Why did Kandee Johnson disappear?

Summary

Fool Coverage with Manny MUA & Laura Lee Episode: Why Did Kandee Johnson Disappear? Air Date: May 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, OG beauty YouTuber and influencer Kandee Johnson joins hosts Manny MUA and Laura Lee for a candid, heartfelt, and insightful conversation about the evolution of the beauty influencer world, burnout, the pressures of sharing your personal life online, and why she stepped away from the spotlight. Packed with nostalgia, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and wisdom from years in the social media trenches, the episode provides a rare glimpse into the real lives of creators behind the screen—and the toll fame can take.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Catching Up and Sharing the “Peaks & Pits” (00:33–07:45)

• Reunion Vibes

  • Kandee expresses joy at seeing Manny and Laura after a long time, reminiscing about how and when they all first met.
  • “You were literally so sweet, so humble, so kind, so fun. And you've never changed.” – Kandee Johnson to Manny (02:09)

• Personal Updates & Peaks/Pits

  • Pit: Kandee’s mother is experiencing wildfire evacuation alerts—a recurring traumatic experience for many Californians.
  • Peak: Kandee’s 15-year-old daughter did her nails the night before. They discuss the generational passing down of creativity and beauty skills.

2. The Early YouTube Beauty Community: Nostalgia & Legacy (07:47–14:20)

• Kandee’s Impact

  • Manny shares a pivotal moment: seeing Kandee’s “What’s in My Bag?” video inspired his own YouTube journey.
    • Quote: “I don’t think I would have a YouTube channel if you didn’t have existed... my person was Kandee Johnson.” – Manny MUA (08:13)

• Ripple Effect of Online Content

  • Kandee reflects on unknowingly inspiring others: “You just don’t know what a ripple effect one of your decisions will do.” – Kandee Johnson (10:26)

3. Content Creator Burnout & Platform Evolution (14:23–21:01)

• Changing Demands

  • The trio discusses how content creation has become more demanding, with the addition of multiple platforms and increased audience expectations.
  • The shift from raw, spontaneous videos to more produced, higher-pressure content is called out as both inevitable and exhausting.
  • Quote: “You’re sleeping one hour at night from editing round the clock.” – Kandee Johnson (14:48)

• Burnout Experience

  • Kandee shares she stepped away due to health issues and burnout:
    • “I could only push myself so long, and then I hit a big wall...” – Kandee Johnson (21:19)
    • She grew to understand why public figures don’t always share personal hardships publicly: “I couldn’t handle anything... I was just trying to make it.” (21:27)
  • Changing tastes: “Nobody wanted to watch long YouTube videos anymore... I felt like I didn’t know where I fit.” – Kandee Johnson (21:56)

4. Coping with Pressure, Personal Tragedy, and the Dark Side of Fame (27:34–39:01)

• Maintaining Positivity

  • Kandee is candid about struggling to keep a positive persona when personally struggling (esp. after her father’s death).
  • She recounts incidents with fans and a stalker, and the way she, as a public figure, felt forced to put on a “normal” face:
    • Quote: “It was those moments where you’re trying to act normal, but you’re like, I don’t even know what I said, why I had to leave...” – Kandee Johnson (29:00)

• Evolving Creator Landscape

  • The group nostalgically contrasts the early, messy days (“no one knew what they were doing”) with today’s hyper-produced, brand-saturated market:
    • “There was no format… There wasn’t even ‘beauty guru’—it was just a person making things on YouTube.” – Kandee Johnson (32:18)
    • “We lost the plot… you are the plot.” – Manny MUA to Kandee (33:02–33:40)

5. Brand Interactions and Integrity (45:04–47:01)

• Kandee shares a story about an unnamed global brand overreacting to her uttering “let’s get naked” (referring to an Urban Decay eyeshadow) and strict legal edits.
• She’s walked away from partnerships when brands mistreated their customers:
  Quote: “If you’re mean to [my audience], I will not stand for it.” – Kandee Johnson (46:41)

6. Fakeness, Motives, and Purpose in Influencer Culture (49:01–54:13)

• The Shift to Influencing-for-Profit
  • Kandee observes newer creators join solely for fame or brand deals, rather than a passion for teaching or connecting:
    • Quote: “They wanted a Brando… they wanted this much money… It made me so sad.” (49:21)
  • She emphasizes the importance of heart and authenticity: “Are you giving to people, or are you just doing something?” (49:45)
  • The original reward was genuine connection, not money or prestige.

7. Online Hate, Forgiveness & Perspective (61:01–69:06)

• Handling Hate and Scandal
  • The trio recalls the onslaught of online hate and bizarre situations (Kandee once falsely accused of car theft!), and how perspective and forgiveness became survival skills.
  • Quote: “I want to forgive them. And if I saw them again, I want to be the place where I could be like, I hug you and I forgive you, even if they don’t even ask.” – Kandee Johnson (65:34)
  • Laura Lee jokes about being “less forgiving”—providing comic relief (66:28).

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On OG YouTube’s Impact
  • “You are the plot.” – Manny MUA to Kandee Johnson (33:40)
• On Burnout:
  • “I could only push myself so long, and then I hit a big wall…” – Kandee Johnson (21:19)
• On Influencer Growth:
  • “My goal was to have 200,000 followers on YouTube… and Michelle [Phan] did the Lady Gaga video and blew up.” – Kandee Johnson (41:20)
• On Early Brand Deals:
  • “No one knew what to charge. Do you want to give me $100?” – Kandee Johnson (77:30)
• Comic Relief/Relatable Humor:
  • “Bitch, I’m 18. I don’t know what I’m doing.” – Kandee (81:17), describing working retail.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:33–03:41 – Reunion stories & introductions
• 03:41–07:45 – Peaks & Pits: Personal life updates, wildfires, motherhood
• 08:13–10:13 – Manny credits Kandee with launching his YouTube journey
• 14:23–21:01 – The pressure, burnout, and health struggles behind stepping back
• 21:19–23:14 – Feeling lost as platforms and audience change
• 27:34–31:26 – Maintaining positivity in the face of personal tragedy and stalkers
• 32:18–34:13 – The evolution of YouTube: from raw to brand-driven
• 41:20–42:20 – Michelle Phan’s Lady Gaga video blows up the beauty community
• 45:04–47:01 – Difficult brand interactions and maintaining personal integrity
• 49:21–54:13 – The shift in motives in influencer culture
• 61:01–69:06 – Handling hate, forgiveness, and wild accusations
• 77:05–83:13 – “Worst jobs” before making it online, the value of real-world experience
• 86:00+ – Bullying, working retail and in service jobs, final reflections

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Structure and Flow

The conversation ebbs between nostalgic storytelling, honest reflections on burnout and the changing YouTube landscape, and practical wisdom for new creators. There’s an undercurrent of gratitude for the community they built, tinged with a deep awareness of the price of online celebrity.

The group’s camaraderie is evident, creating a warm, safe space for both laughter and vulnerability.

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Closing Thoughts

Why did Kandee Johnson disappear?
Life, burnout, health, shifting internet culture, and the need for balance. She never really left—her impact remains. Her openness about her journey offers validation to anyone who’s ever needed to step back, and her kindness continues to shape the space she helped build.

“Even the people that have wronged me, I forgive.” – Kandee Johnson (66:15)

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For more on Kandee, check out her socials—just under her real name, no cutesy handle.

Transcript

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[Candy Johnson]

Bitch, I'm 18.

[Laura Lee]

We're tired, baby. We are tired.

[Candy Johnson]

Grandma Candy's tapping out. I'm just going back to my hotel room and ordering room service.

[Laura Lee]

I'm like, honestly? She's like. And even the people that have wronged me, I forgive. I'm like, you.

[Candy Johnson]

You gotta get me out of this. These girls are mean.

[Manny Mua]

Welcome to your favorite podcast. It's full coverage with your host, Manny Mua and Laura Lee.

[Laura Lee]

We're introducing each other.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

I'm like, I don't know why you did that.

[Manny Mua]

Okay. Today we have a very, very, very special guest that's near and dear to our heart. She basically is the founding father of the beauty community. Without her, there is no beauty community.

[Laura Lee]

That's true.

[Candy Johnson]

Candy. I've got this.

[Laura Lee]

Kandy.

[Candy Johnson]

My self confidence is just going, woo.

[Laura Lee]

As it should. As it absolutely should.

[Candy Johnson]

We love you so much on the street yesterday. I'm like, I need to talk to them every day now.

[Manny Mua]

Yes, please do.

[Laura Lee]

We love having you. Like, we're. Thank you so much for coming over. Like, it's just. It's been so long since we've, like, even seen you.

[Candy Johnson]

I know. Like, like, since, like, Pand. I don't know. Have I seen you since then?

[Laura Lee]

I don't even know. I don't even know. I don't think so. I don't know beyond that.

[Candy Johnson]

I was literally thinking of. I specifically remember the exact time that I met each of you guys. Like, I literally remember. I think I might have met Manny first. I can't remember. And we were working on something. I don't know what it was for Revlon. Lori, Alice.

[Laura Lee]

Oh, my God. It was like a project.

[Candy Johnson]

Yes. And then this new guy that was like an agent assistant where I was at. And he was like, yeah, you're gonna be working with this guy named Manny Mao. And I was like, manny Mao.

[Laura Lee]

I remember this. What a cute name.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm like, is it like a cat? Like a meow thing? And then we worked on it. You were literally so sweet, so humble, so kind, so fun. I was like, I love him. You were so, so. I was like. You were just so much fun that day. We had so much fun. And I was like, I love him. And you've never changed. Like, you have been humble, kind. Like, you've never, ever, ever. You're true. Every time. And the same thing. When I met. Where. Oh, my gosh. It was at some beauty event.

[Manny Mua]

Yes. Did you.

[Candy Johnson]

We were not in la. You didn't live here yet, I don't think. And it was like an outdoor thing. It was like a party. No, no, it was at, like, a. A beauty thing. It was an outdoor thing with, like, trees and stuff.

[Manny Mua]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

And I remember I met you and you were just, like, the sweetest.

[Manny Mua]

I'm your number one fan, so I was only nice fans.

[Laura Lee]

I love you.

[Candy Johnson]

An angel baby dolphin.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

And you guys have stayed the same, like, never. You guys are the most humble, the most kindest, likewise, girl.

[Laura Lee]

Literally.

[Candy Johnson]

Come on. Anytime there are beauty events, I would just, like, gravitate. I was like, yes.

[Laura Lee]

So did we. So did we. Trust. When I think, go to Kitty's, I

[Candy Johnson]

was like, once you'd see, like, a familiar face, you're like, yeah, we're safe.

[Laura Lee]

100%. I'm safe.

[Candy Johnson]

This is gonna be a good night. This is gonna be time. Now.

