When I smell pho, I just automatically think of my mom. All these nostalgic feelings and memories come rushing through my head.
— Michelle Phan
So many of my followers who just graduated can't get jobs; they're hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and they don't know what to do. My dream is to see a new generation of entrepreneurs who are creating and having more meaningful jobs than the day-to-day grind.
My production style is all about imagination. I want my audience to use their imagination when they watch my videos. My goal is for my voice to be that little hope of encouragement in your head when you walk out your door.
I listen to a lot of Tibetan music before I sleep. I'll just type in 'Tibetan meditation music' on YouTube, and within 15 minutes, it knocks me out. I sleep like a baby.
Flipboard is really fun because it's like a digital magazine that lets you curate your favorite things and follow your favorite people. I do Instagram but not Vine. I love Vine, but I don't have time to browse through it. So when I'm on YouTube, I'll look up the 'best of Vine' compilations.
Just like hair frames our face, brows frame our eyes. I see so much potential in harmonized beauty whenever I see a woman who's not filling in her brows, and I just want to go in with my brow pencil and just be like, 'Filling in eyebrows, OK, done - look in the mirror and be inspired.' That's one of my pet peeves, but beauty is subjective.
I don't believe in that term 'self-made' - not to be offensive, but I believe everything happens for a reason, every single person you meet. Even if it's one single person giving you advice, that person helped you get to where you're at today.
The Internet opens a lot of doors to those who are passionate.
That's the beauty about beauty; it's not like a tattoo. You can just wash it right off, and your skin is your canvas, so you can do something new the next day.
Eight years ago, if I wanted to do a YouTube video, I broke out my camera and filmed everything myself and learned how to edit and kind of become a one-woman studio. But we're living in an era now, thanks to ICON, where any creator who is online, they can create in their own space.
I got an apartment for my family so they can move out of this one-room that they were renting out from a family.
Ipsy's goal has always been to create a community that inspires women around the world to express their own unique beauty.
Makeup is no different than clothes and accessories - it's embellishments for your face. And it also gives you creative freedom. You get to have that moment in front the mirror every morning and give yourself self-love. You're making yourself up beautiful, which is essentially self-love.
Every day is different. I am constantly creating, whether that be for my own YouTube channel and social networks or my businesses like FAWN (For all Women's Network) - a women's lifestyle network on YouTube that I founded/produce; em michelle phan (my cosmetics line with L'Oreal); or Ipsy (a beauty sampling service I co-founded in 2011).
I always secretly loved the art of makeup as a child. I would come up with stories and characters and try on my mom's Maybelline eyeliner when she wasn't home. It was a very old-school pencil - you had to burn the tip to make it smudgy enough to use.
I don't believe that if one door closes, that's the end. You're in control of that, but you need to seek opportunities and prepare for them.
For me, money is a tool.
My mother would work 14 hours, and she'd come home, and she'd just get right into cooking... she wanted to make sure my brother, my sister and I had food in our bellies.
I believe that rejection is a blessing because it's the universe's way of telling you that there's something better out there.
As a young girl, I loved having stories read to me. There is something magical about narration and voiceovers. Recording a voiceover is an art form in itself.
If I can find time to play games, it's console gaming. I don't want to be plugged into my phone all the time. I'm waiting for the new Mario Kart to come out, but I've been playing Donkey Kong and Mario 3D World on the Wii U.
I love Fredorator and what they produce and the storytelling of 'Adventure Time'... There's such a dark, adult underlying theme underneath the whimsical, magical children's aspect of their storytelling element.
Most people think of me as a makeup guru, but might be surprised to know I'm also a trained artist and a huge comic book fan.
I see videomaking as an art - it's not a process for me.
Western beauty is considered the dominant beauty in the world. Tall, blond, blue eyes. I always felt a little self-conscious because I wanted to be more Caucasian. I tried to get bigger eyes... I would dress preppy.
I'm homemade. I upload my videos in my living room; I edit everything, and I upload on my laptop. And my viewers love that about me, and they get inspired and do it themselves.
