This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
YouTube is home to many beauty vloggers, but Michelle Phan is undoubtedly its queen. More than seven million subscribers tune in to the 27-year-old's video makeup tutorials, which have been viewed over one billion times. And, in the process, Phan has turned her face -- and the things she puts on it -- into a multi-million-dollar brand. "I am self-taught in every way," says Phan, referring to both her knack with a lipstick and eyeliner and her entrepreneurial skills. She now has her own L'Oréal beauty line, em by Michelle Phan, has founded a makeup subscription startup, ipsy -- she claimed more than 700,000 subscribers last October -- and most recently collaborated with London-based music licensing company Cutting Edge Group to launch her own record label.
As for her YouTube channel, it's no longer a one-woman show: Phan has expanded her reach to a multi-channel lifestyle network being developed with digital production agency Endemol Beyond. Her intention: to create the next generation of talent agency for YouTubers. "Four years ago my goal was to build a network and launch a makeup line," she says. "Now that I've achieved both, I really want to help others who are talented to build their own brands."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