[Laura Lee]

I cannot wait to, like, get into this with you and, like, just, like, we have a bunch of questions that we want to, like, ask you and just dive in. But first, we like to do peaks and pits before we start, which is kind of, like a fun thing of the week and kind of a negative thing of the week. And it's a. Could be fierce or not fierce. Like, this depends on what it is.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, okay.

[Laura Lee]

Why don't you give us one of them?

[Candy Johnson]

Right off the top of my head. Well, a pit would be. My mom got, like, a fire alert that her house may be evacuated today at any point.

[Manny Mua]

So she's saying there's fires in California again.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

It's, like, not even seen.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, they were, like, calling phones and they were, like, sending out things, and it's, like, really, really, really close to my mom's house. Like, she's in the warning zone now, but it isn't, like, active, so.

[Manny Mua]

So there's a big active fire happening right now.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, not fire. Like, please.

[Laura Lee]

I mean, it's like, this is starting again. Like.

[Candy Johnson]

Like, I've already. I mean, I'm sure you guys have been. I've already been evacuated.

[Laura Lee]

Like, evacuated.

[Candy Johnson]

And you're with her. You did?

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Manny Mua]

And we live.

[Laura Lee]

I'm literally like, why am I getting back the fire? Literally. We had contingency plans. We were like, okay, if we evacuate, we're going to my mom's house. Literally, we have to. We were like, just figuring out, like, along the way. We have to map it.

[Candy Johnson]

Because then when there's evacuation, oh, guess what? Every hotel, everywhere is sold out. You have nowhere to go if you don't have a family member or a friend or, I don't know, even a random person is like, hey, bring you and your animals here or whatever.

[Manny Mua]

Seriously. Yes. That's how it is.

[Candy Johnson]

And then you don't know. Like, I'm really good now. I'm like, you gotta get the photo albums, the laptops, your birth certificate, all that stuff. And then some clothes for a couple

[Manny Mua]

days and you may never see your home again.

[Candy Johnson]

You may never get luck. Yeah. And you might be living in that outfit for like.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah. Months. Yes. So good luck. That's literally how you.

[Candy Johnson]

I had to film something while we were like in la, downtown la. And I was like, I have sweatpants, a pair of Vans and this like, robe, like a kimono robe I brought. And the pot, it's up there. I'm wearing the stuff nobody knew. I had to go to, like a blow dry bar. I didn't have brushes or hair products. And I think I went and bought some makeup. I was like, okay.

[Manny Mua]

I was in January. Huh? During the fires in January last year.

[Candy Johnson]

This is the old fires, the wool, Woolly fires, even before that. I don't even know what year that

[Laura Lee]

was when that was like happening, like really intensely. Yep.

[Candy Johnson]

You're like, which of the 20 fires.

[Laura Lee]

No, literally, like, which of the horrific fires that got burned out? Which trauma? Yeah, yeah, there's. All of them have traumatized me at this point. I've been driving through fires.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah.

[Laura Lee]

I'm going through it all.

[Candy Johnson]

You're just awake. Like you're awake for days because you don't know. Check watch duty app. Like, is it three in the morning?

[Laura Lee]

Watch duty, Bitch. Watch duty.

[Candy Johnson]

Watch duty was like the non stop watch. I was gonna look at the Internet. Just like, watch duty. Same, same.

[Laura Lee]

It was watch duty only for days.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

I feel like it was a shell those days.

[Manny Mua]

I said our Instagram. Yes, it was.

[Candy Johnson]

And then you're like, power is out and you can't even showered because there's no water. You're like, this is the weirdest.

[Manny Mua]

It's horrible.

[Candy Johnson]

California to be out here, baby.

[Manny Mua]

It's a disaster. I know.

[Candy Johnson]

It is.

[Manny Mua]

It really is a disaster. That's a pit. Pit.

[Candy Johnson]

So that's a little bit pit and then peak. I'm just thinking light hearted. My daughter did my nails, so that might be okay.

[Laura Lee]

I was looking at them. They look amazing.

[Candy Johnson]

She did them last night. I don't know where there's a camera. She did like zebra pit nails.

[Laura Lee]

They look beautif.

[Manny Mua]

I know.

[Candy Johnson]

She's just 15 and she was like, let me do your nails.

[Laura Lee]

I was like, and she can just do nails?

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, she got a little nail kit. She. I had.

[Manny Mua]

Well, I wonder where she gets all her talent.

[Laura Lee]

I know. Her creativity. I wonder where it just seems. Fuck it out.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, you wanted. She's like, yeah, she's. I was so tired last night. She's like, just lay down. I was like, laying down on the floor and I think I was probably falling asleep. And she's just like, doing my nails. I'm like, this is great. Just take a little nap and I get some nails done.

[Laura Lee]

Dude, that is so sweet.

[Manny Mua]

Love that.

[Laura Lee]

That brought me. That brings me back. Like, my mom, like, when I was practicing makeup for the first time ever, and I was like, mom, I have to, like, practice makeup. I don't know what I'm doing. And she would. She would come home from work exhausted, and she would literally just be on the couch like this, and I would just practice on her and she would just let me. Even though she was like, I'm so tired. But I was like. I was like, just let me, like, please, like, just do your eyes. And she's like, okay, please tell me

[Candy Johnson]

you have photos of these somewhere.

[Laura Lee]

I don't. I don't have any photos. Because we didn't. It was literally like, it wasn't like something that I thought you were just practicing, just practicing just to practice. And she would let me after work and I was like that. Like, that's why it's like, you're such a good mom. Because even tired as hell, like, you're doing, like, something for your kid, you know?

[Candy Johnson]

I felt like it was a gift to me. I was like, aren't you tired? Do you want to go to bed? She's like, no, we are doing your nails for the podcast tomorrow.

[Laura Lee]

That's so cute.

[Manny Mua]

I love that so much.

[Candy Johnson]

She grew up like, well, both my girls grew up knowing, like, all of you guys are like. Because you guys were like, in the same. Same weird little world that I was in, you know?

[Manny Mua]

Yeah. Very weird.

[Candy Johnson]

What are you doing on the Internet then like everybody wanted to be a YouTuber and then everybody wanted to do

[Laura Lee]

like tick tock, everything.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Creator, everything.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. Now there's like click, clack, zing, zong, all so many apps. You know what, please don't start a new one. I just can't take it anymore.

[Manny Mua]

I have to tell you, you're. I know so many people tell you this, Candy, but like I don't think I would have a YouTube channel if you didn't have existed. Like you are the person that now they're like, oh, you me want to start a channel? And I'm like, oh, well, Candy Johnson's my person. And I have told this story on podcasts and interviews everywhere. But my stepdad, I think it was God year 2011 or something like that. And he was trying to show me how he had this cord, which was just an HDMI cord, but he was trying to show me I can make the laptop show up on the TV screen. So he's like, let me just show you how cool this is. And I'm like, okay, whatever.

[Candy Johnson]

That is very cool. That was very big deal at the time.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, right.

[Candy Johnson]

So he was very ahead of the game actually.

[Manny Mua]

He really was. He was into technical stuff. So he's like, let me show you what I could do. So I was like, okay, cool, cool, cool. So he just clicks on YouTube. Whatever. I don't really watch YouTube videos and stuff.

[Candy Johnson]

Nobody was watching YouTube at that time. Really?

[Laura Lee]

No.

[Manny Mua]

There was an app on your phone. Like I saw it. A flip phone, I think, or like a slider or something.

[Candy Johnson]

You couldn't even watch on the phone. It was like built for computer watching.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

Okay. So we're in that era. So he just randomly clicks a video and it's your what's in my bag Video. Stop it. And from that day I literally said, I said, who is that? He goes, I don't know. I just clicked. Your girl's video was like, who is that? Cuz you're Candy. You have the rings and the flying out of your bag and it's just like, yes. I was like, girls are doing this. Like you are the first person I ever saw. Like, what Besides like Jenna marbles and crocus beauty.

[Candy Johnson]

That was like comedy.

[Manny Mua]

That's like a TV show in a way. More like skits.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

I never seen anyone like have their own show like you personality person ever saw. And when I saw it, I decided I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. Are you kidding me? Literally watching that Video. I was like, I want to do. I want to drop out of college. I want to quit my job, and I want to do that.

[Candy Johnson]

No way.

[Manny Mua]

And, like, I started filming. I never stopped.

[Candy Johnson]

Are you joking me?

[Manny Mua]

I was your what's in my bag video.

[Candy Johnson]

You never told me that story.

[Manny Mua]

I know I've never told you, and I've told that story so many times. I was like, I'm not going to make this about me, but I have to tell you this on my podcast.

[Candy Johnson]

It blesses my heart to know that. Because you don't know.

[Laura Lee]

You really don't know.

[Candy Johnson]

Like, and it's so crazy, like, what a ripple effect. Like, one of your decisions will do. It could be anything. You could just be like, I'm going to make a video talking about this, and you don't even know how that's going to help somebody or encourage them or. I had no idea when I was making my little. It was probably. That was in 2011. I was probably like, I don't even know what house where I lived at that time, what video I was doing. But those what's in my bag videos were everything. They were very fun.

[Manny Mua]

They were.

[Candy Johnson]

I probably had, like, a hello Kitty, big hello Kitty bag.

[Laura Lee]

I don't even know.

[Candy Johnson]

It's probably something like, I'm pulling out a lamp and, like, literally, this is my person and this is what I

[Manny Mua]

want to do, and that's my personal kid. Yes. We were virtual best friends before we even met her. Well, I was your friend.

[Laura Lee]

She's like, I do exactly what you are.

[Candy Johnson]

You do everything.

[Manny Mua]

I was so obsessed, but the second

[Candy Johnson]

I met you, I was like, I love her. You were literally so sweet, so kind, and I am serious. Like, you guys have been some of the most humble, kind, just sweet, genuine people that are so caring and sweet, and it's so refreshing. Like, it's just like a breath of fresh air. I'd be like, oh, never once, ever. Like, there's no attitude that comes for you guys. There's no ego that comes from you guys. There's no. You're better than anybody. Like, you guys are just so kind. And, like, you literally, when I would ever see you anything, I feel like little lights be like,

[Laura Lee]

I feel the exact same about you.

[Candy Johnson]

And I would just scurry on over.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Like, hey, 100%. And I know you were geeked when you met her.

[Manny Mua]

Oh, losing my mind. Losing my mind. You know, it's like that person. Like, there's. You always find that person.

[Laura Lee]

Your start off.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, your start off, like, Your purse.

