2009–2013: Career beginnings Sugg was working as an apprentice at an
interior design company when she created her blog, "Zoella", in February 2009. The fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog expanded into a
YouTube channel in 2009, while Sugg was working for British clothing retailer
New Look. Sugg's main channel, Zoella, first named "zoella280390" after her birth date, is mostly fashion, beauty hauls, and "favourites" videos (showing her favourite products of the previous month). Her second channel, MoreZoella, contains mostly
vlogs where she shows her viewers what she does in her day. In 2013, Sugg was mentioned by
The Telegraph as one of "Britain's most influential Tweeters". In 2013, she was named as one of the
National Citizen Service's ambassadors, helping to promote the newly launched youth service. The following year, she was named as the first "digital ambassador" for
Mind, the
mental health charity.
2014–2019: Zoella brands, book releases and media appearances Sugg launched a range of
beauty products under the brand name Zoella Beauty in September 2014. The "bath and beauty" range launch was, according to the
Metro, the "biggest beauty launch of the year". She launched an edition of the products called "Tutti Fruity" in 2015, as well as a limited Christmas edition. Sugg has been a director of ZS Beauty Ltd, a wholesaler of perfume and cosmetics, since 2016. In 2016, Sugg launched an edition called "Sweet Inspirations", followed by other ranges including "Jelly & Gelato", "Splash Botanics" and "Fruit Medley". In September 2016, Sugg released a collection of home-ware products, including stationery, candles and reed diffusers. Sugg has been a director of ZS Lifestyle Ltd since 2016. In June 2014, Sugg was a guest panellist on the daytime chat show
Loose Women. She also appeared on
This Morning in July 2014 to talk about
social anxiety. In 2014, Sugg signed a
two-book deal with
Penguin Books. The North American publishing rights were purchased by
Atria. The book is aimed at a
young adult audience and surrounds a 15-year-old anonymous
blogger and what happens when her blog goes
viral. While based around her similar experiences, Sugg has stated that the book is "in no way
autobiographical". The novel achieved the highest first-week sales for a debut author since
Nielsen BookScan began compiling such records in 1998, with 78,109 copies. , it was the fastest selling book of the year. It was reported that young-adult novelist Siobhan Curham was a
ghostwriter for the novel, although neither Penguin nor Sugg confirmed this; Penguin stated that Curham was an editorial consultant for the novel. Sugg, along with
The Slow Mo Guys and
Vice News, featured in television, print, and
billboard advertisements by YouTube in the UK which ran from 25 September 2014. The prime time TV adverts were broadcast on the three
terrestrial UK channels. The single debuted at No.1 on the
UK Official Singles Chart. Sugg also took part in the 2015
Comic Relief edition of
The Great British Bake Off. A sequel to
Girl Online, titled
Girl Online: On Tour, was released on 20 October 2015. A third book,
Girl Online: Going Solo, was published on 17 November 2016. Sugg's books, alongside those by other
YouTubers, were criticised in 2017 for 'not being challenging enough' in a number of UK newspapers. In late 2016, Sugg and brother Joe released a range of branded merchandise called 'Sugg Life', created in collaboration with The Creator Store, a company owned by
Alfie Deyes and Dominic Smales of Gleam Futures. The term 'Sugg Life' is a play on 'Thug life', a phrase popularised by
Tupac Shakur's
1990s hip hop group of the same name and more recently an
internet meme. The online shop offered a range of products such as
hoodies, stickers and phone cases. In August 2017, The Creator Store opened a
pop-up shop in
Covent Garden which, for ten days, sold limited edition 'Sugg Life X PB' merchandise; a collaboration of Sugg Life and Deyes' '
Pointless Blog' brands. As of May 2018, the Sugg Life online shop is no longer active. Sugg and Deyes are directors of A to Z Creatives and A to Z Merchandise, a Brighton-based brand agency, which they founded in 2018. They are also directors of Crew Live Limited (the company responsible for YouTube convention Hello World) alongside fellow YouTubers
Tanya Burr,
Marcus Butler,
Jim Chapman,
Caspar Lee,
Louise Pentland, Niomi Smart,
Joe Sugg, and Gleam Futures CEO Dominic Smales. Sugg's non-fiction book,
Cordially Invited, offering advice on entertaining guests at home and planning celebrations, was published by
Hodder & Stoughton in October 2018.
2019–present: Business interests and The Magpie Society In February 2019, it was announced that Sugg had worked on a limited edition makeup range with
ColourPop Cosmetics, based on
70s fashion. In April 2019, Sugg announced Filmm, a mobile photography app that she co-developed with Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman. In August 2020, Sugg collaborated on a homeware range with
Etsy, featuring products co-curated by herself and independent Etsy sellers. On 29 October 2020,
The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow, a
young adult fiction novel she co-authored with Amy McCulloch, was released. The book details events at an elite boarding school from the points of view of two girls – Ivy, written by Sugg, and Audrey, written by McCulloch. It was stated by Sugg that the book would act as the first of a series, with a sequel titled
The Magpie Society: Two for Joy which was released in 2021. ==Personal life==