Interview: Lancôme’s Global Online Makeup Blogger Michelle Phan Reveals Her Top Makeup and Skincare Tips

Fri, 3 August 2012 2:33PM

This week Michelle Phan, beauty blogger extraordinaire and Lancôme Paris’s global online ambassador landed in Sydney for Lancôme’s Month of Colour. While our lucky competition winners will be heading to meet Michelle in Melbourne this afternoon, yesterday she hit Myer Sydney for her in-store appearances.

Not only did I get to attend a press conference, but I was lucky enough to catch up with her one-on-one where I got to learn more about this pint-sized beauty phenomenon.

Michelle Phan at the Lancôme press conference in Myer Sydney

Being a beauty lover, you would have probably heard of Michelle or followed her on YouTube or Instagram. The 25-year-old self-taught makeup artist made her video debut on creating natural looking makeup in 2006, which within a week hit over 40,000 views. She now is considered one of the go-to beauty bloggers in video tutorials, with her own YouTube channel FAWN and personal website garnering over 600,000,000 views, along with her ongoing collaboration with Lancôme.

Here was the lowdown from the press conference, in which I managed to catch a few of Michelle’s beauty tips and tricks, along with how she got started in the industry.

• To Michelle, Australian beauty is all about the skin, and that we’re all pretty good with wielding a bronzer brush to perfect glowing skin
• Michelle originally thought she would become a doctor so she could support herself and her mother. She actually ended up studying at art school to become an artist, so she’s always been into drawing and portrait painting and that’s what led her to experimenting with makeup

• On a good skin day, Michelle uses just a little concealer and foundation to spot treat on any areas she has imperfections. However, she swears by Lancôme La Base Pro Perfecting Make-up Primer, $55, from department stores, a silicone-based primer to wear over your serum and moisturiser so your foundation sticks on better and lasts longer
• She only uses makeup brushes or sponges, rather than her fingers to apply foundation to avoid putting excess oil onto her skin
• Michelle washes her foundation brushes every day using the combination of dishwashing soap and extra-virgin olive oil, swirling them on a plate before rinsing and hanging them upside down to dry so the water doesn’t run into the brush
• She stresses to always use a lip liner to prevent your lipstick from feathering out

I am all about the makeup brush washing tip. In fact, I’m planning to try it this weekend.

So then, Primpettes, as I mentioned, I was lucky enough to chat with Michelle. Here’s what went down …

PRIMPED: What are your top three can’t-live-without makeup products?
Michelle Phan: Is this what products would I take to a desert island? Oh gosh, I’m good at this. I never leave the house without concealer, I look like a zombie without it! 600,000,000 million people have seen it – I look horrible. This way you can double it up as foundation and it’s great way to conceal any imperfections without feeling like you are caking on makeup. Next would be a really good matte brow pencil because I can use it as a regular brow pencil as well as brown eyeliner. Sometimes if I’m feeling really ambitious, I can create a nice contoured eye and nose using a brow pencil. And finally a lip and cheek stain, because again it’s multi-functional and I can use it on my cheeks and my lips. I feel like I’m getting as much as I can out of one product.

PRIMPED: What would be your number one makeup tip?
MP: My number one tip would be finding the right brow shape for you, because when you have the right brow shape, it sets the tone for your entire face and everything falls into place. It’s almost like you have this masterpiece painting, but you need the right frame to really amp up the painting.

PRIMPED: Who is your beauty icon?
MP: I see this person sprinkled between every person and every beauty trend, so I would have to say Audrey Hepburn. In South Korea they have these really straight, thick brows and it’s really in right now, but she did them way before they were popular. And the whole winged eyeliner thing, which is really fun and flirty and she carried it in such elegant and fun way.

PRIMPED: What would you say is your signature makeup look?
MP: I don’t know whether I have one because I’m constantly changing my makeup, and I think being a beauty person, it’s really hard to say what would be my one signature look. But in saying that, people do know me for my focus on the eyes and achieving perfect brows.

PRIMPED: A lot of the PRIMPED readers have their own beauty blogs. What would be your number one piece of advice for them, and other aspiring beauty bloggers?
MP: My number one piece of advice would be to invest in a good camera to take good photos or to do videos, because in this day and age people have an expectation when it comes to watching and consuming content. So the better the quality, the better people will react to your work, because they know you are putting in the hard work. Also investing in good lighting and if you can’t get it, use the sun! That’s what I used for most of my tutorials before I invested in proper lighting equipment. Lastly, getting a good editing system down pat. This is how you want people to learn from your videos and blog posts.

PRIMPED: What would be your number one skincare tip?
MP: To not to over-wash your face. I actually only wash my face once a day only at the night, and in the morning I just rinse it with water. A lot of the time people who over-wash their face have irritated skin because it needs hydration, but it also needs your skin’s natural hydration. It only comes along when you are sleeping at night when the skin is repairing itself. So when you wake up and your washing your skin again in the morning, you’re actually washing off all the stuff that your skin was creating to repair itself. It’s almost like you’re stripping it away from your skins natural hydration.

PRIMPED: What would be your favourite Lancôme product?
MP: Oh no, I hate this question! But I love Rouge In Love so much. I’m trying to think of a product that’s multifunctional and I’ve worn this on my cheeks, too, so I’d have to say Lancôme Rouge In Love Lipstick, $45, from department stores.

PRIMPED: Have you ever had a bad beauty blunder, or a makeup look that you wouldn’t try again?
MP: All the time! And that’s what makes this so fun. You mess up and think right, I’m not doing this anymore, but you just can wash it off and start all over again. Once I was trying to do this really intense eye-shape look, but it didn’t work with my lid type because I don’t have the 3-D lid to really pull of the look. But it was interesting because you know your face best out of everyone, so when you’re experimenting with different makeup looks, you know when you can’t pull a look off. So you can try something different and that’s the cool thing about makeup, there are so many different looks you can try out.

PRIMPED: What would be your favourite nail polish, or nail art look?
MP: I’m actually filming this tutorial when I get back from Australia. You know Jackson Pollock, the painter? I’m doing a nail look inspired by his paint splatter technique. It’s actually a technique that I learnt while I was at school so I’m going to film it. I think that’s probably going to be one of my favourite looks to wear because splattering looks really cool when you pair it with really cool colours.

And finally…
Favourite cocktail? Whatever my friends are drinking! I just can’t do tequila because horrible things happen when I drink tequila. Awful, horrible things. It’s something about the cactus juice in there
Label? You guys are going to like this and I’m not lying but I love sass and bide. I freaking love sass and bide. I didn’t even know it was an Australian brand until I did a little research
Holiday? Hawaii, because it’s close enough Los Angeles so it feels like I’m not travelling too far but from New York it’s far enough away to make me feel like I’m in a different world

So Primpettes, have you ever watched Michelle’s videos on YouTube?

Do you have a favourite look she has done?

Did you pick up any new tips?

Hayley x

Posted by: Hayley Bennett

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