7 things in her bag: Nicole Hussey

SINGAPORE - Former supermodel Hanis Hussey's older daughter, Nicole Elise Hussey, once told her mother that she could pull off a dress from Forever 21, even at the age of 50.

In fact, on shopping trips since she was a child, the 20-year-old has been convincing her mother to buy clothes she usually would not.

Hussey, Singapore's first supermodel to catwalk in Paris, Milan and Tokyo, has modelled for brands such as Givenchy and Dior. She also appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time magazine in 1997.

Now, she organises shopping events which cater to expatriates in Singapore and runs a cosmetics business called Hanis Beauty World.

Nicole, a communications student at the San Diego Mesa College, has her own YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/nicoleelisehussey), where she shares fashion, make-up and skincare tips.

Set up early last year, it has more than 7,000 subscribers. She says: "A mother with her kids stopped me at Westfield Topanga, a mall in Los Angeles, last year. I was approached by Japanese tourists in San Francisco who also watch my channel. I realised then that my videos weren't watched just by teenage girls, but also by older women."

Currently back in Singapore during her school holidays, she was at confectionery store Candylicious in Ngee Ann City on June 21 for a meet-and-greet session with local viewers of her channel.

Ms Sajni Gill, chief operating officer of Candylicious and a long-time friend of Hussey's, had found out that Nicole would be in town and suggested a meet-and-greet session in the local branch. About 100 viewers turned up.

Nicole was inspired to set up her channel when she started watching beauty videos on YouTube in 2009. The first person she watched was beauty guru Blair Fowler, who goes by the username juicystar07.

Although she was initially worried about people's opinions, she eventually set it up with her 16-year-old sister Lisa's encouragement.

Lisa and Hussey have since picked up tips from Nicole's hair and eyebrow tutorials.

Two months after launching her channel, Nicole was invited to join YouTube video network StyleHaul's community of more than 4,200 YouTube personalities.

She gets inspiration for videos from subscribers' requests and keeps up with fashion trends by reading magazines such as Elle and Marie Claire.

Nicole got the most positive feedback for a video in which she showed a three-step procedure to diminish the severity of the skin condition keratosis polaris, or KP, which causes small bumps and rough patches on areas such as the arms and cheeks. The procedure comprises exfoliating, cleansing and hydrating, and was developed from her trying many products and doing research on the condition.

"I've had KP since I was 12, seen three doctors for it and eventually decided to try to fix it myself. It feels great when my tips help others," she says.

Having begun experimenting with make-up at 14 with a tube of mascara she found in her mother's make-up bag, Nicole advises teenage girls to learn about skincare and moisturise before applying make-up.

She says: "You don't have to put on pounds of make-up - less is more at times. If there was one piece of advice I could give any girl, it'd be to get a good mascara and a nice pink blush for a fresh, youthful look. My favourites are Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara and M.A.C's Melba blush, which gives a coral colour suitable for all skin tones."

Nicole, who calls her fashion sense "casual but put-together" like the cropped top and long skirt she wore during the interview, also advises girls her age to wear what they are comfortable in as that makes them unique.

Asked if she hoped Nicole would take up modelling, Hussey says: "I think Nicole could have a more long-lasting career in the broadcast industry than modelling - for one thing, she could host her own fashion and make-up show.

"After taking a break from modelling to care for my children, I realised the difficulty of competing with younger models when trying to re-enter the industry."

Nicole, who is currently paid by the number of views her channel gets per month, hopes to make running it her full-time job.

She says: "Filming is like therapy for me. Whenever I'm feeling down, I'll just get in front of my camera and feel so much better. I'll just keep working at it."

This article was first published on July 4, 2014.
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