The behind-the-camera life of Shimmer Girl

How do you get a smooth makeup base with a piece of tissue paper?

In this much-watched video, a young woman holds up a toilet roll at the start of the video, before she goes on to explain its use. It may sound like a video about life hacks, but in reality, Shimmer Girl creates make-up tutorial videos where she teaches full-coverage bases and artistic eye makeup using innovative techniques.  

Khairun Sabrin,  who goes by the name 'Shimmer Girl' online, always starts her YouTube videos in such interesting ways. And these videos have made her one of the most popular beauty bloggers in Bangladesh. 

In a recent chat with The Business Standard, Sabrin let us into her life and spoke in detail about her journey.

"I was never a studious student and was always looking forward to learning new art forms since childhood. Sometimes I was into crocheting, at other times, I was trying to master a new recipe. Sometimes it was nail art. My interest in make-up took off around 2015 when I was just finishing school," Sabrin said.

Although she is a very family-oriented person, her fans online know her for her charming and extroverted character. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family. She treasures conversations with her loved one over a cuppa. 

Speaking more about her YouTube journey, she continued, "Back then, beauty blogging wasn't as popular as it is now. Beauty YouTubers such as Bubzbeauty, Tati and NikkieTutorials inspired me heavily. Upon realizing my knack for eye makeup, I randomly started my YouTube channel."

Photo: Courtesy

Sabrin continued creating content in full swing while pursuing her undergraduate studies at the North South University. 

"I had it relatively easy in the beginning. As I stepped into my third year of university, all my time went into studying and shooting videos. Back then, I didn't have a team either. So I had to do all the work that goes into video-making myself," she recalled.

Most families do not approve of the idea of their children pursuing YouTube influencer as a career option. For Sabrin, it was no exception. 

She said, "My family was not supportive in the beginning either. My father wanted me to try for a job in the public sector. But I was confident in my work. He's still reluctant to accept my career choices. My mother, on the other hand, could see my devotion to my work and supported me throughout." 

We asked Sabrin about her content-making process. She said that the first step is to take into consideration what fans want. 

"I always ask myself what I'd have wanted to learn from beauty-related content creators as a teenager. Now, I pay attention to my viewers' comments and try my best to cater to their needs," Sabrin explained.

Sabrin has more than 8,00,000 followers on her YouTube channel. She feels overwhelmed by the number, but what matters the most to her is the love she receives from them. 

She said, "As I started revealing my personality traits, I noticed that people paid more attention to me. By 2018, after three years of opening my YouTube channel, I collaborated with a brand and reviewed their products. To my shock, the brand's sales increased and I realized that I have a strong influence on my audience."

There is a general hatred towards beauty content creators in Bangladesh. We asked Sabrin how she copes with it. 

She replied, "To say that it has no effect on me would be a blatant lie. Some male viewers are genuinely interested in makeup and I truly appreciate them. But there are some whose sole purpose is to spread negativity. When I first started, the hatred used to consume me completely. Growing up, I learned not to be bothered by the people who have zero knowledge about the hard work that goes into making such videos." 

Sabrin was recently nominated at the Marvel of Tomorrow Influencer Awards in the beauty influencers category. For her, it was a phenomenal experience. She has previously received YouTube's Silver Play Button.

For aspiring beauty bloggers, Sabrin's suggestion is to be genuinely interested in a particular aspect of makeup and not to be driven solely by the monetary aspect. 

In the future, Sabrin dreams of opening her own beauty salon and passing on her skills to others as nothing makes her happier than being an inspiration for potential makeup artists.