We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sissi Nuthman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sissi below.

Sissi , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

I believe it is a common misconception that mineral sunscreen is ALWAYS better than chemical sunscreen. It seems chemical sunscreen has gotten such a bad reputation over time, but I believe there are many very safe chemical sunscreen options out there. And let’s admit it: the white cast that we get from a mineral sunscreen isn’t pretty!

However, just the sound of “mineral” makes it appear better, doesn’t it? But here is the deal: ALL matter is made of chemicals! We are chemicals! Your friends are chemicals. ALL sunscreens are chemical. Mineral sunscreen is chemical.
But here is a problem with mineral sunscreen: manufacturers often use nanosized versions of these minerals – materials measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter – to increase clarity and SPF. We do not fully understand the full extent of nanoparticles and if they harm skin cells or organs yet. The use of nanoparticles in cosmetics poses a regulatory challenge, because their properties may vary tremendously, depending on their size, shape, surface area and coatings. We don’t know everything we’d like to know about their performance, because manufacturers are not required to disclose the qualities of the particles used in their sunscreens. I tend to reach for European sunscreen because European Cosmetics Regulations are much stricter than in the US.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a beauty blogger since 2013. I create easy makeup tutorials and share all kinds of beauty tips for women over 40, always with a sense of humor. I do not take myself too serious but I still like to research cosmetic ingredients well and share my acquired knowledge. I am against skin care shaming as is often done these days in the beauty community. Many people for example frown upon fragrance in skin care but the truth is: if you are not sensitive to fragrance, there is really no big issue using skin care with a bit of fragrance! After all skin care should be fun too! There are so many people out there claiming to be skin care experts, but we are all different, our skin is different and has different needs. Do what makes you (and your skin) feel good and you will be fine! I always like to look outside the box and share my own experiences with different products but I will never force my opinion on someone. I am just your online girlfriend and I like to chat with my readers about all things beauty!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I never planned to become a professional blogger. In 2013 I started this little hobby of sharing beauty tips that I had acquired over the years. It was a total accident that this turned into something much bigger and in fact: I did not even know back then that I could make money with a blog. Only 2 years later I was featured by SheSpeaks, Sheknows, The Hub and Lucky Magazine.

Today, 9 years later, a lot has changed in the beauty community. The competition has gotten huge and there are so many blogs out there but my advantage will always be how consistent I was in all those years. I have published thousands of articles. My advice if you start out with your own blog/website: publish as often as possible. In the beginning I published almost every single day for probably 3 years.

I have noticed that many beauty influencers use only social media as a platform these days and have forgotten real blogs. The beauty community has shifted over to Instagram and TikTok but there are still people out there who just love to read a simple blog. Do not underestimate the real power of your own blog where you have the full control over your words, your own ads, sponsors etc. It can be much more lucrative than focusing to become an Instagram Influencer too.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I am on Instagram since 2013 and the platform has changed drastically. The best way to organically grow your social media presence today is: offer true value for your followers, such as giving solutions to certain problems. Video content (Reels on Instagram) is huge these days, especially if done with humor. Always be authentic. Do not do too many sponsorships as this can seem inauthentic and even annoying to followers. Rule of thumb: offer 5x-10x tips, tutorials, anything helpful, and then 1x a sponsorship or ad for your own product or online course etc. People have gotten sick of too many ads on Instagram and appreciate accounts that offer more true value! Always respond to all your comments in the best way possible. Oh and btw hashtags are dead. You can forget about them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beauty4free2u.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sissi_the_german/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/beauty4free2u