Honestly, what I have the most fun with, I just hang out with my cat, and I go online, and I talk to my followers, and I have real conversations with them.
I really believe in giving tools and resources to other creators so that they can create beautiful videos.
The Manuka honey face mask is another favorite of mine that I actually do. I know there are these people that recommend crazy masks, and I'm like, 'There is no way you're putting that on your face!' But I do put Manuka honey on my face. I take a teaspoon and warm it up.
I use sunscreen every single day, even if I'm not going outside in the sun, because I'm near a window. I can always get those UV rays on my face, so I always apply sunscreen on my face and neck. It's like brushing my teeth: I feel weird if I don't apply sunscreen.
I've colored my hair so many times, and nobody tells you the damage it's going to do! I went blonde and lost all my baby hairs. I'm not coloring it anymore. Never again.
I love liquid eyeliner - it's just easier. It doesn't melt, fade, skip, or smudge. It's tougher to use because it's not as forgiving. The brush for my em michelle phan Scribble Calligraphy Liquid Liner was inspired by a calligraphy brush, so you can get a very thick or thin line, depending on how you flick it. I use it in Tattoo Black.
What inspired me to work so hard and to maintain my determination was seeing my mother. She was an immigrant and was struggling in America to make it by; that inspired me to work hard.
You know when you're a child and your imagination is limitless and you really believe in magic? I thought I had super powers.
When you're eating a bowl of pho, you're eating everything you need.
I was inspired by many teachers when I started my channel, Bob Ross being one of them. His voice was so soothing, almost like hypnosis. He was that great of a teacher, even the casual viewer could learn how to paint from watching his show. Growing up, I just remember him being so mesmerizing on screen.
I didn't start wearing makeup until I was in art school, and many of the techniques I learned on canvas, I applied to makeup.
I glance through the pages of all the top magazines every month just to see if there are any colors that are trending. I'll also go on Instagram and look at the 'popular' page to see what people are liking, what's cool. I'll check it at different times of the day; for example, if it's really late in L.A., you'll see a lot of posts in Asia.
Anyone can wear glitter, even a woman in her 60s. It's all about techniques. Instead of applying glitter all over the face, you can just add a little to the inner corner of your eyes or on your brow bone, or even on your Cupid's bow. It just adds this magical element to your makeup.
When I first started, there really was no beauty guru community. I didn't have the right production resources. I had to learn how to edit. I didn't even have beauty products. I had to go out and buy them myself because beauty brands didn't even know what a beauty guru was.
It's a deeper connection when you meet someone online and talk to them every day.
I always wanted a family environment, a community where a creator like myself could connect and vibe with other creators without feeling competitive.
When Google reached out to me in 2011, they wanted me to build out their female lifestyle vertical. When they were starting with that initiative, they were giving each production house a million dollars to produce content.
I'm a total nerd, so I'm on my telescope, or I read a lot. I'm very inspired by ancient history.
I was 16 years old and wanted to help my mom with the rent. There was a restaurant called China Buffet in Tampa that hung a 'Help Wanted' sign outside, so I went in and ended up hosting every Friday and Sunday for $6 or $7 an hour.
Growing up, before my mom would cook our rice, she would rinse the rice out and pour it out three times. And after the fourth pour, she'd pour it into a little bowl, and she'd rinse her face with that. It's known to help whiten the skin and nourish it because essentially inside the water you have all the essential nutrients from the rice.
I am so inspired by the people watching my videos and responding to them. I have learned so much from my community over the years and always love reading their feedback and their own personal stories that they share with me.
All of the development I do is with the help of business advisors who are more like my best friends than just business people. They helped me as I created Ipsy back in 2011, which is a beauty community that ships out sampling bags to subscribers.
I'm motivated by my love to share and teach. I love sharing things that inspire me, and I love connecting with people. Being a part of a community is in the millennial DNA.
I know I'm a storyteller at heart, and if there's a platform that needs stories, I'm going be there.
