The R29 crew has a brand spankin' new office, and look who stopped by to say hello: None other than Michelle Phan, the phenomenally successful beauty guru who's amassed a whopping four million YouTube followers. Whether she's making herself up as Lady Gaga or taking on Game of Thrones, her videos make one thing evident: Girl's got major makeup skills. And, while her YouTube fandom is pretty impressive, it's her additional accomplishments — landing a partnership with Lancôme, launching her FAWN network, and working on her top-secret project, Embark — that makes her one to watch online and offline.
No surprise, then, that we couldn't wait to pick her brain about all things beauty — from her advice on building a following to finding out how she deals with the inevitable haters. Michelle in person was smart, sweet, and totally authentic — exactly as we'd hoped she'd be. (Oh, and if you were hoping for a signature Phan-tastic makeup tutorial? Let's just say that you'll be happy very soon.)
Edited by Christopher Michael Beer; Shot by Jack Pearce and Nora De Broder. On Michelle: Muehleder dress.