50 Questions with A Slice O Pi's Andrea Pion

In 2013, Andrea Pion packed up her bags and moved to New York City where she created the Instagram account @asliceopi to document her adventures in a new city. 228K followers later, and Andrea’s little slice of life has become a go-to destination for people across the globe interested in following her fashion, travel, and soon-to-be wedding pursuits via the Gram.

Catching Andrea along the path of her busy globe-trotting itinerary, the lifestyle influencer was quick to become the latest victim of our Husskie Fast 50. Here, we chat to the A Slice O Pi creator about everything from having to make personal sacrifices for the influencer life to scanning through 1000 – 2000 images to find the perfect shot…

Missed the last articles in the 50 Questions series? Click the links to read interviews with Be Parisien’s Mónica Miquélez, Livelyus’ Gisy Balasch, and Justin Savage.

1. Best beauty product of all time? Self-tanner – nothing is better than having a glow!
2. Five beauty products you can’t live without? Right now my 5 go-to products I use everyday are Anastasia Eyebrow Pencil, Dior Pump’n’Volume mascara, Stila Liquid Eyeliner Pen, Becca Blush Flowerchild, and Anastasia Glow Kit Sunkissed 4
3. Hair “done” or messy? Oh, this is tough! But, messy – I love windblown waves!
4. Favourite fragrance? Currently loving Marc Jacobs Decadence Eau So Decadent
5. Favourite item of clothing? High-waisted jeans
6. Favourite fashion brand? Zara
7. Sneakers or heels? Sneakers
8. Gym or exercising outdoors? Gym
9. Healthy eating or treating yourself? Both! Everything in moderation… ;P
10. Can you cook? Yes, I love cooking

11. Favourite food to indulge in? Anything with chocolate
12. First thing you pick from the mini-bar? Tequila!!!
13. Best place to eat out? Nobu, I could eat there every day – Yellowtail Jalapeño Sashimi is soooooo good
14. Happiest moment? Ohhhhh – that is tough!!!! Happiest MOMENTS to date were getting our puppy Ralph and getting engaged
15. Saddest moment? When all I wanted was to move to NYC. I was just starting to date Marc in NY and was interviewing like crazy. So much heartbreak happened during that time – you’re putting yourself out there and getting your hopes up only to find out you didn’t get it. It’s not easy. Eventually I did get a job and it’ll be my 5 year NYC anniversary this summer!
16. Blog or YouTube? Blog
17. Iphone or camera? Both
18. Type of camera? Variety. Not 100% sure what my two photographers shoot on. I have a Canon DSLR I use – but I don’t mind an iPhone pic on-the-go, it’s more authentic to me!
19. Facetune or untouched? I like to keep things as real and untouched as possible
20. Lightroom or VSCO? Lightroom for sure – you have so much more control. Learning Lightroom and creating my own preset was the best thing that happened to my edits

21. Favourite filter? My own preset 😉 – I love a vintage look
22. Favourite way to edit pics? Colourful and aged
23. 9-5 job or full-time influencer? Full-time
24. How did you first get your start in Instablogging? I started a food blog in 2012, and was so inspired by Pinterest to start documenting outfits and hair too. Then I moved to NYC and dropped that. Not soon after, I started my Instagram. I worked in finance (which I HATED) and my Instagram blog was my creative outlet for 4 years. About 2 years in, I started to get mini jobs and lots of gifts – and that’s when I realised I had to grind if I wanted it to be something! It was a LOT of work and turned into having two full-time jobs. I would wake up so early to meet my photographer and shoot at 6:30/7am to be at my desk by 8:30am and then would race out of work to make it to an event or go home to edit/email/work on blog posts! It was crazy but amazing at the same time. Such a thrill! Eventually I was making more than working in finance, and I went full-time in May 2017 🙂
25. How much time goes into a normal picture found on your Instagram account? A LOT! 1-2 hours/photo is my best estimate. If I have the content shot, I’m usually scanning through 1000-2000 images at a time after a 2-3 hour shoot. Editing is usually 30 min to an hour. Captions and planning my feed take the longest
26. What’s your top Instagram tip? Keep working hard – what you put in is what you get out. Network like crazy! Go to events, meet other influencers and BE NICE
27. Who takes your pics? Mainly photographers, but sometimes my fiancé too
28. Career highlight since being an influencer? Every single day having the opportunity to do what I love and to meet people all over the world. I love DM’ing with my followers and creating relationships
29. Career lowlight since being an influencer? It’s NOT easy! My job is 24/7, and while I love it – it’s so much work and I have had to make sacrifices in my personal life to keep up. I feel like I’m constantly defending myself to family and friends why I can’t just do XYZ. It’s definitely not as glamorous as it looks
30. Best campaign you’ve ever worked on? I shot a huge campaign this past Fall that an OG Blogger shot a couple of years ago. I realised on the shoot – and it was crazy to think how everything has come full circle for me

31. Worst thing that’s happened to you on a photo shoot? Rain is pretty terrible, but I wouldn’t say that’s the worst thing that can happen, haha! Sometimes you get unwanted visitors coming up to you and it can get weird. This past winter, I was standing by a frozen pond in Central Park – we were isolated and a stranger approached me and kept asking if he could touch my nose. It was so bizarre! He eventually walked away, but my photographer and I BOLTED out of the park…
32. The best gift you’ve ever received as an influencer? Love notes from brands – I love a handwritten letter
33. Last thing you googled? Oh! Haha, hmm…. gold metallic platforms – I’m looking for a pair of YSL or Gucci platforms
34. Favourite film? Anything with Audrey Hepburn
35. Favourite book? Does Vogue count?!
36. Favourite song? Currently I’m loving “1950” by King Princess
37. Living in the city or living by the beach? I’m a city girl FOR sure
38. Favourite travel destination? PARIS
39. Most Instagram-worthy spot? Attainable? A pizza parlour, ha! Dreamiest? Greece – Santorini was the prettiest place I’ve ever been
40. Top three essentials to pack when traveling? Dry shampoo, travel-size hot roller sets, and self-tanner. Eyelash extensions are also a must!

41. Going out clubbing or quiet dinner with friends? Dinner with friends – but does it have to be quiet???
42. Partner or single? Partner – getting married this June! 🙂
43. Siblings? Two – a brother and a sister
44. What city are you currently living in? New York City
45. Celebrity crush? Oh gosh! Going to have to go with Prince Harry AND my girl Meghan Markle! Literally have a crush on both of them. They are so cute together – I can’t handle it!!
46. Pets? Ralphie – he’s my mini goldendoodle pup named after Ralph Lauren! He’s very fancy, he wears a bow tie 😉
47. What is your best asset? Ohhh, that’s tough!!! I think my hair
48. Top five Instagram accounts to follow? @collagevintage @lovelypepa @sincerelyjules @songofstyle @negin_mirsalehi
49. Favourite quote you live by? “It is up to you to see the beauty of everyday things”
50. Top career tip? Do what you love – life is too short. Do what makes you happy and follow your passion – everything will always work out. If you’re going to take a gamble on something, take it on yourself