If you are into the ethical beauty scene then you probably already know Nicole, aka Vegan Beauty Girl. What began as an Instagram account to help herself and others discover and shop vegan, cruelty-free beauty products, quickly flourished into an award winning blog, which really does help all of her readers live a conscious and vegan lifestyle easily, and more importantly affordably. Spanning everything from the best vegan spas and treatments in London to sustainable underwear, tips on how to up level your eBay shopping, Nicole even offers us a Vegan Toad in the Hole recipe on her YouTube channel. She really is all encompassing, obvious one stop influencer for those looking to live a vegan, ethical and kind life. Her honest reviews and easy eco-swaps allow everyone to make small or big changes in their lifestyle and consumption patterns to allow us to live, purchase and pamper ourselves in the most ethical, sustainable and conscious way possible. Read on to find out what she loves about running a blog, her favourite finds during lockdown and her routines to allow her an "effortless" night's sleep.
Your award winning blog Vegan Beauty Girl is truly amazing, can you tell us a little bit more about your journey to creating the blog and the YouTube channel?
Yeah, sure! It actually all started on Instagram - I created an account to help myself, and others, shop vegan beauty. I’d already been vegan for seven or eight years and I was frustrated that I couldn’t say for certain that all my beauty products were completely vegan and cruelty-free. So it was a way for me to keep track of the good brands and products - clearly others found it helpful too!
The blog [Vegan Beauty Girl] came about a couple years later when I decided I wanted to get a bit more serious about my online presence. It’s been really nice to have a place where I can provide guidance and answers to questions people might be googling like, ‘what fake tans are vegan?’ or helping them figure out which brands are cruelty-free.
Starting a YouTube channel came less from a desire to start one (I used to hate public speaking!) and more from knowing it was the next step to take. I’ve had it roughly two years now and, since lockdown started, I’ve really enjoyed getting the chance to sit down and chat a bit more in depth about varying topics. I think it’s my favourite platform right now, probably because it feels the best for social connection - something a lot of us are craving like crazy in 2020.
What is your favourite aspect about running the blog and what has been your biggest challenge?
My favourite aspect is definitely having the chance to speak out against the big brands that are green-washing or eco-washing. I love it when any of my posts challenging these big brands comes out high on google searches. It’s important that people aren’t misled with sly marketing and instead get a fuller picture to make an informed decision with their purchases.
My biggest challenge was running it alongside a full-time and then a part-time job. You’ll have big dreams, big ambitions and its hard to accept that you have limitations. However, now as a full-time influencer I struggle with steadying my income - some months can be a lot better than others and it’s hard to manage.
You started your blog trying to help people to find truly good vegan beauty products, without the greenwashing, where do you even start trying to find these small independent brands yourself?
Thankfully independents tend to support other independents! I know I discovered your pyjamas via Content Beauty - a store I love and trust to showcase ethical brands. It’s often browsing stores/websites like this, or heading to markets and festivals/expos that help me not only discover new brands but also find out about the stories and ethics behind them.
Has this period of being at home allowed you to discover more new brands and if so is there a favourite which stands out?
Being stuck indoors really helped me realise how mindless I’d gotten with spending money. Pre lockdown, I was being led by impulse and convenience. It’s really hard to avoid: we’re always walking past shops and markets and it’s easy to find things that you want but don’t need. But once that was out of my life, I found my spending was ridiculously minimal which left me the option to buy better when I actually did need something. Which is how I came round to loving and purchasing your Character edition shorts.
Obviously, following the mass BLM protests in May/June, I took the time to discover more Black owned brands in the vegan space. I’ve been discovering and trialling quite a lot of new brands, as well as enjoying old favourites. Though, in particular, I’ve really enjoyed skincare from Suneeta London and The Glowcery.
Did you adopt any new rituals to keep spirits high during the past few months?
I think a lot of us found some joy in slowing down. That’s been a big learning curve for me, as someone that enjoys being busy and surrounded by people. It’s funny that the things that bring me most peace are actually free? It’s not the candles and the bath bombs (though they help!), it’s actually going on long runs or lying in the sun that brings me the most peace.
As for my next career move, I’m glad that lockdown actually gave me some time to start exploring TikTok. It takes a lot to join a new social platform but I’ve had a lot of fun on there and am now on their creator programme, which is great!
Have you learnt anything about yourself during this period or been dreaming of your next big career adventure?
I have quite an effortless relationship with sleep, I’m one of those that struggles to ‘sleep in’ or ‘stay up late’ and easily falls asleep once my head hits the pillow. The essentials of my bedtime routine include taking time with my evening skincare, making sure to fill up my water bottle and taking the time to say good night to my flat mate and closing our doors.
We have all heard of beauty sleep and as you are a beauty blogger, I was wondering what role sleep plays in your life?
I have quite an effortless relationship with sleep, I’m one of those that struggles to ‘sleep in’ or ‘stay up late’ and easily falls asleep once my head hits the pillow. The essentials of my bedtime routine include taking time with my evening skincare, making sure to fill up my water bottle and taking the time to say good night to my flat mate and closing our doors.
What is your day like? Are you a pyjamas all day kind of person or do you get up and get dressed straight away?
I love being an influencer and the work that I do; a lot of my tasks are enjoyable and need creativity. So often, the first thing I’ll do in the morning is open my laptop and get on with something that takes my fancy - whatever has my brain buzzing. But later on in the morning, once that creative burst has fizzled away, I like to get dressed, make breakfast and then look at the tasks that need doing that day - including the boring ones I do *not* want to do.
If I ever struggle to ‘start my day’ and get in the productive space, I take extra time getting ready. Dress a bit smarter, take more time with my makeup, make an extra coffee. I find that looking the part can really help you feel a bit more productive.
If you had to give one piece of advice to someone who was looking to adopt an all vegan beauty regime what would it be?
Follow me on Instagram! Haha. But other than that, it’s encouraging them to take their time. There’s a lot to learn and you won’t be able to overhaul everything at once. And that’s okay. Enjoy the process, enjoy discovering new products and try not to feel stressed if some swaps take longer than others.
I know in particular foundations can be a real struggle for people to replace, that’s why I created my Vegan Foundation Review series over on YouTube. This helps cruelty-free shoppers discover vegan foundation options and hear unbiased reviews
Help your vegan lifestyle journey by reading the Vegan Beauty Girl blog here: https://www.veganbeautygirl.co.uk/
To follow Vegan Beauty Girl on IG head here : https://www.instagram.com/veganbeautygirl/?hl=en
If YouTube is your desire head here https://www.youtube.com/c/VeganBeautyGirl.
