Michelle Phan: American Beauty YouTuber & Entrepreneur
Verified Macro Creator — Beauty & EntrepreneurshipYouTuber, Entrepreneur, Makeup Artist
A Lady Gaga eye-makeup tutorial that BuzzFeed picked up in 2009 turned a Florida art-school dropout into Lancome's first Vietnamese-American spokesperson, and then the co-founder of a $500 million beauty company.
About Michelle Phan: American Beauty YouTuber & Entrepreneur
Michelle Phan was raised in Tampa, Florida, attended Ringling College of Art and Design on a scholarship, and left before finishing her degree due to financial constraints. She began posting makeup tutorials to a personal blog in 2005 and moved to YouTube in May 2007; two 'How To Get Lady Gaga's Eyes' tutorials went viral after BuzzFeed featured them in 2009 and 2010, pushing her past a million subscribers. In 2010, Lancome made her their official video makeup artist, its first Vietnamese-American spokesperson. She co-founded the beauty subscription service MyGlam in 2011, later renamed Ipsy, which by 2015 had raised $100 million at a valuation of over $500 million; that same year she was named to both the Forbes and Inc. 30 Under 30 lists. L'Oreal launched her cosmetics line, EM Cosmetics, in 2013. In 2015 Phan stepped back from YouTube, later explaining the break was driven by legal disputes, EM Cosmetics' rocky initial launch, and her own struggles with self-image; she used the time to buy out EM Cosmetics and relaunch it independently in 2017, returning to regular YouTube uploads by 2019. She now also hosts a long-form interview podcast on her channel, featuring fellow creators.
Career Journey
From personal blog to a Lancome partnership
Phan's makeup tutorials moved from her blog to YouTube in 2007. Two Lady Gaga-inspired tutorials went viral via BuzzFeed in 2009-2010, and in 2010 Lancome made her their official video makeup artist.
Ipsy and EM Cosmetics launch
She co-founded the beauty subscription service that became Ipsy in 2011, and in 2013 L'Oreal launched her own cosmetics line, EM Cosmetics.
$500 million valuation and 30 Under 30
Ipsy raised $100 million at a valuation of over $500 million, and Phan was named to both the Forbes and Inc. 30 Under 30 lists the same year.
A hiatus, then an independent relaunch
Phan stepped back from YouTube in 2015, later citing legal disputes, EM Cosmetics' rocky launch, and self-image struggles. She bought out and relaunched EM Cosmetics independently in 2017 and resumed regular YouTube uploads in 2019.
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FAQs
Who is Michelle Phan?
Michelle Phan (born April 11, 1987) is an American YouTuber and entrepreneur from Tampa, Florida, who pioneered beauty tutorials on YouTube starting in 2007 and went on to co-found the beauty company Ipsy and found EM Cosmetics.
Why did Michelle Phan leave YouTube?
She took a hiatus starting in 2015, later explaining it was driven by legal disputes, a difficult initial launch for EM Cosmetics, and her own struggles with self-image. She returned to regular uploads in 2019.
How can brands work with Michelle Phan?
Through her publicly listed business contact, michelle@greenlightgroup.co, shown on her verified Instagram account.
Latest News
Phan now hosts a long-form interview podcast on her main channel, recently featuring fellow creators including Rosanna Pansino and Blogilates' Cassey Ho, alongside continuing to lead EM Cosmetics.
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