[Candy Johnson]

I started crying, I think, when I met the girl who I watched first watch, because I was like, you have this attachment. Like, I had never. I'd never seen YouTube videos before. Nobody was watching YouTube really. Like, it would be weird videos, like, an accidental video. Like, look at this person crash doing this. Look at this. It was like, all, like, you know, like, America's Funniest video. I've heard reels of things. And then I had a guy friend. Oddly enough, he wasn't, like, watching that. And he was like, have you seen this girl, like, teaching makeup on YouTube? And I was like, what? I didn't know that was a thing you could do. And I'd been a makeup artist for maybe, like, 10 years at that point almost. And everybody would always ask me, like, I wish you could teach me makeup. I wish I never learned. I don't know how. I wish I could learn. And I'd be like, busy. You know, I'd be like, well, I gotta go to another job or I gotta go home or I can't teach you. And so when I saw that, I was like, oh, my gosh, I can teach all the people at once. They can learn, and I'll just teach them how. And so I got so excited, and I was like, I can do this. And then, you know, I had, like, professional makeup artist friends that were like, you know, texting me, like, why are you teaching this? This is going to ruin our industry. Why are you teaching all the secrets, like, people should go to school? And I was like, oh, well, that's not the reaction I wanted from you guys.

[Spanish Language Advertiser]

Right, Right.

[Candy Johnson]

But I get what you're saying. But I was like, but this is, like, for everybody that didn't learn, they don't know how to do eyebrows. They don't know how to do eyelash. They don't know anything. And so I think that just. I just was going crazy. I just had so much fun doing it. And I was like, you know, I was at a lonely time. I was going through a divorce. I was all these very hard things. And so I was like, I feel like I have friends. I have people to talk to 100%. And then I would just. I mean, I was crazy. I was uploading, like, two videos a day, sometimes three videos a day.

[Manny Mua]

I was watching them all. I was walked in.

[Candy Johnson]

Honey, I loved it. There was no pressure. Like, you couldn't even pick a thumbnail for your YouTube video back then. YouTube picked it for you. And I'd be like, what in the world? It'd Be like me, like halfway talking, I'm like, that's. The pictures are all going to see great.

[Manny Mua]

That's what I was. I was telling our audience. I was like, well, whenever I started and how I got my channel, I would upload like five days a week. But they weren't like production. Like, they weren't like a 45 minute. No, like I could upload like a 5, 10 minute video. And then that was. You know what I mean? So it was a little different back then to understand what I was doing.

[Laura Lee]

Sure.

[Candy Johnson]

You were like.

[Manny Mua]

No.

[Laura Lee]

You were too. Nope.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, I was like in front of a window. Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

How long were you doing the five till it went to the three?

[Manny Mua]

It was years.

[Candy Johnson]

Really?

[Manny Mua]

Yeah. Because it was the only way you could really get out there. Oh, really. Inundating the platform. It was saturated very quickly.

[Candy Johnson]

And then did you just get burnt out and you're like, I can't do this. Or were you just.

[Laura Lee]

You know what? It's when you start to get spread thin on everything else, you start to realize you can't do.

[Candy Johnson]

And you're sleeping one hour at night from editing round the clock.

[Manny Mua]

You're like, now you gotta do Instagram every day. Now you gotta do Snapchat every day. You know, it's like the add on just keeps coming with these apps, so then you can't do it.

[Laura Lee]

So then it kind of like takes away from your experience on every other app because you're spread so thin.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

You can't.

[Laura Lee]

All of them.

[Candy Johnson]

You can't. There was just. When I started, there was just Facebook and probably MySpace. I don't know. That's it.

[Laura Lee]

Definitely, definitely.

[Candy Johnson]

And even that felt like it was too much sometimes. And I'm like, people don't want to see me on YouTube and Facebook. That's too many platforms. And then I remember Instagram came out and I was like, what am I going to do that for? Like, Like, I have Facebook.

[Laura Lee]

Right? Exactly, exactly.

[Candy Johnson]

So I didn't even start till like a year later. I should have jumped on when I didn't know.

[Laura Lee]

How would you known?

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, why is this different than Facebook? I'm posting a picture over there and it's totally different.

[Laura Lee]

Right.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm like, then vine came around and then all the things. I was like, shoot, now I got a six second quarter. I don't know what I'm gonna do.

[Manny Mua]

That's literally what it feels like.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

What you're describing is exactly how it feels.

[Laura Lee]

Every time a new platform comes out, you're kind of like, Oh, I got to start over again.

[Candy Johnson]

He's like, what do I do with this?

[Laura Lee]

How do I build on that one?

[Manny Mua]

Now it's like, it's.

[Laura Lee]

It really is. It's really hard in the editing.

[Candy Johnson]

I don't know. I still. I edited all my own videos like the whole time.

[Manny Mua]

So that was just full time job in itself.

[Laura Lee]

Like I Twitch thing itself is already its own beast. This episode of Full coverage is brought to you by booking.com I've got to say, you guys, if you're looking to grow your vacation rental business, this is the place to be. Booking.com is one of the most downloaded travel apps in the entire world. And for good reason. Since 2010, they've helped over 1.8 billion vacation rental guests find places to stay. That's billion with a B.

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[Laura Lee]

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[Candy Johnson]

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[Manny Mua]

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[Candy Johnson]

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[Candy Johnson]

electro domestico selectos nuestra mejor selection esta key and low. Oh, it's crazy. I would get like. Because I would edit usually like at night because that's when it was like quiet, like nobody was calling me, emailing me. My kids were asleep. I'd go to Starbucks. This is so bad that Starbucks is open till 9 o' clock near my house. I'd go there at like 8:30 and I'd get two giant coffees and I would just drink them and I would just edit and it'd be so hard sometimes there'd be deadlines that were like nine in the morning and I'm like, am I gonna sleep tonight? I. Before school, I have to take kids to school. Like, this is crazy.

[Manny Mua]

I remember you talking about that on your channel.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, it was exhausting.

[Manny Mua]

I remember you being like, hey, I just posted like, I remember that.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh yeah, I'd be posting. It'd be like the sun would be coming up and I was like, video will be alive. In one hour after I take my kids to school.

[Manny Mua]

Just crazy how you did it.

[Candy Johnson]

Why do I have a permanent eye twitch? I don't know.

[Laura Lee]

Because you're literally not sleeping.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

You're like, cracked out on caffeine.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

And I'd be like, why am I hospitalized on a trip to New York? Because my heart is like, I haven't slept enough in two days. So literally just a lot of concealer. I'm like, I look awake, I look awake.

[Manny Mua]

And you're the pro, so.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

You're like, I'm color correcting.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm fine. If anybody's tired, I got you. I will make you look like you slept 25 hours. I know how to do it.

[Manny Mua]

Well, we have questions to ask you, Ms. Candy. Okay. So at one point, just like we were talking about, right now, relevant to what we're talking about, you're on YouTube. You're everywhere. Tutorials, collab. The longer you've been on, you've taken a little bit of a step back.

[Candy Johnson]

Why? Well, it was a couple reasons, like, my health. I never want to be like, oh, I have all these things wrong.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

Or anything, but, like, my health, I could. I could only push myself so long. And then I hit like a big wall a couple years ago where I just got some scary health situation in news and I was like, yeah, I never really understood, like, why celebrities or people would not talk publicly about what they were going through, you know, and then when that happened, I was like, oh, because you. I couldn't handle anything. I couldn't handle anybody being like, oh, you should be doing this and not doing this. You could be. Why aren't you doing. I couldn't even handle that. I was like, I'm just trying to make it, you know? And then you deal with other things in life, whether it's, you know, tragedies in your own life or all kinds of things. And it's hard. The longer you're online and you see things, the harder it is. Sometimes it's just like, I'm barely making it. Like, I can't even share this with the world because I'm barely making it through this stuff. So I took a step back, like, for that and then just doing it so long and like, everything changing. Like, nobody wanted to watch long YouTube videos anymore. Who wants to watch a 10 minute video when you're used to watching, you know, 10 second videos? And so that was another thing. I'm like, I don't. I felt like I didn't know where I fit or where I belonged. Or like, I don't know. It was like, really weird to feel like I don't know where. Where do I.

[Manny Mua]

What you're saying makes perfect sense.

[Laura Lee]

So much sense.

[Manny Mua]

It makes things change.

[Candy Johnson]

Like the beauty space has changed so much since 10 years ago, five years ago. It just feels like it keeps changing. And then I was like, I feel like I taught everything, you know, Like, I feel like I have a video on everything. And then my kids will be like, yeah, mom, nobody's seen that video that you made in 2013. I'm like, yeah, oh yeah, that's true.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

And I'm like, but is that boring? I just recreate all my old videos again. I don't know.

[Laura Lee]

Like, it's not.

[Candy Johnson]

Here's how to do eyelashes 101 from 15 years ago. A. 17 years ago.

[Manny Mua]

No, 100.

[Laura Lee]

But that's literally what it is.

[Manny Mua]

Makes sense. Like what you're saying makes sense. Sense as to why did you guys feel that?

[Candy Johnson]

Like, did you guys feel that at any point? Because you guys have just been still going strong the whole time. Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

But it feels like a rat race that you're trying to keep up with.

[Laura Lee]

Like you're on a hamster wheel.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Feels like you're on a hamster wheel in a way.

[Manny Mua]

So what you're saying, it's like. Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

You know, we actually very much like, relate 100 to what you're saying for sure. We just. The thing is, for us, we didn't like, take big breaks in it. We kept like kind of like progressively uploading to different pops. And the thing is, once I started realizing that, I'm like, I can do what I did on YouTube, on TikTok, and I started kind of like, like transitioning that it helped me like, mentally to feel like I don't like, necessarily because I was feeling the same thing. I'm like, where do I fit in? I'm a long form content creator. I take photos and Yeah, I do 30 minute YouTube videos.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

So then once I started realizing that, I'm like, if I just like bite size, what I already do.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Like we have personalities for that. Like, we can do those things.

[Candy Johnson]

Or it was the ones where they weren't talking. You know, it was just like music and I was like, I don't do. I don't. I. I talk, I teach. Like, I got into this to teach people. Like, now I'm just. You're just looking at me and guessing what I'm doing. Like, this is.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

100. And the thing is also like the platform itself has changed. Like, let's say TikTok. It was musically and it was about like, dancing and like little, you know, very. That vibe. That's like what it was.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm not good at.

[Laura Lee]

I wasn't really doing that. Like, I wasn't doing that on the platform. Yeah. And then people started using it for different things and they started using it to, like, do like bite sized tutorials or by just sharing their personalities. And I was like, that is something I feel like I can get behind. That can get behind. Not necessarily, like the dancing and whatnot. Yeah, no, but I can just use our. We have personalities for that. Like, we can do those things.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

So I'm like, like, I guess I'll just do what I already do.

[Candy Johnson]

I think you guys have done that so well. Like, you guys have done that so well. Right? Be like, oh, my gosh, they're just killing it everywhere. All the angles are killing it with all the things. And I'm over here just like, no,

[Laura Lee]

it's just like, it is like, the thing is too, like, we have put so much work into it. Like, we really actively try so hard because we also have a podcast. Like, we do so many things, everything.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, how do they have brands?

[Manny Mua]

How do they have podcasts?

