Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.
Nazanin Kavari is finding a large audience on YouTube by presenting her authentic self.
Kavari, who is partnered with BroadbandTV, is part of the community of fashion and beauty influencers on YouTube, but she goes beyond such a simple characterization. In her videos, she opens up about everything from prom to plastic surgery to the latest YouTube trends. She also shares her latest recipes from her kitchens, posts vlogs that feature her friends and family, and delivers her latest celeb-inspired looks. With so much on her plate, she manages to keep quite busy; here’s our chat with her.
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Tubefilter: How does it feel to have more than one million subscribers on YouTube? What do you have to say to your fans?
Nazanin Kavari: I still can’t believe I’ve reached a million subscribers! I would never have imagined something I picked up as a hobby would flourish into something of this size. I am eternally grateful to my Kavari Krew for their continuous support.
With that being said, even though I have one million, I feel like I owe it to my fans to raise the bar and continue to improve my channel with my content and quality. I actually upgraded my lighting and audio equipment because i was like “I have a million subscribers! I can’t be putting out half-assed content. My supporters deserve the best I can do!” I am beyond blessed, and thankful to have come this far in my career and I truly wouldn’t have been able to do it without the love and support from my subscribers and family.
TF: With so many beauty creators on YouTube, what would you say makes your channel unique?
NK: I think what makes me unique is that I offer more than just beauty content. I see myself more as a YouTube personality than a beauty guru. I am not one to constantly put out unique, colorful looks. That’s just not my thing. For a period of time, I felt like I didn’t fit in and that I wasn’t that talented because I wasn’t doing those trendy looks, but then I realized that’s the point of my channel! To showcase ME and what I like. I know that my subscribers don’t just like me for makeup looks, they like me for me. I grew up on YouTube. My fans have been with me through high school, getting my drivers license, going to prom, and more. My subscribers have a personal connection with me.
TF: Who would you say is your number one style inspiration?
NK: That’s a tough one. I get inspired by everything and everyone so I can’t just narrow it down to one. For celeb inspo, I would have to say Kim Kardashian. I love her simplistic, monochromatic style and Makeup by Mario is a makeup God! I also love Bella Hadid‘s street style.
I get inspired by my friends who are also influencers, like Daisy Marquez for makeup and Koleen Diaz for fashion (my friends are talented af.) I also get inspired by people in my day to day life. Living in LA, I see people serving looks just to go to Whole Foods! I also get a lot of inspo from beauty and fashion pages on Instagram, my explore page is full of them (and cats, can’t forget the cats).
TF: How much editing goes into your typical video and how long do your videos take to put together?
NK: People really don’t know how much work goes into a YouTube video. That 15 minute video you just watched took probably 6-8 hours to make. For a makeup tutorial, it takes me about 30 minutes to set up for it, 2-3 hours to film, and 2-3 hours to edit. Vlogs and sit-down talking videos take a little bit less time to make. I am a perfectionist so It does take me longer, but unless I’m 100% happy with the content, I’m not posting it. There have been many times where I’ve spent hours on a video, just to delete it because I know it could be better. Quality over quantity, always.
TF: Do you ever struggle to balance your career on YouTube with your studies and social life?
NK: I actually decided not to attend university to focus on YouTube full time. In high school, it was really difficult to balance school and YouTube as I was very involved. I was in The National Honors Society, Spanish Club, Lacrosse, AP classes and other extracurricular activities. I ended up graduating early, and that’s when I began to focus on YouTube and take it to the next level. YouTube and my social life intermix now, since most of my friends are YouTubers as well and most of the parties I attend are held by beauty/fashion brands.
TF: On a similar note, how do you decide what parts of your life to share with your fans and what parts to keep to yourself?
NK: I honestly share a lot with my subscribers! But sometimes, I regret sharing so much. Once you share certain parts of your life, your audience might feel entitled to know more than what you’re comfortable sharing. It sucks seeing assumptions made about you that are absolutely untrue, but that comes with the territory of sharing your life on the internet.
TF: What made you decide to share your plastic surgery experience with your fans?
NK: I decided to share my breast lift with my fans because why not. Why is surgery so taboo? I had no shame in what I was doing, and I always say to do what makes you happy. I was overwhelmed with all the positive feedback I received on that video. I’m not gonna lie, I was expecting a ton of hate and I was really nervous to post it. But I’m really happy I did. People respected me for being so honest. Also, It’s comforting to see that even girls who people praise on social media as being “perfect” have their own insecurities too.
TF: What’s one way you’d like to see YouTube change?
NK: For starters, I would like YouTube to send out our notifications! We all work too hard for our subscribers not to get a notification when we post. I also hope this era of “spilling the tea” and clickbait comes to an end. I know I’m being a hypocrite because I’ve posted video’s like that too, but that’s what gets views nowadays. I hope YouTube will go back to promoting more positive content. I am making an effort to produce more content that empowers young women to raise each other up instead of knocking each other down.
TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?
NK: Honestly, I am kinda in a funk right now because of that very question. If you would’ve asked me this question a few months ago, I would’ve said “reaching a million subscribers!” So now that I’ve reached it, now what? I will be attending BeautyCon LA this summer where I’ll be hosting a meet and greet, that’s an exciting thing in the future. My favorite thing to do is a fly out to meet subscribers, like the giveaway we did with Curology and when I flew to Texas to take a subscriber on a shopping spree. I definitely want to do more activities like that. YouTube has opened a world of opportunities for me, so I hope to take advantage of as many as I can.
