Michelle Phan Quotes

I was inspired by many teachers when I started my channel, Bob Ross being one of them. His voice was so soothing, almost like hypnosis. He was that great of a teacher, even the casual viewer could learn how to paint from watching his show. Growing up, I just remember him being so mesmerizing on screen.

— Michelle Phan

“It's very easy to make a viral video, but longevity and consistency, that's hard.”

— Michelle Phan

“Makeup is not a mask that covers up your beauty; it's a weapon that helps you express who you are from the inside.”

— Michelle Phan

“As a young girl, I loved having stories read to me. There is something magical about narration and voiceovers. Recording a voiceover is an art form in itself.”

— Michelle Phan

“I always wanted a family environment, a community where a creator like myself could connect and vibe with other creators without feeling competitive.”

— Michelle Phan

“I didn't start wearing makeup until I was in art school, and many of the techniques I learned on canvas, I applied to makeup.”

— Michelle Phan

“I don't want to make videos where people are always happy and they're agreeing. It's boring! Do something where people can talk about it.”

— Michelle Phan

“I got an apartment for my family so they can move out of this one-room that they were renting out from a family.”

— Michelle Phan

“I really believe in giving tools and resources to other creators so that they can create beautiful videos.”

— Michelle Phan

“I'm used to everything digital - the pictures, the avatars of the person, the profiles - so when I get to see someone in the flesh, it's really nice.”

— Michelle Phan

“Influence is the new power - if you have influence, you can create a brand.”

— Michelle Phan

Platforms - they come and go, but storytelling is forever.

— Michelle Phan

Robust activity on one site is so much better than halfhearted activity on multiple sites.

— Michelle Phan

“When I smell pho, I just automatically think of my mom. All these nostalgic feelings and memories come rushing through my head.”

— Michelle Phan

When you're eating a bowl of pho, you're eating everything you need.

— Michelle Phan

“You know when you're a child and your imagination is limitless and you really believe in magic? I thought I had super powers.”

— Michelle Phan

“Art was a way for me to express myself and for me to also escape because it was tough growing up as a child. We didn't have a lot of money. I was always creating. I was writing stories. I was doing comic books. I made my own universe.”

— Michelle Phan

As my YouTube following grew, I was soon earning as much from advertising revenue as from waiting tables, so I quit my job. My boss thought I was crazy, which just made me more determined. In 2012, four years and 200 videos later, my channel was so successful that Google offered me $1 million to create 20 hours of content.

— Michelle Phan

As one of the first creators on YouTube, I've been fortunate to sit in the front row, witnessing the remarkable evolution of digital media. The experiences and knowledge I've been afforded are invaluable, and I'm excited to take that skill set, together with Endemol Beyond, to build a reliable, reputable business.

— Michelle Phan

“Eight years ago, if I wanted to do a YouTube video, I broke out my camera and filmed everything myself and learned how to edit and kind of become a one-woman studio. But we're living in an era now, thanks to ICON, where any creator who is online, they can create in their own space.”

— Michelle Phan

“Every day is different. I am constantly creating, whether that be for my own YouTube channel and social networks or my businesses like FAWN (For all Women's Network) - a women's lifestyle network on YouTube that I founded/produce; em michelle phan (my cosmetics line with L'Oreal); or Ipsy (a beauty sampling service I co-founded in 2011).”

— Michelle Phan

“Flipboard is really fun because it's like a digital magazine that lets you curate your favorite things and follow your favorite people. I do Instagram but not Vine. I love Vine, but I don't have time to browse through it. So when I'm on YouTube, I'll look up the 'best of Vine' compilations.”

— Michelle Phan

“I always had that yearning, that hunger, to one day be independent and be my own person and build my own world. The most fulfilling thing is to live a life where you have freedom.”

— Michelle Phan

I am so inspired by the people watching my videos and responding to them. I have learned so much from my community over the years and always love reading their feedback and their own personal stories that they share with me.

— Michelle Phan

I call 2015 a year of deconstruction. I needed to deconstruct myself, my businesses, and find all of the holes in my empire. I had to find holes and fill them with people who could do it better.

— Michelle Phan

“I glance through the pages of all the top magazines every month just to see if there are any colors that are trending. I'll also go on Instagram and look at the 'popular' page to see what people are liking, what's cool. I'll check it at different times of the day; for example, if it's really late in L.A., you'll see a lot of posts in Asia.”

— Michelle Phan

I listen to a lot of Tibetan music before I sleep. I'll just type in 'Tibetan meditation music' on YouTube, and within 15 minutes, it knocks me out. I sleep like a baby.

