Are you a big fan of Michelle Phan‘s and wondered why she suddenly seemed to disappear off the face of the planet?
The 30-year-old beauty guru opens up about a particularly traumatic time in her life.
“I completely disappeared. I just left. I stopped uploading to YouTube,” Michelle explains in an interview with Racked.
She continues, “I peaced out because I think I was going through depression. I don’t know because I didn’t go to a hospital or anything or get diagnosed, but I was taking a few quizzes online and I felt really sad everyday. I was waking up feeling so broken.”
Michelle had just had her first big failure. The cosmetic line Em she collab’d with L’Oreal and put three years of her heart into did not take off, and was even criticized for being too expensive and off-base for her fandom.
Michelle not only left YouTube, she left the country, traveling around Egypt, China and Europe.
Her content hiatus didn’t hurt her, she is still the second most influential beauty blogger (just behind Zoella), according to the list Forbes released yesterday.
And she has came back with a fresh take on her cosmetic line, which she bought back from L’Oreal and will be launching on April 17 on her website, which will go live that day.
Michelle Phan strikes a pose on the new August 2016 cover of Fashion magazine, on newsstands July 11.
The 29-year-old YouTube star opened up to the glossy about her success in the beauty world. Check it:
On how millennials get their beauty tips: “A study was done last year that showed that millennials get their beauty product recommendations from YouTubers and Instagrammers.”
Being a mentor in the vlogger world: “I have this knowledge that I should be sharing with peers to help them. I want to create an ecosystem that thrives on positivity, not competition. I tell a lot of my peers, ‘Don’t look at each other as rivals; this isn’t a competition.’”
On hitting the viral jackpot: “I was making 10 cents a day with those videos in those days, making content for free and paying for everything out of pocket.”
Michelle Phan debuts her dark rainbow color tresses as she arrives for the 2016 SK-II #ChangeDestiny Forum held at the Andaz Hotel on Friday night (February 26) in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old beauty guru and social star joined singer Anggun, Louise Roe and Cate Blanchett for the panel.
“2 potatoes and one Cate Blanchett. ? #GoddessStatus #goalsman,” Michelle shared on her Twitter with a cute pic of her with Cate and blogger IAMKARENO.
The 28-year-old beauty guru, who started out on YouTube and now has a massive empire to her name, opened up about being bullied in her youth, makeup, and more. Check it:
On the illusion of perfection: “Sometimes I go to work with no makeup because I don’t care. I don’t need to put those expectations on my life. I want people to see that I’m not perfect, but I can always show girls how to look perfect. It’s an illusion anyone can create.”
On being bullied for her race: “I would walk down the hallway, and they would yell, ‘Ching Chong, Ching Chong!’ It made me insecure about my nationality and race. I didn’t really have a defined style. I didn’t know what my culture or aesthetic was, so I would cosplay to feel part of theirs. I was hiding…”
On her struggles with appearance in art school: “I was taught to dress nice, to show everyone around you that you care. I was brought up that way. Even though we had no money, my mother believed in looking good. I guess in art school, it was cool to look broke. If you dressed up, you were trying too hard. But when you come from nothing, it’s the last thing you want to look like.”
Michelle Phan is bringing two new shows to her ICON Network this month and JJJ has all the details!
First up, Pretty Little Pranksters, which is hosted by celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg, is back for season number two TOMORROW, December 5th; and on Wednesday, December 9th, fashionista Sonya Esman will headline Culture Chic, a global fashion series created exclusively for go90.
The new show, Culture Chic, will feature extremes in lifestyle from various cultures, including the Black Diamond Girls of Tokyo, transgender beauty pageants in Thailand and waist training trends in NYC.
“When we launched ICON earlier this year with Endemol Beyond, our goal was to develop a place where creators can build their brands and an environment where they can be mentored to create something that is bigger than they could do on their own,” Michelle shared in a statement.
She added, “Working with Jamie Greenberg and seeing her creativity evolve and watch her grow as a content creator is exactly the mission behind ICON. I know our viewers are going to love what we have lined up for them in our second season of ‘Pretty Little Pranksters.’”
Michelle Phan has officially parted ways with L’Oreal.
The 28-year-old YouTube beauty guru and the beauty brand made the split official, announcing the news on WWD.
“Together, we’ve made the decision to sell Em Michelle Phan to Ipsy, a company which Michelle cofounded,” Carol Hamilton, president of L’Or�al USA’s Luxe division, shared on Friday (October 9). “We are proud to have worked with Michelle to help bring her vision to life.”
Michelle added, “I’m grateful that L’Or�al believed in me and helped me bring my dream of creating a beauty brand to life. I’m excited to be working with Ipsy to bring Em home to my community, the original inspiration for the brand.”
Michelle is also pictured below with Kelly Osbourne at the Forbes Under 30 Summit at Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia earlier this week.
Shay Mitchell keeps her hair super straight for the 2015 Streamy Awards held at the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday night (September 17) in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old Pretty Little Liars actress joined musician Lindsey Stirling on stage to present an award later in the night.
