Each week we speak to an inspiring go-getter as part of our Rising Stars series.
Here, Sinead Cady from TheMakeUpChair.ie joins us to candidly talk about career, internet trolls – and Kendall Jenner…
In the lobby of a Killarney hotel, a shy girl sits with her notebook in hand. There’s no pretence, no airs and graces, no sense of self-importance.
Certainly, there’s nothing at all to suggest that Sinead Cady is a YouTube celebrity with oodles of fans – an astonishing 650,000 to be precise. That incredible tally makes her more popular than Lauren Luke, the original YouTube makeup vlogger that Sinead herself once idolised.
Furthermore, she has 28,000 Instagram devotees, 52,000 Facebook likes, and 21,000 Twitter followers to her name.
And yet it all happened almost by accident: TheMakeUpChair was only conceived after 26-year-old Sinead received not one but two rejections from a makeup course she had hoped to attend in Cork’s College of Commerce (although she later successfully applied to and attended the institution).
And despite all her accomplishments, she is extremely humble.
“I still don’t regard myself a success yet,” she says. “Being able to pay the bills doing something I love is what matters most to me. About two years ago I started getting a million views a month, and that’s when I started doing this full-time.”
The talented Corkonian has filmed tutorials on every look imaginable. She copied one of Kendall Jenner’s red carpet looks so well that it was almost impossible to distinguish the Kendall from the Cady.
So of all the videos she has recorded over the past five years, does she have a favourite?
“Yes! My video on ‘beginner eye makeup tips & tricks’ is my favourite” she smiles. “It turned out better than I hoped. I worked on it for three days and now has more than 3m views. I’m very proud of it.”
But how does Sinead cope with being in the firing line of the keyboard warriors?
“I’m very lucky I don’t seem to attract much negativity,” she explains. “A few of my videos that have gone viral can sometimes attract the wrong crowd, and then suddenly you are dealing with people who don’t know you or know what you are about, making a judgement of you based on a three minute video.
“That can be very upsetting but I typically just delete the comments and try not to think about them, at the end of the day they are strangers so you can’t take it personal because they don’t know you personally.”
While a career in YouTube makeup tutorials may seem like the ultimate dream job, actually the day-to-day reality is very different.
A colossal amount of amount of work is invested in a single YouTube video, and behind every five minute tutorial are at least two days of toil.
Sinead explains further: “I think vlogging is seen as this amazing fun thing to do but only the good parts are shown and a lot of work and hours goes into it. People are always surprised at how long it takes me to create a video because it looks so easy.”
Unfortunately, Sinead has recently been forced to take some time off for health reasons.
“I was always an anxious child and I’ve had to deal with panic attacks throughout my life,” she tells SHEmazing. “In the last few months, however, the panic attacks have become worse than ever and I have had to take time off to deal with them.
“I find talking out your worries can help along with a healthy diet, avoiding caffeine or alcohol and lots of exercise; running or swimming is a great way to shut your mind off.”
Meanwhile, and although inundated with business offers, Sinead says she tries to concentrate on just one project at any one time.
And at the moment, that project is her book. “I’m so excited to release TheMakeupChair Handbook,” she smiles. “It’s packed with so many tips and tricks, and I have invested a year of work into it so it will be amazing to see the end results."
As for the future: “I’d like to create my own range of lipsticks or lashes one day,” she says, before adding with a smile: “But for now I’m focusing on the book. One step at a time, after all.”
