Michelle Phan

“I call 2015 a year of deconstruction. I needed to deconstruct myself, my businesses, and find all of the holes in my empire. I had to find holes and fill them with people who could do it better.”

“I always wanted a family environment, a community where a creator like myself could connect and vibe with other creators without feeling competitive.”

“I know I'm a storyteller at heart, and if there's a platform that needs stories, I'm going be there.”

“I had a blog and was documenting my life as a college student in an art school. I had a few comments left by a few girls asking if I could do a tutorial on how I did my makeup. I didn't think my makeup was all that special, but I try my best to share whatever I can with my viewers.”

“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.”

“I'm grateful that L'Oreal 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.”

“It's very easy to make a viral video, but longevity and consistency, that's hard.”

“There's definitely more to me offline than what you see online. Because what I show online is what I want to show to my followers... If I showed everything I did offline, it might not align with some of my other followers around the world.”

“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.”

“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.”

“If you go on my Instagram, you're not going to see the same content you'll see on my YouTube. Instagram has become the new magazine. It's much more editorial and about perfect moments that are captured. Snapchats are funny, real moments that you want to share. On YouTube, it's more structured, more storytelling.”

“The beauty of the Internet is there's a niche market for everything, and if you can focus on it, you can build a sustainable and viable business of it.”

“The Internet opens a lot of doors to those who are passionate.”

“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.”

“Art was a way for me to express myself and for me to also escape because it was tough growing up as a child. We didn't have a lot of money. I was always creating. I was writing stories. I was doing comic books. I made my own universe.”

“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 got an apartment for my family so they can move out of this one-room that they were renting out from a family.”

“One day, you have a father who's always around, and then the next day, he's gone. I was too young to comprehend that. I actually thought he was going to come back.”

“As one of the first creators on YouTube, I've been fortunate to sit in the front row, witnessing the remarkable evolution of digital media. The experiences and knowledge I've been afforded are invaluable, and I'm excited to take that skill set, together with Endemol Beyond, to build a reliable, reputable business.”

“Makeup is not a mask that covers up your beauty; it's a weapon that helps you express who you are from the inside.”