Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Lulu Beltran @lumenbeltran

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

My name is Lulu and I am a business student, travel blogger, and makeup artist from Canada. I love documenting flights, faces, and fashion on my passion project, www.lulumeetsworld.com. It first started out as a school project to record my adventures during my international exchange with Semester at Sea, a program where students live on a cruise ship that takes us to 10 different countries on 3 continents! Visiting countless countries and interacting with people from all over the globe made me realize that while beauty trends and fashion styles may differ, us humans are more alike than we are different. After seeing the world, I decided to continue blogging to inspire others to embark on their own journey and seek beauty everywhere they go!

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I love travel, beauty, and fashion! I also like to write code to build my website and reading various personal development books. On Instagram, I love sharing views of amazing destinations, the people I encounter, and selfies to show off my makeup looks for that day.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

All of my social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) are “lumenbeltran” – plain and simple. Aside from personal branding reasons, I like to think that my work speaks for itself. When people see my photos and content, they should already have a good grasp of what I’m about. I don’t need to have a username like “luluthewanderlust” or “travelwithlulu”. Besides, I think usernames like these are very limited since I like to post about makeup and fashion, too.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

For Instagram, I mainly use VSCOcam. I use the same filter over and over (c1) and typically adjust the settings provided to maintain a (somewhat) consistent feed. I like to have a little bit more warmth in my photos, especially for my selfies, since I embrace my warm complexion. I believe people of colour need more representation in the media and I would like to promote diversity by showing accurate skin colours to combat the bleaching and whitewashing committed by large publications. For my blog photos, I use Lightroom and Photoshop.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

My favourite Instagrammer would have to be @lusttforlife. I’ve been following her blog since I was about 13 years old, when I found her on Lookbook.nu. I think I relate to her because she is also a Filipina and we share the same interests. I absolutely love the tones in her photos!

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

I would say to try the app Lens Distortions. If you find that your photos are a little bit boring, you can add a lens flare or some other filters to your photos to attract the eye!

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

For me, it’s inspiring people to go out and see all that the world has to offer. During my exchange, I met many students who have never been outside of their home countries and have changed their perspectives on a number of issues since traveling. Whether I get 1 like or a million likes on a photo or blog post, it fills me with so much joy and satisfaction to know that I’m giving someone something to think about and aspire to.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

Speaking as a millennial, I believe that you should remain consistent with your brand, and be genuine with your interactions. If you’re not a “cool” brand, don’t try to be – just remain professional. There is nothing more annoying than logging on to Twitter or Instagram and seeing companies use memes that are a month old to reach a younger audience. It’s a huge turn off.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

While it’s important to remain consistent with the amount of times you post, quality trumps quantity – any day. People follow you for a reason. You are an influencer for a reason. If the quality of your content begins to decline, people will follow other influencers instead. I will sometimes spend 30 minutes or more on VSCOcam tweaking a single photo to ensure that it’s clear/saturated/exposed enough. It’s absolutely okay to do that – art takes time.

As for originality, I think that we all have people who inspire us, but it’s important to have your own twist in your content, too. Many of my favourite Instagrammers have very desaturated dark tones in their photos, whereas I love love LOVE having colours in mine! When you’re not too worried about what everyone else is doing, you become more unique. This advice also applies to makeup and fashion, too. If you want to establish your own unique sense of style, stray away from fashion magazines. Go to the thrift store and pick up whatever catches your eye. If you want to experiment with makeup looks, stray away from “Instagram Baddie” profiles who only rock matte lips. Seek inspiration everywhere you go!

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

Partnering with brands allows me to show people stuff I already love! Chances are, I’m already a cult follower of the brands I partner with, and sharing their product or service with others isn’t work to me – it’s my passion. It’s what I do as a blogger and social media influencer.