If you haven’t heard of EyeCandyCandice, then you’re probably not paying attention to the massive beauty industry being propelled by social media influencers. Candice is one of those rising stars on YouTube. But to understand why she shines so bright, you first need to understand her backstory, which wasn’t as peachy as her life is today.
While growing up in the 90’s, Candice had it a little rougher than most kids her age. Her mother struggled with alcohol addiction. The instability at home led to Candice bouncing around foster homes and even ending up homeless for a couple of years.
At this point, it might be easy to write her off as a victim of a tragedy but push aside the tissue box because this isn’t a sob story. Things changed for her for the better at the age of 10 when her aunt stepped in to raise her. Candice is now in control and writing the book of her life and the rest is history.
Instead of becoming a victim of her circumstances, Candice said, “I took my early years and used it as a catalyst for my success.” Her energy can be described in two ways — extremely grateful and relentlessly optimistic.
“Being an adult with a child of my own, I understand how much those years have taught me and how they’ve shaped the adult that I am today,” Candice told us. “I’m appreciative of the smallest things and don’t take a second of my life for granted.”
Candice values the bond between her and her 4-year-old daughter, but furthermore, knows what life is like for a child without a roof over their head. “I know that I’m blessed to not only have a close relationship with my daughter, but to also be doing well enough in my career to where I’m able to provide her with a safe home and all the toys and fun dates she desires,” Candice told us.
“Doing well enough” is all relative, sure, but here’s how Candice has so far shaped her life into a success story. In November, she did a beauty campaign for Google. A month later, the tech giant reached back out to her to expand on that partnership. “The kicker? They’re offering QUADRUPLE what they paid the first time,” she shared on Twitter. Additionally, her YouTube page was recently featured by Feedspot as one of the top 100 Beauty YouTube Channels.
Her YouTube page — where she’s been vlogging makeup tutorials, beauty product reviews, and a bunch of tips and tricks for a few years — has over 67,000 following and growing by the day. She’s even got a couple of video posts with over a million views (one of them with 3.1 million views!).
Beauty is one of the most popular genres on YouTube, and for good reason. The video-sharing can be credited for shifting and decentralizing the multi-billion-dollar industry from beauty books and makeup counters to being extremely accessible online. YouTube has given so many individuals (like Candice) a platform to showcase their talents to wider audiences; and viewers a way to connect with artists that look like them with the same skin tones and hair types.
When asked what her key to success is, the vlogger said. “Consistency and engagement! You can’t post once a month and think your audience will grow exponentially.” She added, “If you want to experience steady growth, you have to be consistent with your content schedule and make it a point to interact with your audience daily.” Candice’s consistency on YouTube is roughly one new video post per week.
There’s more to Candace than a successful YouTube page (and an Instagram account that even JLO follows). She doesn’t just do makeup for the virtual world. She’s a real makeup artist in the real world and has her own business in the Chicagoland area. You can book appointments with her and she’ll glam you up for any occasion. She even shares the wealth by teaching makeup classes and doing one-on-one lessons.
Her advice to aspiring social media influencers: “Don’t give up on yourself!” And she truly buys into that optimism. “Before I went viral on YouTube, I would always tell myself, ‘You are one upload away from going viral.’”
She added, “Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is on their own journey and you have no idea what a person has had to go through to get to where they are.” Her journey, of course, is unparalleled.