[Candy Johnson]

How are they doing it on all the platforms? I was tired just seeing. I'm like, like, are they sleeping or we're tired?

[Laura Lee]

I'm just saying we are tired. Like, that is absolutely amazing. We are tired. But it really also, I think is really important that you find things in your life too, that you can, like, hold on to that's more normal or like, more like. Yeah, normalcy.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah.

[Laura Lee]

And we all, we all. I know we all have things that we like, really, like, like cherish because we know that it's what's like, really real.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, that the moment where, like, your phones aren't out or you can just like, I don't have to think like, oh, I should be posting. Should I take a picture of this dinner? Should I take a picture of this? Or, you know, and there's so many things that come with it which are so, so, so amazing. I love the whole. The. The one thing that I miss is. I know, like, I felt this duty. Like, I started writing my blogs before I even started YouTube and I would write two blogs every single day. Like, I'm talking the day I was in labor with my Ellie, I was writing the blog post because I. I would get so many letters from people saying, like, I'm suffering from depression. I'm going through this thing. Like, your blog is the only thing I look forward to. So I felt this, like, obligation, like, if they're looking forward to this, I have to write this every day, you know, and that for me on YouTube, being able to bring people joy, help them. The teaching makeup was like, a little part of it, you know, but the real part is knowing that you are making a difference in somebody's day or helping somebody through a hard time with something as insignificant as makeup. But when you hear like, oh, they were in the hospital with a terminal cancer and you were the bright spot that they watched in there or all these kind of things or whatever the thing they were going through, I was like, this is what I love about it. And then just figuring, like, how do I keep doing that when I'll be somewhere with somebody and it'll be like a beautiful mom with all of her kids and she's like, I started watching you when I was in middle school. I'm like, you have a full fledged family now. I feel like I'm 2,000 years old. And everybody's like, I don't watch you YouTube anymore. I don't. I don't watch makeup tomorrow. I'm like, okay, what do I make for people that I don't.

[Manny Mua]

I don't.

[Candy Johnson]

Describe me, you know, so, like, it was realizing, like, that shift of, like, everything when TikTok, all those things blew up and. And I just needed like a health break for a minute. I'm feeling like 100% better now. But there was definitely a time where I was like, I can't. I don't have energy to look. Open up a social media app and look and see what's going on.

[Laura Lee]

Absolutely.

[Manny Mua]

Well, our next question is literally what you're talking about right now. So we said you've always. I feel like Candy Johnson, the name person, has always had a very positive, sweet, kind. Sweet. Yeah, just like a safe, energetic. Thank you so much, you guys. Have you ever felt pressured to keep that up when things like in your real life, like you were just saying

[Laura Lee]

are hard, are going to shit?

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, my gosh. It's so hard because a lot of times people don't know what's going on, you know? Like, I remember right after my dad died, literally the day after I was flying back when he was supposed to be picking me up from the airport. And now I'm flying back and he. Now I'm going straight to a coroner's office, you know, and it's the only time I put Sunglasses on in an airport. Like, I've never. That person that's, like, don't recognize. Like, I was never. I was just crying so much. I. I didn't want people to see I was crying. And I remember a girl came up, and she was like, oh, my gosh. Can I come get a picture with you? And I was trying so hard to be. I was like, oh, yeah, of course. And. And then my kids were there, and they were like. They're like, mommy's really sad. Her dad just died. And I was just like, oh, no. And then, like, all of a sudden, she's feeling bad, and she doesn't know what to do. Now I have to comfort her because she's feeling bad. And I was just like. Those kind of moments were a little tricky when people don't know what you're going through. Or there was, like, a stalker at a couple beauty events I was at, and nobody knew. And, you know, I would always even tell security with me, like, you be nice to anybody. Don't you dare tell anybody. She can't do pictures or she can't. Don't do. Like, I want to see every. You don't know their story, connection to you, you know? And I remember the security was with me, and they were trying to get the guy that was there, and he'd been following me and showing up at many events and doing many crazy things.

[Laura Lee]

I didn't know you had a stalker.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah. This one was, like, really, really, really aggressive. Like. Like, he was on lists not to be allowed in, and he got in somehow, and so he was at this one. And I remember the police were escorting me out, and they were undercover because they didn't want to make him alarmed. And so they were walking ahead of me, and they were like, do not stop. You just have to make up an excuse why you can't take photos. And this is not, like, a big beauty event. You guys are probably at it. And I remember these people ran up to take photos with me, and I just fel. Because, like, I couldn't stop, and I couldn't tell them why. And I'm, like, kind of a little nervous, scared that this guy's still wandering around. And so it was those moments where you're trying to, like, act normal, but you're like, I don't even know what I said, why I had to leave. I just remember feeling like, oh, this is hard because you can't be yourself. So those kind of moments when you're having, like, a really hard day, like, something is difficult and you're like, oh, I'm gonna try to be friendly. Even though, like, I'm crying and falling apart.

[Laura Lee]

No, I feel like that's, like, so hard. Like, and it happens all the time in every aspect. Like, you can have those experiences, and it just. It sucks.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

But it's almost like you just have to, like, power through in a way. And that's just like. Like, you try to be like, put your best foot forward.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah. Like, I always want to bring joy, and I never want to bring people down. So even when my health stuff wasn't good this last year, I saw this girl and she was like, candy, Candy. And she was like, hi. She's like. She's like, how are you doing? How's your health? And I'm like, oh, I'm doing good. And she's like, oh, yeah. She's like, I saw you human. She was, you look terrible. And I was like, she's like, I saw you. I don't know what store. And I was like, oh. Oh, well, glad we better now. What you doing? Yeah, I probably felt terrible. I, like, I just, like, resort to humor. I didn't know what to say.

[Manny Mua]

Information.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, oh, okay.

[Manny Mua]

Thank you so much.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, yeah, well, I felt terrible, so.

[Laura Lee]

Well, I felt like. So I'm glad.

[Candy Johnson]

It looked like it didn't ze out at all.

[Laura Lee]

Literally, like, what the.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, how am I doing today? Do I look a little better?

[Manny Mua]

That was so dead.

[Laura Lee]

I feel like. So I, Julie, feel like you, like, have shaped YouTube like, beauty YouTube, like, truly, like, you are literally one of the founding followers. It's the truth. It literally is what it is. But, like, how do you feel like the landscape of beauty has changed online from YouTube era. Like, how do you feel like it's changed?

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, it's so crazy, because it used to be, like, when I started, it was nobody knowing what they're doing. Nobody knew how to edit. Nobody had good equipment, nobody had lighting. There weren't any examples. Like, I think people go on Instagram or TikTok now, and, like, you need a hook, and you need five seconds to follow me for more tips. And this is how you get videos. You post 20 times a day and do this. And there was none of that. So it was just basically, I just wanted to teach and share my knowledge with people and make somebody happy, you know? And it was so, like, unpolished, and it was just so real and raw, you know? Like, I remember my dad would tell people, like, I love when I watch you because he's like, it's how you are in your real life. Like, you're dropping a thing, you can't find it. You're doing this, you're do you know, And. And I think I miss that part of it. I miss it feeling like you're not talking 100 miles an hour, which I felt over the years. I have to talk faster because it's gotta be shorter. And now I'm just, like,

[Laura Lee]

giving people

[Candy Johnson]

anxiety where before it was like, more mellow. Like, hey, everybody, like, I'm going to show. It was like regular conversation, you know? And I feel it was people's genuine passion. Like, nobody was. There were no brands that you were, like, appeasing. There was no collabs anybody was trying to do. It was just you authentically being like, I love this weird, obscure product and I love this. And I. I just think there was, like, this purity to it and this, like, real, genuine. It was just real. There were mistakes. It wasn't good quality. It was just like, no. There was no format. Nobody knew anything. There wasn't even, like, beauty guru wasn't a word. It was just. No, influencer wasn't a word. It was just like you were a person making these things on YouTube.

[Manny Mua]

I feel like that is where the deepest form of influence was coming in. Whenever we had nothing to sell, because there was nothing to sell and there was no real money to be made outside of, like your AdSense, for instance. You know what I mean? But, like, I mean, you weren't gutting for gunning for a million views, but I feel like now, sure, it's more influential, but you have hundreds of thousands of influencers, so you're gonna be able to more. And brands are more inundated in the content, whereas then it wasn't. But I think when it was just so, so raw and real, that was like, the idea. And yeah, we lost the plot. We completely lost the plot. Like, the plot is gone. It's blown. It's gone. So it's so interesting having you here because you're one of the few people that are around that created the plot, who remembers the plot. And I think that that was like, look how you influence me. Like, I want it to be you. I was like, I want to do what she's doing. Like, I want, like, that channel. I want to do those things. You know what I mean? And that was very exciting. But, yeah, it's just really interesting to have you here. You are the plot. You know what I mean? I think that's like the Most influential that you can get at a genuine level.

[Candy Johnson]

Well, it was so fun back then because it was literally just like I would go to the Mac store or something and I would just show like what I bought. I didn't set up lights. It was at my kitchen table. It was just like poorly lit. I mean, the first video is so bad. You don't see my face. I had a cold. It was dark. You can't even. It doesn't even sound like me. Cause I was sick and. And I just made it. We're like, today I would be like, oh, no, no. The lighting can't wait till tomorrow. And it was just so bad. It was so great because it was so genuine. And it was like nobody heard of like these wadi eyeshadows that I had used in my kit. Nobody had heard of. These brands were known. You couldn't get them anywhere. You know, support. The options of makeup was very small. Now there's like one zillion trillion makeup brands where you're like, like you were gonna get like maybe 10. You knew of and then, and then professional brands nobody had heard of that. I was like, go to this website. And people were just trusting they'd never heard of these brands before. But I'm like, I'm telling you, these are what look good on high definition cameras. This is what lasts all day, you know?

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Thank you so much to Cash App for sponsoring this portion of full coverage, you guys. Is your debit card boring? Honestly, what would you want? It is, right? It absolutely is. What would you draw on your Cash App card personalization feature if you. You could customize it? Laura, what would you draw in there?

[Manny Mua]

Probably a cat.

[Laura Lee]

I knew you were gonna say cat, and that's honestly correct.

[Manny Mua]

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[Candy Johnson]

And so being like a makeup artist that worked in this so that would make it a little different because you know I was trained like your makeup's gotta last for a 16, 18 hour shoot. Like it cannot move. It can't just be cute for a picture for a thing. So I was like I'm gonna teach you how to set this stuff so it is not gonna come off. I'm gonna teach you how to do all this stuff. And so I felt like I had these very in depth and like lengthy things where I was like bless the people that are watching this on this long video of mine.

[Laura Lee]

Yes, yes.

[Candy Johnson]

Just learning all the things and. And I feel like a grandma, like watching tutorials now. I'll see like on TikTok them, like, don't do that. That's so dangerous. That's like really bad for your. This or that. And I'm like, okay, it's trending. It's got millions of views.

