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Beauty quest: Two influencers from S’pore reveal what it takes

TOKYO — The search for perfection and beauty has long been documented, so it was no surprise to learn that more than 3,000 people from 11 cities submitted their videos to the Beauty Bound Asia competition, hoping for a chance to earn the top spot as Asia’s top beauty influencer.

TOKYO — The search for perfection and beauty has long been documented, so it was no surprise to learn that more than 3,000 people from 11 cities submitted their videos to the Beauty Bound Asia competition, hoping for a chance to earn the top spot as Asia’s top beauty influencer.

The recently concluded competition crowned its winner last weekend, awarding the coveted spot to 23-year-old Soraya Wongsatayanon from Bangkok, after pitting the contestants through several rounds of video challenges, mentorship programmes and workshops. But what is beauty all about, and is it really worth all the effort?

TODAY had a chat with the two Singaporean finalists from Beauty Bound Asia, Jyoti Sagar Singh, 27, and Jazzy Tan, 23, who were among the 22 finalists who made it to the final round.

Don’t write them off as superficial, though. Tan, who works as a freelance emcee and deejay, graduated from the National University of Singapore with a marketing degree. Meanwhile Singh is a research professional-turned full-time YouTuber (who goes by the moniker SuperPrincessjo online) and holds a Masters in Biotechnology. So why do they feel being a beauty influencer matters? Here’s what they said.

Q: Why the route of a beauty influencer?

Singh: I’ve always been attracted to this. I used to steal my mum’s make-up and put it on when she’s not at home. I also suffered severe acne in my teenage years and I was very emotionally down because of that. So I turned to skincare trends: I started jotting down whatever I read from magazines in a diary. I learnt that what you research in medicine is similar to what goes into cosmetics as well. There’s a lot of R&D involved, so there’s not a lot of difference from what I used to do.

Tan: I just felt that I couldn’t do a conventional job; I’ve tried it but I know that it’s not in my blood to stay in the office all day long. In Singapore especially, there is a big pressure to go to school and, afterwards, work in an office. But not everyone has to live that kind of life.

Q: Some people may say that what you are doing is superficial, and perpetuates the stereotype that women need to look a certain way to be attractive.

Singh: YouTube has a lot of content in there and it’s not just make-up. You can learn everything under this planet on YouTube; so for people who don’t like make-up, they can always watch something else they are interested in. When you build a YouTube channel, you get an audience who really wants to know more about make-up. There will be a little criticism about everything in this world. But I do get good comments from men who say “thank you for helping me help my wife”.

Tan: I have tonnes of people telling me that I look fake, I put on too much make-up. I even have hate comments on my YouTube channel. But I tell them, ‘Hey, it’s just make-up, it’s supposed to be fun’. At the end of the day, your life is short. Do you want to wait until you’re 50-plus before you start to put on make-up? No, it’s not cute. When you’re young, it’s fun to put on make-up and just try the colours, the glitter, and go crazy with your outfit because life is really short ... live however you want and don’t care about what other people say.

Q: Why do you think people are so fascinated with the idea of beauty?

Singh: We face a lot of pressure from society, that I can say for sure. We always like to idolise the actresses we see in movies, for example. But we also need to know that we don’t have to look like someone (else). You can just be who you are, and work with your own skin.

Tan: There’s nothing wrong if people put on make-up and go for surgery. It’s their face; it’s their life. At the end of the day, it’s about being okay with yourself. I’m all about going for what you want in life. Beauty is anything you think is beautiful.

Q: What makes a successful YouTube star? How does one get followers?

Singh: I think it’s very important to be authentic to your audience and to be yourself. You can start a channel very easily, but to make it last for a long time and to get the attention of your audience, it’s very important to be real and honest. If you want to cry in your videos, just cry. If you don’t like something, express yourself. It’s also important to regularly upload videos and do a lot of research before you create content to fit market trends.

Tan: Someone like (YouTuber) PatrickStarrr, is very good at connecting with his audience. When you connect with your audience, people relate to you and then they watch your videos and support you — you become bigger and bigger because they tell others about you.

Q: Why do you think you have a shot at being a YouTube hit?

Tan: I feel like I’m a real person, I just say it as it is. I don’t conceal or mask myself. I always say the things that I feel, even though it might offend other people. That’s just me — you either hate me or you love me. I’m also so excited to share what I know to the world, whether it is my personal experiences, make-up tutorials or fashion videos. I put a lot of effort into my videos because I love editing.

Singh: I have a lot of videos on my channel, more than 450 videos, and they cover a lot of topics: Haircare, skincare, self-grooming, lifestyle and fashion. Whatever you want, you can get on my channel. A lot of YouTubers in the UK and US are more into make-up and fashion but not DIY stuff, which is different from the Chinese and Indian — we do a lot of home remedies, which is what I’m doing on my channel.

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