In a freewheel chat with Aparajita Jaiswal, Sushmita, a beauty influencer reveals that she recently hit 100k subscribers on her YouTube channel, SushDazzles. She is an introvert, optimist and a perfectionist, working towards making her dreams come true. As she grows, Sushmita would like to advocate sustainable and vegan options for beauty and skincare products.
Sushmita, born and bred in Kolkata, is a beauty influencer with her very own YouTube channel, SushDazzles. She grew very quickly and is celebrating as she recently hit 100k subscribers on her YouTube channel. Sushmita creates celebrity inspired makeup looks and does product reviews on her YouTube channel. She jump-started her career from modelling and then decided to commence her very own YouTube channel, embarking on an independent journey towards being a beauty influencer.
“I can unmistakably say that my subscribers inspired me to recreate celebrity looks,” Sushmita says. “I initially started with everyday makeup looks except for one or two random celebrity looks from time to time.” A few videos later she started recreating celebrity-inspired looks using affordable drugstore products. “I noticed in the analytics that many of my subscribers were Gen-Z and were too young to afford high-end products,” Sushmita reveals. Sushmita’s viewers started loving these tutorials and found them extremely helpful and her channel quickly started becoming popular.
Sushmita is a typical night owl. She finds the calmness of the night inspiring enough to work on her videos. “A typical day in the week would look like lots of editing and ample number of shoots. I tend to fit in my workout at least thrice a week.” In the last two years, Sushmita has worked with multiple renowned Indian as well as international brands, majority of which are Swedish, American and Korean. “My primary focus is to introduce cruelty free, vegan, plant based and sustainable products to my audience, so whenever there’s an opportunity for me to work with such brands, I gladly accept.”
She has worked with quite a few renowned makeup artists from Kolkata as a model. “I used to enjoy the process of getting ready for the shoot and was amazed by their finesse and artistry. It was then that I took an interest in makeup. Next thing I knew, I was watching a lot of YouTube makeup videos. I became familiar with the makeup techniques and terminologies. And my interest kept growing. Meanwhile, I decided to quit my job and start my YouTube channel.”
There are multiple things everyone should keep in mind while working in the tough industry of influencers and in the digital world. According to Sushmita, patience, hard work and passion pays off in the end. “Like any other creative field, the most important thing is patience. Then comes hard work and you need to have passion for what you do. You need to love what you are doing and not look at it as a job.”
“When I started, I had no experience of creating digital content. The first time I saw the interface of my editing software I started crying and I swear I thought I couldn’t do it. Then I pushed myself because failure was not an option for me. I made innumerable mistakes and I learned a lot from them. I don’t think I would have done anything differently considering the knowledge I have gained from these experiences.”
“Coming up with new content is always one of the most challenging parts of the job. Also, since I review a lot of new products, I always run a risk of using something that might not suit me and hence damage my skin.” The number one key to success in the business is to be yourself, Sushmita says. “There is no one like you and that’s your super power. You will find your tribe and people will love you for who you are. My family has been the pillar of strength for me. And I have been reading this book called ‘The untethered Soul’ which is all about the spiritual awakening and the path of spiritual consciousness. The book greatly influenced my strength as well.”
Sushmita talks about failures in the most positive manner. “I don’t treat anything as a failure. I treat it as a learning curve. There are times when I do feel a little demotivated, and there are ups and downs, but that feeling is only momentary. Instead of feeling bad about it I start analysing what went wrong and make sure to do it differently in future.” Competition in this industry can get tough, especially on the mind. “The only competition I have is with my own self. What I create today should be better than what I created yesterday. However if things get tough, I take a break, meditate and it helps me re-evaluate the situation, try to see things from a different perspective. The rat race might overwhelm you sometimes. It’s important to set yourself in the right direction.”
Sushmita affirms that there is no particular skincare routine she follows to make sure her skin stays healthy and glowing. She tries various products on her review videos therefore constantly changing the products that she uses. Other than the products she uses on her skin, there are a couple of things she constantly keeps in mind throughout the day when it comes to her skincare. “I wash my face twice a day, morning and night, and mainly focus on cleansing and moisturizing. I make sure to use a good moisturizer and sunscreen during the day and vitamin-C serum at night. Other than the basics, my diet takes care of the rest.”
Sushmita is a very mindful shopper and plans way before she shops. “I pick a store and then go for it. My favourite high end brands are Smashbox and Huda Beauty. I always wanted to try Charlotte Tilbury. Although, I don’t have any brand that I can’t stand, I wish all brands were cruelty free and Vegan. As I grow, I would like to advocate sustainable and vegan options. Apart from makeup videos I have also created contents on mental health, body shaming, colour differentiating, depression and positivity. I want my audience to be confident about themselves. I wish to create meaningful content so that it adds value to their lives.”
Sushmita’s Beauty Gurus are Chloe Morello and Kaushal Beauty. “I love Chloe’s quirkiness and Kaushal’s simplicity. I feel Taylor Hill, Miranda Kerr and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley always have great makeup on. They always look very natural no matter how much makeup they have on. Their makeup is very glowy and dewy and very skin-like and that’s what I love!” When asked, what is the one item you would never leave your house without, she immediately replied, “I would have to say lip balm. I cannot live without a lip balm even for a second!”
Sushmita is a huge Marvel fan and spends her time watching Netflix series or psychological thrillers when not held up with work. “I love watching The Big Bang Theory and Friends while having my lunch. I love watching educational YouTube videos where they talk about new scientific discoveries, quantum mechanics, thought experiments, paradoxes etc. I love to sing and I’m learning to play the Ukulele. I like acrylic painting on canvas. I love reading books. And I love checking out new eateries.” In a world full of people waiting to be inspired, Sushmita stands out as she is aspirational, talented and mind numbing brilliant. She is a young and independent woman taking the world on with mere talent and passion for what she believes in. The 21st century is a hard place with a lot of competition and we believe she just might surpass our expectations!
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