[Laura Lee]

You're like, it is. You're like, it is what it is. You gotta let them go. Let the kids fly.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, all right, okay, okay.

[Manny Mua]

You might.

[Candy Johnson]

You're gonna hurt yourself.

[Laura Lee]

But okay, great, great.

[Manny Mua]

Okay. The year is 2012. This is a fun question, by the way. The year is 2012. If YouTube had a reunion, who are the three people at your table? And me and Manny cannot be there. Who can? There we are. We haven't even started.

[Laura Lee]

We haven't started 2012.

[Manny Mua]

When did you guys start 2012?

[Candy Johnson]

You did.

[Manny Mua]

So I'm not existing.

[Laura Lee]

I did, I think 2014.

[Manny Mua]

2013.

[Laura Lee]

Instagram. 2014.

[Candy Johnson]

Are you serious? So you start on Instagram first. You were doing the close up eye pictures. Like everybody.

[Laura Lee]

That's exactly what I was doing.

[Candy Johnson]

Those eyes. I was so jealous.

[Laura Lee]

I was like, that's literally what I was doing.

[Candy Johnson]

I was just taking a picture of this amazing eye makeup. I'm like, that's. Why did I do that, you guys?

[Laura Lee]

And I knew that the reason I was doing this because I was a boy and I knew I would get less hate because they just think my eye. And I don't do my. My face up too. Of course. But a lot of the up close eye stuff is with the. The reposting.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, reposting those eye pictures.

[Laura Lee]

Like, I would get reposted. My eyes would get reposted.

[Manny Mua]

Instagram page to blow up.

[Candy Johnson]

That was so smart.

[Laura Lee]

And it was more. Obviously, it's just your eyes, so it's a lot more androgynous. Like, it's not.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, but like, that's just a boy eyeshadow. Nobody can tell.

[Laura Lee]

And I've always had like thinner brows, so girly ass brows had thin ass brows.

[Candy Johnson]

So I'm trying to think who was

[Laura Lee]

doing that era that you.

[Candy Johnson]

It would have been Lauren Luke. Because she's the person that. The reason I started because I saw her and I was just like, I love her. She is like, she doesn't know. She's my best friend, but she's my name. Lauren Luke. Her channel was panacea 81.

[Manny Mua]

Wow.

[Candy Johnson]

And she was doing makeup in the UK and she was selling makeup and she was Showing you how to use it on there. And she was just so funny and real. And you'd hear her, like, dog snoring in the background. And I was like, I love her. And she's literally the first person I saw. I never. I didn't know that was possible. And then I was like, I'll be like, the. The American version of her. And then I didn't know there were, like, a handful of other people doing it. So let me think who was doing it at that time. It would probably be, like, the Pixie Woo sisters. It would definitely be Lauren.

[Manny Mua]

Luke.

[Candy Johnson]

I would have her there. I'm trying to think who else was doing makeup. Makeup.

[Manny Mua]

Then I'm like, you have like 10 people like Michelle.

[Candy Johnson]

Literally, like Michelle Fawn.

[Laura Lee]

Michelle was my. Was my number one.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, really?

[Laura Lee]

Like, that's the first person I saw that did a beauty was Michelle.

[Candy Johnson]

Do you remember what that first video was?

[Laura Lee]

Lady Gaga. Bad romance.

[Candy Johnson]

Okay, so this is a funny story.

[Laura Lee]

The I thing.

[Candy Johnson]

So back in the day, nobody had a million followers.

[Manny Mua]

That.

[Candy Johnson]

It was very low. So my goal was to have 200,000 followers on YouTube. That was my big, huge goal. And Michelle hadn't gotten there, and Nobody was at 200,000. And I was like, we were close. We were like, so close. And then she did the Lady Gaga video.

[Laura Lee]

Video, honey.

[Candy Johnson]

And that Lady Gaga video, because she photoshopped the eyes to look really big. So everybody thought, is that makeup? What is she doing? There was no AI. There was no apps. There was no nothing back then. That video hit Reddit, hit everything, and just blew up. And she hit the 200, 000, and I was like, she did it. She hit dollars. She made it. How crazy.

[Laura Lee]

That's the biggest. That was the biggest.

[Candy Johnson]

200, 000 was. I was like, she crossed the line. She's golden.

[Manny Mua]

The threshold that can be passed by no one.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, I'm never gonna catch her. I'm never gonna catch her now.

[Laura Lee]

I gotta look.

[Candy Johnson]

But it was that Lady Gaga video that went everywhere.

[Laura Lee]

That's how I saw it.

[Candy Johnson]

Everywhere. It was. That was crazy.

[Laura Lee]

That, like, changed my brain chemistry. I'm not even kidding.

[Candy Johnson]

It was so good. And I. I would. I probably have. I'd have Michelle there. Who else is there? Probably, like, oh, purse Buzz Dulcet Candy. There was a guy named Corinne with encore makeup.

[Manny Mua]

I went to one of Dulce Candy's meet and greets when I first moved to California, and I waited in line forever. I love that.

[Candy Johnson]

It was like, I'm trying to think who else is doing. Oh, my gosh. Alicia. I can't think of her YouTube channel name. It was. Everybody had the cutesy names, you know, and like, when I started, I couldn't think of a cutesy name. It was like, everybody was like, oh, Jayla's Mac. That was another one. Yes.

[Manny Mua]

That was my girl.

[Candy Johnson]

I love her.

[Manny Mua]

Crazy.

[Candy Johnson]

It was like all these people had these names, like, I love Mac, butterfly 67, rice bunny, juicy Star.

[Manny Mua]

And they all Jutsy Star Sister.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

And it was like everybody had these cutesy names and I couldn't think of a name cutesy for me. And I was like, I'm just gonna use my name.

[Manny Mua]

I guess your name is cutesy, though. It is.

[Laura Lee]

It's so cute. Your name is Kaylee.

[Candy Johnson]

It wasn't like sparkly makeup brush or something?

[Laura Lee]

Yeah, right. It wasn't Sparkly Girl 7.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. It wasn't like Sparkly Girl 92. And so I was like, I guess I'll just use my name. And then later it was weird to me because you'd see people out, like at a beauty thing. They'd be like, oh, there's Purse Buzz. There's, you know, Juicy Star. And then they'd be like, candy Johnson. I'm like, yes. What? And I was like, am I in trouble? I'm like, oh, they know me. What? This is so weird.

[Manny Mua]

Wow.

[Candy Johnson]

He's not like, candy Johnson, you're up at the doctor's office. I'm like, wait, oh, they know my name. This is so weird.

[Laura Lee]

That's so interesting. I didn't think about that like, that. Everyone did have like a cutesy name.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Like, that was like the thing.

[Manny Mua]

That was the thing.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, yeah. In like the beginning.

[Manny Mua]

Have you seen on TikTok there's like going around everyone for some reason every. And I thought I was the only person on the planet who knows who JLoves Mack1 is.

[Candy Johnson]

Yes.

[Manny Mua]

I mean, come on. Like, I used to watch her videos on repeat, but there's a whole thing on TikTok now. People want to know where she's at.

[Candy Johnson]

Where is she? I don't know.

[Manny Mua]

Oh, no one knows the whole thing. People are like, where is she? She really just is, like, done with it.

[Candy Johnson]

She was like, I've had enough. I've had enough of the Internet. I'm just gonna be out here being

[Manny Mua]

alone and I have to say it to my algorithm because I want to know where she's at. Cuz I was such a fan.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, I'm going to have to look for my Phone and see if I have actual phone numbers. Cuz it was like a small little group. When you knew people back then, it was like, what, you do this weird thing too? All your family's like, what are you.

[Laura Lee]

Back then, like, especially in the beauty space, like, I had everyone summers. I like knew everyone that was in the space creating like when we were like, it was like back in.

[Candy Johnson]

Back in the day.

[Manny Mua]

Day.

[Candy Johnson]

Like it was. Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Now it's like, are you going to this thing?

[Candy Johnson]

Are you going to this thing? Are you going back in the trip days when it was

[Laura Lee]

you took a shirt off. So you say yes or no 100%. I'm curious because you are also an OG and you've been doing this for so long. Have you ever had any like weird brand interactions? Like, have you ever had like a brand that's like kind of fucked you over, you know? Or like you have to say the brand name? Of course.

[Candy Johnson]

A weird one. I would think it was really difficult to work with. I won't say the name, but it is a very big global brand and they have a huge legal team. So everything was just like under this microscope of editing. I don't know if I've ever edited re edited so many times. And the worst part was is I was using a Urban Decay palette. And you know, Urban Decay had some edgy names in there, of course. And it was just part of the tutorial I was doing. I didn't notice it because I've been doing videos. I just say the name like, and now I'm gonna take this. Now we're gonna get this. Blah, blah, blah. And in the video I didn't think anything. I was like, and now we're gonna get naked. The naked was the eyeshadow color. And this brand lost their mind. They were like, she is inappropriately said we're gonna get naked in the video. And I was like, no, I didn't. It's eyeshadow color. And like the editing of it is so.

[Laura Lee]

So now we're gonna get.

[Candy Johnson]

I wasn't like saying anywhere. I was like, and now we're gonna get naked. I wasn't. And then. And now we're gonna get chocolate. It was just like. I don't know why I was saying, but like get it with a brush or something, right? So that was like very difficult editing wise. And then brand wise there's just been some brands where, you know, midway through the thing, I didn't like how they were interacting with like customers and stuff. And I was like, you know what? I don't care how it is. Not the money you're paying me is I cannot tell people to be, be using your product and you're not helping or listening, you know, and so I just, yeah, some things I was like, oh, I'm just gonna stop this midway and we're gonna.

[Manny Mua]

Wow.

[Candy Johnson]

And because at the end of the day, like my integrity, like, you're, you don't know people's stories. Like, I know, I know how hard it is to make money and to tell people to buy something that it was, it was a good product, you know, it was good, but I just didn't like, like, you better not be messing with my little candy family. People online, I'm like, if you're mean to them, no, I will not, I will not stand for it, you know.

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[Manny Mua]

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[Candy Johnson]

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[Candy Johnson]

I think that's probably like the only weird. That's probably I Can't think of. It's been, like, so many years of them. There's probably some crazy ones there that I.

[Laura Lee]

Sometimes you block out for your.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, there might be something I blocked out in there that I'm like. And a. No.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah, exactly.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. I can't. I can't think of anything crazy. Crazy. I'm probably gonna think of 12 stories on my drive home.

[Laura Lee]

Yes, I will pin like, you guys, this is a real story.

[Candy Johnson]

This is a good one.

[Manny Mua]

This is gonna be a. Okay. What is one thing that in the creator world you think is a little bit fake, a little bit phony, a little bit not real? As someone especially who is super raw and real as you have been through so many years, what is something that you feel like you wish was a little more genuine?

