Welcome to "The Phanny Project"

Michelle Phan is a popular well-known blogger and YouTube "Guru," creating video tutorials on makeup and skincare. She has been uploading videos since 2006 and recently reached over one million subscribers (some have said she purchases subscribers, however that's up for debate), currently making her the #1 subscribed female and Guru on YouTube. She claims to be the co-founder and CEO for a line of skincare products based out of Thailand called iQQU (or as I like to say, iCKeww!) and recently became Lancôme's first video makeup artist. Michelle has certainly reached a significant degree of success with her videos, which is quite apparent when browsing through her Twitter and Facebook photos of expensive purchases.

But who is Michelle Phan? Is she a Makeup Artist or an Esthetician? Is she a Dermatologist? Actually, no, she is none of those things. According to Wikipedia, she briefly studied illustration at the Ringling College of Art and Design, eventually dropping out when her YouTube career took off. It's been stated that her mother wanted her to major in dermatology at Tampa Bay Technical High School but she decided to pursue an art major instead (it should be noted that TBTech does not have a dermatology program and never has). Yet Michelle earns a living applying and endorsing makeup, as well as providing skincare recommendations for thousands of young and impressionable girls worldwide. Despite her success with YouTube and selling skincare products that are not even backed by the FDA, she does not have the credentials or even professional experience in makeup and skincare to back up her advice or claims.

Michelle's YouTube videos began as a hobby, and with that hobby she created a business. Now, I'm sure most of you have no problem with that. I certainly don't! After all, it's one of the many reasons America is such a great country to live in - working for yourself and turning an at-home Internet hobby into a full-fledged career is completely possible. With that said, I too have the right to use the Internet in various ways, and I have chosen to create a "quality control" blog of sorts. To be more specific, Michelle has not only created a business, she is a business, and every business needs quality control in order to ensure certain requirements are being met. Obviously I do not have the credentials to be in the business of quality control, but considering Michelle does not have the credentials to be in the business of makeup artistry or skincare, well...we'll leave it at that.

There are other blogs out there exposing the truth about Michelle, most notably is the Tumblr blog, Michelle Phail, which provides a significant amount of information regarding her credibility. She is also the most discussed Guru on the popular forum, Guru Gossip, where her videos, photos, and overall antics are screen-capped and analyzed everyday by people who see through her visage. A lot of my information comes from that forum, and I recommend checking it out for an even more in-depth look into Michelle's moronic makeup advice and sloppy application skills. Even her personal life is picked apart quite harshly, but please understand - it is not my intention to focus on that aspect so much, however certain topics may be brought up from time to time if deemed necessary.

I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and I'm sure if this blog receives any amount of attention I will be bombarded with negativity. I'm okay with that though, this is my little place on the Internet and I'll do as I please with it - even if I never change a single opinion about Michelle Phan. :)