We fell in love this month’s COCOVlogger when we discovered her on social media. We couldn’t wait to have her host our COCOTIQUE Takeover of the Month featuring Black Radiance. Fayy Lenee works full-time in the financial industry but it’s her passion for makeup and beauty that has turned her into a YouTube sensation. Our COCOVlogger of the Month has amassed thousands of followers and subscribers on social media giving fans a fresh perspective on all things beauty. We spoke with Fayy Lenee on how she started, and her passions. Also, be sure to check out our COCOVlogger of the Month as she chats with us on Facebook Live Chat and Instagram Takeover.
When I’m not working full-time in the financial industry, I am a wife, daughter, sister, and I help my husband run his production company. I also manage to find time to do something that I have grown to absolutely love and become beyond passionate about. I create content for my own YouTube channel and work as a freelance makeup artist in the Atlanta area. The content on my channel focuses on all things beauty from makeup tutorials to product reviews and fashion inspiration to lookbooks.
Honestly, my inspiration to start vlogging really came from two things. First, I have always had a love and passion for all things beauty, and I thought a YouTube channel would be a great way to share what I love with others as well as help my friends and family by showing them step-by-step tutorials on how I apply my makeup and different techniques. Second, I noticed there seemed to be a huge gap in the YouTube space when it came to women of color in the beauty community that offered both professional video quality as well as professional content. It would either be that their makeup was bomb, but the video quality… not so much or vice versa. I really wanted to help bridge the gap and be part of the solution.
I uploaded my very first video on October 28th, 2013, and it’s still a little crazy to me to think that it’s been three years! To launch my channel, I remember deciding to upload a video every day Monday through Friday showing different looks that you can create with the original Urban Decay Naked Palette. Looking back, it was probably a little ambitious for my first week. I was completely exhausted by the end of the week, but it was definitely worth it!
Bloggers typically share information via written material on a website or blog page, and vloggers share information via video content. Currently, I would have to say that I prefer vlogging simply because I don’t have a blog, but I definitely would love to create one in the future! I kind of feel like my Instagram page is my current form of blogging. Its definitely not as involved, but I love to use it to share information and keep my audience up to date on products and brands that I have been loving!
Just go for it girl! I know it can be a little intimidating, but life is way too short to not try new things and go after the things that we are passionate about! Use YouTube as a resource to help you learn different techniques, and practice, practice, PRACTICE! Practice makes perfect! Figure out what you love and are most passionate about, for me it was makeup, and give it 100%! Also, try not to jump around to too many different topics (i.e., one week you’re doing makeup tutorials, then you’re sharing recipes, then home décor). Try to choose one topic and upload consistently for six months to a year. In my opinion, this helps to establish an audience. Once your channel starts to grow, you can branch out into different categories/topics that you’re passionate about.
If I had to choose my top YouTube channels that I follow and watch religiously, I would have to go with Jackie Aina, Jaclyn Hill, NitraaB, Nicole Guerriero, and Casey Holmes. There are tons of others that I absolutely love, but these girls are some of the ones that I subscribed to when I first started to consider possibly starting my own channel. Watching them really gave me the courage and confidence to put myself out there and see where it might go. These ladies are also confident in who they are and aren’t afraid to be themselves even if others may not always agree, and I think they all have traits that are admirable in their own unique ways.
I would have to say that I am most passionate about posting reviews. Before I started my YouTube channel, I remember it always being so difficult to find women of color that offered reviews on products that I was interested in. I think reviews are so important because so many people, including myself, depend on YouTubers to give them the 411 on whether or not a product is worth the hype, so I try my best to post as many reviews as possible for my beautiful brown babes so that they can have an honest opinion on how different products might work for them.
I definitely loved several of the products, but if I had to choose, it would definitely be a tie between the True Complexion Contour Palette because the powders are the perfect undertones for contouring and blend out to perfection and the Continuous Crème Eyeliner because it was super black, super creamy, and very easy to work with.
BLACK RADIANCE® True Complexion™ Contour Palette
BLACK RADIANCE® Continuous Crème Eyeliner – Classic Black
Just three..? I really had to think long and hard about this one, but if I had to choose three products I would have to go with the Anastasia Brow Definer in Dark Brown because brows are life, L’Oréal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation in Classic Tan because it is the BEST affordable foundation for oily skin that I have found at the drugstore thus far, and Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara because when all else fails… adding a little mascara can really open up your eyes and make it look like you really tried even if you really didn’t. ☺
Take a peak into Faychons’ glamorous life by following her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and subscribe to her YouTube channel.
