LA Beauty Guru Sona Gasparian Shares Her Tips For Achieving A Cali Glow

Since launching her Simply Sona blog and YouTube channel, Los Angeles-based makeup artist and beauty guru Sona Gasparian has taken the beauty world by storm. Not only has she amassed hundreds of thousands of loyal followers, she also launched her very own makeup line, Pérsona Cosmetics, in 2016. Here, she shares with us her tips for getting glowing skin, how the beauty industry has evolved over the years, and her advice for aspiring influencers.

What are some of your all-time favorite beauty products?

Of course, I love the Identity Palette from my beauty line, Pérsona Cosmetics, and the Zuma Highlighter from the brand new Cali Glow Collection which just launched! Each product took me a year to develop so I made sure they were perfect in every way. After creating the Identity Palette, which was designed to enhance brown eyes and have a very versatile application, I knew I wanted to continue this theme with the next product. I decided to create the Cali Glow highlighters because I loved the idea of how versatile a highlighter can be. All you need is a little bit of highlighter to really transform your look and create a dewy, youthful glow. Whether you’re looking to achieve a natural, everyday glow, or a high-impact shine for a night out, our Cali Glow Highlighters were designed to give you the ultimate glow. Besides that, I love my iS Clinical Active Serum along with my Fresh clay mask!

What are some beauty foods you recommend for glowing skin from the inside out?

Beauty foods in the form of powders, dusts, elixirs, and even chocolate are having a major moment right now. While I’ve got my morning and nighttime beauty routines down, these buzzy beauty foods might just be the missing link to looking and feeling my best this year. Plus, they’re super easy to incorporate into a busy schedule. A couple that I’m loving right now include The Beauty Chef GLOW Advanced Inner Beauty Powder. This beauty powder is packed with skin-loving superfoods and probiotics, which are key for beautiful skin and a healthy gut! I like to add a scoop to my morning smoothie to help kickstart my digestion and support my immune system.

[Also, the] Kalumi Marine Collagen Protein Bar. I like to pack these collagen protein bars in my gym bag for the perfect post-workout pick me up! Each bar has a full 12 grams of marine collagen, which is super important after breaking a major sweat. Getting that collagen fix after your workout will help replenish the collagen lost, and help keep those bones strong. Cocoa kiss is my favorite.

You’ve been in the beauty game for some time now. How has the industry evolved over the years and where do you think it will go in the coming years?

I think the beauty industry has evolved in that women share their tips and tricks with their audience whereas before every piece of content came from magazines and ads. I also love that there are so many amazing opportunities given to women now more than ever and I think the beauty space will continue to grow with more opportunities. I think I’m a great example of how beauty has evolved. I started as a makeup artist but with the help of YouTube and other social media platforms, I managed to make one of my biggest dreams a reality. I started Pérsona Cosmetics with the help of my husband and a small team. We’re growing with so many amazing new launches. We’re now carried at Ulta.com and will be launching at other retailers in 2018. The fact that someone like myself has these types of opportunities is pretty magical.

What have been some of the biggest challenges along the way?

The biggest challenge for me is keeping up with algorithm changes with all the platforms. When I first started five plus years ago, things were so simple. Now, you have to be on top of every little change YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms implement so that you don’t fall behind.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for aspiring makeup artists and influencers?

My biggest advice is to always be yourself and not be driven by numbers. If you post one video, don’t expect to get thousands of views, unless of course you happen to be friends with Beyonce or some big YouTuber. Everything takes time and you have to put your focus on creating good quality content that you’re proud of. Everything else will fall into place if you’re consistent with your uploads.