Beauty Guru of the Month – December 2012

It was Emily’s own needs that introduced her to the world of beauty and make up.  “I don’t have the most defined of features. I have very sparse eyebrows and lashes, and one day I discovered this magical product that darkened my lashline and made me look so much less plain!”  From there, she began to experiment and so began her journey that saw her become StarCentral’s Beauty Guru of the Month for December 2012.

What initially started as a way to bring out her own beauty expanded into a curiosity where she began taking inspiration from celebrities and fashion personalities (“I love when I find a beautiful makeup look, or a gorgeous outfit that really inspires me to create a look all on my own.”), and evolved into a passion from which spawned a successful blog and YouTube channel.

Emily’s blog (“Emily’s Anthology”) was launched in 2006 as a way for her and friends to keep in touch when Emily first realised that they were going to be “scattered across the globe.”  Eventually, it morphed from a “…personal blog… into a place where I could talk about what I was truly interested in – celebrity style and make up.”  Soon after beginning her blog, Malaysian-born Emily decided “…to make the very scary move into YouTube videos”.  After a shaky start (“It took a while to get used to speaking to a camera…”), Emily found herself “…loving every minute of it!”  Her YouTube channel has now garnered over 142,000 views with over 2,700 subscribers!

For the Melbourne-based law graduate “…the best thing about fashion is the way it makes you feel about yourself. Wearing something that you know looks good and hugs your body well can really boost your confidence and make you feel so much better and ‘brighter’.”  While she has enjoyed her success online, been boosted by the support she’s received from her blog readers and YouTube subscribers,  and discovered treasured friendships with fellow bloggers, Emily acknowledges that there are “…definite ups and downs to doing this” and that “…you can’t please everyone!”  So, she holds on to an important lesson, “…at the end of the day, you need to remember that you are doing this for you, and to do what makes you truly happy.”

With her family firmly behind her (“My family are my number one fans! They watch my videos, share my posts and are fiercely loyal. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive family…”),  Emily hopes to one day open her own online store “…and expand both my blog and my YouTube channel. I love the idea of being my own boss – to work at something that I am truly passionate about, and to (hopefully!) succeed.”

Photos by: Emilly and Michelle Quak

Official blog: “Emily’s Anthology” http://www.emilyquak.com/

YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/emilyquak