Tell us about Faychon, and what do you do.
When I’m not working full-time in the financial industry, I am a wife, daughter, sister, and I help my husband run his production company. I also manage to find time to do something that I have grown to absolutely love and become beyond passionate about. I create content for my own YouTube channel and work as a freelance makeup artist in the Atlanta area. The content on my channel focuses on all things beauty from makeup tutorials to product reviews and fashion inspiration to lookbooks.
What was your inspiration for vlogging?
Honestly, my inspiration to start vlogging really came from two things. First, I have always had a love and passion for all things beauty, and I thought a YouTube channel would be a great way to share what I love with others as well as help my friends and family by showing them step-by-step tutorials on how I apply my makeup and different techniques. Second, I noticed there seemed to be a huge gap in the YouTube space when it came to women of color in the beauty community that offered both professional video quality as well as professional content. It would either be that their makeup was bomb, but the video quality… not so much or vice versa. I really wanted to help bridge the gap and be part of the solution.
When did you start vlogging?
I uploaded my very first video on October 28th, 2013, and it’s still a little crazy to me to think that it’s been three years! To launch my channel, I remember deciding to upload a video every day Monday through Friday showing different looks that you can create with the original Urban Decay Naked Palette. Looking back, it was probably a little ambitious for my first week. I was completely exhausted by the end of the week, but it was definitely worth it!
For those who are not familiar with vlogging, please tell us the difference between blogging vs. vlogging. Which do you prefer?
Bloggers typically share information via written material on a website or blog page, and vloggers share information via video content. Currently, I would have to say that I prefer vlogging simply because I don’t have a blog, but I definitely would love to create one in the future! I kind of feel like my Instagram page is my current form of blogging. Its definitely not as involved, but I love to use it to share information and keep my audience up to date on products and brands that I have been loving!
What advice can you give a new vlogger?
Just go for it girl! I know it can be a little intimidating, but life is way too short to not try new things and go after the things that we are passionate about! Use YouTube as a resource to help you learn different techniques, and practice, practice, PRACTICE! Practice makes perfect! Figure out what you love and are most passionate about, for me it was makeup, and give it 100%! Also, try not to jump around to too many different topics (i.e., one week you’re doing makeup tutorials, then you’re sharing recipes, then home décor). Try to choose one topic and upload consistently for six months to a year. In my opinion, this helps to establish an audience. Once your channel starts to grow, you can branch out into different categories/topics that you’re passionate about.
What channels do you follow?
If I had to choose my top YouTube channels that I follow and watch religiously, I would have to go with Jackie Aina, Jaclyn Hill, NitraaB, Nicole Guerriero, and Casey Holmes. There are tons of others that I absolutely love, but these girls are some of the ones that I subscribed to when I first started to consider possibly starting my own channel. Watching them really gave me the courage and confidence to put myself out there and see where it might go. These ladies are also confident in who they are and aren’t afraid to be themselves even if others may not always agree, and I think they all have traits that are admirable in their own unique ways.
Is there a particular subject that you’ve covered that you’re most passionate about?
I would have to say that I am most passionate about posting reviews. Before I started my YouTube channel, I remember it always being so difficult to find women of color that offered reviews on products that I was interested in. I think reviews are so important because so many people, including myself, depend on YouTubers to give them the 411 on whether or not a product is worth the hype, so I try my best to post as many reviews as possible for my beautiful brown babes so that they can have an honest opinion on how different products might work for them.
Now that you have tried all of the Black Radiance products in our February box, which product did you love the most?
I definitely loved several of the products, but if I had to choose, it would definitely be a tie between the True Complexion Contour Palette because the powders are the perfect undertones for contouring and blend out to perfection and the Continuous Crème Eyeliner because it was super black, super creamy, and very easy to work with.
BLACK RADIANCE® True Complexion™ Contour Palette BLACK RADIANCE® Continuous Crème Eyeliner – Classic Black
What are your top three items in your Ultimate Beauty Arsenal – what can’t you live without?
Just three..? I really had to think long and hard about this one, but if I had to choose three products I would have to go with the Anastasia Brow Definer in Dark Brown because brows are life, L’Oréal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation in Classic Tan because it is the BEST affordable foundation for oily skin that I have found at the drugstore thus far, and Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara because when all else fails… adding a little mascara can really open up your eyes and make it look like you really tried even if you really didn’t. ☺
Take a peak into Faychons’ glamorous life by following her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and subscribe to her YouTube channel.