HAVE YOU EVER followed an Insta account from its conception, and felt personally betrayed the day that a #ad appeared in their caption?

Yeah, us too!

When the sponsored content starts creeping into a page you devoutly follow, you begin to doubt the authenticity of the recommendations.

So it was refreshing to discover Gelcream, a small Insta beauty account with only 88k followers, whose ethos is to strictly have no sponsored content in order to review products with transparency and honesty.

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The woman behind the account, Yana Sheptovetskaya, is a US-based Russian fashion and marketing consultant.

Yana reviews all things beauty and body, from perfumes to make up to the latest self-care product, and gives them a rating out of 5.

The diverse reviews include posts on Glossier - everyone’s new favourite kid on the make-up block…

to sustainable brands that you can re-fill…

…to lesser known cult products.

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The above is a facial cleansing clay called ‘Aztec Secret’.

Yana gave it 5/5 and it apparently works best when mixed with apple cider vinegar.

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Finally!

Another use for the vinegar you bought on 1 January after swearing you’d drink it every morning to glow like Roz Purcell.

She has yet to review anything by Kylie Jenner, but a couple months ago she reviewed Kim Kardashian’s perfume and gave it 0/5.

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Things got slightly heated when Jen Atkin, Kim’s friend and celebrity hair stylist, left a comment under the review, which Gelcream posted on their Insta story.

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The post ended up being Gelcream’s most liked photo to date.

Really proving the proverb that all publicity is good publicity.

But Yana was just being brutally upfront about what she likes personally with the brand and the product. For example, even if she thinks a product is fab, she is not here for beauty brands that bring up cancer as a marketing ploy…

It’s fashion blogging that isn’t superficial.

Yana recently opened up about her background in the fashion industry, which adds to her credibility, Beauty and fashion are clearly a passion for her, and not just a way to make money.

My first job after I graduated was a Trend Researcher, I analyzed and forecasted fashion trends & created moodboards for clients like ASOS, H&M and smaller brands so they could be ahead of the game. There was no instagram back then.

Her career path is interesting for any millennial who feels like they don’t have a clear cut pathway or vocation in mind.

…I decided to leave to work in magazines, I started as an intern at @anothermagazine, in a few months became assistant to the fashion director (Cathy Edwards ❤️), but (sadly!) had to leave London in a year due to visa problems. I moved to Moscow and after 5 interviews got a job as a fashion coordinator and then editor at Vogue.

An assistant to a fashion director and then Editor at Vogue?

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After leaving Vogue I joined a fashion brand where I had to learn so much, complete change of scenery: I would find factories to produce clothing, purchase fabrics at Premier Vision, run quality control checks, organize buying showrooms in Paris and manage all stores and deliveries. Crazy times!

What a luxurious sounding job.

Yana also explained how she’s able to keep Gelcream free of adverts.

After I moved to the US, I continued doing sales and currently work with a jewelry brand. I also photograph for brands and consult on creative direction and marketing. This is how I manage to keep this account ad-free

This is one account you should definitely keep an eye on.

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