about being lost and what might the event entail. I wish I’d had the guts to actually start talking, as I had tonnes of questions to ask – but several years on and Zoe’s blog has taken things to a whole new level. In fact, she’s pretty much the blogger’s version of Beyonce. There’s nothing she can’t do!
I’m sure I speak on behalf of the entire blogging community when I say that watching Zoe’s blog – and then her YouTube channel – grow in size, by millions – has been so rewarding and exciting. It’s amazing to see from an outsider’s perspective how someone can turn what they love doing, into a fully fledged career path and inspire so many people.
Her chatty, yet witty way with words has made her into a big sister figure for so many young girls – and in today’s society – where the media is permeated with negative role models and messages, having a positive constant has (I’m sure) helped so many. I know aged 13-16 having online tutorials to guide me in the right direction (and reassure me that my feelings and worries were normal and solvable) would have helped me immensely.
So it was even more exciting, when news spread that she was launching her very own pamper range, Zoella Beauty, which was to be launched online at Feel Unique and in Superdrug stores. Reflecting Zoe’s style and personality (and the blog layout that first gripped my attention), the dressing table worthy range consists of a body lotion, candle, two different make-up bags, a fizz bar, body mist and shower cream.
With affordable price tags (£5-£8) the range is accessible to all of Zoe’s fans – teens and twenty somethings alike. Each product features the signature scent – which is sweet yet subtle and holds strong vanilla and floral notes. I personally love it – as it’s something I’d typically go for – and it definitely suits the overall feminine feel to the range.
The Body Mist is ideal for spritzing on after the shower – or bath – as it’s light and easy to wear, without being sickly sweet or overpowering. It has taken pride of place on my set of Muji drawers.
The Let’s Glow Candle is ideal for lighting up next to the bath when you’re having a much needed pamper night while the Fizz Bar is designed to look like a bar of white chocolate – which you can snap up and use as little or as much as you please. I’ve ordered this from Feel Unique, as I wanted to include this in my monthly beauty haul – so watch this space.
I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the beauty bag, because I usually find that make-up/vanity bags are either far too small or too large to fit into my handbag. This – luckily – is just right and is compact enough for travel, but it fits in ALL the ‘essentials’.
Overall, I absolutely love the range. It’s everything I thought it would be and so much more. I was so pleased to see that she’d really thought about and catered for her audience, whilst staying true to her blog, her channel and her personality. Everything about it speaks ‘Zoe’ and similarly, it proves that the world of blogging has come on leaps and bounds. Thanks to Zoe, and a number of other bloggers, the community is valued further afield than it ever used to be and it’s really lovely to have a little piece of that on your dressing table.
