Five years ago, the beauty blogging world was less edgy than it is today, which is why Michelle Phan was more or less a huge, big deal. When the founder of internet beauty and fashion brand Fenty Beauty opened up a studio in 2012, even Queen Latifah took notice. And even though things have changed since then — a lot — it’s rare to see an influencer with as many talents as Michelle Phan. Even on one of the cooler days in New York in early October, while most people took a dip in the water or were doing a solid work-out, Phan was right outside of Ace Hotel NYC in a floaty bathrobe, pouting into a handheld camera and filming nail art tutorials.

“If I didn’t have this chance I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing,” she told POPSUGAR while leaning in against a large red umbrella. When asked about what she most loves about her job, Phan said, “You can’t get the inside access into everyone’s everyday life because it’s way too private . . . I feel like I know everyone in the world.”

There aren’t many people who have access to the inner workings of Michelle Phan’s world. One of the many resources on her website, at MichellePhan.com, is Michelle Phan’s social media feeds. Or at least, one of them does. This might not be a huge revelation, since Phan often gives away hundreds of photos to her followers on Instagram. But for those who do not have access to her streams, Phan is one of the only people whose opinions and stories are so readily available to the public.

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To date, Michelle Phan has used her platform to help many followers find the right kind of nail art look. What’s surprising is that she didn’t first do this to help her friends and followers. After all, Phan is known for encouraging a massive community of fans to paint their nails with various colors and designs and post pictures of their endeavors to instagram. She did this because she felt as though she should give back to the people that made her happy — and she never stopped.

Right now, she is currently in the middle of a fundraiser to help Free the Nail Artists connect with homeless shelters and organizations that help those in need in her hometown of Chicago. “I always wanted to help people through my makeup and fashion and that’s what started my company. . . . I really feel like that’s my passion,” she said. “I feel like as an artist you can do anything, and you can help change your city and make a difference. It’s the feeling I’m getting right now.”

Though she is better known as a performer who helped discover such iconic nail art artists as Gotham, Natascha and Dinah, Phan said that what she loves most about her job is that it has given her an ability to learn from people all over the world. It’s one of the few things that Phan remains even as her career continues to grow, meaning she can confidently step into the shoes of her subjects and see what they want to do. She explained: “I’m the only person who can make a tutorial [for someone else] and I just do it because it’s fun. I would love to work with someone like an Alice & Olivia . . . I have some idea about different themes I want to do, but I don’t know what it would look like if they did it or I would just fall in love with it. . . . [In this world] there’s nothing to hold you back except that something could happen that takes you out of my vision, like if my studio goes under because of a fire.”

In case you don’t already know, Michelle Phan is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Keep scrolling to see 10 more of her beauty tutorials!