How Creatives Live In Singapore: Beauty Content Creator Clara Slays
Ever wondered what being a full-time beauty content creator was like? Clara (known best as Clara Slays) spills the tea.
If you’re a makeup girlie, chances are, you’re already following Clara Li – better known as Clara Slays on social media. The 30‑year‑old has made a name for herself with her expressive makeup looks, honest reviews and hyperlocal content (think transforming herself into Singapore icons such as the Singapore Girl, as Singapore Airlines’ female cabin crew are known), so much so that she finally took the plunge last July to leave her corporate role to go into content creation full‑time. Has the leap been worth it? Li spills the tea about the trade-offs of leaving the corporate world, life as a full-time content creator, and how adulting has been going for her.
Compared to her corporate 9-to-5, Li now has a pretty unconventional work station: the desk in her bedroom.
So we’ve all heard, Clara, that you ditched corporate and went full‑time into content creation a little more than a year ago. What’s the backstory here?
“I actually wanted to leave three years ago, but I always chickened out or decided to keep waiting it out. Finally, my boss gave me an ultimatum and told me: You either stay and give the company your 100 per cent, or you leave and go live your dreams. And in that moment, although I said I’d think about it, I had already decided I was going to leave. I cried in the toilet after that.”
What were the trade-offs to leaving a stable job?
“Financially, other than CPF contributions, there really is no trade‑off at all. Socially, I’m more lonely now, in the sense that I miss having people to talk to every day and just updating them about the little things in life – stuff you experience when working in a team. I’m doing everything myself now and it can get boring sometimes. Dedicating five years to the same company – and that was also my first ‘big girl’ job – meant that after quitting, I had to unlearn the 9‑to‑5 mindset. I also had to unlearn that being a content creator is unconventional. It’s hard explaining to the older folks what I do as well, especially my parents. I had to set targets for myself. From being instructed and just doing what someone else wanted, I now have a lot more autonomy over the type of work I do.”
What’s something people really don’t understand about the labour that goes into the creation of your content?
“It’s not just the 15‑second transition video that you see. A full makeup look takes about two to three hours, plus the editing, the re‑filming until you get the clips right, the conceptualisation. This is on top of knowing you could be cancelled any day.”
What part of the job drains you – and what gives you life?
“Nothing really drastically drains me, but the part I dislike most is the social energy I need to put in to mingle at events. Making small talk feels quite superficial to me, but I know it’s necessary to network, and I do it well. I just don’t particularly enjoy it. I’d rather hang out outside of events to really build friendships. Everything about content creation gives me life, actually. I love the creation process from start to end. And I love seeing the hard work pay off – when a video goes viral, when a brand I really love wants to work with me, or when I read encouraging comments or DMs from my followers and people in the industry.”
How much are day‑to‑day costs a concern?
“This was a huge factor when I was considering leaving my job, as I’d be losing my main source of income at the time. It has made me want to work even more now, just to earn as much as I can. It has taught me to work smart. I’m a minimum effort, maximum output type of person.”
How much do you earn on average every month these days?
“Let’s just say I’m earning about five times what I got paid at my corporate job.”
How much do you spend on average per month? Can you give us a rough breakdown?
“Wah, you’re really asking the right questions – making me pull up my finances for the month. So, the main bulk of my expenses before I became a content creator – or when I was starting out – was food and makeup. But I now get makeup PR, so a huge portion of the pie dedicated to money spent on makeup has significantly decreased. The main bulk is now travel and insurance.”
Here, a look into Li’s work station (read: her room, where all the filming happens), including her must‑have equipment (ring lights), and the innumerable makeup products and perfumes she has reviewed. Formerly a social media specialist at a local company, she finally decided to quit to do something she truly enjoyed – social media, but this time, for herself. While forgoing a stable income was scary, it has pushed her to work harder than ever – and the results demonstrate the pay‑off of her efforts; Li says she now earns up to five times her corporate salary on average every month.
How much do you save in a month? And what are you saving for?
“I save about 80 per cent of what I earn each month. I’m single at the moment, but I think it’s extremely important for women to save up. I don’t know – I may get married tomorrow, so I’ve got to pay for my wedding and maybe kids in the future.”
What’s an expenditure you never knew you needed until you were old/adult enough?
“Medical insurance. I hate to sound like those annoying financial advisors, but health is really wealth. I had a minor health scare a few years back and I literally thought I was going to die. I’m being dramatic, but that’s when I realised medical fees are so expensive – especially when it’s something serious, or if you want the process to be expedited.”
What was your first adulting moment?
“It wasn’t financial; it was just sitting with the fact that life goes on even if I’m feeling the absolute worst. When I was in junior college, I did pretty badly and couldn’t get admission into any local universities – and pretty much everyone around me wasn’t being supportive. I felt so alone, useless, not smart enough, comparing myself to my friends who were starting university. I made the decision to take a gap year and beefed up my resume so hard that I truly believe it was a canon event in my life. There’s no use moping. Feel sad, yes – cry it out and rant to everyone – but do something about it. A hustler was born that year lol. That was also the year I started getting into makeup, trying different techniques, and realising I was really good at it. And if not for that, I don’t think my online persona Clara Slays would have ever been born.”
And what have been some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learnt adulting and heading up this one‑woman show, and that you now live by?
“You’re truly on your own. Always prioritise and choose yourself no matter what. This industry is scary as hell, and I learnt that the hard way. Trusted the wrong people, got backstabbed – but I also look up to many people in the industry and I’m learning from the content that they post.”
Would you ever go back to a 9‑to‑5 job?
“Never say never. I’d never trade my corporate experience for anything. I’ve learnt so much – especially how to brand myself, how the business side of things work, and how to negotiate deals and stand up for myself when contracts look shady or when I don’t agree with something a brand wants me to say or do. You can take the girl out of corporate, but you can’t take the corporate out of the girl.”
THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.
This article first appeared in Volume 2 of F Zine.
TEXT & COORDINATION KENG YANG SHUEN PHOTOGRAPHY ATHIRAH ANNISSA ART DIRECTION JONATHAN CHIA HAIR EC TAN/KIZUKI+LIM MAKE UP CLARA LI