Yoo Nu-ri never falls short of being called a YouTube celebrity. With thousands of fans at home and abroad, her channel is a staple when it comes to Korean YouTube channels. Each of her makeup tutorials and secret skincare routines get tens of thousands of views on the world’s more popular video hub, drawing an enthusiastic reaction from her 331,000 subscribers.

“You’re like a doctor on skincare,” reads a comment on her YouTube channel. “The amount of hard work you put into each of your videos is so inspiring.”

Yoo, now a renowned Youtuber, started out as a fan of early influential YouTube beauty gurus, such as Michelle Phan or Bethany Mota. While watching their videos, Yoo noticed that there were not a lot of content for Korean styled beauty, otherwise known as K-beauty, for the English-speaking audience. This was inspite of K-beauty’s roaring popularity worldwide.

Yoo thought it would be an advantage for her to upload K-beauty videos as a Korean university student because she could easily catch onto new trends. Her intent was to provide an international audience with detailed information about K-beauty and the current makeup trends in Korea.

“I posted my first cosmetic products review and tutorials on YouTube in 2011 without much concern or consideration,” Yoo answered with a smile. “I thought, ‘who would watch my videos anyway?’”

Although Yoo started out casually, Yoo now uploads two videos a week regularly about skincare and makeup tips, or Korean cosmetic product reviews and keeps a contents calendar to plan videos for the upcoming months. She has uploaded almost 300 videos on her channel. Among those, Yoo claimed that her “10 Step Korean Skincare Routine” was a pivotal video in her YouTube career, which inspired her to start her popular skincare series.

When Yoo uploaded the video, she was astonished at how people absent-mindedly follow trends without considering their individual physical or physiological characteristics. Consequently, Yoo began to think about ways to teach her viewers about skincare, to help them better understand their own skin type and enable them to choose skincare products accordingly.

Besides her main content featuring makeup, Yoo shares her emotions and thoughts with her subscribers as well. “Letter to October” is a video in which she truly disclosed her personal feelings, where she read her journal to show her viewers how she had felt when quitting her job at AmorePacific.

“I was feeling insecure and scared. 2016 was a hard year for me and I was skeptical about how YouTubers only showed their fancy-sides,” Yoo said. “I wanted to share that I, too, am a person who shares the same concerns that anyone may have in their late twenties.”

After posting the video, Yoo realized that she was able to deeply interact with subscribers, creating an emotional connection.

“It was great working at AmorePacific, but I got gastric ulcer because of the busy schedule. I did not have a sustainable, or manageable lifestyle,” Yoo said. “So, I had to make a choice; whether to stay or not.”

Ownership was what lead Yoo to choose the life of a Youtuber. At AmorePacific, she was just one of 4,000 people, an easily replacable employee. However, in the YouTube community, Yoo is the owner of her own channel, which is uniquely represented by her alone. She is the product, and the director of her own show.

Now, her main goal for her channel Liah Yoo is to inform her subscribers of ways to take care of their own skin, depending on their individual skin type.

For students who are trying to find their path, or future careers, Yoo gave advice on the importance of gaining actual experience.

“Meet as many people as you can,” Yoo commented. “It opens numerous opportunities, don’t close your eyes and ears over what you have never experienced. Always have a specific goal with your passion, and try to find the fundamental reasons of what you want to be.”

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지