Interview: Beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon On Creating Her Platform, Part I

K St. Fort — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 12:43:41 +0000

The tag for her channel is “Where Beauty Meets Natural” and Wilonda Previlon lives up to it. Many Youtube fans consider the beauty and fashion blogger to be one of the of the most authentic beauty and fashion influencers on the platform. When singer Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty brand was launched, Wilonda Previlon was among the influencers sought out to help promote and evangelize the brand. The vlogger is one of those who-you-see-is-who-you-get types of content creators on Youtube.

Viewers have taken note of her style and so have advertisers who are looking to reach out to the 2 million people who’ve viewed her videos. Wilonda has even launched her own active wear brand Damaris Active Wear.

Kreyolcious: When you were little, did you ever picture yourself doing what you’re doing now?
Wilonda Previlon: Not at all. When I was little, I wanted to either be a police officer (that was my dad’s job in Haiti), or a figure skater. I honestly was never able to wear makeup until I got out of high school. My mom was not having that. All I could wear in high school was clear mascara and lip gloss. So coming from bare face to full face beats is a total 180.

Kreyolicious: What propelled you to launch your Youtube channel?
Wilonda Previlon: I started to realize I was watching Youtube Do-It-Yourself and beauty videos way more than TV. So, when I decided to create my own channel, I solely wanted to provide content for young black women who are broke and looking for inexpensive ways to slay. I was just out of high school, a freshman in college, and working at a retail job part-time. So, buying expensive makeup was not ideal for me.

Kreyolicious: Are there times when you feel unmotivated?
Wilonda Previlon: Of course!

Kreyolicious: How do you conquer that?
Wilonda Previlon: When I feel unmotivated, I turn to God for a push. Then I go to my mom and my boyfriend. All three keeps me grounded and focused on the ultimate goal, and I am so appreciative that they encourage me when I need it the most.

Kreyolicious: Do you count your parents among your supporters?
Wilonda Previlon: Most definitely! My mom has always supported me with anything I do. She even helped me purchase my first camera to start filming. I just love how realistic and supportive she is. Love you mama!

Kreyolicious: Initially, did you have any reservations about launching on such a public platform?
Wilonda Previlon: Of course I did! Listen, I was so reserved about the whole Youtube thing, I didn’t tell any of my friends and other family members I was on there until a whole year later. After I got more comfortable with talking to the camera and improved on my makeup skills, I had courage to tell people.

Kreyolicious: What inspires your videos?
Wilonda: The comments and recommendations of my subscribers inspires my video ideas and ways to improve my content. Seeing that my audience still loves to see content from me and appreciates my videos gives me so much more motivation to continue on.

Kreyolicious: Where do you see the whole Youtube culture going?
Wilonda Previlon: Youtube as a whole has really changed in the past couple of years. Honestly, I don’t know where Youtube will be next, but to me, I am grateful the platform has helped me grow socially. It definitely has provided many opportunities I would not have imagined being a part of.

CLICK HERE to visit beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon’s Youtube channel.

CLICK HERE to visit Wilonda Previlon on Instagram.

Beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon On Creating Her Platform

K St. Fort — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 12:17:30 +0000

Beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon advocates natural beauty through her self-titled Youtube channel. The beauty and fashion influencer not only does makeup and fashion tutorials, but allows her viewers glimpses into her life, such as a weekend spent in Atlanta and a Costa Rica vacation.

While she’s preaching beauty and makeup on the platform, she’s not opposed to showing her authentic self. She was applauded for taking photos with stretch marks, proving once and for all that some of the so-called imperfections that are quickly Photoshopped, can help others celebrate their individuality and their own beauty.

Photo Credit: Sean D/Pics and Flicks

Kreyolicious: What was your Haitian/Haitian-American childhood like?
Wilonda: Full of baton [whippings]! Just kidding. I was a good kid growing up, but that still did not stop my mom from pichkannen [pinching] me and giving me many zoklo in church incognito. I can honestly say I had the best of both cultures. At home, my mom was not your “typical Haitian mom”. I can describe her as being “Americanized”. She was strict on me, but not overly strict. As for school, well, that was another story. I would always try to “fit” in, but the Haitian in me was way more distinct. Maybe it was the way I dressed, maybe it was those boulgogos in my hair, or perhaps my heavy Haitian accent. Who knows, but I was always someone’s target to pick on. I honestly would not change a thing growing up Haitian. It made me grow a hard outer shell and gain so much self-confidence over the years.

Kreyolicious: When do you feel the most beautiful?
Wilonda Previlon: Sweatpants, hair tied, chilling with no makeup. I know that sounds very cliché, but it’s the honest truth. No matter how much makeup I put on, I love those chill days when I am at home and don’t have to get “done up”. If you follow me on Snapchat (imported_cocoa), you would see I embrace my skin makeup-less all the time. That is because I used to have really bad acne. So now that my skin is so much better, why not flaunt it?

Kreyolicious: What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten from a fellow Youtuber?
Wilonda Previlon: I don’t know any other Youtubers personally that has given me advice one-on-one, but I do love listening/watching motivational speakers on Youtube. I honestly will search something like “motivational speeches” and listen to those videos for hours! I have heard many great advice, but the most profound one I can say that resonates to me is “stay authentic”. That is my mission on my channel.

Kreyolicious: What if you had to pick five songs that you feel could represent you as a person…
Wilonda Previlon: Even better then what I think of myself, I asked those around me, which songs best describe me. Here are their picks:
“Incroyable” – Harmonik (boyfriend’s choice). “Flawless” – Beyonce (mom’s choice). “Girl On Fire” – Alicia Keys (sister’s choice). “Work” – Rihanna (brother’s choice).

Kreyolicious: You’ve been to Haiti?
Wilonda Previlon: I have not made a trip back since I was born, but I’m definitely planning on going very soon!

Kreyolicious: Where do you visualize yourself a year from today?
Wilonda Previlon: I feel like I am at the growing stage of my life right now. I want to hopefully get into a Dental Hygiene Program, continue to expand my platforms as a social media influencer on both Instagram (@imported_chocolate) and Youtube (wilondaimported), and grow my activewear line I recently launched, Damis Activewear. So, this time next year, is just going to be some more grinding. I am a true work-a-holic. So, I will definitely be continuing working on these projects I am currently apart of and hopefully working with bigger brands!

CLICK HERE to visit beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon’s Youtube channel.

CLICK HERE to visit Youtuber Wilonda Previlon on Instagram.

Wilonda – Kalepwa Magazine

Interview: Beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon On Creating Her Platform, Part I

Beauty Youtuber Wilonda Previlon On Creating Her Platform