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, I think a lot of it sometimes gets lost in there. I remember being at a photo shoot in New York once, and I was. I was getting. There was, like, other influencers there, and they were just very new. I don't even remember their names, but they were just starting up, and they were, like, in the room getting their stuff ready, and I was over here. And I've always been, like, the older one, because, like, I started YouTube when I was old. I was already mom with three kids. I was like, I think I was 29 or 30. Like, I think I was 30. So I was, like, already old when I started. So I've always been like, I'm the grandma of the. Of the people around. And so they were young girls. I could just hear them all talking. And it was just, like, the reason they got into YouTube was just. It just made me feel sad, you know? Like, I didn't know that it could be a career for me. I just knew I was lonely at the time. I had makeup knowledge, and I could teach people, and I was like, this is great. I can help people, you know? And they were just had these lists, like, wish lists of brands they wanted to work with and wish lists of, like, amounts of money they wanted to make. And I normally, I'm not confrontational at all. Like, I avoid anything. I will be like, the. I'll be sitting there in the airplane having to pee my pants, and I don't even want to bother the person next to me to get out. Like, I just don't, like, troubling or bothering anybody. And it was just making me so sad. And then at one point, I just. I walked over there, and I was like, hey. I was like, I was just listening to you guys talking. I was like, what is the reason why you guys started, you know, and it was just for money. It was just for free product. It was this. They wanted a Brando. They wanted this much money, they want this. I'm like, okay. And I was just trying to impart things. I'm like, you know, like, if you, if your heart is in this, that you want to help somebody, that it's not just not about you, it's what can you do for people? Are you entertaining? Are you teaching? Are you brightening somebody's day? Are you, what, what are you giving to people, you know, or you're just doing something? So I think that just that was in the beginning when I first started noticing, like, people are getting into this not because they want to help entertain, make people laugh, do something. They're just getting in it too. I, I want to deal with, you know, Nike. I want to deal with so and so. And I was just like, oh, what is happening? Like, this is not the thing anymore. Or people just being mean to, like, at, you know, beauty events. And you'd see people being very like, no, I'm not taking photos or rude to their. Yeah, I was just like, no, no, no, no. Like, they're your heart. This is, should be your heart, should care about each little person that's coming up. You don't know if they just lost a parent. And you're the through line of feeling like somebody that loves them in your life. They don't. You don't know if they're maybe being beaten at home and you're the only person that makes them feel loved. Like, you don't know their stories. And so for me, I just feel like very protective of, of the, of everybody because I've met, you know, thousands of people at meet and greets and your stories, like, I would just leave crying every time, just crying. I was like, I can't believe I, I get to matter to you and I get to pour love into your life where you don't have any love at all, you know, so that is bigger to me than any award. Anything that I could get really is just those that matters at the end of the day, even people being like, you taught me how to do my eyebrows or. But then like, you helped me through a breakup, you helped me through this, you helped me. Those are the things that matter. I'm like, you learn the eyebrows eventually. There were books. There were books. If you didn't have Internet, you know, I love that.

[Manny Mua]

And I, I feel like I've even said that because even whenever we Started like the girls I was following had a Honda Accord and maybe a one bedroom apartment.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh yeah.

[Manny Mua]

And that's what I had. So I was like, I think this might be able to cover my shit. Yeah. Like, I think I can do this.

[Candy Johnson]

Yes.

[Manny Mua]

But there was no. Because there was no like big Sephora deal or.

[Candy Johnson]

No, it just didn't exist.

[Laura Lee]

Nothing like that.

[Candy Johnson]

It was so little. Like at that time when it started, like, it was so funny. I remember I didn't make any money on YouTube the. first. And I remember when they said, you want to be a part of the partner program? And I was like, I thought the partner program because you could only make 10 minute videos at that time. And I was making these long transformation videos that took me an hour to turn myself into Snow White, an hour to turn myself into Jack, an hour to turn myself into Jack Sparrow. So long. And I'd be like, I got to edit this down to 10 minutes. And so when they said, you want to be on the partner program, you can make videos longer than 10 minutes. I was like, hallelujah, sign me up. People have to get a 40 minute tutorial right now. Then they were like. And then another thing down was like, oh, it could be monetized. But like nobody was making anything. So you didn't know. I was like, maybe I'll make a dollar. Maybe I'll make something. And then the first thing, I think it like covered my cell phone bill and I was like losing my mind. I was like, oh my God. My AT&T bill. Like, what? Like I'm rolling in the money. My whatever hundred dollars I made.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

It wasn't like, oh, this is how I'm going to. I mean, I don't. It wasn't a gold mine. No, no, no.

[Manny Mua]

You know what I mean?

[Laura Lee]

Not.

[Candy Johnson]

It was like a perk.

[Manny Mua]

Like, woo.

[Candy Johnson]

And I got a little something.

[Manny Mua]

Yes.

[Laura Lee]

Something extra.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, perfect, this will pay for my memory cards. I just had to buy or something.

[Manny Mua]

Literally. Okay, another fun question. What's the most ridiculous thing an influencer's ever said to you or anyone in the industry?

[Candy Johnson]

Oh my goodness. That was in the industry.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah. You can have think time too on this ridiculous thing.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, man. Oh man. There have been some ridiculous ones for sure. They're like all flooding back to my head.

[Laura Lee]

You're like, yeah. You're like, yeah, they're doing that.

[Manny Mua]

You're like, is it therapy?

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, there's a lot. There is a lot of. I mean, it's like a good thing. Like I was Older. Oh, let me see. I know that there were so many. Just, like, some simple ones. I know I was something, and it was like, a beauty event, and it was like this brand thing, and somebody was like, do you know how old Candy is? She's old enough to be my mom, like, to the brand person that was there. And I was like, wow, this is a weird topic of conversation.

[Laura Lee]

You're like, why is this? Why am I here?

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, okay. I'm like, that's a fact. That is true. You could be my child. Wild. But I'm trying to think of, like, crate. I mean, I know there was more things where I've definitely just been like, you know, I'm just gonna forgive that one. We're just gonna.

[Laura Lee]

We're just gonna move on.

[Candy Johnson]

We're just gonna move on. I don't know what's going on in their life that they're just having a sassy day or something. Because, like, in the beginning, they have beauty influencers. Like, I don't know when the beauty and floor boom was, but all of a sudden, it went from, like, not anybody. There were no events. There was nothing. If there was an event, there was, like, two people there to win into, like, boom, explosion of people. And I was just like, oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. And everybody was so fancy, and I was like, I. I don't have the clothes for this. I don't. I. I don't have, like, cocktail dresses. I didn't have the.

[Manny Mua]

It did get really fancy. It was our group that were the. The bubble busted, I think, and we started, too, because I would say 2020. The bubble really busted whenever Tik Tok came on, and now we're talking, like, hundreds of thousands. But I do think it was like our era whenever it, like. Like, it did.

[Candy Johnson]

But Was that, like, 2015, 2016, something like that?

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

When it was, like, the bigger.

[Manny Mua]

When there was, like, youtubers, all the trip cities.

[Candy Johnson]

Yes.

[Manny Mua]

That was those years.

[Candy Johnson]

So many trips.

[Manny Mua]

There were trips

[Candy Johnson]

here, or do you want to go to Paris with this brand? You're like, the same day, the same weekend. This is the weirdest. Like, both.

[Laura Lee]

Book me across.

[Manny Mua]

We'll balance.

[Candy Johnson]

I remember that one trip. Like, I've always wanted to go to Fiji or Tahiti, whatever. Those little house on the huts. Like, that's always been on a bucket list.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

And I think it was a trip. Did you guys go on that tart trip?

[Manny Mua]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

And I could. I didn't go. Something I couldn't go. There was, like, a reason I couldn't go. And then that trip was bonkers. Like, I looked online. It was just every. Yeah, it was Bora Bora. It was like everybody was there. I was like, first off, how did they. How is everybody there?

[Manny Mua]

I don't know.

[Laura Lee]

Literally.

[Manny Mua]

And then schedule cleared. They said tiki huts over the water. Everybody said, cleared schedule.

[Candy Johnson]

And I was like, one day, maybe I'll get to a tiki hut.

[Manny Mua]

Seriously, on that one.

[Candy Johnson]

When I saw the. It looked like a little bit of mayhem at some moments, and I was

[Manny Mua]

like, maybe a lot of crazy happened. Maybe that's never the Internet, maybe. And maybe it was too much for me. But a lot of crazy stuff did happen on that trip that never hit the Internet.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah. Like, I'd hear about it. I would hear about the things, and I was like, oh, my golly. This is like.

[Manny Mua]

And none of it was Tart's fault.

[Candy Johnson]

No, no, no, no, no. And I don't care.

[Manny Mua]

I'll say, baby, it's 20 years.

[Candy Johnson]

It was never the brand's fault.

[Manny Mua]

If anything, it was the brand trying to cover up and save their asses for the behavior of the influencer.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. And you can't. Like, you can't control people. Oh, yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Hello.

[Candy Johnson]

Do you remember the benefit thing in Vegas? I think it was the most influencers that were ever.

[Laura Lee]

You know what? Yes.

[Manny Mua]

Eyebrows.

[Laura Lee]

Eyebrows. Eyebrow.

[Candy Johnson]

Lunch. I got to the hotel room, and there was a book. And in the book. Did you remember the book? It had. Every influencer was there and their name. It was paid pages. I was just turning pages.

[Manny Mua]

I think they had over 100 influencers.

[Candy Johnson]

I think it was more. I was like, are there a thousand people here? And then in the morning, we walked in that big room with all the makeup tables. I'm like, this looks like the Super Bowl. I've never seen so many makeup tables and lights in my life. And I was. I got nervous.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, there's bound to be some interactions here. There's gonna be some fights. This person doesn't like. This person doesn't like this. I would just leave, like, once the party was done and I knew people started drinking, I was like, going back to the hotel room. I am not gonna have any part of whatever's gonna.

[Manny Mua]

And.

[Candy Johnson]

And I'm like, grandma Candy's tabbing out. I'm just going back to my hotel room and ordering room service. That's how I.

[Manny Mua]

You should have went back to the room.

[Laura Lee]

I should have.

[Candy Johnson]

I should have been. Anybody want to do some?

[Laura Lee]

I should have gone back to that grandma roof. I don't even drink it. I should have gone back to that room.

[Candy Johnson]

But you guys were always so sweet. Like, you guys were. I never, ever, ever once, ever felt ego, ever, from any of you guys. Like, you guys were just like, little. These little bubbles of sweet, humble humility that I was. Like, I wish it was.

[Laura Lee]

You know what?

[Manny Mua]

I agree. I do agree.

[Laura Lee]

You know what? People take advantage of sweet and humble. That's the deal. They will take advantage of.

