Industry Voices - Canadian Beauty Blogger

​In this edition of industry voices, we have interviewed Henna Singh. Henn is the blogger behind Canadian Beauty. Henna is passionate about sharing her experiences with beauty products. We ask Henna about her opinions on beauty bloggers and their value for the industry. 

​1. What led you to the world of Beauty Blogging?

I was always interested in trying new products and sharing recommendations with friends. It was natural for me to turn to blog writing in 2006 to have a place to put all my reviews and ideas. I had great feedback from brands and readers and I've been doing it ever since. 

2. How has the beauty blogger environment changed in the last decade? Are these positive or negative changes?

Well, there's been a move to "influencers" and "social media" which, personally, I think isn't great. Sometimes, it's clear that they're being paid and they don't even review the product - just apply it on camera, and then move on, so personally, I don't trust influencer reviews much. I do trust feedback from my own followers and I find that a community is best for really having honest conversations, and that can be on any platform. If you can build that, the right people will come and that's what matters. 

3. How do you think the future of beauty blogging holds? 

I do. Blogs are easier to search and it's easier to build a body of work that you have control over. People are realizing this as countries ban TikTok and they're losing their income sources because of it. I think you need to diversify but hold on to your own content in as many ways as possible.

4. What do you value in beauty brands? How can they stand out?

I value conversation and transparency. Some brands say that they're interested in any content you produce, but what they don't say is that they're not interested in negative reviews. I think some brands also want you to produce very specific content like tutorials, but won't necessarily say that. I would love for a brand to contact me and say "we have such and such product, and we want you to try it, we hope you'll like it, it's your kind of thing, and then maybe you could do X, Y, Z with it." 

Literally, NOBODY says that.  

I find that brands are not really open to conversations and brands that can do that will stand out. 

I also value them promoting me, like I'm promoting them! Only a handful of brands will cross-post your review or like your posts, or leave comments which again, is a lack of willingness to converse on their part. 

I also think that some older brands need to be transparent about ingredients and how they're going to help your skin. The newer, trendier brands are doing this. 

5. What does beauty mean to you? Do you see it as self-care?

Beauty means feeling good about yourself. Improving your own image of yourself.