A Chat with our #SophieSquad: Meet Stephanie of @miss.hautemess!
Stephanie (a.k.a. @miss.hautemess on Instagram) has been a part of our #SophieSquad since February 2021. We sat down with her and talked Instagram feeds, skincare, and why she loves our bySophie boxes.
Photographer: Lena
bySophie Team: Tell us a little bit about yourself! How did you get started on Instagram?
I'm originally from San Francisco. I work in tech as a program manager, so this isn’t really my full-time job, but skincare has always been a very big part of my life. Being a Korean girl, my mom started making me use eye cream in high school, so it’s very ingrained in who I am, my way of living, and my lifestyle.
I guess around the end of college until now is when I started to post about products and my general lifestyle in a very public way, and it just all of a sudden really became a big deal during the pandemic when I had nothing else to do but post about my life inside the house. Then brands started to recognize me, and from there it kind of just took off on its own, where I started to work with very large American brands like Sephora.
bySophie Team: What kind of content do you like creating? What’s your personal aesthetic?
I think I kind of fall in the middle of [people who curate every aspect of their Instagram, and those who post on a whim]. There is a little bit of an editorial vibe to it but that’s just because that’s kind of my natural personality. At the same time, I don’t want it to feel so edited and artificial. I want it to be a really raw experience when [my followers] see the post or video that I create for them.
I want to make sure that people know that I would never post about something that I wouldn’t spend my own money on. I need to be very authentic. I’m not going to say every product is good–I’m going to be very honest.
I think I try to make my content as different and unique as possible. Once you start posting about a lot of skincare, it’s hard to think of content. I try to challenge my creative juice in that way. I would say I’m never the same with my posts, but there’s an underlying similar theme.
bySophie Team: What do you hope people feel when they see your posts?
I think we need to all feel really empowered with our different talents and our unique assets. I want girls to unapologetically feel like they can be themselves. I don’t want to hide who I am. I think people should feel comfortable [with] that. That’s kind of the message I want to bring about: You do you. And that’s okay, as long as you’re happy.
bySophie Team: What do you love about K-beauty?
I love how fun it is! I think [Korea is] like the forefront and the pioneers of beauty. I’ve been eat-sleep-breathing [K-beauty] since the day I was born. There are so many different brands that offer so many different aesthetics, and it’s really quirky and cute. Also, I love that it’s so affordable. I think it makes it more accessible and approachable for people. They can test out everything and it’s fun. They don’t have to be afraid of trying new products.
bySophie Team: Which bySophie box edition has been your favorite and what are your favorite products that you’ve discovered?
I’m addicted to the Everydaze Konjac Jelly! I bought myself ten boxes. I snack on it so much. It’s so good.
I actually used some of her products today. I used the face mask we got from the May edition, and then I used the toner from the May box as well, and I’m using the Logically, Skin SPF! I use all of her products regularly. And her hand cream? I have it right here. I use it like every ten minutes. I love all of the products.
bySophie Team: Is there a bySophie box you’d like to see us put together in the future?
Maybe a self-care box! I think that would be a really good step for bySophie. Or putting together a package of supplements.
bySophie Team: What’s your skincare philosophy?
I am a firm believer that not everything works for everybody. You need to test it out and figure out what’s best for you. I think the biggest thing for me is to listen to how your skin is reacting. I try to listen to my body and listen to my skin.
bySophie Team: What does being an influencer mean to you?
It’s like my creative outlet and my passion project. For me, it means that I hold a certain level of power where I can use my opinion to decide whether somebody buys a product or chooses to believe something. That’s a lot of weight on me, so I think it’s important that I’m as honest, transparent and authentic as possible. At the same time, I think there’s so much unnecessary stress that comes with posting on Instagram. I want to break down all of that and be like, “do what you want. You can post whenever or whatever as long as it’s not hurting anybody. I think it’s all meant for fun. I want to make sure that's embodied [in my Instagram]. Mostly, it’s a great way for me to have a creative outlet.
Thank you to Stephanie of @miss.hautemess for sharing her time and insight with our bySophie team!
