For those of you not familiar let us introduce you to 24-year-old Zoe Sugg, best known by her fans as Zoella. Thanks to her beauty and lifestyle videos, Zoe has taken the Vlogging world by storm racking up nearly six million YouTube subscribers, winning the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award for ‘UK Favourite Blogger‘ and this year, has signed a two-book deal with Penguin Books.
Zoe, who is dating fellow YouTube star Alfie Deyes, has been recruited by Simple to find the next generation of blogging sensations as part of their Skin Social campaign aimed at young women.
We went along to Simple’s Skin Social training day to meet Zoella and talk everything from how she’s handling success to her advice on making it in the world of Vlogging…
**Grazia Daily: Hi Zoe, how has your day been so far? **
Zoella: Mental! I arrived into London with my boyfriend Alfie and we dropped him off as he had a book signing. There were lots of screaming fans so we got a bit mobbed- it was all a bit crazy.
**GD: Sounds hectic! So first of all let's talk about your partnership with Simple. You've said previously that you take which brands you get involved with seriously. What made you agree to work with Simple? **
**Zoella: **I'm the sort of person who can be misguided by skin care. My skin is one of the things that I get most confused about. As a young teen there isn’t anyone there to guide you and give you any tips, it’s all trial and error! You don’t know what products to use and a lot of the high-end brands I use myself are so expensive and confusing. Simple have great morals, they are really straight forward and so good at giving young people guidance.
GD: How is the Skin Social Tumblr going? What’s the aim of the page?
**Zoella: **Really well! It's a space that provides a community for young people to swap tips and advice about skin issues.
**GD: How do you feel about being a role model for young women? **
**Zoella: **It's quite strange; it’s not something I set out to be. Of course, it’s a really nice thing to be but it is a lot of pressure. I try to remain who I am and just stay true to myself. If that inspires people then great!
Zoella strikes as pose with one of the Skin Social bloggers [Simple]**
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GD: You've talked openly about suffering from anxiety, is that something you chose to speak out about because of your young following?
**Zoella: **It’s a scary thing to do because people don't talk about mental illness. I really wanted to share my personal experiences because I felt like I could help a lot of people. When I was suffering with anxiety when I was younger I didn’t know what was happening or have anyone to talk to about it. So although I was really out of my comfort zone I felt like speaking out was the right thing to do.
**GD: Do you think mental health amongst young people is still a taboo? **
**Zoella: **It’s getting better! I think a lot more people are talking about it and the more conversation we have the easier it becomes for others to speak out.
**GD: How are you handling all of the attention and fame that comes with success? **
**Zoella: **It’s definitely not something I have had any training in, it just happened! The majority of the time I switch off and try not to think about it but sometimes it does freak me out. I have to think about it as having six million friends rather than ‘viewers’ or it can be a bit overwhelming.
GD: What has been your biggest 'wow' moment so far?
**Zoella: **When I was at an award show in Hammersmith in front of 5,000 people. I was with my brother, my best friends and my boyfriend – I just looked around and felt so happy. That was the moment I stood back and thought 'wow' this is amazing.
**GD: Your boyfriend Alfie is also a YouTube Blogger, does it help that you both work in the same field? **
**Zoella: **It is really great that we get to travel together and get advice from each other but I guess it's also quite nice to have a partner who does something different because sometimes we're like ‘Argh, let's talk about something else’!
**GD: Does it ever get competitive? Do you tease each other over who has more views on YouTube? **
**Zoella: **Not with Alfie. The great thing about the YouTube community is that we really aren’t competitive, everyone helps each other out and we all share tips and advice.
This video of Zoella and Alfie has had over 4 million views
GD: You have an army of avid followers and fans, what’s the weirdest moment you have ever had with a fan?
**Zoella: **Hmm. One girl did come up to me and start stroking my hair. Maybe she wanted to see if it was real? [Laughs] But I just let her stroke it and then she went on her way looking really happy so that was fine!
**GD: What advice would you give to people wanting to start Vlogging? **
**Zoella: **Try and be yourself as much as possible. You will start off quite shy but confidence builds with time. Experiment and have fun! Do the things you enjoy because if you’re struggling to talk about something people aren’t going to be as engaged watching you.
Zoella's favourite life mottos [Instagram]
**GD: Are there any videos you have done that you wouldn’t put on line or do you always put live the ones you set out to do? **
**Zoella: **I always tend to put up the things I set out to do but there are times, especially when I talk about my down days and anxiety where I feel nervous about putting them live. But I do it in the end because I feel it’s important that people see all the sides of me.
GD: What projects have you got coming up next?
**Zoella: My book launch for Girl Online is coming out on November 25th, which I’m really excited about! And I’ve got a beauty product line coming out too, that's happening at the end of September. There's so much going on!
**GD: You often post quotes on Instagram, have you got a motto that you live by? **
**Zoella: **Yes. I really like the saying ‘just say yes’ when I went through a tough time with anxiety I stopped myself from doing things but found the more I said yes, the less worried I was and the more confident I became.
*Look out for Zoe's beauty line coming soon. Her debut book Girl Online is released on the 25th of November. *