With the start of the new year and the turn of a page in the calendar, we’re celebrating the seventeenth year of Zera Style. First, let’s take a quick look at the questions collected on Instagram.
What is your vision for 2025?
In past years, I’ve chosen one word to guide me through the year. For 2025, I’ve decided to skip that step. This year, I’m going to embrace a new beginning and focus on moving forward. No pressure, no determination, no goals, no expectations. Just take a deep breath and go with the flow.
My husband and I are planning to go to Montana in February. Any recommendations for boots or hiking gear?
For socks, I recommend Real Tree or Smartwool for warmth and breathability.
For boots, my favorite is the Sorel Karibous. i also asked a friend who hikes in the winter and she recommended Salewa boots.
That said, it depends on what kind of hiking your friend plans to do near Bozeman. February in Montana means snow, so if you plan to snowshoe, make sure your boots fit over your snowshoes. Also, keep in mind that temperatures can drop from 30°F to -30°F in a single day, so you’ll need to have jackets of various thicknesses for all weather conditions.
How do you feel about not being able to make it to Montana for the conference this year? Any advice for newbies?
My husband always says that Session is my summer camp. Every two years, I go to work with my friends and work for the government. To be honest, I’m a little bummed I can’t go this time. But it’s the right choice for my family – it’s just so hard to juggle working a temporary job in Montana every two years.
If you or someone you know is working, my advice is to go all in. Be the first one in the office in the morning, as that’s when most of the work gets done. Have lunch in the rotunda, meet as many people as you can, and most importantly, remember that the work you do for 100 days moves the entire state forward. It is an honor to be a part of it.
Also, stay healthy! The Capitol outbreak is real, folks. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, take your vitamins, drink plenty of water, and get some sleep. In enclosed spaces, open windows whenever possible, and whatever you do, don’t touch the handrails or ride the elevator. That’s how you stay healthy!
Have you found an alternative to Ouai Volume Spray?
I’ve been trying out Roz Air Thickening Spray and so far I feel good. Stay tuned, I’ll be posting a more detailed review in the coming weeks!
How do you manage your facial hair?
I use a Flawless Finishing Touch razor and a trusty pair of pointy tweezers. Being in my 40’s, taking care of my chin whiskers has become a hobby. I could pluck, but after a painful molasses hair pulling incident in 9th grade (still have the scars), I’d never want to repeat that mistake.
Is there anything you regret not buying in 2024?
A vacation – does that count? Traveling is so expensive and we don’t have the time or money to do it. I really don’t know how people travel to new places on a regular basis. A plane ticket to Seattle costs $350. I often wonder how many people go into credit card debt trying to post travel photos on Instagram.
Speaking of shopping, I also missed out on some great deals on The RealReal like the Mulberry tote in Candy Apple Red, the Sachin + Babi dress in Barbie Pink, and the Gucci aviators. I love browsing and “favoriting” items on The RealReal, always looking for the best deals. Brands like Alex Mill, Maje, and Veronica Beard are a bit pricey for me, but they’re not too expensive for the average TRR user, so I often get a great deal.
How do you make money from your blog? Do you do sponsored posts?
The majority of this blog’s income comes from affiliate links. So if you click on a link here and purchase an item – whether it’s clothing or something else – I get a small commission from that transaction. It’s a great way to support my work and it doesn’t cost you anything extra!
Commissions are usually between 3% and 20% with most around 6% to 7%. If you return a product, I will not receive a commission.
Some retailers will intentionally raise commissions at certain times of the year to attract influencers to promote certain products or brands. This is why you may suddenly see Zera popping up everywhere for a few days and then disappearing again. However, I don’t play that game because I prefer to let my personal preferences dictate the content rather than what will bring in the most money. Honestly, though, it does get a little frustrating to fall in love with something only to find out that it only pays a 3% commission rate.
Recently, I’ve started accepting partner posts, which is different from sponsored posts. I never participate in sponsored posts because there are a lot of rules involved. In a sponsored post, the brand chooses the product, approves your photo or video, specifies what phrases you can or cannot use, and requires pre-approval of the content prior to posting. It’s a lot of work (trust me, webmasters make money from sponsorships) and the setup process is both costly and time-consuming. Besides, even if I were interested, I wouldn’t have the time to do it.
Partner posts, on the other hand, are simpler and you can focus on individual retailers or brands. They allow you to speak in your own voice, pick products you truly believe in, and use images and videos that match your style – all without prior approval. Of course, this freedom comes at a price. Sponsored posts can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000, while partner posts typically earn $300 to $500.
So far, I’ve written three partner posts, each about a product I’m using or a store I’m shopping at. Since I’m going to support these products or brands no matter what, why not make some extra money by sharing them? But don’t think I’m going to accept all invitations. I’ve turned down more than a dozen partnership invitations because they involved brands or products I wouldn’t personally recommend. I’m also very picky about the terms of collaborations and don’t want someone else telling me what my content should look like.
On top of that, I’ve recently started accepting some gifts – something I’ve never done before. In the past, I preferred to buy everything myself because it was more ethical. But life being what it is, I don’t have the time to shop or explore new things like I used to. Accepting the occasional gift gives me a chance to try new things. But I have some strict rules about gifts:
- I don’t actively seek out products. shopMy is a platform through which brands can connect with influencers, and if someone offers me a product, I’ll consider it. But I will not email Zera begging for a pair of jeans just because I want them.
- I won’t accept anything I wouldn’t buy myself. The reasoning is simple. If I’m not going to spend $1,000 on a bag, why would I accept it for free and pretend to use it? Similarly, if I don’t think my readers will spend $400 on a pair of pants, I won’t recommend it.
- I won’t accept anything that requires me to write. Trying it doesn’t mean I’ll like it or think it’s right for my blog. I never lie, so if I don’t like it, I’ll move on. But if I do like it, I naturally want to share it with you. If I don’t like it, I always return it (which is a little frustrating for brand reps, but I have to pay taxes for these things and honestly, I don’t need the extra mess).
- I turn down more than two-thirds of all giveaways. Last week alone, I turned down lingerie (Valentine’s Day is coming up!) ), snail slime, water additives, a set of knives and a $395 bottle of face cream.
- I’m always open about the freebies I receive. What drives me the craziest is that all the online celebrities I follow are suddenly all wearing the same brand or using the same serum and pretending to make it all themselves.
I was so frustrated when I realized that these products were a gift to me two weeks ago. I won’t name the brands because it’s not fair to them (every brand reminds you to follow FTC guidelines), but it’s dishonest (not to mention illegal) to take free products and act like you paid for them yourself. Where you spend your money matters, and if you’re encouraging others to spend their money, especially in tough economic times, you should be transparent about it.
It also shows how little respect some influential people have for the intelligence of their audience. Viewers and readers know that freebies are part of Netflix culture, and if you don’t clarify what is and isn’t a giveaway, you’re saying they don’t know any better.
The jury is still out as to whether or not I will continue to accept gifts on occasion. I think that after 17 years of blogging, which I built with my own hard-earned money, I’m more qualified to accept gifts now than I was in my third year. At the time I was a poor Hill employee trying to figure out how to keep the blog running on a budget. I’m doing my best to handle this in an honest and ethical manner, but it still feels a little uncomfortable at times. So, we’ll see what happens.
{This post contains affiliate links that may result in commissions for the author}