Cover Michelle Phan, one of the original beauty YouTubers, helped define an era of digital influence with her story-driven tutorials and viral makeup looks. (Photo: @michellephan / Instagram)
Michelle Phan, one of the original beauty YouTubers, helped define an era of digital influence with her story-driven tutorials and viral makeup looks. (Photo: @michellephan / Instagram)
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Before #unfiltered was even a thing, these YouTubers taught a generation how to thrift, blend and be real. Here’s what they’re doing now
Before doom scrolls and influencer fatigue, there was YouTube in the 2010s—a time when vloggers filmed in their bedrooms, edited on iMovie and built global followings one tutorial at a time. If you’re a millennial, chances are you picked up your first thrift tips or smokey eye tutorial from these Asian lifestyle YouTubers.
With most of them launching their vlogs in their early 20s, these inspiring YouTubers were the blueprint: original, relatable and unfiltered. Over a decade later, their stories reveal not just YouTube success stories but also what it means to evolve online in front of millions.
Here’s a look back—and a check-in—on the lifestyle vloggers who defined YouTube trends in the 2010s, and where they are now.
Read more: 10 most subscribed and followed YouTubers of 2023
1. Michelle Phan
Above In 2024, beauty YouTuber Michelle Phan hosted her first podcast, Afterglow, and explored self-discovery and reinvention with guests.
Long before the word “influencer” entered the mainstream, there was Michelle Phan, one of the original beauty YouTubers. In 2009, Michelle Phan’s Lady Gaga-inspired “Poker Face” makeup tutorial went viral with 1.6 million views in two weeks—back when “going viral” was more likely to describe a flu than a career milestone.
Phan cemented her place in Internet history with story-driven tutorials and transformative Halloween looks. To this day, her Barbie tutorial remains her most-watched video with over 69 million views.
Beyond YouTube, the Vietnamese American vlogger co-founded the beauty subscription service Ipsy and launched the makeup line Em Cosmetics with L'Oreal. By 2015, she was the face of a new digital economy.
But her ascent wasn’t without turbulence. She was sued for music copyright infringement in 2014, settling the case the following year. At the height of her fame in 2015, she vanished from YouTube and left millions of subscribers wondering what had happened. Two years later, she returned with a video addressing burnout, creative disillusionment and the pressures of online fame.
Today, with 8.57 million YouTube subscribers, she remains a prominent figure online but is more active on Instagram, where she has 1.8 million followers. She wrapped up her first podcast called Afterglow, exploring self-discovery and reinvention with guests such as fellow YouTubers Cassey Ho and Ryan Higa.
Nearly two decades after her first upload, Phan is still a defining force in beauty, branding and what it means to walk away and rebuild.
Read more: Vietnamese origin imprint on the global beauty map
2. Jenn Im
Above YouTuber Jenn Im continues to share reflective vlogs that remain among the platform’s most authentic and enduring.
Jenn Im’s origin story is classic 2010s: thrift hauls, DIY fits and filming in a bedroom with questionable lighting. Her fashion channel with friend Sarah Chu, originally called Clothes Encounters, stood out for its down-to-earth approach that felt more like swapping outfit ideas with a friend than following trends.
When Chu left the channel in 2011, Im kept going. What started as casual thrift hauls evolved into polished lookbooks, beauty tutorials and lifestyle vlogs that mirrored her own coming-of-age journey.
The Korean American creator also made her mark beyond YouTube. She collaborated with ColourPop on the Jenn Ne Sais Quoi makeup collection and launched Eggie, her fashion line infused with nods to her heritage. By 2017, she had become one of the most recognisable lifestyle YouTubers and a top fashion influencer.
Today, with 3.27 million subscribers, Im continues to evolve, sharing wellness routines, motherhood updates and reflective vlogs that remain among the platform’s most authentic and enduring. Her content may have grown up, but it’s never lost its warmth or style.
3. Cassey Ho
Above YouTuber Cassey Ho’s channel is still thriving—now less fitness content and more product design for her two labels, Blogilates and Popflex.
Before fitness TikTok, there was Blogilates. Cassey Ho launched her YouTube channel in 2009 with a Pilates video filmed for her students—just a parting gift before she moved cities. It snowballed into a full-blown fitness brand. Her signature blend of pop music and Pilates made workouts feel fresh and actually enjoyable.
As her following grew, the Vietnamese Chinese American vlogger didn’t just post workouts—she built a business empire. Ho created Pop Pilates, an internationally recognised instructor certification programme, and launched two inclusive activewear labels: Blogilates and Popflex.
Now with 10.8 million subscribers, Ho’s channel is still thriving—now less Pilates and more product design for her two labels. She often takes viewers behind the scenes, tweaking pieces based on their feedback, right down to pocket depth and inseam length. She has also taken legal action against fast fashion dupes and secured patents for designs like the Pirouette Skort, which Taylor Swift was spotted wearing.
