When she's not busy working full-time for a life insurance company, Karen Harris is a beauty vlogger sharing product reviews and makeup tutorials on her YouTube page “That's So Charming ”. 

Karen discovered her love for makeup and fashion when she moved to the USA for her higher education, which led to her blog that epitomized her love for both, but Karen now focuses on beauty which eventually resulted in her sharing videos on her YouTube channel. 

“My husband helps me with my videos,” Karen stated, speaking on her support system and on the making of her videos. “He is such a supportive guy and really knowledgeably when it comes to technicals stuff so we make a good team. YouTube is a hobby for the both of us. We use our spare bedroom as a studio so we have these big lights set up. It is something we like to do together." 

We caught up with Karen who spoke about her beauty vlog and shared her views on beauty faux pas and products she swears by. 

Tell us a little bit about your YouTube channel. 

It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ve had my blog for years and years but recently I’ve focused more attention on my YouTube channel which started off as an extension to my blog. I really enjoy YouTube because it is very interactive and has more dimension. I want people to think they know me once they are done watching my video. I want them to feel like they’ve just had a conversation with a friend. The person you watch everyday is who I am in real life. 

What's behind the name “That's So Charming”? 

I chose the name That’s So Charming because I thought it had a nice ring to it. I didn’t want to pick a name that was overly specific to what I was doing. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube under That’s So Charming and my Snapchat is crzyluv4clothes. 

What's a typical day like for you? 

Well my typical day is probably a lot like many of you. I go to work and come home etc. But I also spend a significant amount of time watching YouTube to get my creative juices flowing, testing makeup, filming videos and editing. 

What's your daily beauty regime? 

I’m honestly constantly switching products. I make sure I wash and cleanse my face every morning and evening. I always taken my makeup off with a makeup remover wipe or makeup remover. I use a toner and a moisturizer and I try to use a face mask at least once a week. 

If you could go back to any era, what would it be? 

I honestly love the present. I love current makeup trends and how things are constantly evolving. I don’t think there is such a thing as old fashion. It’s just that makeup artists come up with different and fun ways to do things and makeup brands are coming up with new products. So there is really no better time for makeup than the present. 

What are the top 5 products you swear by? 

Mac Fix +
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation 
Nars Casino Bronzer
Morphe Brushes 
Becca highlighter in Champagne Pop 

What do you think is the biggest beauty faux pas most people tend to commit? 

One big one a lot of people don’t know about is that if you wear foundation with SPF it will give you flashback when it comes to photography. So make sure if you are taking pictures no SPF because that’s how you look like Casper. 

Sri Lankan women have such a beautiful skin tone I wish I could tell every woman in Sri Lanka who thinks she’s too dark how beautiful her skin is and how hard people overseas try to look tan. It’s honestly mindblowing how lucky we are. Making sure your foundation matches your skin tone is a must and a good way to colour match is to take a sample of a foundation you know works perfectly on your skin when you go shopping. This way you can compare the two shades and make sure you are getting one as closest to your current skin tone as possible. If you are using a foundation that is too dark or too light make sure you apply foundation to your ears and down your neck. This way everything will blend. I have more faux pas but you are going to have to subscribe to my channel if you want to hear more. 

What's your take on big beauty product brands versus drug store products? 

Price can dictate quality in some cases but not always. If you watch my YouTube channel you will see that I love incorporating a mix of high-end and drugstore products. I love doing product reviews because I love makeup and when you spend your hard earned money on an eyeshadow palette then you want to be sure that you will get your money’s worth out of it. I like to let people know if something worked for me or not so that they can make a more educated purchase decision. A lot of the bigger YouTubers receive makeup for free and tend to give out positive reviews to stay on makeup brands' good side. But I believe it’s important to be honest and since I have a smaller following and spend my own money on products I don’t have to pretend to like something I don’t. 

If you were to give one beauty related piece of advice, what would it be? 

I know in Sri Lanka there is a stigma attached to wearing too much makeup. I never used to wear makeup in Lanka but once I moved to the USA I learnt so much about makeup. I honestly think it’s a very fascinating process. I wear makeup because it enhances my features. You don’t need a special occasion to wear makeup, you just have to do it for yourself and because it makes you happy. 

What's next for you? 

I just want to keep growing my channel. I know there are many Sri Lankan girls out there just like me that started off knowing nothing about makeup. You don’t have to go to beauty school to do makeup and you definitely don’t have to spend thousands of dollars either. I definitely don’t think makeup is rocket science and so my goal is to reach out and help people with learning the basics and growing their knowledge of the different makeup brands. 

Interviewed by Rihaab Mowlana