[Candy Johnson]

Stomped on and walked on, because they know you're not going to sue them. They know you're not going to do all the things that other people are going to do.

[Manny Mua]

We're never going to make a video on you. I'm never going to talk about you on our part. Like, we're never going to do it. We've never done it.

[Candy Johnson]

No.

[Manny Mua]

And they know that.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. I mean.

[Laura Lee]

I mean, things have changed, though.

[Manny Mua]

Oh.

[Laura Lee]

The thing is, like, I'm not saying that I'm not humble. I still. I genuinely do feel like I'm a humble person. I'm a kind person. I just feel like I stand up for myself a little bit more now than I did in 2016. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. There's more like bone there.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah. When you're just, like, mushy, you feel like you're about to beat up by everybody. You're like, oh, my God.

[Laura Lee]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Candy Johnson]

And then later you're like, I just don't know. No, I don't even want to do that anymore. I'm too tired.

[Manny Mua]

I'm too tired, honey.

[Laura Lee]

Exhausted.

[Manny Mua]

I'm tired now.

[Laura Lee]

I just want to live life.

[Manny Mua]

I used to get in the ring and I'd square. I was battling the girls. I was battling the girls.

[Candy Johnson]

Really?

[Manny Mua]

I used to have to battle the girls. Girls, really. I used to. I did. I did you influence her trying to get me. And I would be like, I can

[Laura Lee]

think of multiple experiences.

[Manny Mua]

What?

[Candy Johnson]

No, Better. Nobody ever be hurt.

[Manny Mua]

My girl hurt.

[Laura Lee]

Katie, they would try Laura, they would try me.

[Manny Mua]

Katie, they would try me in. I am such a loudmouth bitch from the south that just like, really, can

[Laura Lee]

I. I'm like, really? She is a loudmouth bitch of the South.

[Manny Mua]

You can be so sweet and kind, but it's like, if you're gonna shit all over me, like, I simply will have to say,

[Laura Lee]

she's always been that girl that's like, I'm gonna say something back to you. Like, if they try to come for her, Never get away with it.

[Candy Johnson]

You won't. I Don't know what.

[Manny Mua]

Anybody would come for you. For me either.

[Candy Johnson]

You are so sweet. Like, you've literally been so sweet.

[Manny Mua]

But I just feel like I have always tried to be nice to people, and it's like, if you want to say something and you want to do something or you want to throw a slide at me and you want to be rude, I'm going to have to make you uncomfortable because we're going to talk about it.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm just going to say something to you. Like, what in the world. You know, what I've learned on the Internet is I was always, like, a people pleaser, you know? And then, like, there's a lot of people with mindsets and thoughts about life and things, and they're not gonna like you for various reasons. And you're like, you know what? If I'm too happy for you, I'm not gonna be offended that you don't, you know, or you want. You want that mean girl that's gonna cuss people out every day. I'm not her. So if you don't like me for that, then it's. I've never been hated. Turn such hateful things as the end. The Internet. And then it just. You. There's a lot of people with unhealthy mindsets or damaged mindsets and. And hurt. They're just hurt people, you know, Very, very hurt people. And they take it out on you for whatever. There was some girl, she wrote on this post, and she was like, I can't believe Candy's still doing two tutorials. She's some ratchet face, no talent, with this whole paragraph. Looks like a man. All these things. And the sound of her voice is annoying. And. And I was just like, wow, whoa, whoa.

[Manny Mua]

This is a whole paragraph.

[Candy Johnson]

And I looked at her profile picture. I'm like, oh, my gosh. She's, like, stunningly beautiful. She looks like she could be a pageant queen. And I was just like, I'm just gonna write something back to her. And I. I think I just wrote, like, it's so crazy. Like, you look so beautiful. It doesn't make sense that somebody so beautiful would be saying such ugly words, you know? And that's all I said. And then she wrote back, of course. And she's just like, oh, my gosh. I never thought you were gonna see that. I was having the worst day. I don't. It was like this list of, like, she got fired, her car, all these things. She's like, I'm so sorry I took this out on you. You're like the nicest person. And you. It just like I was like, this is. You don't know what is behind somebody's things, you know, or hurt. And some stories you'll never know. Like I'll. There was a girl right after my dad died, like very shortly, like days after my dad died. And I got home and I'm just like crying. And that was like the first long break of YouTube I took. Like, I didn't care. I didn't care about the. I didn't care if I posted a video. I didn't care brand deals were going to have to wait. Like, I'm just not going to do this. And. And I was just crying every day, not eating. And I'd be running. I'd run for like five hours a day and I would just be running and crying. And that's all I did for I don't even know how long. And the police show up at my door and I was like, is this something about what happened with my dad or something? You know, I don't know. And then they come to the door and they're like, we're here about you stealing a car. And I was like, what? What are you talking about? And they're like, this woman sent photos of you in her car car and said you stole her car in another state. And she put a wig on to look like my hair. And she ran a red light so that the red light would like, hopefully it just obviously doesn't look like me still. And I was like, what in the craziness? And like I was actually at an event at Urban Decay like the weekend that it happened, so couldn't. I mean, they had proof. I wasn't even there anyway. And my mom was there with me and I was just like. I was like, why would this girl do this? Like, now I know her address and like, you know, and. And then my mom is like, she's such an angel. My mom is like, we are going to pray for her right now. And I was like,

[Laura Lee]

I don't want to pray for her.

[Candy Johnson]

I don't want to pray with you. But I'm having a hard time wanting

[Manny Mua]

to pray for her.

[Candy Johnson]

And my mom's like, we are going to pray that God is going to bless her and fill her heart with every wound. Why she's so sad that it would make her. And she's like, we're going to play she's breast with so much joy and happiness. She never feels like she ever is this low to make somebody feel like this again. And I was like, yes, okay, yes, Jesus, this is right. And. And I remember after that, like, I did feel this sense of, like, my heart felt a new level of heartbreak for people that are in that mode. Because you're happy people don't do that, you know, like, the happy, successful people I knew, they don't have time. One, and they're never going around being like, this person did this, this person did that. And then I was like, I don't know what her. This. I will never know her story. Like, I never reached out to her, even though I had her address and name and everything. But I do hope she's doing well. But after that, it really just shifted my heart that you don't know. I mean, so many people I have interacted with, I would never share their stories, but it is very crazy what they did and the things they did to me. And then I know the level of pain that they were in in their life. And so, I mean, it's wild. Like, wild. Like, so wild. I would just never.

[Manny Mua]

Can you imagine if they did that to, like, a tiktoker to this day and age? They would have 52 TikTok address, their name out there.

[Candy Johnson]

Like, oh, yeah, like, my attorney one time, like, he was like, candy, if you made a video about this one instance, he's like, this would go. This would go so viral. And I was like, even if this person hurt me, I still want to protect them, you know? Like, I want to forgive them in their heart. Even the people that have done really nasty things to me, I was like, I just. I want to forgive them. And if I saw them again, I want to be the place where I could be like, I hug you and I'm sorry and I forgive you. Even if they don't even ask, ask or some haven't asked. And I'm like, I just forgive you already. Even if I ever see you again. I know you didn't ask to apologize, but I already forgive you. And I hope you're in a better place in your life now because the world is crazy. Like, it's just something I've ever heard. What is.

[Laura Lee]

I don't know how she does it.

[Manny Mua]

I don't either.

[Laura Lee]

I'm like, honestly, she's like, and even the people that have wronged me, I forgive. I'm like, you and go fuck yourself. That's my problem. Problem. That's my problem. Until I forget. I'm a forgetful person.

[Candy Johnson]

I have those friends, too, that they're like, let me have. Let me go. I was like, no, do not go. Do not.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

Do not know their address.

[Laura Lee]

It just depends on like the level or how good I'm feeling that day.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

I mean, I'm more forgiving.

[Candy Johnson]

Some days are hard days.

[Manny Mua]

That's true.

[Laura Lee]

Some days are hard days. Some days I'm like, I don't even give a. I'm so happy.

[Manny Mua]

Yes. The place that I adore me is like this. Didn't steal the car. Don't care.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah, don't care.

[Manny Mua]

Don't care.

[Laura Lee]

It really depends on your vibes.

[Manny Mua]

It does. It depends on what's primed you in your environment. You know what I mean? I was just cushion you guys cuz

[Candy Johnson]

I was like older. I feel like I was like this old, farther removed. So I feel like you guys were in the trenches of like everybody was like hanging out and doing things and I was like off over here. Like I couldn't hang out. I was like doing mom stuff and doing things. So I felt like I was like a little far removed. But I'd be like, oh man, they're in the thing.

[Manny Mua]

In the trenches.

[Laura Lee]

Trenches.

[Manny Mua]

But you know what I've always said on this podcast. Podcast. The one thing I regret was being so deeply inundated in the trenches because I don't think my career needed it.

[Candy Johnson]

No.

[Manny Mua]

And like the things I dealt with, you know, being that deeply into.

[Candy Johnson]

Was it like the video collab, do you think? Like. Because I know everybody was collabing with everybody, doing videos with everybody. And I didn't real. Not that I didn't want to. I was just like so busy.

[Laura Lee]

I did not.

[Candy Johnson]

And I was like, how are they doing this? Like, are they just at each other's house? How is everybody like being in every other's videos all the time? And maybe nobody just asked me, I don't know. But I was like, I'm a. I want. How do they do this? It was just seemed like. It seemed like a lot of work

[Manny Mua]

or it was almost just like us very. It was smaller than what it is today because I don't think there is a community today. Like I don't think it's like a community. But back then I would say there's probably like 30 of us in LA, in Los Angeles specifically.

[Candy Johnson]

You knew everybody. At a beauty event, you'd know everybody

[Manny Mua]

had a beauty event, everyone. So it was like that. So it was almost like you actually had a community and that's why everybody was intertwined. And like obviously the more you collab, everybody got to grow together and like fun.

[Candy Johnson]

It was like seeing People, like. Because I'd be at my house editing by myself all the time. And so when I'd go to Beauty and you'd hear, you know, everybody talk about their stuff. And then I took my daughter to a. A rare beauty event. And it was like the first time.

[Manny Mua]

Did I see. No, I didn't see you at that one.

[Candy Johnson]

You might have. It was in like Santa Monica. Yeah. Near the water. And that was the first time I walked in, maybe. Was that after Covid? Maybe.

[Manny Mua]

I think it might have been.

[Candy Johnson]

Maybe it was after. Right after Covid. And I walked in and there was so many. It looked like the most crowded nightclub ever.

[Manny Mua]

It wasn't.

[Candy Johnson]

I knew about one person per every 20 people. And I was like, I don't even know who these people are. And there was so much stuff going on. My daughter was like, this is exhausting. How did you ever go to these? I'm like, they didn't used to be like this.

[Manny Mua]

Okay, one random question for you, Kanda Johnson. What is something the Internet would be shocked to know about you? You.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, the Internet would be shocked to know about me? I mean, probably. Let me.

