In episode thirty four of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts sits down with Lottie Tomlinson, founder of Tanologist, and Lou Teasdale, the brand’s creative director. 

Lottie Tomlinson is the sister of One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, and Lou Teasdale was the band’s hair and makeup artist from day one. Although Lou was reluctant, she hired Lottie to assist her on the band’s tour when Lottie was just 15, and so their friendship and working relationship was formed. Lottie and Lou have a really interesting take on fame and celebrity, given that their careers exploded amidst One Direction developing what can only be described as a cult following. This lead to the girls accruing a devoted fan base of their own, however, not content with resting on their laurels, the pair had longevity in mind. 2018 saw Lottie, a self confessed tanning addict, harness her passion for beauty and develop her own self tanning brand- Tanologist. 

Lottie and Lou had a combined 7 million followers at the time of recording, so of interest to me was HOW they’ve managed to translate those followers into Tanologist customers. The answer became abundantly clear as I spent time with them- before I’d even hit record. Lou is a wealth of business and branding wisdom and has a deep understanding of what it takes for a brand to have longevity, which is no mean feat in the age of Instagram. What struck me about Lottie is that her demeanour and her approach to business really reminded me a lot of Nicola Kilner, co-founder and CEO of Deciem- two women who are shattering the old abrasive business owner archetype and, instead, are choosing to run their businesses based on kindness and resilience, despite having been through literal hell over the last 18 months. 

Lottie and Lou are a delight, as charismatic and fun as they are intelligent, and I’ve been so looking forward to sharing this conversation with you all. 

In this conversation, Lottie and Lou discuss the rise of indie brands in the beauty space, the power of social media and how their time touring with One Direction taught them what it takes to build a brand.

You can read this interview now at: glowjournal.com/

Follow Tanologist on Instagram @tanologisttan

Follow Lottie on Instagram @lottietomlinson

Follow Lou on Instagram @louteasdale

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemkwatts and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected]

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