Meet Instafamous beauty blogger Sophie Hannah Richardson
She has 96.8k followers
Rose BernardTurquoise hair, facial gems, metallics, glitter and pastels – Sophie Hannah Richardson is a real life mermaid.
She’s worked with Asos, Motel, Illamasqua, Urban Decay and Rimmel London. The Independent called her one of the top social media influencers redefining celebrity. She has 96.8k Instagram followers and 90,000 YouTube subscribers on her channel where she gives tutorials for unicorn hair, glitter lips and more.
I spoke to her about her ethereal style, her inspirations and her plans for the future.
Where in London are you from?
I live in southwest London with my boyfriend in a one-bed flat, however we’re moving back to our hometown, Colchester in Essex, very soon.
Where’s your favourite place in the city?
I love east London – I definitely feel like I fit in there. Brick Lane is a good place to go on Sundays, to have a mooch about the markets. You can get some amazing vintage finds.
Do you have any hobbies?
Currently, my hobby is blogging. I have a full-time job during the week, so I try and do my blog in every single bit of spare time I have.
Talk us through your daily routine.
Usually, I get up every day at 7am, get to work for 9am and get home by 7.30pm. My day is pretty much gone by the time I get home. If I get a chance I’ll watch some TV and I’ll do something related to blogging: checking emails, writing a post or filming a tutorial for my YouTube channel.
How much time do you spend updating your social media?
I’m always on social media as that’s my day job, so I try and keep up to date with mine, however it is hard. I always update my Instagram three times a day and the rest of my channels at least twice. These are usually scheduled in, using Buffer.
Your blog, Instagram and YouTube channel are really well known.
In the last six to seven months I’ve noticed my channels slowly getting noticed. However in the last three months it’s just boomed. It’s crazy! I’ve had some really exciting emails and coverage since the start of 2016.
When did you begin, and what gave you the idea?
My best friend actually gave me the idea a few years ago. I was dabbling in a bit of freelance styling and she knew how much I loved fashion. She showed me a few people on Instagram who took photos of their outfits of the day and said I should give it a go. So I did. I never ever thought it would grow to what it has.
You started just posting outfits – has the quality of photographs and style of clothes changed much since then?
Definitely! Gradually, I’ve developed my Instagram and my blog and this has been by increasing the quality of the photos. About one image every month on my Instagram has been taken on my phone. I hardly ever use it to take photos with. I invested in a camera that has Wi-Fi which can send images straight to your phone wherever you are. This is my best blogging buy.
In terms of my style, I don’t think that’s changed at all. I’m still into standing out and doing something new and different with my hair and makeup.
Do you take and edit your own photographs?
Yes, I shoot pretty much everything myself and edit. I studied fashion photography at university so I know a bit about Photoshop and Premiere Pro. So editing videos and photos is something I can do.
Taking photos is a little harder however, the old tripod has to come out. Although I am slowly training the boyfriend up.
Do you have any tips for growing your social media following?
Be yourself, invest in a quality camera and try to offer something different to everyone else.
What do you think about all this stuff in the media recently about men preferring women with a ‘natural look’?
I don’t wear make-up for men and never have. For me it started as a confidence issue, I wanted to cover my flaws. Over time, though, I’ve become so used to wearing make-up and I love the way it looks. Make-up is my canvas; it’s my outlet for being creative and playful. I don’t really listen to what anyone says – if you want to wear make-up, wear it. But do it for yourself and not others.
Your looks are always pretty creative – where do you get inspiration from?
So many things. Anything from seeing cool people in the streets of London, to stalking on Instagram and having a mooch on Pinterest. Anything I see, I always try to put my own spin on.
Do you have any style icons?
I’ve definitely been sucked into Kardashians. I always love to see what look Kylie Jenner has thrown together or what colour wig she’s wearing.
Any fashion and beauty trends your loving for spring/summer?
I’m just thrilled that the mermaid trend is still about, as I don’t know what I’d do otherwise.
Any forgotten trends you wish would come back?
I wanted the 90s to come back and they did, I’m still so into that trend. Probably because I’m a 90s baby.
Do you have a go-to outfit?
Topshop Joni jeans, a tee, cardi and sneakers. I love to be comfy and casual.
Where do you buy most of your clothes?
A lot of my wardrobe comes from online brands. I never get the time to pop into stores any more so online is much more convenient. It also saves a lot of money too.
Do you use Depop/eBay to buy or sell clothes?
I used to use eBay but I find you have to get rid of clothes for 99p, which I hate when you’ve spent lots of money on them. I do use Depop though, I don’t have a lot of stuff on there at the moment, but feel free to have a look: @sophiehannahrichardson.
We have to talk about your hair – when did you dye it? Does it take much maintenance?
Well, I bleached it about nine years ago as I wanted blonde locks. Then whilst I was at uni I played around with different colours: purple, pink and mint.
But after a while, my long hair started to break off so I ended up having to chop it. But I loved short hair, so it was fine. After that, I was inspired by Kylie Jenner’s hair, when she had green ends. That’s developed into what my locks look like now.
You’ve done a lot of styling as well – how did you get into it?
After I finished my Fashion with Photography degree, I found a passion for styling. So I pursued this with styling internships and ended up freelancing for about six months. However it’s very difficult freelancing in London with no income and having to pay rent.
Any festival plans this summer?
Currently, I’m only going to Secret Garden Party at the moment, and possibly a trip to Hideout and Sweden. So I’ve got a few things happening. I’m moving back to Essex though as i’m in the middle of buying a house so that’s taking up all of my spare cash at the moment.
What do you think everyone will be wearing at festivals this year?
Well after my metallic hair tattoo video went around on Instagram, I definitely think we should be seeing a lot of that this summer.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to keep pushing myself on my social and blog and I’m really excited to see where it takes me. I have always had the urge to travel a little bit more too, so if my blog could take me away some place, then that would be awesome. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.