Valeria Lipovetsky on Life as an Influencer, Mother of Three, and How She Started It All

Valeria Lipovetsky is a rising star on YouTube known for her nutritional videos, beauty tutorials, fashion hauls, and promotion of self-love. The model-turned-influencer is a mother of three boys, who still finds time to manage her dreams and inspire her over 900K subscribers. She sat down with Beyond Fashion Magazine to tell us how she does it all.

(Katherine): How did you get started on YouTube?

(Valeria): I was already on Instagram but just like everybody else, I was just sharing family photos and things like that. When I graduated with a certification in holistic nutrition, I started seeing clients and I understood that working this way (client to client, face-to-face) was not going to allow me to spread the information to a wider audience. I got a little frustrated, but I thought, “what can I do to bring all that information and everything I learned about holistic nutrition to as many people as possible?” That’s when I started my blog. And actually, at the time it was a bit too late for blogging: it was 2016 and blogs were already kind of yesterday’s news. Still, I started it, and after a while, I realized it was still not the level of connection I wanted. I figured that it’s very hard to connect to people through just writing things. So I thought okay, I’m going to do something really scary, something I have no idea about, and that’s going to be YouTube.

On Valeria: Leopard print one piece by The Store On Queen, Faux Leather hat by ALDO Accessories, Earrings – Stylist’s Own, Bracelet by Royal de Versailles

What did you do to get yourself started? Buy a camera, equipment?

I started with my phone. And I still shoot some videos with my phone, to be honest. I think the biggest misconception that a lot of people have, regarding this type of work, is that you need to have all this equipment, and a fancy house, and the right background. Honestly, I still use tables and books as my stands and I shoot at my house most of the time. So, I just looked up how to edit videos on YouTube and, basically, learned everything I needed to know from the Internet.

What do you like best about being an influencer?

I love sharing my life, the ups and downs, the real-life tips. I love that today, people can connect with something real. I remember when I was a teenager, the only people I would look up to were models in magazines. Now, I really like that little (or I guess, not so little anymore!) community that we’ve built, where I feel like I really have a strong connection with my audience. I’m not really an expert— and I don’t want to be an expert – but I really want to be just like a friend or a big sister, or someone that my audience can go to when they feel like they need some help.

On Valeria: Blouse by The Store On Queen, Earrings by ALDO Accessories, Rings by Royal de Versailles

How did you get started with modelling?

Initially, I wanted a job at McDonald’s, but my mother was against it. Long story short, I had a big birthday party (a bat mitzvah) and my mother got a photographer to take pictures of me. When I was posing for pictures, I think my mom saw something in me that I never even thought about. I was a very shy person, always comparing myself to others, and as a kid, I felt invisible —people didn’t even know I was going to school with them. But my mom saw how different I was in front of a camera, how more confident I was, so she basically told me to try modelling. She said that if it wasn’t going to work out and if nobody accepted me, then I could go work at McDonald’s. I was so happy with that, thinking “I’m so getting that job at McDonald’s!” But then, from a one-time modelling thing, it became a full-on career. And 100% I owe that to my mom. Getting into the modelling industry, going to castings, competing against all these gorgeous girls was like when you throw someone into the water— you either sink or swim.

On Valeria: Cropped hoodie and Snakeskin print skirt by M for Mendocino, Thigh high boots by L’Intervalle, Bamboo earrings by Pretty Little Thing, Bracelets and Rings by Royal de Versailles

What does a typical day look like for you?

It never ends. I have a newborn, so there’s not so much sleep involved. I usually wake up around 6 am, go to the gym (I have gym days scheduled for myself, that I call my ‘appointments with me’), then I come back, and I get the kids ready, take them to school. Then once I come back, I start working right away. Everything is very scheduled for me. Otherwise, it’s going to be all over the place. So, some days I’m shooting content, and other days I’m shooting more vlog-style videos or going to different lectures or workshops, or things like that. Basically, every day is different.

While wearing so many hats and working for yourself, how do you find the balance between your home life and being a mom to three children?

I hate the word “balance” because it’s a very tricky word— balance doesn’t really exist. I think a lot of people think that “balance” is something we need to aspire to. But for me, balance changes every day: some days it tips more towards work and I’m more into that, and the other days I might feel like I’m way too much working, and I need to shift towards my kids or myself. I think that just being in-tune with myself and being aware of what’s going on with me, my home or my kids, is really important. It’s all about self-awareness and being in-tune with what’s going on in my life.

On Valeria: Sheer top by M for Mendocino, Faux Leather hat by ALDO Accessories, Earrings – Stylist’s Own, Bracelet by Royal de Versailles

How do you find time for yourself?

This is something I made sure to voice to my husband from the get-go. I’m very much a person who knows her limits. I can feel when I need time for myself, and I demand it. I know that moms are so hard on themselves, and there’s this whole idea that you have to be a busy mom. But I just constantly remind myself that if my kids see me happy and healthy, they’ll have something to follow. So I don’t believe in over-doing it or over-stretching yourself. I come first.

What is a fashion staple you think everybody should own?

I think it would be a good pair of denim. Something that complements your body really well, something that you can take from day-to-night very easily, dress it down or dress it up. Figuring out the right cut of denim for you will take you very far in life.

What is your go-to (Canadian winter-appropriate) outfit?

It’s usually a black turtle neck, jeans, and booties. In the winter, I like to spice up my outfits with my coats, so I have a lot of different shapes, colours and textures to add to a basic outfit.  That’s how I add that extra “Valeria” thing to my outfit. I think a good tip is having a basic uniform that you can jazz up with your accessories or a coat, things like that.

