Sunday Feature: You Go Girl! Featuring Chick Advisors Ali De Bold!

Every Sunday I feature a blogger, artist, photographer, makeup artist, actress, socialite or all around awesome person on my blog in a feature I like to call "You Go Girl!" or in some cases "You Go Boy!".
This week Ill be featuring the founder of one of Canada's hottest site ChickAdvisor.com Ali De Bold.

Ali is not only the founder but the producer and host of chickadvisor.com, a site where members can list their blogs, get access to deals, articles, and free products through their Product Review Club.

I have had the pleasure of chatting with Ali and have grown to admire her determination and drive. She is one successful woman who's vision has now become a reality.

I recently chatted with Ali about her site, career, life and of course beauty. Here's what she had to say.

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So who is Ali De Bold and why is she so fabulous?

I'm the founder of ChickAdvisor.com, Canada's first social shopping site for women. I don't know if I'm so fabulous but I certainly have a charmed career. I'm very fortunate that I get to do a job I love and get pampered daily with the latest products and services for women. I have my dream job and I know I'm very fortunate.

Where can we find you on the world wide web?

Site:www.ChickAdvisor.com
Twitter:http://twitter.com/alidebold
http://twitter.com/chickadvisor

What beauty product would you recommend and why?

There are so many. Honestly this is a really hard question for me because I'm testing products on a daily basis. Right now a few of my daily favourites are:

Maybelline New York The Falsies Mascara - it's inexpensive yet very dramatic

YSL Rouge Pure Shine Sheer Lipstick - my fave colour is Blood Orange

And I can't get enough of Lise Watier Feline HD Eyeliner - All you need is one line of this and one swipe of mascara

Have you ever lost or broken a beauty item you wish you still had today?

You know what, I'm fickle when it comes to beauty products. I'm always trying the latest stuff so I get over losing or breaking products quite easily.

How did ChickAdvisor.com come about?

I was planning my wedding out of town in 2004 and researching for where I should get my hair and makeup done. Not only were there no online reviews, most places didn't even have a proper website. I found it frustrating that there wasn't any place I could get genuine recommendations. Also, I'm a big product junkie and spent a lot of money every month trying new things. I was always disappointed if I shelled out for something that didn't work for me. My fiance (now husband) suggested we build a service were women could review things and share advice. So we built a business plan, mapped out how the site should look, feel and work, then hired some developers and a designer and sat around our living room table for months to get it off the ground. We launched September 2006.

Favorite look for Summer 2010?

A long flowing maxi dress, hair in a messy bun, big dark sunglasses, stacked big bracelets and an iced beverage in hand.

The thing I love the most about my career is...?

I get spoiled with the events I go to and the products I get. It's pretty awesome. I haven't had to buy anything at the drugstore in a really long time, but I get the most excited when I get to meet our members. I know I sound corny saying this, but I am always humbled and honoured when I meet the awesome women who are part of our community. I always think, "wow, you like us?" It's the hugest compliment for me.

Are there any makeup or beauty faux pas you really really cant stand?

I think everyone should experiment with colour and have fun. Anything goes really. But I don't like the look of overly thick or caked foundation.

Are you guilty of any yourself?

I can be very lazy with my appearance. Inevitably I will bump into someone on those days. Like the time I went to the Chanel counter at the Bay and the girl helping me turned out to be a ChickAdvisor member. She was so excited to meet me but I was embarrassed because my hair was all frizzy from the rain and I was sporting an unconcealed zit on my chin and hardly any makeup. I felt quite disheveled.

Was there a product you bought due to word of mouth hype that you just weren't please with once you tried?

I was really excited about Bare Escentuals Foundation, but after wearing it for a bit it I realized it emphasized the oil on my face like no other. I felt like people could see their reflection in my forehead.

Who are your beauty mentors?

I don't really have any. But I get Mandy (one of my staff) do my makeup for events sometimes. She's an amazing natural talent.

What can people expect from Ali De Bold and ChickAdvisor.com in the future?

There are so many things I want to do personally. I'm a big believer of giving back and helping others. I have some ideas that I'd like to work on in the future.

#1 on my list for the business is to continue to give big publishers a run for their money and grow really strong in Canada. There aren't many large Canadian publishers that aren't owned by a monolith. It's nice to be independent and unique. I like not having to worry about 'The Man'.

Any last words or advice?

If you have a great idea don't let anyone discourage you. I knew our business would work because I spent a lot of time talking to women about it who represented our end users. However there were plenty of people who said we couldn't do it or that it was a dumb idea. We had some would-be investors laugh in our faces about it before we launched, but I knew we had the skills and determination to do it.

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Thank you Ali for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. Be sure to check out Ali's site Chickadvisor.com, become a member for all the latest beauty news and giveaways.