Ashley Allen

Ashley Allen is a lifestyle blogger and vlogger (YouTube, Instagram, etc.) who covers beauty products, makeup tips, fashion trends, and holiday baking.

She launched her blog, Pretty Vulgar, back in 2014 and since then she’s grown her audience from 200 to 15,000 subscribers on YouTube. She also has over 200,000 followers on Instagram where she regularly shares content related to food, lifestyle, and fashion.

Allen is a Jersey girl who grew up near the beach and attended Rowan University in New Jersey. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in fashion. After a few years working in the industry, she left to pursue other interests. She now lives and works in Santa Monica, California.

Blog Style And Content

The blog name Pretty Vulgar was inspired by Ashley’s grandmother. Allen’s blog is an extension of that, as she covers vulgar items – things that are unusual, unexpected, or just plain funny.

The posts on the blog are consistently entertaining, but they also provide helpful information and direction for the viewer. For example, one of the first videos she released showed how to bake an Origami flower cake, and included step-by-step instructions on how to sculpt the cake. This led to a huge audience seeking out her content, as she started receiving hundreds of emails every week from readers asking about her cake-baking secrets.

In addition to being a great instructional video, the video also showcased Ashley’s personality and sense of humor. Since then, she’s continued to push the envelope with her content, whether it’s a spoof on influencers, an inside look at Victoria’s Secret’s fashion week, or a guide to the most popular Halloween costumes this year.

Social Media Influencers And Celebrities

Although she started her blog relatively anonymously, Ashley soon grew her social media accounts and began to work with influencers and celebrities to grow her audience. She has worked with some of the biggest names in social media, including Hannah Bronfman and Rachel Lindsay, the sister-in-law and BFF of Lindsay Lohan. Together, they created an impromptu fashion show at the Ryman Hotel in New York City to show off Ashley’s style blog.

Not only has working with these influencers helped expose her blog to a much larger audience, it’s also helped her establish herself as an authoritative voice in her niche. She’s since gone on to work with more than 50 different influencers and celebrities, from YouTube creators to fashion designers and celebrities themselves.

Personal Branding

Since the beginning of her career, Ashley has used her blog and social media platforms to build out a personal brand. One of her biggest goals is to be known for being “an honest voice in an industry, that isn’t always super-sweet.” She wants to be known for being real and having fun with her content, while still maintaining her authority.

She’s been able to do this by establishing and engaging with a dedicated audience across multiple platforms. She uses her blog to speak on topics related to fashion, food, and lifestyle, while also maintaining a presence on Twitter and Instagram (@ashleyallenc).

A Self-proclaimed “Grammar Nazi”, And Other Influences

One of the most interesting things about Ashley is her dedication to proper grammar and punctuation. One of her early viral videos featured her correcting the grammar mistakes of a four-year-old named Cayla. Now, as a young adult, she spends a lot of time teaching people how to improve their grammar and ensure that their writing is free of errors.

The influence of Cayla, and other young girls/women like her, will continue to be present in Ashley’s work as she helps more and more people improve their grammar and writing skills. She also works with individuals one-on-one via Skype, to ensure that they are able to communicate effectively and that her advice is helping them find the right words.

Beyond her work with young people, she credits her dedication to grammar and spelling to other influences. One of her biggest influences is the blogger and podcaster, Rhi Harper. Rhiannon is a lifestyle blogger who creates videos documenting her life in London and occasionally shares tips on how to improve one’s vocabulary.

“She’s amazing, and I highly recommend her videos. I’ve learned a lot from her, and it’s been really helpful. I’m a self-proclaimed noun nazi and often use words that are not commonly found in most people’s vocabulary, but they are in mine. So if that’s something that interests you, I would definitely recommend checking out some of her videos.”

Another big influence on Ashley is the British actress and comedian, Emily Henderson. Emily is known for her unique take on comedy and her comedic timing, which has led to her being called one of the greatest actresses in the UK. She regularly posts about fashion, beauty products, and lifestyle on her Instagram account (@emilyhendy), and even created a podcast with her husband, Will, called My Husband and I.

“Henderson’s comedic timing is unparalleled, and often her videos will have a grammatical error in them, just to add an extra layer of comedy. So if you’re looking to improve your own comedic timing, or just want to be funny, she’s definitely one to watch.”

To this day, the influence of these women remains present in Ashley’s work. In fact, in 2019 alone, she has nearly 20,000 Instagram followers who are mostly girls/women between the ages of 15 and 24. As she continues to grow her audience, she plans to continue empowering and inspiring other young women.