On Valeria: Leopard print one piece by The Store On Queen, Faux Leather hat and a faux leather fanny pack by ALDO Accessories, Earrings – Stylist’s Own

Do you have a go-to accessory?

It would definitely be a pop of colour in a bag. I’m a big supporter of investing in shoes and bags (although the shoes I’m wearing now are from a second-hand store for $25!) but bags are definitely my thing. When I think of my go-to accessory, it’s probably an investment bag that brings a pop of colour.

How would you describe your style?

I would say it’s feminine-masculine or in other words, it’s a combination of soft and edgy styles. I am always kind of playing with both of them. I think that because my look is very soft, I can add some edge to it. I love combat boots or something a little bit more structured and masculine.

What are five things you would always have on you wherever you are?

Lip balm, rosewater mist, my wallet (obviously), AirPods, because I listen to a lot of podcasts, and a charger. I currently love listening to The Goop Podcast, Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations, and How I Built This.

On Valeria: Blouse by The Store On Queen, Jeans by M for Mendocino, Earrings by ALDO Accessories, Bracelet and Rings by Royal de Versailles

What’s your favourite fashion trend at the moment?

Definitely not neon! I really like sneakers. Generally, the more laid-back, chill trends: the sweatpants, sneakers are my kind of thing. I love that the whole athleisure look came back into style and you can wear it to different places (not only to the gym). Comfort is everything.

What advice do you have for someone trying to become an influencer?

I think that this whole industry is still only developing, and it’s going to get bigger and bigger. I believe this is the new media, and I think that what a lot of people are doing wrong when they’re trying to break into this world, is that they try to imitate someone else. They look at other people, either fashion bloggers or beauty bloggers, and end up doing the same thing. But the whole concept of influencers is to bring your own personal stamp to the world, to bring your own authentic self – that’s how people connect with you, and at the end of the day, that’s the way to build an audience. Tell your story, and you’ll find your tribe. Just be authentic and real, and don’t try to be someone you’re not.

On Valeria: Sheer top by M for Mendocino, Faux Leather hat by ALDO Accessories, Earrings – Stylist’s Own, Bracelet by Royal de Versailles

What’s your favourite kind of YouTube video to make?

Probably the motivational self-love ones, although I love fashion and beauty and things like that. But I really get excited and passionate receiving feedback about the self-love videos, and I think it’s important to just share little things that tell people to slow down and stop once in a while, or read a little, or not to be so hard on themselves. I think we all need that little cheerleader to be like “you can do it!” so I love making those.

Can you tell us a bit about your smoothie project?

Nutrition is one of my pillars in my social media. It started out as me making a smoothie once a week and sharing the recipe, and a lot of people responded really well to it. It motivates and reminds people to be a little healthier, and I saw that it really helped many people. I saw people that never would even consume a leafy green be like “hey look at my green smoothie!” It made me really excited. I thought, “why not bring all those recipes together and publish a little e-book?” and that’s basically what we’re working on. The end goal would probably be to come out with our own little cookbook, full of small, little simple things that people can incorporate into their lives.

Did you make a resolution for 2019?

I’m not big into resolutions; I like to refocus at the end of every year.  At the start of the New Year, instead of creating a resolution I was like “Okay, what is my path this year? What do I want to achieve?” It was never really a health resolution— more like getting out of my own way because I think a lot of the time when we try to make resolutions we end up kind of sabotaging ourselves with excuses or whatever it may be. And not even just with health but with relationships and professional endeavours. So, I’ve decided to basically stop doing that.

On Valeria: Leopard print one piece by The Store On Queen, Faux Leather hat by ALDO Accessories, Earrings – Stylist’s Own, Bracelet by Royal de Versailles

And going back to your family, how did you meet your husband, Gary?

We met when I was 19 years old. I was living in New York at the time and he was very persistent. He would show up there every weekend. And eventually, that blossomed into a relationship. It actually scared me at first, because I didn’t know where the relationship was going to go. When we got together I was 20, he was 38, so there was a big age difference. But I was smart enough (I think just from observing my mother throughout her life) to know that the value I saw in Gary was something I wanted in my life. And I thought to myself, “if I had kids, would I want my kids to be like him?” and the answer was 100% yes. You basically find yourself a great partner. And that’s what it is, a partnership. Love is great, but love has its ups and downs, especially with kids and marriage. With Gary, I just found values in him that I knew I’d want in a person that would be with me.

How different do you think your life would be if you hadn’t met him?

I would probably be somewhere in Europe, wandering the streets, trying to figure out the purpose of my life. I was very, very, very, lucky to meet my husband at the point that I met him, because not only did he make me believe in myself, but he also showed me sides of myself that I never thought I had. So basically, my life without him would be very sad {laughs}.

What are your own personal and business goals for the next few years?

My personal goals are to be at peace with myself, and just live my life the way I want to. I don’t want to let it be dictated by anybody else, or society, or by judgement from other people, and that’s something that I’m always working on. As for my professional goals, at the end of the day, they’re the same goals I had when I started: I still just want to really help people, even if it’s just to make them feel good about themselves or make them laugh at my videos, make them smile, make them optimistic. That’s the kind of the legacy that I would want to leave behind. It’s not something material, but I want to feel that I’ve made at least a small difference in someone’s day.

On Valeria: Cropped hoodie and Snakeskin print skirt by M for Mendocino, Thigh high boots by L’Intervalle, Bamboo earrings by Pretty Little Thing, Bracelets and Rings by Royal de Versailles
Photography: Margarita Menard 
Hair & Makeup: Veronika Polianska 
Styled by Bianca Brown