Today we’d like to introduce you to Farah Gasimzade.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Farah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had an idea of creating a blog many years ago, but I never had enough time and I believe, courage, to do it.
I was born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan. Apart from my passion for photography, I’ve been building my career in the airline business, and even got an MSc degree in Supply Chain and Logistics from The University of Warwick. The same year of my studies in the UK, I met my future husband, and in 2017 I moved to the US to marry and live here with him.
Even though we did everything as required by law, my immigration documents took too long to process. During this time, I didn’t have a permanent residence, or work authorization and even a driver’s license – I was misinformed in one of DPS that I can’t apply for it without having a green card. You probably can imagine how hard it can be to live without a car in Houston for over a year. My life wasn’t moving anywhere for quite a long, making me feel desperate and depressed. At some moment, I’ve realized that I’m the only one responsible for my life and my health and decided to turn my weakness into opportunity.
I needed to do something to keep myself busy, something that won’t require me to travel around the town and yet something I love. I’ve always enjoyed the product photography and as a woman I love cosmetics! With that in mind, I decided to start my blog focusing on beauty and lifestyle. I knew how to put my thoughts into words and together with the experience in product photography it really helps me to create interesting content that both my reader and the brands of featured products like.
I get a feedback from my audience saying that they trust my reviews since they do love the products that I recommend and they also learn a lot about makeup, new products, and their ingredients. I also get a feedback from the brands that I feature, receive their products for test and review as well as starting to receive inquiries for partnership – all within less than a year!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road and still isn’t! it is a complete step out from my comfort zone since I started something I little knew how to do. Every day is a challenge and every day I learn something new. Moreover, shifting to a completely different industry was quite challenging to accept. There is always a struggle between choosing to continue building your career with a fixed salary or do something you love not even knowing where it’s going to take you. As for an advice for young women, I’d recommend asking themselves a question: “If I’m not having tomorrow am I really happy with what I’m doing today?”
Before I asked myself this question I was in doubt if I’m doing the right thing giving up on the career that I’ve already started and had education and experience in. But at the same time, I’ve never had an opportunity and support like I’m having today (thanks to my husband!) and it would be a crime not to follow my passion and give up my dreams once again.
Another thing that I need to highlight as an advice – Ladies, be brave to embrace yourselves and your talents! Don’t let anyone discourage you from trying to build or do something you always dreamt about. I truly agree with an opinion, that women are creators by nature and we have amazing potential treasured in ourselves that if discovered and shared can benefit a lot of people around.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sun Kissed Blush – what should we know?
As I said before, my blog specializes in beauty and lifestyle. I try to create visually interesting content since I know how to photograph! When it comes to reviews, I know that my audience trusts me in this. I’m always honest in my reviews so that the fact that I receive PR packages from the brands doesn’t affect my judgment! I do some research about each and every product that I’m writing about, checking their ingredients and trying to be as accurate and detailed as I can be! I also go through bad reviews that people leave online trying to understand if the problem occurs from inappropriate use and how can I find the right way to use the product to make it work. Alternately, I may have a need to agree with negative reviews pointing out what needs to be improved in a particular product. At the same time, I’m not a makeup artist, just a girl who learns a lot about skincare and makeup and shares her experience with her audience.
I would say, around 98% of the visuals are created by myself, even my portraits are self-portraits in most cases. I’ll leave 2% to pictures of products in my wishlist posts and the portraits that my husband may take of me.
For me, the quality of the content is as important as the accuracy of the information. I take it very seriously and I’m working on improving it every day. As I said, every day is a challenge and the lesson! I’m always trying to take an extra step in taking creative images of products, playing around with lighting and props. I use whatever light is available and whatever objects I can find at my house, which make me feel really proud as I’m creating professional pictures without special equipment and studio setups!
I’m also working on restarting my photography business. I used to do it back home as a freelancer on a side and I’m New York Institute of Photography alumni! I’m building my portfolio and redesigning my old website right now and I will be happy to share it with you soon! I also plan to restore my photography blog where I share my behind-the-scenes stories. I believe the more you share with the world, the more you get.
Which women have inspired you in your life?
I think I’m a lucky human being as for my entire life, I meet a lot of inspiring people. My mom is definitely a person I learn a lot from and she is always supportive in whatever I’m doing and inspired me to try so many different things in my life! I wish I can be the same for my kids when I have them.
During my first year in the US, I remember I stumbled across an interview with Huda Kattan, how she started and how she became who she is right now. At that moment, something shifted in my mind. It was the moment that completely changed my perspective on the situation that I had and I decided to start my blog after that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunkissedblush.blog
- Email: info@farahgasimzade.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunkissedblush_blog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunKissedBlush.blog
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/farahgasimzade
- Other: https://farahgasimzade.com
Image Credit:
Farah Gasimzade
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