EM Cosmetics: From Michelle Phan’s YouTube Tutorials to a New York Boutique

In 2013, Michelle Phan’s Em Michelle Phan launched online and in its own New York City boutique. I like that the launch gave the brand an address as well as a screen. The format already felt like a bridge between a creator and the people who followed her.

EM Cosmetics starts, for me, with that creator-to-audience thread. ELLE recounts an early “Natural Looking Makeup Tutorial” that drew 40,000 views in a week; WWD dates Phan’s YouTube channel to 2007. When L’Oréal sold the line to Ipsy in 2015, Phan called her community the original inspiration. That is the part I keep returning to: a beauty point of view shaped in conversation, then carried into products.

The lip edit gives me several ways to set the tone. Phantom Blur Lip Tint in Sahar is a sheer rosy terracotta blur, while Lip Mage Tinted Serum in Ember keeps that terracotta-nude idea glossy and buildable. For a softer matte, Soft Spoken Velvet Lip Crème in Whisper is the nude option; Lip Cushion Tinted Lip Luminizer in Magic Hour brings a peachy, light-reflecting finish.

I’d keep Everglass Lip Dew in Enchant for a warm, mirror-like shine, or use Soft Blur Velvet Lip Liner in Bunny for pink-nude definition. My practical check before choosing: compare the undertone with the blush you already reach for, then decide whether you want blur, shine, or a soft edge. Pick the finish first and the rest of the face can stay quiet.

A palette with mixed finishes is easier to edit when I decide on the job first: soft definition for daylight, or one reflective note after dark. In WWD’s 2017 comeback coverage, Phan described building the brand around a strong philosophy of beauty and the science behind it. I like that as a prompt to think about texture, not just a row of shades.

The Divine Skies Eyeshadow Palette in Saturn’s Return spans matte, shimmer, and metallic finishes, so I’d keep the look to one main texture and let the rest support it. Cosmic Pearl Dewy Eyeshadow in Luna is the single pearl-shimmer option when a full palette feels like too much. For matte neutrals, MAKEUP BY MARIO’s Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Original keeps twelve shades together; Patrick Ta’s Major Dimension Essential Artistry Edit Eyeshadow Palette in Cool Taupe narrows the story to six cool mattes.

Danessa Myricks Beauty’s Groundwork Blooming Romance Palette mixes berry and mauve pomade and powder shades, while Rare Beauty’s Essential Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette combines matte and metallic neutrals. I’d decide by checking how many shades fit an ordinary weekday, then whether there is one finish I’d actually reserve for evening. What I would skip: a large palette whose only appeal is a few scattered metallics if I mostly want quiet definition.

For the last detail, Kosas Soulgazer in Allure is a dark-brown mascara and MERIT Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara comes in Brown. I’d keep either beside a softer shadow choice, rather than asking every element to compete.

Brows can behave like the smallest bit of architecture, so I’d match the shade to the hair at the roots before deciding how much definition I want. Phan once described her community as the original inspiration for the label; that creator-to-audience link makes a natural-looking brow feel like the right kind of detail here.

EM Cosmetics’ Fine Liner Brow Pencil in Blonde is made for realistic, hairlike strokes, while Micro-Fluff Sculpting Brow Cream in Soft Blonde adds microfibers and flexible hold. MERIT Brow 1980 Volumizing Tinted Eyebrow Gel-Pomade in Brown Black is the softer, tinted option; Brow 1990 Ultra Fine Eyebrow Gel Pencil in Brown Black has an ultra-fine tip for precise strokes.

Rare Beauty’s Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Warm Brown is described for auburn and light-brown hair, and its Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner gives a crisp black line. Kosas Air Brow in Medium Chocolate Brown leans airy and feathery; Brow Pop in Taupe has a micro-triangle tip for shaping and filling.

My buying test is to compare the shade with your roots in indirect daylight, then choose between a pencil for gaps and a tinted gel for a brushed-up shape. What I would skip: a brow shade that reads several steps darker than the hair if the goal is a soft finish. Precise does not have to mean severe.

Phan’s 2017 reset put her own taste back at the center: ELLE reported that she bought the label back from Ipsy and made new products from scratch around what she would want to use every day. I like that idea applied to complexion makeup, where one thoughtful finish can do more than a crowded routine.

So Soft Blush in Baby moves from cream to powder, while Heaven’s Glow Blush in Magic Hour gives a silky, buildable powder flush. Color Drops Serum Blush in Pink Nectar is the water-light, dewy choice; Pillow Plush Blush in Peanut goes for a weightless, airbrushed effect. I’d choose one blush texture first, then let the shade set the rest of the face’s temperature.

For warmth, So Soft Multi Faceplay Bronze and Sculpt in Terra is a blendable cream stick, and Corselette Sculpting Powder Bronzer in Slip brings a natural, skin-like powder finish. Portrait Mode Setting Powder in Sheer is translucent, while Moonbeam Cushion Highlighter in Aura builds a dewy sheen without glitter.

The buying test: decide where you want color, where you want warmth, and where you want less shine before picking a formula. Then check whether the shade description and finish fit that map. I’d keep the blush as the focal point and use powder only where I want makeup to look more settled.

Soft focus works better as a placement question than a full-face instruction. I’m thinking about where texture should look quieter and where skin should still show through. That keeps this set of artist-founded formulas from turning into a stack of products with no clear job.

Danessa Myricks Beauty’s Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Tinted Primer and Foundation in 5 Medium is a warm-medium balm-to-powder base; the Universal Primer is colorless and made to smooth before makeup. I’d choose between those by asking whether I need a tint or a prep step, rather than treating them as interchangeable.

Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush in Spirited is a violet cream-to-powder; Cheer, in the Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, gives a light warm-pink radiance. MAKEUP BY MARIO’s Soft Pop Plumping Cream Blush Veil in Strawberry Sunset adds sheer cherry pink, while MERIT Flush Balm in Cheeky is a sheer cool pink. Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Lip and Cheek Cream Blush Stick in Petal brings a dusty nude rose; Kosas Cloud Set in Translucent Fluttery is a loose setting powder.

For a buying test, check whether a base is tinted or clear and whether the blush finish is matte, radiant, or sheer. I’d choose one blurring step, one cheek color, and stop there. The point is a softer finish, not an entirely new face.

I would make the choices in order: pick the lip finish, decide whether the eyes need a matte shape or one glint, then choose one cheek color. Only after that would I consider a blur or setting step. That keeps the edit personal, not prescriptive, and leaves room for the products to have different jobs.

What stays with me is the route from an early makeup tutorial to a line that moved between a screen and a New York City boutique, then returned to its founder’s hands. I’d let the makeup have that same sense of authorship: one clear idea, a light touch, and no need to make every feature speak at once.