We interviewed with Anne about her journey being an influencer, blogger, content creator and foodie while balancing other priorities.

Where is home?

I am blessed to live in Fabulous Las Vegas, NV!

Has fashion/lifestyle blogging always been your career plan?

No. It started as a hobby on Instagram and Facebook and wanting to share things I loved with friends and family. Before I knew it, people responded to what I was posting and asked for more content. Then with my husband’s encouragement, I branched out to the blog where I could share more stories.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I currently juggle a 9-5 job as well as my Social Media Promotions/Influencer business. This means long and busy days. I am usually up around 4:30 a.m. getting ready for my office job. Before I can leave for work, I review all my emails. texts and IM’s. Responding as much as I can to my followers is critical so people know that I am listening to them. I frequently will publish posts early so that my overseas and east coast followers will have an opportunity to see my latest offerings.

5 days a week, if I don’t post before my office hours, then I lose an entire day of publishing time. It is important to be aware that there are good times to post on IG for the best exposure. I recommend reviewing your demographics to see where your audience is and post when your audience is available. If you miss your window, your post can be pushed down in your followers feed and you can miss out on critical views/likes.

How much has your style changed since you started blogging?

Overall, my style has been and remains casual. However, thanks to my relationship with different brands, I have more opportunities to try out clothes that I may not otherwise be able to wear. Finding plus size fashion can be tough. As time goes by, more designers are starting to recognize that most women are not a size 1-3 and I am always excited when new styles for plus size women become available.

Do you have any tips or tricks for achieving an aesthetically awesome Instagram page? Any social media tips?

I am a fan of color. I love a light/bright style. Because I have a broad subject matter that I cover, from Fashion, Food, Lifestyle, tech, Travel, Pets, etc., maintaining a hard fast color or theme can be difficult. With that said, I do like to keep my photos bright and colorful. Pastel colors when possible is a favorite of mine.

If you chose social media as a business, you must decide where your integrity lies. Do you want your page or blog to be a virtual billboard that is for sale to the highest bidder? Do you want your opinion to matter? For me, I want my followers and readers to know that regardless of what I am sharing about, that you will get an honest opinion from me. I will always tell a promotional client upfront, that if I post to promote their product, I will give my honest opinion about the product. Whether it is a restaurant, a brand of makeup or clothing, I want my followers to know that my opinion is unbiased. This sometimes means I will have to decline money if I don’t support a product. If you have a reputation as an honest Influencer, I feel your word and your “Influence” is more valuable when the people who follow you know that you will choose honesty over a paycheck. Influencers that promote anything and everything with no editorial honesty harm the reputation of all Influencers.

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I am actually uncomfortable on camera. Still pictures I have come to accept. However, until this day, I remain very nervous whenever the video camera starts to record. It has been my goal to do far more video and expand my YouTube channel. I have had opportunities to be on live TV, local TV segments, interviews etc. I have passed on every offer even though the exposure would be tremendous for me. My phobia of freezing or making a big blunder is a real struggle. Hopefully, I will be able to overcome my fear and expand my video opportunities in the future.

What’s your best advice for people looking to get into fashion and lifestyle blogging?

I would recommend if you want to be an influencer that you be true to yourself. Trying to “pretend” for the sake of likes or money will ultimately not make you happy. If you are honest and unique, your followers will see that and come to trust what you are sharing.

How do you separate fashion and style?

Fashion is part of my overall style. However, unlike other influencers, I wear clothes that enhance who I am. I do not believe in “forcing” a look because it is a popular brand or trending. My style aspect is open to anything I use in my life. I am lucky that I am not forced into a specific category.

Do you have any fundamental fashion tips for young professionals?

Do not confuse what is appropriate. Too many young professionals need to know that even in today’s fast-paced and risque fashion world, it is important to be sure to remember in a professional environment, you will be representing “others”in what you wear. It may not always be appropriate to wear that flashy low cut blouse, or super short shorts. All professionals should have a simple “go to” outfit like a simple black dress, or business suit. Unless you are attending a fashion event, sometimes simple is best.

How do you translate trends to your readers?

I like to show what I personally wear. I am not a fan of sharing clothes on other models or people unless they are also plus size. It is important to me to show a true reflection of my style. If I were to show a supermodel wearing a style, I would know that the outfit wouldn’t fit the same way on someone like me with a more “common” body type.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to push the restart button and makeover their look?

I would recommend to someone who wants to create a new look for themselves, that they remain true to who they are. A makeover should enhance your natural features to highlight your personal beauty. The makeover is not a costume

What style item is a must-have that you can never go wrong with?

Simple Black Dress or pants with a white top. If you have these two items, you can be ready for almost any event with only accessories.

Do you like pointing your clients in the right direction or taking a more hands-on approach to crafting their style?

I feel that individual style is so unique, that I would rather let someone else make their own fashion selections. I am happy to share my thoughts and show my readers my own style, but I still consider myself a beauty and fashion newbie. I am simplistic in my choices. I also find that I need to mix and match much more because as a plus-size woman who is also vertically challenged, my fashion choices are often limited and therefore I may not have as many choices as my slim sisters out there. This is the main reason why I remain 100% game to work with almost any brand that can help me to improve my fashion collection.

What do you see as some of the economic and design challenges of the industry?

As costs continue to rise worldwide, we see the clash of socially conscious fashion brands who may be forced to focus on a more easily marketed and sold size range. For a fashion brand who may want to expand their line to accommodate the plus-size customer, it seems that when costs need to be cut, it will never be the smaller size line that sells at the big named department stores or online retailers. The cuts will be with the “outlier” size range. The plus-size customer will suffer because of this. However, as we see with a few specific designers. If they make a conscious and economic choice to provide those styles to the plus-size customer market, I believe they will find that this demographic is incredibly loyal.

As a plus-size woman, I never take a designer for granted when they go out of their way to provide fashion choices that look good on me. It is not enough to take a style that was designed on a 5’9, 100lb size 2 model and simply make the dimensions larger for the plus-sized woman. The way that design looks on the smaller sized model, is night and day different. The designer must be familiar with the differences between body types and not just pure measuring tape numbers.

What elements separate your work from other style gurus?

Well, first of all, I would never consider myself a guru. Secondly, I am not a slave to trends. I like what I like regardless of what some celebrity or publication tells me I should think. I hope when I share these thoughts and styles with my followers and readers that they benefit from my honesty regarding this.

What is your favorite fashion-related motto, quote or words to live by?

“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them”. – Marc Jacobs.

And of course, a quote that really hits home for me is, “Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live.” – Gianni Versace.