We had the good fortune of connecting with Farah Gasimzade and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Farah, what do you attribute your success to?
It’s really hard to highlight one absolute factor for success because the term “success” is very complex by nature. I believe that the main factors in my case would be determination, hard work, and passion. However, it all would be impossible without the right mindset. To succeed in a new venture, it is always important to remember that success is not an end goal, it’s a journey, which is not linear. It has its ups and downs and you have to be prepared for a bumpy ride as you leave your comfort zone. With that being said, failures, mistakes, missteps are inevitable in this journey. Therefore, the moment I changed my attitude to the definition of failure and success, I believe I advanced a lot both in business and personal life. It became easier to accept failures and mistakes, move on from them to make the right decisions faster, and keep moving forward while staying true to my vision. Moreover, we live in a very unpredictable era, so being able to adapt to a new reality, to learn fast and to keep on working even when you don’t see any immediate results, is crucial in today’s situation and I believe that all of this is possible when you have your brain wired in the right way.

What should our readers know about your business?
Sun Kissed Blush started as a beauty and lifestyle blog and now I’m taking it a step forward, turning it to a new digital media company dedicated to women who are shaping the world. I launched the blog less than three years ago when I moved to the US to marry my husband to build our family here together. Unfortunately, not everything in my life went as planned and I faced some challenges while setting up in the new country. My beauty routine was my anchor that kept reminding me of who I am and where I stand, so I decided to share my beauty journey in a blog that I called Sun Kissed Blush, while I was waiting for my delayed immigration documents. It’s interesting to note, that I’ve always dreamed of running a magazine and working with beauty and fashion brands, and I also had a side photography business back home. Unfortunately, I never had enough time and courage to choose my dreams over the safe, corporate path that I’ve already been building. Since I had too much free time and nothing to lose anymore, I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, the blog started to grow and I was getting feedback and support from people I didn’t know. By the time I got my green card, I was so involved with the blog that I didn’t want to give it up. It was the biggest challenge to decide what to do next: to pursue my career in Supply Chain in the US or to focus on my blog full-time. After some consideration and my husband’s support, I decided to go with entrepreneurship, and I’m so glad I made this move! I’m finally doing what I’m the most passionate about, and I’m succeeding in it. Running Sun Kissed Blush requires a lot of work behind the scene. Moreover, starting something new is never easy, as you are moving out of your comfort zone and you have to spend time and effort on researching, learning, testing, and trying. In addition to this, running a beauty blog requires putting your face forward, so I work both behind and in front of the camera. As the blog was growing, I’ve learned that there is no easy-to-apply formula for success, so it is always important to be open-minded, listen to the feedback, and keep improving. As I mentioned already, changing the attitude to the definition of success was a turning point in overcoming most of the challenges, and creating content and running Sun Kissed Blush has never been more interesting and more fun! Today, Sun Kissed Blush is an accessible online platform to inspire and empower women in their purchase decision by providing unbiased and honest reviews along with easy-to-follow beauty tips that help each of them feel beautiful. With every piece of content that I create, I aim to provide as much info about a single product as possible, including a review of ingredients, swatches, comparison to similar products, and correct application. By doing so, I’m saving my readers the most precious currency that they have – their time, that they would otherwise spend searching the web for reviews on different resources. I also evaluate available reviews online to make sure I tackle all complaints and positive feedback related to the product. Earlier this year, I rolled out the Sun Kissed Blush Approved award, which is given to the best products and services in the industry, so making choices has become much easier for me readers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve spent over 6 months self-quarantined so this question really got me thinking! Speaking of normal times before coronavirus, if someone comes to Katy, TX, I’d take them to La Centerra, where we can dine, and shop, or if there is an interesting movie released, we can dine and watch it at the same time in Alamo Drafthouse that is also located there. The plaza has a lot to offer, so you definitely can spend a good time there. If my friend wants to do even more shopping, I can definitely take them to Katy Mills Outlet Mall. We can also stop by the In and Out Burger on the way, or order to go there and have a picnic at Mary Jo Peckham Park – one of my favorite spots in Katy. For dinner, we can go to the Cellar Doors Restaurant in Katy, to enjoy nice food and live jazz music. For drinks, we can go back to La Centerra – there are several bars and pubs that have live music at night. For the next day, we can have breakfast at Black Walnut Cafe in Cinco Ranch, and if the weather allows, walk on trails at Cinco Ranch Lakes. Katy also has a small but cute Katy Heritage Museum, so we can definitely visit it as well. Finally, for lunch, we can enjoy one of the best Spaghetti Bolognese at Sapore Ristorante.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Since my childhood, I was surrounded by a loving and supporting family, my parents, and a brother. Three years ago I married my best friend, who encouraged and supported me in starting my own business, so my first big shoutout goes to my family. If not this support system and their belief in me, it would be much tougher to build my dream and keep working on it. My second shout out would go to my readers and followers because Sun Kissed Blush wouldn’t be what it is right now without their love and support. Besides, I’d like to recognize Sephora as a company that has been shaping my beauty vision since I was a teen. For me, Sephora is more than just a brand or beauty retailer with an amazing shopping experience and great products, it is, first of all, people that work there as well as the community of people Sephora welcomes and brings together at Sephora Beauty Insider Community. Moreover, Sephora promotes education through masterclasses and events that cover all things beauty and beyond, motivating and inspiring people in the beauty industry. In addition to this, I feel especially blessed for joining Sephora Family as a member of Sephora’s 2020 #SephoraSquad influencer program. Joining #SephoraSquad is a dream-come-true: it feels like getting a VIP-pass to behind-the-scenes of the beauty industry that only a few can get. I’m beyond grateful to Sephora for noticing my potential and giving me this chance to glow and grow under their mentorship. This is going to be an exciting chapter for Sun Kissed Blush, and I cannot wait to see it unfold. Last but not least, I’d like to dedicate a shoutout to Victoria Tsai, Founder of Tatcha Beauty. I met her first time during her masterclass in Houston, TX, arranged by Sephora last year. Victoria, a native of The Woodlands, TX, is a very inspiring individual with a kind and beautiful soul that completely changed my understanding of what a successful woman can be. I grew up in a society that assumed a woman has to choose between having a happy family and a successful career because she cannot succeed both in business and in personal life. It has always been sitting in the back of my head as I always wanted to have kids, and the idea of giving up whatever I was already building was pressuring me. I was concerned about if I would ever be able to manage both worlds and when it would be the right timing to start a family. In her masterclass, Vicky shared her story, showing that women do not have to give up anything at all and it is possible to be a great mom, loving wife, build a successful brand and look amazing. Because of her encouragement, I’m happy to say that I’ve just become a mom and despite all the challenges during pregnancy, I became a member of Sephora Squad this year, I grew in my business and what is more, I do not wish to stop on these achievements.

Website: https://sunkissedblush.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunkissedblush.blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunkissedblush
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunKissedBlush/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sunkissedblush
Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sunkissedblush

Image Credits
Farah Gasimzade

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