Get to know me

A Beauty Blogger Q&A

We are all sitting at home at the moment, so I thought why not do a more personal post, that allows you to get to know me a bit better with a little Q&A. I have been blogging for years and I have never done a post like this so it’s probably way overdue.

**Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.

About Me:

Where did you grow up?

I was born in South Africa, but we travelled a lot when I was younger, I have lived in Germany, Texas and of course England too. Living in a lot of countries has its positives and negatives but it was amazing to see so much of the world at a young age. I have lived in England for the longest amount of time and it is definitely home.

What was your dream job as a kid?

Actress – I absolutely loved acting as a kid and younger teen and spent a lot of time in theatre and film schools and clubs. My direction really changed just before going off to University but acting was something I was fully committed too from a young age.

What was your earliest memory?

It was my 4^th birthday. My aunt had made me an adorable carrot cake in the shape of a teddy bear. I remember sitting on the kitchen counter and crying because I didn’t understand carrot cake was sweet and delicious. I thought it was going to taste like vegetables, and so was some sort of punishment. It’s pretty funny to look back on now and I appreciate the effort my aunt went to! I now love carrot cake.

What is your day job?

I am a graphic designer. I went to university to study graphic design and got my role as a junior designer before I graduated. I am now a senior and have been in the same role for coming up 6 years. I work within the design department of a wider print business. It’s a challenging job and very much a commitment to your desk. But the positives are, every day is different, it’s creative and always interesting. I work with some really amazing people which is why I have stayed put so long. I mainly do branding and editorial based projects. So it’s always cool to see my work in the real world!

Favourites:

What are some of your favourite Netflix shows?

I watch a lot of Netflix so this one is easy: Stranger Things of course, recently The Tiger King (wtf!) The Good Place, The Witcher, The OA, Sex Education, The Punisher, Daredevil, Russian Doll, Instant Hotel, Brooklyn 99, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Zumbo’s Best Desserts, Happy and Drag Race are a few of my top picks! The list could go on and on. Oh and Friends of course which is like the background tv show to my life.

What music do you love?

Mainly rock and alternative but I love pop and electronica too. My tastes vary greatly depending on my mood or current activity. My all time favourite band is The Strokes and I also listen to a lot of Wolf Alice, The 1975, Billie Eilish and Lana Del Ray.

Favourite genres?

Science fiction, fantasy and anything with a detective.

It goes without saying I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, those books really shaped my childhood. I also adore autobiographies by astronauts and books about space. I would never want to go but I love learning about it!  

Blogging:

Why did you start Instagram/blogging?

I had a passion for beauty since my teenage days but no one in my real life shared the same interest so I started on Instagram as a way talk about it and find others with a similar interest. It took me years before I built up the courage to start my Instagram in April 2016 and I absolutely wish I has the courage to do it earlier. After blogging for over a year I realised this was more than a phase and so I started my blog in August 2017. Growth has been slow and challenging but I am undeterred!

What does Violet Hollow mean?

It’s entirely made-up, I wanted a name that was flexible if one day I wanted to pursue another topic, so I avoided anything with beauty in the name. I also wanted it to be easy to spell and easy to remember and so Violet Hollow was born! I think it conjures the image of a fallen tree trunk filled with violets which isn’t a bad image either. Only downside is I do get called Violet a lot, but it’s no issue really.

How do you stay organised?

I am an avid list maker! I have a spreadsheet where I keep all of my blog ideas and posts both past and future. Every time I take photos, write copy and upload etc, I update it. It helps me manage where I am and gives an overview of what I have already done to influence future topics. As I work full time Monday to Friday, the majority of my blogging is done in the evenings and weekends. I take photos in natural light on the weekend and reserve the evenings to editing and writing. It’s a real juggle struggle at times but my passion keeps me going.

Favourite apps for Instagram?

I use a couple of apps for regularly; firstly Over. I use Over to resize and catalogue all of my images and potential images, this works as my hub.

From there I save them out individually and take them into A Colour Story. I love the options for A Colour Story, you do have to pay for additional filters and effects but I just buy one or two occasionally and have built my library from there. You can save your edits too which really speeds up the process.

Then when I am happy with my edit, finally I fire up Unum. This is where I file the photos in order I want to post, to create a cohesive theme for the following week. It allows you to visualise what your feed will look like and check the effectiveness of hashtags too.

For Instagram stories I love Unfold, again you have to pay for some features but the cost is low and I buy a few templates occasionally to build a library. Once I have my template I usually also edit these in A Colour Story to improve the look and feel.

Beauty:

First high end makeup product you ever brought?

I got a part time job when I was about 14 working at a café on the weekends. With my first pay check I went a brought three things from the Benefit counter; Thrrrob blush, California Kissing lip gloss and You Rebel Lite tinted moisturiser. My love for beauty has always been around! They don’t make Thrrob blush anymore but if they did I would buy it again just for the nostalgia.

Any beauty regrets?

Where do I start, I think a lot of makeup wears my age will remember the horrors of Maybelline dream matte mousse. What was I thinking? I have dry skin and used to cake it on, it never clicked that there was something better out there for me. I also used to ring my eyes in black kohl to look like Avril Lavigne. A look that some people can pull off, I certainly couldn’t. Lastly the biggest crime was over plucking my poor eyebrows. I am sad to say there have never recovered.

What are some of your Holy Grail products?

Clinique Take off the Day Balm (Link to Clinique UK), Caudalie Vine [Activ] Overnight Detox Oil (Link to Feelunique), Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm (Link to Omorovicza UK), Laneige lip sleeping mask (Link to Laneige USA), Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk (Link to Glossier) and Redken All Soft Hair Mask (Link to Hut UK).

I could go on but 6 is probably enough!

What are some products you used on your wedding day?

I got married in New York City last May, and I took a suitcase of products with me as I did my own makeup. I would perhaps pick different products now but I was happy with how it turned out. A few of the products I used are below!

Base: Becca Backlight Priming Filter (Link to Becca), Mac Pro Longwear concealer (Link to Ulta), Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder (Link to Selfridges), and set with Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder (Link to Feelunique), and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light (Link to John Lewis).

Face: Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow (Link to Selfridges), for bronzer and my highlighter, and Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk (Link to Glossier), I also used a lot of Mac Fix +! (Link to Mac UK).

Lips: Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner in 1C (Link to Sephora), Dior Nude Colour in 459 Charnelle (Link to Saks), and Dior Addict Lip Maximiser in Rosewood (Link to Selfridges).

Eyes & Brows: Mac Soft Ochre paint pot (Link to Mac UK), Benefit They’re Real mascara (Link to Benefit UK), and Makeup Geek (Link to Target) and Stila Perfect Me Perfect Hue (Link to The Hut UK), my lashes were Mac 33 Lashes (Link to Selfridges), and Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown (Link to Beauty Bay).

Click here to read all about our New York Wedding!

Quick Fire Questions:

• How tall are you? 5.2
• Country you most want to visit? Japan
• Star Sign? Aquarius
• Favourite Food? Pasta Bake
• Tipple of choice? Gin
• Favourite Film? Juno
• Tea or Coffee? Coffee
• Favourite Flower? Tulip
• Dogs or Cats? Dogs
• Favourite Colour? Grey

I hope you had fun with this more casual post and getting to know me a bit better. I’m not very uncomfortable in front of the camera and it’s clear I’m not going to start a fashion blog anytime soon but It was fun to do something a bit different. If you have any other questions for me leave them below!

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