Beauty vlogger Chloe Morello first gained millions of eyeballs giving makeup tutorials on YouTube to women from her native Australia. Now, (almost) nothing is off-limits as fans watch her and her husband conquer life here. She tells THE DAILY why she puts it all out there.
How did you first step into the YouTube world?
When I first started watching YouTube, we had dialup Internet! I was about 16 or 17, and I watched dance videos and tutorials about makeup. At the time, I was a belly dancer at a restaurant and a dance school. The first video I posted was my choreography for my students. Because I loved doing makeup, they always asked me about doing tutorials for performances. That’s when I started a YouTube channel for makeup. It took off a little bit and then in 2011 and 2012, I got my first 50,000 subscribers.
What was it like to see your numbers grow and grow?
It’s crazy. I was living at home at the time, and I was working at our family business. I was so excited when I hit my first 1,000. My mum was really proud. My dad didn’t really understand it. I was afraid my schoolmates were going to find out and bully me about it. It doesn’t really hit you until it starts to infiltrate and come into your actual life and people you know are watching.
Let’s backtrack and talk about your belly dancing. That sounds fun!
I’ve always been a big fan of Shakira! My mom forced me into ballet when I was a little girl because I had trouble with my hips. I was really bad at it but really good at belly dancing. I started doing that and danced in a few Turkish and Lebanese restaurants and at weddings and birthdays. I taught classes a few times a week. I uploaded my dancing to YouTube. Some of those videos have millions of views, but I can’t remember the password to my account.
Have you always been comfortable in front of the camera?
I’ve always been outgoing. I’m impulsive, so I’m not surprised I went in that direction. I’m so excited and proud to be part of the social media crowd. I feel lucky to be born into this time because I have no idea what I’d be doing if it wasn’t for this. I was also working in the office at a crematorium while I was a belly dancer.
Was that your family business?
No. My family business was a motel. I’ve done so many things. It’s crazy to think about it.
A motel!? Was it like Schitt’s Creek?
More crazy things happen at a real motel than what happens at Schitt’s Creek! My mom could have a reality show about stuff that happens there.
What Schitt’s Creek character do you relate to the most?
I’m a little bit Alexis, but I wish I was Moira. I love Moira and David!
Same! Why do you think you’ve connected with an audience?
A big issue is that a lot of people start their channel with the purpose of becoming a big famous and rich blogger. That’s not why you should. It’s unlikely that’s going to happen. People are looking for real people to watch who are raw and unedited. It’s important to show your reality rather than trying to show people what they think an influencer is. A lot of people start not for the love of makeup, but because of the perks that they think influencers have.
Is there anything off-limits that you won’t show?
I don’t feel like there’s much. There are things people aren’t going to see with my husband, like if we have an argument. People know that we argue, but I’m obviously not going to display that sort of thing. I can’t really think of what else. I share my opinions on everything, and that’s part of why I think people want to watch creators. We’re not reading from a script.
Chloe Morello (Emilynn Rose)
Makeup put you on the map. What’s your best makeup tip?
My tip is to start with a little and build up. I wish I had started earlier building little by little. In the past, I would grab a whole lot of bronzer or a whole lot of foundation and put it straight on. Now I much prefer starting with half a pump and step back and seeing how much I feel like I need to put on. The less makeup I put on, the better I feel about myself personally. I don’t like to feel like I’m masking myself. I want to enhance my natural self.
Is it stressful keeping up with all the different platforms?
It is. I like TikTok, but it’s so addictive. I do think you have to be on all the platforms, but you can’t give 100 percent to every single one. To me, it’s about prioritizing. I prefer YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. I can’t get my personality out there like when I do videos. I also think my audience is 18–35, and TikTok skews a little bit younger.
You moved to L.A. about a year and a half ago.
How’s that going for you? I love the U.S. I don’t regret leaving Australia. My husband and I moved here for the work opportunities. We’ve always had our management here. The opportunities are so great in the U.S. It really is the land where you can reach your full potential.Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest fashion news and juicy industry gossip.
