Sofia Symonds: Model & Beauty Influencer
350k Instagram Followers
Sofia Symonds is a model and beauty influencer with over 350,000 Instagram followers. Instagram.com/SofiaSymonds The New York-based Moroccan-born influencer began posting about fashion, makeup and skincare just for fun. “It was something that I always liked to do, even when I was a teenager in Morocco, I was always giving people advice on what they should use for their skin, so it was something that I naturally loved.” With her audience growing, Sofia is now taking it more seriously and concentrating on building her brand.
How Sofia Did It
Her large Instagram following grew organically, even though, busy with work and life, her postings were sometimes irregular, depending on her class and work schedules. “I was just posting, and I noticed that people started to follow me. They asked me where I got this dress, what do I use on my skin, what do I use on my hair,” Sofia says. “Back then I would just take a random picture; I wasn’t really paying attention. Now it’s not random. I will think about it. I will think about the outfit, my hair, makeup. I’m more self-conscious about what I am posting.”
Morocco, Miami, L.A. & NYC
Sofia originally moved to Miami, where she spent three years, working and modeling. Her next step was L.A., where she took acting classes, and also blogged and posted on social media. She had some success with fashion sponsorships, and now, in New York, she is working to build on that momentum. Sofia has had partnerships with beauty brands including Sugarbear, which she describes as like gummies for hair; Refa, which are rollers to tone the skin on face and body; and RevitaLash, a serum for lashes, among others. Many brands reach out to her, but Sofia only works with brands that she actually uses and believes in. “I only recommend things that I really like, and my followers see me using every day.”
Maxim, L’Officiel & Grazia Morocco
Sofia will appear on the cover of an upcoming issue of Grazia Morocco. Another cover, this one for a major European magazine, will be out in coming months, but she could not yet reveal the title as of press time. She has also been featured in Maxim, and in the French fashion magazine L’Officiel.
Homemade Beauty Products:
Sofia makes all-natural homemade beauty products with knowledge she gained by researching ingredients. “I know, for example, bananas and avocados make hair shiny. ” So, while she does buy a lot of beauty products, she also makes scrubs, masks and creams herself. “It’s about ingredients that I feel has really worked in my own experience,” she says. “I give them to all my friends, and they love it. They always call me to make it for them.”
YouTube & Makeup Line
Sofia is going to start a YouTube channel this year where she can post more structured makeup tutorials with more detailed explanations than is possible on Instagram. The next logical step will be to develop her own line of makeup. “In time, I want to launch my own line when I have created a strong base of supporters who will want to buy it. ” Her new goal is one million followers.