Almost two decades in, Ho’s blend of fitness, style and business acumen continues to break new ground.
Read more: 5 YouTube channels that will help you keep fit and healthy
4. Ingrid Nilsen
Above To mark the 10th anniversary of her coming out vlog, YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen returned to the platform for a rare update.
The hallowed tradition of “vlogmas”—daily uploads every December leading up to Christmas—is widely credited to Ingrid Nilsen. Starting in 2009 under the username MissGlamorazzi, she built a loyal audience through beauty tutorials, fashion videos and her approachable charm.
As her audience grew, so did the scope of her content, expanding into wellness and mental health. In 2015, the YouTube creator came out as lesbian in a deeply personal video. At a time when conversations around LGBTQ+ were still gaining ground, her decision to speak openly as a queer woman of colour felt bold, necessary and ahead of its time.
Beyond YouTube, Nilsen was the first vlogger to land a CoverGirl campaign, served as a United Nations Change Ambassador for gender equality and was a judge on Project Runway: Threads. In 2020, she formally stepped away from YouTube, saying she had always known her 30s would signal the end of her vlogging chapter.
Now the co-founder and chief creative officer of fragrance brand The New Savant, Nilsen recently posted a rare update to mark the 10th anniversary of her coming out. With over 3.4 million subscribers today, her legacy continues to shape what representation and reinvention could look like.
5. Lindy Tsang
Above YouTuber Lindy Tsang maintains over three million subscribers across her two channels, posting occasionally on Bubzvlogz.
Lindy Tsang, better known as Bubzbeauty, was one of the first Asian creators to break through on YouTube. She launched her channel in 2008 with makeup and hair tutorials, her feel-good beauty content making her a fan favourite.
Over the years, the Chinese Irish YouTuber expanded her presence with Bubzvlogz, a second channel documenting her everyday life. As she got married, became a mum and eventually divorced, her content evolved naturally—think family updates, wellness routines and honest conversations about change.
Outside of YouTube, she launched clothing and makeup lines, published the book A Beautiful Mind, a Beautiful Life: The Bubz Guide to Being Unstoppable, and partnered with Pencils of Promise to support global education initiatives. In 2016, she was named a Gen.T honouree for her influence in digital media.
Today, Tsang maintains over three million subscribers across her two channels, posting occasionally on Bubzvlogz. She’s more active on Instagram, where she shares fitness routines, family life and the occasional glimpse of her upcoming wedding plans. Her content may have evolved, but her blend of honesty and heart continues to resonate with a loyal audience.
Read more: Lindy Tsang: Beauty and lifestyle vlogger
6. Weylie Hoang
Above YouTuber Weylie Hoang has branched out into lifestyle vlogs, travel diaries and home projects.
Weylie Hoang was just 15 when she started her channel in 2007—a mix of beauty tutorials, period advice and unfiltered storytelling that made her feel like the Internet’s cool best friend. Her tutorial on how to use a tampon in 2010 is still one of her most-watched uploads with 10 million views, capturing the kind of candid storytelling that set her apart.
Over time, the Chinese American vlogger’s content matured with her. She branched out into lifestyle vlogs, travel diaries and home projects, even launching a joint channel with longtime partner and fellow YouTuber Wah Wu. Their channel has gone quiet, but she remains active on her personal platform and frequently appears in Wu’s videos.
Now in her 30s, Hoang shares thoughtful reflections on adulthood, from relationship shifts to home life. With 1.7 million subscribers, she’s still documenting her world—only now it’s less tutorials and more tent camping and home renovations. The pace is slower, the tone steadier, but the warmth remains the same.
7. Karen Yeung
Above YouTuber Karen Yeung shares everything from beauty to motherhood on YouTube and Instagram.
Karen Yeung, aka IAMKARENO, brought something different when she launched her channel in 2013: a personal aesthetic influenced by both her urban upbringing and laidback suburban life.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Los Angeles, Yeung has always been open about her unconventional path—suspended from university, she turned to YouTube as a creative outlet. That pivot changed everything. She went on to produce campaigns with brands like Gucci Beauty and Maison Margiela, and worked as a stylist for Ipsy, the beauty subscription service co-founded by Michelle Phan.
Now based again in Hong Kong and having just given birth to her second child, Yeung doesn’t post on YouTube as often, but her creative output hasn’t slowed. She’s active on Instagram—even posting from the labour room—where she shares everything from motherhood and beauty to visual storytelling and quiet moments of reflection.
Over a decade since her debut and with over 1.5 million subscribers, she remains one of the most distinct voices to come out of 2010s YouTube.
Dyan Zarzuela is a freelance writer, editor and content strategist. A former managing editor at Netflix Philippines (social media) and Cosmopolitan Magazine Philippines, she has covered everything from culture and entertainment to food and travel. Now based in the surf town of La Union, she continues to tell thoughtful stories for brands and publications across Asia.
