The first regional style-centric event – StyleCon Asia – was recently hosted in Kuala Lumpur and the two-day affair brought together a huge community of beauty lovers and style makers as they engaged with one another over common interests (beauty and fashion) while connecting with some of the top beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands on a global scale.
Brought to you by Gushcloud and StyleHaul, StyleCon Asia toured in four cities – Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila – over a span of one week with some of the biggest beauty influencers from these cities, together with global YouTube star and beauty guru Lindy Tsang who is better known as Bubzbeauty (stay tuned for our interview! *still dying over the opportunity btw).
For the stop at Kuala Lumpur, those girls (and a handful of guys) got to hear from Lindy herself, as well as other influencers like Singapore’s Roseanne Tang, Malaysia’s Emily Quak, FaaFirds, Mina Rosli, BeautywithTashy and more. As beauty lovers ourselves, it was such a privilege to be a part of the activities and panel discussions to learn from these successful influencers.
Thanks to the crew behind StyleCon Asia, we got to hang out one on one with Natasha from BeautywithTashy for a bit to talk about her YouTube channel and so much more. If you think she’s gorgeous on screen, wait till you meet her IRL! She’s such an inspiration, and not to mention, a beautiful person inside and out. Read down below! 😉
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started on YouTube.
A: My name is Natasha and I started my channel about a year and a half ago. I was actually in Perth, Australia for 15 years and just moved back a couple of months ago. I started my channel when I was going through some personal issues that really took its toll on me and I used my channel as a distraction. For the longest time, I’ve loved watching YouTube videos and all these beauty gurus. I knew I wanted to do something similar one day. I guess I had that push. Everything happens for a reason, and yeah, so here I am. I just completed my Master’s in Australia and I’m doing YouTube full time now.
Q: When you first started, did you have any experience in speaking in front of a camera or video editing?
A: I had a semester of video editing in school because I did Mass Communications but speaking in front of the camera, not at all. I’m very camera shy. It’s awkward when you’re alone in your room with a camera talking to nobody when in reality there are thousands of people on the other end watching. That was something I needed to get used to. With editing, it’s a learning process. You learn as you go. I started off with iMovie and now I use Final Cut Pro which is more advanced. It’s all trial and error.
Q: How did you get to the quality you’ve got going right now?
A: When I started, I only had a crappy camera, but I just wanted to get one video out. I did a lot of research. I would watch other YouTubers and they’d disclose what camera or lighting they use. Then, I purchased the Canon 70D. But, I find that no matter how extensive your lighting is, natural lighting is always the best. Again, I’ve learned that through trial and error. It’s hard when you don’t have experience with lighting and equipment. You just have to play around with it. I knew from the beginning that I wanted quality videos, so I wouldn’t put out something mediocre if I wasn’t satisfied with the quality.
I have a whole studio setup and it’s all in my bedroom. I’m in the midst of getting a beauty room renovated but right now it’s just my bedroom. It’s not a pretty sight so whenever people want to come over, I convince them not to.
Q: What role does social media play in growing your YouTube channel?
A: Social media is so important. I don’t think I would have 80% of my subscribers if it wasn’t for Instagram. I’ve definitely grown my Instagram page before my YouTube channel. I think it’s important to keep all of your channels at par with one another. If you were to post YouTube videos, share them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and all of that. All are equally important, but I definitely think Instagram was key for the growth of my channel.
Q: Was it because of your tough time that you took that leap of faith in YouTube?
A: I guess it was motivation. I was yearning for a distraction. The reason why I actually wanted to do it was because I always get questions from friends and family about anything beauty related. It got to a point when I was like, “I’m just gonna make a video.” When I put out my first video, I had a pretty good response and just seeing that you help so many girls is so fulfilling and rewarding. You just want to keep doing more. I want to spread the importance of inner beauty. I think a lot of beauty gurus only show the makeup aspect of things, but I want to spread a positive vibe to these people.
Q: What would you say is different about your Malaysian versus your Australian audience?
A: I think Malaysians tend to request for more makeup tutorials and such because of my skin tone. A lot of the bigger beauty gurus are usually white, and what looks good on them won’t necessarily look good on people with Asian skin tones. On the other hand, Australians tend to like tags or hair tutorials; stuff that’s more laid back to try to get to know me and aren’t as informative. They want to see my personality more, I find.
Q: How do you deal with negative comments?
A: Blocking is really the key. There is no use in feeding negativity because it won’t end. They’ve set their mind on writing something mean or trying to make you feel like crap. There’s no point for you to comment back. They are going to say something else. It’s going to be a vicious cycle that never ends. Even though you can’t prevent hateful comments, you can prevent that same person from writing comments like that by blocking them. Just don’t take things to heart. These people are very likely to be unhappy with their lives and I’m 110% sure they won’t say these things to someone’s face.
Q: What are the little things you enjoy that keep you going?
A: My followers! Ever since I started, the love and support I’ve gotten is something I’ve never expected. I thought it was just making videos. I get love and support on a daily basis. Every time I tell them about an opportunity that’s come up or something exciting that’s happening, they are genuinely happy for me. I feel like I have to keep going because I just want to keep making them happy and proud. It’s a wonderful feeling.
Q: Who are some of your favourite YouTubers you’d want to work with?
A: Desi Perkins, Lustrelux, NikkieTutorials, Lauren Curtis, Chloe Morello, Carli Bybel, Nicole Guerriero, Michelle Phan and Kathleenlights. All of them are amazing!
Q: What are some of your current favourite products?
A: Too Faced Born This Way, Urban Decay Naked Concealer, all the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes as well as the Sweet Peach palette, HudaBeauty lip liners and fake eyelashes, Becca and Jaclyn Hill’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop, Tarte Tarteist Clay Paint Liners and Make Up For Ever Ultra HD. There’re just so many!
Q: How do you get hold of makeup you can’t purchase within Malaysia?
A: The majority of my U.S. products are from ShopandBox. I’ve used their service so many times, it’s so unhealthy. I just add everything into my wishlist. It only takes three days to get to me! It’s crazy. I can’t be bothered to do online shopping from the brands because it takes at least a month to get to me. I have no patience.
Q: Do you have any beauty or skincare tips you’d like to share?
A: With skincare, I’m very lazy, but using cold water is key. I use Dr. Brandt skincare. Moisturising is also very crucial, even if you have oily skin. Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream really is magic in a bottle. As cliche as it sounds, a good night’s sleep does wonders, especially for eye bags. Oh, for fake eyelashes, try trimming them into three sections and putting them on one at a time. It’s so much easier!
You can keep updated with BeautywithTashy via YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat (beautywithtashy). 😉
