Interview with YouTube Sensation “The Glam Belle” Brandi Pope

For this article, I’m interviewing YouTube star Brandi Pope, also known as The Glam Belle.  Brandi has excellent tips on makeup application and how she styles her beautiful curly hair.  She has even appeared in a L’Oreal commercial (more on that below)!  In this interview, Brandi shares details about all parts of her life, from childhood to motherhood, and all that’s in between.  Click here to check out her YouTube channel.

1. Hi Brandi!  You are known as The Glam Belle on YouTube and throughout social media. Your YouTube channel is fabulous and fun!  What were your motivations for starting such an awesome endeavor?

First let me say it’s been a long and exciting journey building my channel and I’m so honored to have the platform that I do. My biggest motivation for starting my channel was to simply be able to share my love of all things beauty (makeup, hair, skincare) and give helpful tips and info regarding the industry to my viewers. I would constantly get questions every day about hair and makeup and I remember a co-worker telling me I should make videos instead of always repeating myself 😂 and that’s how The Glam Belle was born.

2. What types of topics do you cover on your YouTube channel?  Who is your ideal audience?

I cover a multitude of topics. Everything from makeup tutorials and reviews to fitness tips and chit chat advice videos. BUT, what really took my channel to the next level is when I realized my audience was more interested in my hair than anything else. This was crazy for me because I still hadn’t fully embraced my curly hair when i started on YouTube. My audience was  constantly questioning me about my curls and that led me to not only embrace my hair but truly become somewhat of an expert in this area. And, now, I’d say 80-90% of my channel revolves around curly hair.

3. Are you inspired by others on YouTube? If so, who are some of your favorites?

Oh goodness, there’s so many influencers I look up to! My all time favorite influencer is Kandee Johnson. She’s so real and down to earth. She’s so successful yet so humble. She’s who I aspire to be with my channel. As far as curly hair influencers I’d say Andreas Choice, Bianca Renee Today, and India Batson are some of my favorites!

4. You are a wife and mother as well as a model, makeup artist and hair stylist, and you have your own YouTube channel. How do you balance it all?

I always joke and say it’s better to busy busy than bored…but the reality is, it’s hard to find balance. It’s a constant struggle for me, personally, to achieve my work goals as well as being the best mom and wife I can be. I try not to put too much pressure on myself and I don’t beat myself up when I fail. Failing is a part of life and I try and remember to always fail forward. I learn from my mistakes and I’ve learned how to CONFIDENTLY say NO when I need to.

5. What are some of your favorite videos that you have filmed and why?

I’d say my most recent fave was a relationship advice Q&A with my husband. That’s one of my favorites because it’s the first time in 4 years that I’ve been able to get him on camera! Haha And, I think we gave some pretty good advice!

https://youtu.be/IYdkB8R09pA

A curly hair favorite of mine would be me trying out another curly influencers hair routine. I tried out Ayesha Malik’s routine and it was INTENSE! If you never knew how much work curly hair can be then you need to watch this video! It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked for my curls and it was very entertaining to say the least! Haha

https://youtu.be/OU8T_qdacLM

And my most successful video, believe it or not, is a 3 minute tutorial from almost 4 years ago on how to cover dark circles! With 2.4 million views, I can’t NOT include it in my favorites!

6. What are your goals/dreams/ambitions for your YouTube channel, your other commitments, and yourself?

My goal is to NEVER stop dreaming! When you stop dreaming and you have no goals then you become stagnant. I don’t want to go through this life just going through the same motions every day. I want to make a difference, to help others, and ultimately leave an incredible legacy of hope and positivity to my followers. In the short term, I’d love to speak nationally about my testimony with breast implant illness. I’d love to one day reach a million subscribers on YouTube. But, more than numbers, I want to leave my footprint on the heart of each person that watches my videos.

7. Who is your favorite style icon?

Jennifer Lopez- hands down. It doesn’t matter if she’s going to the oscars or the gym. She somehow always looks incredible…and so effortlessly. She’s a natural beautiful with a fashion style I could only wish to emulate!

8. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?

I once heard this quote “beauty isn’t having a pretty face, it’s having a pretty heart”. And if there’s one thing my mama always taught me was that people would be drawn to my outer beauty and that’s when I have the chance to show them the beauty that’s truly important and that’s the beauty of the heart.

9. How would you best describe your style?

I’ll rock almost any kind of style because I love changing things up. Im pretty bold with my fashion. BUT, 95% of the time I would call my style casual sportswear chic because I typically choose comfort over fashion. Lol

10. What inspires you to film videos for your YouTube channel?

I definitely try to find inspiration with what’s happening in the present moment in the curly community, as well as reflecting on all of the things I WISH I would’ve known about curly hair and sharing those tips in my content. I also enjoying throwing in different types of content to keep it interesting. So, you’ll find things like costume makeup tutorials, mukbangs, and even challenge videos on my channel.

11. What is your background?

I come from a very poor and broken background. My father was a raging alcoholic who made our lives extremely scary and dangerous every day. For the first 9 years of my life, FEAR, pretty much ruled everything. When i was 9 my father died in a drunk driving accident that he was at fault for. I grew up without a father and struggled with a LOT of insecurities, self confidence, and just overall feeling like life just wasn’t worth living…that was until I found CHRIST when I was 18 and my life has never been the same. Finding the Lord completely changed the trajectory of my life and gave me immeasurable purpose!

12. Since starting your YouTube channel as well as your modeling and hair/makeup artistry, what have been some of your greatest achievements?

I’d have to say my greatest achievement has been knowing that I’ve actually been able to help others in such a tangible way. Being able to help others feel beauty and see their true beauty is something that I can’t describe!

Work wise, I’d say being flown to New York City and filming a hair commercial with L’Oréal would be one of the highlights of my life! Considering that my hair is something that I hated for 30+ years- to it now opening national doors is a huge FULL CIRCLE MOMENT!

13. What are your future plans for your YouTube channel?

My plan is to continue to make great content that can be enjoyed by everyone and continue to grow and expand my brand, my channel, and my heart as God leads the way and opens the right doors for me.

14. What advice would you give up-and-coming hair and makeup artists or those starting YouTube channels?

Don’t 2nd guess yourself. If it’s in your heart and it’s something you can’t shake, then go for it! Don’t wait until you have the perfect kit, the perfect lighting, the perfect timing, the perfect ———fill in the blank. You just have to be bold enough to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and just do it! Do like I did, and, learn as you GROW 🙂

15. What advice would you give women who seek to become more stylish or improve their hair and makeup skills?

Ironically enough, my answer would be, YOUTUBE! Haha In this day and age, you can find anything and everything on YouTube. Looking back at my life, I could’ve avoided a LOT of hair, makeup, and fashion disasters if I would’ve had YouTube. Utilize the information that people are taking so much time to create for your benefit. And, in return, make sure to show them love. Like their videos, leave comments and share the content if you enjoyed it. That’s the only way creators can be successful and continue to make content for the world to see!!!