It’s 5 November which means skies across the country will be lit with fireworks as the nation comes together to celebrate Bonfire Night.
But today is set to be fiery in more ways than one, as Guy Fawkes shares his iconic calendar date with none other than National Love Your Red Hair Day, or National Love A Redhead Day, as it is also known.
The annual day was launched by American sisters Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti in 2015 and encourages men and women to embrace their red hair - which according to a study less than 2% (140 million people) of the world’s population has.
Growing up feeling ostracised due to the colour of their hair, they founded the hugely successful website ‘How To Be A Redhead’ which empowers everyone to: ‘feel confident, to look amazing and to rock their beauty’.
The website covers a wide-range of blog topics from ‘Redhead Friendly Lipsticks’ and ‘6 Ways a Redhead Can Wear Red This Summer’ to news-related pieces such as new product launches in the beauty industry made specifically for those with the hair colour.
If running their Instagram platform with 78.5k followers, publishing a book and establishing H2BAR boxes, subscription beauty boxes featuring redhead approved products, wasn’t enough to spread the red hair love, they took it a step further by creating this fantastic pseudo day.
So to wade in on the annual celebration, we have put together seven of our favourite female red haired influencers who have used their vibrant locks to nurture a successful online career.
Sabina Karlsson
Sabina Karlsson is a Swedish and Gambian plus-size runway and editorial model who was ‘discovered’ in a Swedish salon at just four years old.
With thick, curly auburn hair and a full face of enviable freckles which, as you can imagine, is a look perfect for making a statement in the modelling industry. But growing up, Sabina never realised how much of a statement she was making. Speaking to Essence.com, she said:“As a kid I never really noticed that I looked too different or was unique with my red hair and freckles.”
Initially Sabina started out modelling for names such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Armani as a ‘straight size model’ - a term coined by the industry - but, when she reached her latter teens she no longer wanted to fight against, or tamper with, her body’s natural shape.
So, in 2010 she made the decision to transition into plus-sized modelling. Now she can be seen walking for the likes of Michael Kors, Chromat and modelling clothes for brands such as GAP, Levi’s, H&M, J.Crew and L’Oreal.
Oozing confidence and utter contentment with the way she looks - which in the interview with Essence she credits to people giving her compliments from a young age - she uses her Instagram, which has 41.5k followers, as a platform to champion body confidence, as well as share her latest snaps.
“I started modeling when I was already 4 years old, so people started giving me compliments about how I looked at an early stage in life, so I think that also helped me appreciate my look even more,” she added.
“Being different was something nice.”
Marina Barbosa
The beautiful Brazilian actress Marina Barbosa, with the exception of her film roles, has always embraced her natural fiery locks.
A child star - her first major on-screen role came at the age of 11 - she has featured in countless films and television programmes throughout her career and won a number of significant awards.
The 24-year-old’s hair colour is considered her trademark and is without doubt a focal point of her Instagram, which sees more than 34.7 million people follow her. It has also led to her fronting an ongoing campaign with hair care brand Pantene, modelling work and many a noteworthy Vogue cover.
Her role as Maria Isis in Brazilian primetime television show Imperio, brought with it huge sacrifice as she was required to cut her hair. A keen philanthropist though, she donated the 30cm that was cut to the NGO Cabelegria who make wigs for cancer patients who have lost their hair through treatment.
Rosie the Ginger
The name of her Instagram, Rosie the Ginger, says it all - Rosie Bea is a proud natural redhead and has created a successful online career from it.
The British beauty blogger started out on YouTube - a platform which she now has more than 274k subscribers - in 2011 by sharing hair tutorials. As her popularity rose significantly, it naturally transcended into Rosie diversifying her platform to include makeup, clothing hauls and vlogs.
Such is her influence in the beauty industry, in 2017 the blogger released six hugely successful eyelash styles with iconic false lash brand Elegant Touch & Eylure. Her vibrant, natural hair colour has seen her collaborate with brands such as TRESemme and OGX Beauty while her fair skin has lead to work with the likes of Piz Buin and L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation.
Despite already making a career at a young age, Rosie pursued her love of fashion by studying Fashion Design at Southampton University. Now her Instagram is a place for her to share her unique style and recent modelling shots with Premier Models with whom she is represented.
