Beauty bloggers on YouTube are bringing make-up from movies and salons into our homes. Not surprisingly, when YouTuber Shreya Jain was in the city recently to take a master class in make-up, many fans competed with each other to be invited to the closed event, which only 160 people got to attend. Five years ago, Shreya posted her first few videos on DIY jewellery, little knowing that she would switch to make-up tutorials or that one day, she would have 1,28,143 subscribers.
Looking back at her first visit to Hyderabad, the 21-year-old says, “I wasn’t sure if I could connect with people here. But I was pleasantly surprised that there are so many make-up enthusiasts here, too! I wanted to see the Falaknuma Palace, Golconda Fort and the Charminar, but I was here just for a day and didn’t have the time. I would love to come back.”
On what she feels about editors of a popular fashion magazine in America commenting that bloggers don’t really work, but get things for free, she says, “I have also received comments that I was just wasting my parents’ money by buying make-up or that I get things for free. What they don’t understand is that I do it all with my money and it is not easy. I’m a one man army — I have to do marketing, editing, planning, brainstorming, and need to know technicalities of filming and lighting. For videos, I start planning two months in advance.”
Shreya admits that putting oneself out in the public domain comes with its drawbacks. “I was affected by hate comments. I got bullied at school and my self esteem was low. But now, I am very comfortable in my body, no matter what people say. My mantra is ‘delete and block’. That’s what I do if I come across nasty comments,” she says, adding that she welcomes constructive criticism. “I had made a video on Punjabi make-up and many said I got it wrong. So, I took their suggestions and made another video,” she says.
Shreya has graduated from college only this year with distinction, with plans to pursue her Masters. “I believe that nobody has the time. But if you really want to get something done, you have to make time,” she says.
