06 Aug 2025
We ask a different figure from the local community to choose 10 questions to answer from a list of 50. This week: Harpenden-based social media executive, Daniel Braziel, 27, selected from over 250 candidates to be one of the faces of a Real Life Beauty campaign run by make-up brand Collection Cosmetics.
What’s the first thing you do after you’ve woken up in the morning?
COFFEE!! It’s a must! Then I check my socials, chat with my mum and say hello to my little doggo Chico.
What items do you always carry with you?
My phone, headphones, Collection Cosmetics raise the roof mascara, a lash curler, the rest of my make-up bag and a snack.
What’s your worst habit?
I procrastinate a LOT. Which can become an issue sometimes when I want to be productive and my brain won’t allow me to be.
What TV did you watch as a child?
Disney, Nickelodeon… Think Victorious, That’s So Raven, Lizzie Maguire, Zack & Cody,
Zoey 101! Peak television, you just had to be there.
Are things getting better or worse?
Better! I feel so incredibly blessed to be chosen as the face of one of the biggest beauty brands, I have so much love for Collection Cosmetics and my Real Life Beauty family, and I know in my heart this is just the beginning of so much more to come in my creator journey.
Being part of the Real Life Beauty campaign with Collection Cosmetics means the world to me. As a proud gay man, this moment is bigger than make-up, it’s about visibility, representation, and rewriting the rules. I hope to inspire and empower the next generation of LGBTQIA+ youth to live boldly, love loudly, and express themselves unapologetically. Make-up has no gender, no age limit, it’s art, it’s power, and it’s for everyone.”
If you could travel back in time and offer your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Gosh, this question always makes me emotional. I think the first thing I’d do is hold little Daniel’s hand and tell him, from the bottom of my heart, that everything is going to be okay.
You didn’t have the easiest start in life, and there are still more challenges ahead, but I need you to know how unbelievably strong you are for facing everything you did. One day, you’ll understand that all of it was shaping you into the person you’re meant to be.
In time, everything will begin to fall into place, and you’ll be able to turn all that pain into something powerful, a tool to help others, to inspire, and to show that even in the darkest moments, light can always find its way through.
Which three people, living or dead, would be your ideal dinner party guests?
Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.
If you could have a conversation with someone who had died, who would it be?
Though I never got to meet my grandad Harold, who passed before I was born, I like to believe that he and my grandma, especially knowing how young my mum was when she lost him, would be so proud of everything I’ve overcome and achieved on a journey that hasn’t always been easy.
Which day of your life would you most like to relive?
It’s a toss-up between two unforgettable moments that hold such a special place in my heart.
The first would be Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, it wasn’t just a concert, it was a cultural reset. The energy, the unity, the pure joy in that stadium… It was a moment that reminded me of the power of music, identity, and community.
The second would be the day of the Real Life Beauty campaign with Collection Cosmetics. I met the most incredible people (My Real Life Beauty Fam), and the entire team was nothing short of a dream, I genuinely adore them all. As a gay man, being chosen as the face of a beauty campaign meant more than I can really put into words. Visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community is more important than ever, and to stand in that space authentically was a moment I’ll carry with me forever.
Where do you buy your coffee in Harpenden?
GAILS!!! 100%!!!!
Wednesday or Saturday Charter Market?
Saturday, because I then get to spend quality time with my mum and we can go for brunch after! We recently discovered Hatch, highly recommend!
