It is well-known how filters have changed the way many of us see our skin. It doesn’t help the situation when we constantly scroll through our feeds and see flawless skin, giving the impression that we’re the only ones dealing with imperfect skin. Thankfully, more influential people and celebrities are increasingly speaking up to reveal the truth.
Michelle Dy says with her trademark kikay (girly) tone, “Maarte kasi ako,” (she’s very particular about how things are done). One can quickly see why she’s the most popular Pinay beauty vlogger from that brief sentence alone. She is authentic, relatable, and raw. Because of her confidence, her subscribers and followers also feel emboldened.
She is precisely the kind of woman her tens of millions of subscribers and followers want to talk to them about “murang skincare,” (affordable skincare), a simple yet sultry makeup look, “mahal vs. mura” (pricy vs. cheap) lipstick, the “perfect kilay (eyebrow) tutorial,” and countless other intriguing, famous, and time-tested subjects that beauty fans can undoubtedly appreciate and relate to.
“Not everyone can afford expensive makeup. Some girls can afford nicer things. So I try to find a balance in everything I feature para bongga,” she says, emphasizing the last word with endearing candidness her “Angels” (her nickname for her subscribers) consistently find comfort in.
She then understood why she started her vlog in the first place: to provide Filipinos with an easy-to-follow beauty channel where the highlighted items are more reasonably priced, more readily available to local consumers, and better suited for their complexion.
Michelle experimented and made mistakes in her career as a YouTuber. But in the end, such encounters helped her establish why her voice merits being heard in the crowded digital environment, in addition to establishing a smooth connection between her on- and off-camera personalities. There were physical and technical issues she needed to take care of in addition to intangible factors like those in play.
Last year, the beauty influencer shared some raw, makeup-free photographs on her Instagram stories. She even posted several close-up photos that confidently show her pores and minor acne scars, displaying her authentic skin texture. Michelle ends the series with a selfie of herself grinning, reassuring us all that having blemished skin is fine. The influencer’s fans greatly appreciated the reminder, as Michelle’s inbox quickly flooded with notes praising her for her inspirational postings featuring her without makeup.
This is just one of her way of defining “beauty”. She seized the chance to pick up valuable life lessons like humility. No matter how successful she has been as a top beauty vlogger, she is aware that she would not be where she is today without her fans. Therefore, she must maintain her sense of reality and be the inspiration she has always aspired to be.
In an interview with Metro Magazine, she quoted advice to every vlogger like her, “Find your uniqueness. Find yourself. Figure out how you will stand out. These are the only ways for you to shine. Be patient. It’s going to take awhile. There will be a lot of discouraging moments, but if you’re really serious about it, don’t ever stop.”
Michelle is aware that she still has a ways to go. She hopes she will eventually meet Jeffree on the journey she is about to embark on for another five years or even another ten years. Michelle also fantasizes about working with Bretman Rock, Patrick Starrr, and Huda Kattan.
