Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Michelle Lu @sweet_essence_

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

Hi I’m Michelle! But most of my friends call me Michi or Mish XD I am 15 years old and from Melbourne, Australia. I am currently in Year 10 at school and I love to bake, play music, listen to K-POP (hehe), watch anime and take photos. Even though my nationality is Australian, I have Chinese heritage and can speak Cantonese and a bit of Mandarin. When it comes to baking I’m completely self- taught and learned by watching YouTube videos 😉

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

I am very passionate about baking and desserts, especially creating original ideas through incorporating my own interests in music, Korean and Japanese culture.

At school I am particularly interested in Science, Japanese language, Music, Food Technology and History. The reason for my interest of these subjects relates to my love of cooking and food in general. I aspire to learn about how these subjects can relate to cooking though culture, chemistry, music and history. My hobbies include baking, travelling and food blogging. In my spare time I enjoy watching Korean and Japanese Animations and drama series as well as listening to K-pop ( Korean pop music).

Aside from listening to music, I write, arrange and play pieces for school ensembles but mostly for the piano and cello. The influence of all these activities has also affected the style of my baking as I usually extract ideas from what I am interested in.

On Instagram I mostly post photos of what I bake. However, I occasionally post photos of food from cafes and from my travels around the world. 😉

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My Instagram name came about in third grade when I thought it would be awesome to have a little baking club between my friends and I at school where we could share recipes and photos which I called sweet essence. I didn’t start an Instagram page until I was in ninth grade and at that time I couldn’t come up with a name so I decided to that name.

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

I use Snapseed, VSCO and Instagram’s editing tools.

Usually I use Snapseed first to change the brightness and ambiance as well as using their dodge and burn and temperature brush tool if needed. Sometimes I also use the selective tool and healing tool to change the brightness in certain spots and fix any flaws. VSCO is quite similar to Instagram’s editing tools so I mainly use it to change the tint as many other editing apps don’t have that. Finally I use Instagram for the finishing touches such as changing the structure and sharpening my photo a bit before posting.

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

I am a big fan of many food-related or fashion Instagrammers such as @Fluffegram, @taramilktea, @lichipan, @annachaannn and @cordyscakes.

The Instagrammer who inspires me the most is @taramilktea as her photos never cease to amaze me and her theme is colourful and vibrant. I love the way she edits her photos and have picked up many good photography tips from her page.

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

The goodies that I bake! haha XD

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

I’ve never really looked at myself as an influencer. I started my Instagram page because I just wanted people to see the things I’m interested in (food and photography) 🙂

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

I think keeping it subtle would be the best tip as I know many people dislike sponsored posts and videos

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

Quality over quantity! I know its mainstream but people will want to follow you if you have quality and original ideas for your page. 🙂

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

I love getting to try out all the new stuff! 🙂 Brands that I believe that I would use and trust are the best.