— Michelle Phan

“I love Fredorator and what they produce and the storytelling of 'Adventure Time' ... There's such a dark, adult underlying theme underneath the whimsical, magical children's aspect of their storytelling element.”

— Michelle Phan

“I now have 10-year-olds asking me about how to become successful, how to become a business owner, which is crazy - at 10 I was trying to figure out which Barbie I wanted.”

— Michelle Phan

“I use sunscreen every single day, even if I'm not going outside in the sun, because I'm near a window. I can always get those UV rays on my face, so I always apply sunscreen on my face and neck. It's like brushing my teeth: I feel weird if I don't apply sunscreen.”

— Michelle Phan

“I was 16 years old and wanted to help my mom with the rent. There was a restaurant called China Buffet in Tampa that hung a 'Help Wanted' sign outside, so I went in and ended up hosting every Friday and Sunday for $6 or $7 an hour.”

— Michelle Phan

I'm grateful that L'Oreal believed in me and helped me bring my dream of creating a beauty brand to life. I'm excited to be working with Ipsy to bring Em home to my community, the original inspiration for the brand.

— Michelle Phan

“I'm homemade. I upload my videos in my living room; I edit everything, and I upload on my laptop. And my viewers love that about me, and they get inspired and do it themselves.”

— Michelle Phan

“I'm motivated by my love to share and teach. I love sharing things that inspire me, and I love connecting with people. Being a part of a community is in the millennial DNA.”

— Michelle Phan

“I've colored my hair so many times, and nobody tells you the damage it's going to do! I went blonde and lost all my baby hairs. I'm not coloring it anymore. Never again.”

— Michelle Phan

“If you go on my Instagram, you're not going to see the same content you'll see on my YouTube. Instagram has become the new magazine. It's much more editorial and about perfect moments that are captured. Snapchats are funny, real moments that you want to share. On YouTube, it's more structured, more storytelling.”

— Michelle Phan

Just like hair frames our face, brows frame our eyes. I see so much potential in harmonized beauty whenever I see a woman who's not filling in her brows, and I just want to go in with my brow pencil and just be like, 'Filling in eyebrows, OK, done - look in the mirror and be inspired.' That's one of my pet peeves, but beauty is subjective.

— Michelle Phan

Makeup is no different than clothes and accessories - it's embellishments for your face. And it also gives you creative freedom. You get to have that moment in front the mirror every morning and give yourself self-love. You're making yourself up beautiful, which is essentially self-love.

— Michelle Phan

“My best advice for anyone out there that feels like, 'I don't have a million followers so why should I even give it a shot,' is that it's not about the numbers - it's about the engagement. That's how you can build influence.”

— Michelle Phan

“My dad and I had been close - he called me Tuyet Bang, Vietnamese for 'avalanche,' because of my nonstop energy. I took a lot from him, like being a risk taker, and I know how much he loved my mother.”

— Michelle Phan

“One day, you have a father who's always around, and then the next day, he's gone. I was too young to comprehend that. I actually thought he was going to come back.”

— Michelle Phan

“Part of having a social media strategy is being smart about whom you follow. Ask yourself who is important to your company or brand. Figure out who needs to know you exist.”

— Michelle Phan

That's the beauty about beauty; it's not like a tattoo. You can just wash it right off, and your skin is your canvas, so you can do something new the next day.

— Michelle Phan

“The Manuka honey face mask is another favorite of mine that I actually do. I know there are these people that recommend crazy masks, and I'm like, 'There is no way you're putting that on your face!' But I do put Manuka honey on my face. I take a teaspoon and warm it up.”

— Michelle Phan

“There's definitely more to me offline than what you see online. Because what I show online is what I want to show to my followers ... If I showed everything I did offline, it might not align with some of my other followers around the world.”

— Michelle Phan

“What inspired me to work so hard and to maintain my determination was seeing my mother. She was an immigrant and was struggling in America to make it by; that inspired me to work hard.”

— Michelle Phan

“When Google reached out to me in 2011, they wanted me to build out their female lifestyle vertical. When they were starting with that initiative, they were giving each production house a million dollars to produce content.”

— Michelle Phan

When you read about the real history of where feminism comes from, it came from a very political point of view. I don't believe in bringing any politics to an idea like feminism. I love the idea that women should be celebrated, but I also believe men should be, too. We need both - yin and yang.

— Michelle Phan

“You need interesting content that entertains or informs - preferably both. You want people to look forward to your posts and come back for more. People want to follow you. They want to hear your words and see your vision.”

— Michelle Phan

Your YouTube channel is your show. I think it's a wonderful platform for anyone who wants to have stronger creative control over their content, their message, their vision and their branding.

— Michelle Phan