Mari Maria
Brazilian makeup artist, Mari Maria is known across the world for her distinguishable full face of freckles and her long mahogany hair.
With 7.91 million subscribers on YouTube, she is undoubtedly one of the world’s most popular beauty influencers. Her channel is awash with colourful videos where she experiments with colourful makeup and shares her skills with her followers.
Her Instagram, which is even more successful at 12.4 million followers, is the go-to for quick makeup tutorials. It also gives a snapshot into her lifestyle which includes her recent pregnancy announcement with her long-term partner.
Many have been made to believe that red is a colour that clashes, but Mari’s makeup talent shows her fans the diverse range of colours that can complement, or even beautifully contrast, red hair.
While she is unafraid to show her freckled bare face, she equally has the makeup knowhow to completely conceal them. Through her tutorial videos on Instagram and YouTube she demonstrates how to use makeup to hide freckles and recommends the products that those more self conscious can use to achieve the best results.
Off the back of her worldwide success, and enviable skills with brushes, Mari has launched her own collection of makeup called Mari Maria Makeup. The range includes full coverage foundations and concealers in a range of shades, bold lip colours, eyeshadow palettes and more.
Katie Jane Hughes
As an editorial makeup artist, there is little wonder that Katie Jane Hughes has become a big name on Instagram. Renowned for her dewy, non conformist style of makeup, she shares her latest makeup looks, modelled by herself and her famous clientele, with her 373k followers.
While she describes her makeup career as something she “just fell into”, her career started working in beauty retailer Space NK and has ascended into working with the likes of Vogue Russia, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Harrods Magazine and creating impactful looks for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Naomi Campbell, Whitney Port and Anna Kendrick.
Brunette by birth, but a ginger at heart, Katie dyes her hair a beautiful shade of auburn which she regularly styles in-line with her latest makeup look and shares on her Instagram feed.
In an interview with Refinery29.com she said: “Most of my inspiration comes from random things. I’ll see two houses that touch and they're two different colours — and I’ll wear those on my face.
“One time I opened my dryer, and I saw pink, red, and burgundy fabrics touching. And I thought, Oh my God, I have to do a makeup look inspired by that. People loved it, because it’s weird and there are no rules. Makeup washes off.”
The Gingerwanderlust
Ellie Green, and her stunning rust coloured hair, travel across the world documenting it on Instagram and her blog as she goes.
Using her hair colour to shape her career online, she created her blog The Ginger Wanderlust in 2017 as a place for her to blog all about her travels, as well as share insights to others visiting the same places.
In just over a year she had turned 500 visitors a month into over 5k with people from across the world wanting the latest content from the blogger. Ellie has coincided her blog content with Instagram having amassed 77k followers on the platform where she gets creative with her posts.
Autumn is a time of year where Ellie really goes to town with her Instagram content, blending the colours of the season with her hair and fashion to make for quite the addictive scroll.
Always on the move, Ellie has visited eleven countries in Asia, travelled around Australia and is currently exploring the sights a little closer to home with recent Europeon adventures including Albania, Dubrovnik and Paris.
Forever Amber
Describing herself to her 16.3k Instagram followers as a ‘mum, author, misfit, awkward girl’, Amber McNaught’s journey into blogging is one that is so inspiring that she has released a book about it.
Amber, whose name perfectly describes her hair, abandoned her well-paid office job to start Forever Amber - a blog centred around her awkwardness. Around the same time as making this bold leap, her husband was diagnosed with kidney failure to whom she gave one of hers.
Her blog has transcended into the ultimate awkward girl’s guide covering everything from fashion and parenthood - Amber is a mum to a cute little boy - to travel and beauty. My Blogging Secrets is her debut book and guide to becoming a professional blogger.
When she’s not taking to the gram to post her enviable lifestyle shots, she’s writing more books having published an additional two - Closet Essentials 60 Core Pieces and How to Wear Them and The Anxiety-Filled Diary of a Pregnancy Hypochondriac.
So, no matter whether you are a fully-fledged red-head, dye your hair to be one or are even the best friend or partner of one, celebrate everything that is great about the colour this National Love Your Red Hair Day.
