If you haven’t seen icyabstract work her glossy magic on YouTube check her out here and of course, subscribe!

Q: What’s your name and age?
My name is Sara, without an ‘h’ please! Many people usually get it wrong and I don’t necessarily blame them. I’m 18 right now, but I will be turning 19 in July.

Q: Do you have any nicknames?
I do have some but I don’t remember them all. The more common one would have to be ‘salad’, probably because of the way my name is pronounced. There’s also ‘Kye’ which was a nickname my friends had given me, as at one time there were two Sara(s) in the same class and it got confusing whenever someone shouted ‘Sara’.

Q: We usually see you sitting down on camera! How tall are you?
I am 5’3″ and I guess it’s a pretty good height. I have always wanted to be 5’7″ but I suppose there’s no point in harping on that anymore.

Q: Does anyone ever tell you that you look like someone famous? If so, who?
I haven’t gotten any remarks as such from people I know in person, but on youtube I get Mandy Moore a lot. I have been trying to see the resemblance but I can’t seem to (aside from our slightly chubby cheeks!).

Q: When did you become interested in cosmetics and beauty products?
I became interested in cosmetics and beauty products about 2 or 3 years ago, even though I have been exposed to them way before. I used to be a dancer in school so makeup is mandatory in stage performances thus I had been using it since I was 14. It was only when I was 16 that I had discovered these online beauty sites and I immediately got drawn into this realm.

Q: Who are your inspirations as far as fashion and beauty?
I can’t say I have a specific source of inspiration for either. I draw bits and pieces from magazines, information on beauty/fashion sites, YouTube gurus and also from random people I see on the streets. Using all of that, I try to integrate it into my style and see where that takes me.

Q: What is your “philosophy” on makeup?
To put simply, so long as I feel comfortable in something and am sure that I am rocking it, whatever works. Most importantly, it would be to have fun and be creative.

Q: What are a few of your “obsessions” right now?
My obsessions change pretty quickly however when I am obsessed with something, it’s insane. Right now I am back to loving Coke Zero after having abstained from it for over a month. I love playing console games too, and Rock Band Unplugged (for PSPs) is my current obsession. I can’t go a day without playing it!

Q: What got you started doing videos on YouTube?
It all started out with me making videos to enter contests that were being held on YouTube. I thought it was a pretty fun thing to do but I never did have the guts (and knowledge) to do tutorials so I started out with hauls and reviews. Over time, I started picking up skills, trying my hand at tutorials and informative videos and I guess the rest is history.

Q: How does it feel to have over 2,900 people care about you and your opinions?
I can’t describe it, but it’s kind of insane. In a good way of course. I never thought that starting with this, I would be able to get over a thousand subscribers and now, over two thousand, it’s just amazing. I know that being situated somewhere in Asia might have an effect on my viewer-ship since the products I use and talk about might not be available to the general US/Europe audience. But I am glad that I still managed to find both local and foreign viewers who are interested in what I have to say.

Q: How has YouTube affected your life?
YouTube has definitely affected my life a ton and to put in a cliche way, I feel that my life is somewhat complete. Before YouTube I never did have anyone to talk to and get excited with about makeup, but right now it’s awesome to be able to find like-minded people to converse with. With YouTube, it’s almost as if I am living a double life and that’s pretty exciting. By day I am a student operating design softwares and by night I am on several online sites chatting about makeup.

Q: Do all of your family and friends know about your videos?
My family knows about it, but they don’t bother watching it since it’s kind of pointless for them. As for my friends, not all of them know about it. Most that do had stumbled across my channel while surfing the web/YouTube.

Q: What do your friends and family think about your beauty product obsession?
Family-wise, I guess they don’t quite understand why I need a whole drawer of blush, but they tolerate and are used to my obsession. As for my friends, they think it’s awesome because they get to sample some stuff out before purchasing and they get to play with what I have when we’re getting ready for a night out.

Q: We know you love your subscribers! But is there anything that you get sick of being told or asked?
I do get asked several questions repeated times but in general it doesn’t bug me. The only question that does is the one regarding my accent and how I should not have an ‘American accent’ because I live in Singapore, Asia. I understand how some people are curious and ask but there are those who are mean about it and I just don’t get it.

Q: Do you have any future goals for your YouTube channel?
I guess it would be able to keep at this for as long as I can!

Q: Do you ever have buyer’s remorse for spending your hard earned money on products?
Sometimes I do, but for some reason I get over it really quickly. I would fret about having spent a certain amount on a product that doesn’t do its job and then a few days later I’ll find a way to use it for another purpose. Such as The Body Shop eye makeup remover. I hate it for removing my eye makeup but I do use it to clean swatches off the back of my hands when I’m taking swatch photographs.

Q: What draws you to buy a certain product or brand of makeup?
A positive feedback is definitely one thing. I try to research most of my product buys beforehand. Another factor would have to be packaging. As much as I am a designer and I know the way packaging works in enticing customers, I always fall for it anyway.

Q: What are some of your absolute favorite beauty products?
An absolute favorite product of mine would be something I swear by and that is the Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner. That thing seriously cleared out my pores and evened out the texture of my skin. I am also loving NYX’s Round Lipstick in Circe. Ever since I found this baby, the quest for the ultimate nude lip look had been accomplished.

Q: Do you have any beauty secrets or tips that you think most other people don’t know about?
To make eyeliners last longer be it pencil, gel or maybe even liquid, set it with an eyeshadow powder in the same shade. Also, to help lessen puffiness around the eyes, simply soak some used tea bags in cold water for about ten minutes and place them on your eye. For a quick skin tightening paste that you can acquire from your kitchen, slice off the tip of a cucumber, not too far in where you start to see the seed. Then rub the two sliced ends together in circular motion until you get this white paste with a foamy consistency. Apply this wherever you need a little tightening.

Q: Is there anything that you collect, aside from makeup?
Funny thing is I have subconsciously built a collection of clothing tags. You know when you buy a piece of clothing from a boutique and they have these really cute tags with the clothing brand name and all that on it. Yes, I collect those. They make great bookmarks!

Q: Can you tell us some fun facts that we probably don’t know about you?
Let’s see. I have 21 Facts out already from previous tags and all so what else have I not mentioned. Well, I believe in the whole Karma goes around and comes back around thing and my friends/family ge really peeved when I repeat that saying and belief during life situations. I can’t swim and I probably never will because of my phobia of water. I nearly drowned when I was a kid and since then nobody had been able to convince me to pick up swimming. I never knew how to ride a 2-wheel bicycle until I was 16 years old. I have always been intrigued at the idea of tree houses. Sadly we can’t get one of those here in Singapore.

Q:We want to play Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Will you slip a “secret word” into your next video for our readers? The secret word is “Dandy”.
Ooh, that’s a hard one, I’ll definitely do my best!