She might be best known for championing beauty blogs in Australia for the last couple of years, but The Plastic Diaries editor Kimberly Nissen has been around media circles for much longer than that. Having dropped out of school at the age of 16 to begin full-time employment at ACP in 2001, Nissen worked on a total of 20 titles before leaving the magazine industry. Here she gives an in depth account of her career progression and how she got into beauty blogging.
What has been your career progression since starting out?
I wanted to be a lot of things when I was growing up, but I always knew it would be something within the media industry. In September 2001, I did my first work experience at Foxtel. It was the week of September 11. When I went in on September 12, it became clear TV was not the place for me after experiencing the madness that ensued. I then took the school holidays to do work experience at B Magazine and was offered to fill-in for their editorial co-ordinator for a few weeks while she took leave. I got to work with great people (Eliza O’Hare, Rachel Lees, Rachael Mannell) and immediately tried to get some work experience time at ACP. I did a month of work experience at Dolly Magazine and Cosmopolitan and was lucky that Cosmo’s editorial co-ordinator at the time (Sarah Tarca) thought I was good enough to stay around. Sarah put me in front of HR for a position as a business administration trainee and I got the job. I decided to not go on with schooling and at the tender age of 16 became a full-time magazine girl.
After a year working in every single department ACP had in their two buildings and learning all the deepest darkest secrets of the business, I settled into a nice steady job in Kids & Custom Titles as publishing co-ordinator. I worked with the most fabulous teams across more than 20 titles and I couldn’t have been luckier with the learning experience. It was through this experience that I realised I wanted to write about beauty more than anything, but there was no chance of me getting a beauty writing job when I didn’t even finish year 10.
In 2005 I decided to spread my wings and leave ACP to explore the marketing and promotions world. I worked predominantly with promotional agencies doing all the fun stuff of being a motor show” girl or alcoholic beverage sampling” girl. I called that time my first mid-life crisis as I tried to explore exactly what I wanted to do, and could do, without any formal education.
In 2006 I took the role of traffic co-ordinator before relocating to Melbourne to join the newly created Integration team at Southern Cross Austereo. My role was so varied I did everything from local and network promotions, managing the commercial interests of our network talent and being PA to the head of Integration. It was an incredibly trying time, so in 2009 I returned to Sydney to care for my mother during her fight against cancer. I briefly took on roles in marketing at Toys R Us and advertising at ARN, but with my mother getting worse, I decided now was the time to take on something of my own. I had started The Plastic Diaries in 2008 and thought it would be the perfect place to try my hand at being a real beauty writer.
Have you always loved beauty?
Yes, I was born with beauty in my blood. At my kindergarten, I wasn’t content with just the sandbox or dress-up activities so I requested they put in a make-up corner too. All the mums would donate some of their make-up and I got to colour my face in all day until nap-time. I have just realised my life hasn’t changed one bit.
How did you get your start in beauty blogging?
Looking back, I had actually started blogging before we even used the word blog”. I used to update my Geocities page with daily diary entries from as young as 12. I officially started my beauty blog in 2008 when I was preparing to have a rhinoplasty. I had been researching the procedure for years but I found myself extremely frustrated by the lack of insight from previous patients. I found everything I needed to understand the procedure medically and I saw more than enough before and after snaps with client testimonials, but I couldn’t find a single person expressing their own experience with the surgery.
I was living in Melbourne at the time and the surgeon I had selected to do the surgery was based in Sydney. My Melbourne friends were devastated they couldn’t see me for two weeks after the surgery (you can’t fly in that time) so combined with my frustration I decided a blog would resolve the problem. I created The Plastic Diaries as a way to update my friends on what was happening and I figured when someone in the future goes to do the same research I had tried to do, at least they will have one person to give them some insight.
What makes beauty so well suited to the blogging world?
Using beauty products can be scary for a lot of women. There is a degree of handholding required to get women to use make-up and skincare with confidence – and most of the time it is best achieved by sharing how you do something. It is about sharing those experiences that help others. That is why blogging works really well for this niche. Whether it be a video of me applying liquid eyeliner or a review of a hair removal cream, our readers get confidence and information through our experience.
What do you think are the key qualities you need to be a successful blogger?
Patience – success doesn’t come easily or quickly, and even when it does you will question whether you have really achieved anything just yet.
Thirst for success – if you want to be successful at most things you have to strive for it, but this quality most definitely applies to blogging. You have to be prepared to really work for it. You need to put in the hours and energy because your blog reflects how passionate you really are.
How important is social media for beauty?
I think saying it is critical would be an understatement. Beauty is a very confusing industry. Every product offers different things and works differently, and there is so much competition in the market today that consumers just don’t know where to turn. Just as traditional advertising used to be critical to reaching your audience, now is social media. It just comes down to a new form of marketing but you still need to do the same things. Tell people what your brand offers, why your company aligns with their interests, and be in their face so that they will think of you next time they need to pick up a new face wash or go to a spa.
Is there any other medium you’d like to work in - magazines, newspapers, TV?
Newspapers are the only medium I am yet to have worked in, and I would happily pass on that as I most definitely do not have a journalistic voice. I am blessed to have had the experience I have, but I chose online as my career path and I am very happy with it. I do not currently have a desire to work in any other medium, but if I did, I would undoubtedly return to radio.
If you weren't working in beauty, what would you be doing?
More than likely working in marketing or promotions for a media company.
As well as being editor of The Plastic Diaries, Nissen is the author of The Essential Beginner’s Guide to Working With Bloggers.