[Laura Lee]

I can never answer this question.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm like, what it. What?

[Laura Lee]

Can't answer that. They know too much already.

[Candy Johnson]

I mean, it's hard, cuz I don't know. Like, I feel like I've shared so much. I don't know what people. But people didn't. Didn't watch the videos from 17 years ago when I said stuff.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah, 17 years ago.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

You better put me in. You better put me. I'm on here.

[Laura Lee]

Marissa, you ain't been.

[Candy Johnson]

17 years ago. Yeah, 12 of them. That's over.

[Manny Mua]

I think I'm on. I'm already tired, Candy.

[Candy Johnson]

It already feels tired. See, maybe when you get so that's like 12. So let's see if I started 19. I think I just like, slowed down. Maybe like 20. I think 20. Was it 20? 19 or 20 is when I started,

[Manny Mua]

which is very fair.

[Candy Johnson]

And that was very long time of doing it.

[Laura Lee]

You know, I was like, this is the burnout.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

It was just like it was exhausted. And then I went through, you know, it was just a point where like, you're so tired. I was just. And it doesn't make sense to people because I've had terrible, not terrible jobs, but like, I've cleaned houses, I've been a waitress, I worked at orthodontist office. Like, you know, I've done jobs that like, they were tiring, but like, it was a different level of you could go home when you were done. When you were done working and then you didn't have. Have, like, drama things and like, other things to deal with. Like, it's hard to deal with hate online a long time. Like, you, you know, it's hard to be told you're ugly and you should kill yourself and all of the things.

[Manny Mua]

I wouldn't tell you that word on the Internet anymore.

[Candy Johnson]

But, like, no one tells you that

[Manny Mua]

at your 9 to 5. You know what I mean?

[Laura Lee]

Ortho, honey.

[Manny Mua]

Like, nobody.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

If I'm in pain, I'm telling you that if I'm getting braces, you're going to have to kill yourself.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

I was never working on a teenager. Like, also, I didn't go to school to be like, a dental hygienist or anything. I had been a makeup artist and I had moved back from LA and my best friend worked at an orthodontist office. And, like, you know, makeup jobs would be sporadic because I wasn't in la. So, like, whenever a celebrity came to town, I would do their makeup or a TV show came to town, I would do it. But she's like, in between, she's like, it'd be so fun if we work together. And I was like, that would be fun to work with my best friend. And so it was fun. It was very fun. Fun because I was just in scrubs every day and I didn't wear makeup. Also didn't go to school for this, but they taught me. And I'd be just be like, I'd be changing wires. I'd be like taking brackets off. I was. I mean, we'd check with. Or the. The doctor would come over, I'd be making impressions, doing X rays, the whole thing. Never wearing makeup because I would just have, you know, teenage boy food, like, flung up on my face. It was.

[Laura Lee]

Oh, my goodness.

[Candy Johnson]

But nobody ever, even when, like, I accidentally poked somebody with a wire, they were never like, I hate you.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

Wasted my life. Your voice makes me want to scratch my eyes out. Like.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah, correct.

[Candy Johnson]

Never like that on the Internet.

[Laura Lee]

And somebody, you know, it's a different kind of work. That's the thing. And I. What I love about, like, us more, you know, seasoned creators, I like to say, is that we have worked real jobs.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah.

[Laura Lee]

Before.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, yeah.

[Laura Lee]

We have worked in different capacities. We've had real jobs, we've lived real experiences, gone through some really hard times, you know, so you're so appreciative. So we appreciate. Appreciate what we have.

[Candy Johnson]

Yes.

[Laura Lee]

And we know how hard it can be.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, my gosh. I think that's what made you guys so great, because you guys are so grateful and appreciative on things. Like, even the brand trips, I would be losing my mind. I was never like. I'd be like, are you joking me? For one, I didn't have to pay for this hotel room. I didn't pay for a flight because guess how many vacations I went on before I started YouTube? About zero. I couldn't afford a vacation or anything. And I was like, this is amazing. And then one time, I won't say the person's name or anything, but we were at, like, this brunch thing, eating, and I remember some influencers were complaining about the temperature of the food, and they were just like, these pancakes are not even hot. And. And just, like, saying, like, not nice things, and they're like, just complaining about stuff. And then I was with another influencer that I knew had grown up appreciating having food and all kinds of things. And so we were just talking. He was like, why are they complaining about the temperature of a pancake? And he was like, I grew up. I would. I would have done anything for a cold pancake. Like, this is so amazing.

[Manny Mua]

For free?

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah, for free. I would done anything for a pancake. Like, and so you just see, like, the. When you've had a hard job or when you see that, you know, like, this is. I. You know, I would daydream when I was a waitress. I would, like, have a little notebook that I would, like, take my orders in, and I would write all my business ideas I had. I was like, I would go to thrift stores and I'd buy clothes, and I was trying to launch a website to, like, sell all my thrift things. And I would, like, write my business ideas, what I was going to call it. And I was like, one day I'm going to save up my money and I'm going to tell this boss I quit and I'm never coming back here again to smell like barbecue sauce. And I would have all these little things. And then. And then when I was a makeup artist in LA also, I also had to supplement my income. So I also worked as a waitress, like a really fancy steakhouse. And it was crazy because you'd think these wealthy people would tip you well. It was the worst. The worst really ever. In my little, like, little, like, barbecue joint restaurant. They tipped way better. And then the wealthy Beverly Hill, when just, like, I was, like, hoarding. It's the same service I'm over here being like, you want some more salt? You want some more pepper? Can I get you with anything else you use? More butter? You want some more bread? I got free cotton candy. Dessert, I'm gonna make you. Like. I was just doing all things.

[Laura Lee]

I just know you were the best waiter.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, Definitely

[Candy Johnson]

not to toot my own horn.

[Laura Lee]

No, no, you were great. Like, I would be blessed to have you as a waiter. Blessed.

[Candy Johnson]

I mean, I was like, over the top, helping people out. And it was crazy. Cause LA is like city of actors and actresses, you know? So it was crazy. Like, the. I was gonna. It's not. It felt like an audition for the job. There was like. I think there were 500 people in line around the block. All actors and actresses, like, in line. And so I was. It was me and my other friend that had also moved to la, and he was an actor. And they're like, we're hiring two people. And I was like, oh, my gosh. There's like, literally wrapping around the corner. And then my friend didn't get hired. And it was like, me and this older guy got. Hi. Were the only ones that were. Got hired. And he was like, rigorous. Were like, if somebody comes up and they're unhappy with their steak and they want to. They want to take it back and they're yelling at you and calling your names, how do you handle it? Like, it was like quiz after quiz after quiz of like. I was like, okay, I'm going to do this. They're like, if this person says this to you. If this person. I was like, oh, my gosh. This is the craziest. I worked at a lot of restaurants. This was a bananas.

[Manny Mua]

You're like, what is this?

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. And we'd have, like, meetings about the job. And it'd mostly be like, your audition cannot come first before the job. If you. You have a shift, you cannot go to your audition. I don't care if it's for a movie. And I was like, what in the kind of restaurant meeting is this? Like, it was so crazy. And that one.

[Manny Mua]

It would be.

[Candy Johnson]

Somebody would be like, I left you a little something on the table when they'd leave. And I'd be like, okay, four quarters. I'm like, you just had a number. You had a $200 dinner and you left me four quarters. One time, it was in a water glass. She put the quarters inside of a water glass. I'm not joking you. I was like, why did you put it in a glass? Like, to make sure nobody took it. They're like me.

[Manny Mua]

Make sure you fish those quarters out of your quarters.

[Laura Lee]

She put four quarters in a water.

[Candy Johnson]

This was a fancy steakhouse. Nothing was under one. And I'm like, you left me. They gave free coupons because the restaurant had just opened. They gave everybody a free steak. So I was like, let me. Let me guess. You want to drink water and you like a free basket of bread and free steak.

[Manny Mua]

That's exactly what it was like.

[Candy Johnson]

Are we done with these coupons, sir? Because I am not making any money. Like, I'm a single mom over here.

[Manny Mua]

Okay? Just.

[Laura Lee]

No, literally.

[Manny Mua]

That's crazy. That is crazy.

[Laura Lee]

The water thing is insane. I've never heard that.

[Manny Mua]

So what's going on today? Candy is empty. Influencers don't know what that's like, really?

[Candy Johnson]

Are you going straight from.

[Manny Mua]

They've never experienced that.

[Candy Johnson]

Really.

[Manny Mua]

They either dropped out of high school, in college and went straight influencer. With no job. With no job. So there's no. There's like a wall there. There's no perspective.

[Candy Johnson]

I feel like it goes pretty quickly for people too. Like, they get like a mansion and a very fancy thing. That was a long. It was a. No journeys like that were in my story. It was just like, like, like the first brand I remember, they're like, what do you. What do you charge? What do we pay you? And nobody. There were no brand deals yet, so nobody knew. There was no. This is what you get paid for views. I was like, I don't know. Do you want to give me $100?

[Laura Lee]

Do you want to give me the budget? I don't know.

[Candy Johnson]

Send me like a big box of just free makeup. Like, I didn't know what to do until, like, later. It was like, agents, managers, Managers just for beauty people. I was like, what is. This is the world?

[Laura Lee]

The.

[Manny Mua]

The craziest, the craziest, the craziest thing.

[Laura Lee]

Every creator should work a regular job

[Manny Mua]

before it should be a requirement.

[Candy Johnson]

What was your worst job?

[Manny Mua]

My worst job or your least favorite?

[Laura Lee]

I think when I was hosting, it was probably like, my least favorite.

[Candy Johnson]

Like, at a restaurant. That would be because it went from,

[Laura Lee]

like, host to waiter. Like, it was like we had to transition.

[Candy Johnson]

People get mad. They get mad at the host.

[Laura Lee]

Get so, so mad. Like, aggro at the host. Because it's like, you're the host. You're the front facing person.

[Candy Johnson]

You tell them there's a wait time. They're mad.

[Laura Lee]

They're like.

[Candy Johnson]

And then the servers are mad at you too. Like, you sat someone in their section.

[Laura Lee]

I feel bad you didn't sat them there. I'm like, girl, get the fuck.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. They're like, I've had three tables, she's had four tables. Why don't I have a lot of like.

[Laura Lee]

Jesus. Like, it was very overwhelmed. But the thing is, what was nice about that is that, like, once I left that job, I didn't work. Like.

[Candy Johnson]

But you're so friendly. I can see you were the best host. I bet you were so friendly.

[Laura Lee]

I was a great host. I was a great waiter. Like, that was. I was very good at doing those things. I've always been.

[Candy Johnson]

You would be a great waiter. I would want you as my waiter.

[Laura Lee]

Was.

[Candy Johnson]

I would.

[Laura Lee]

And I got tipped boots and I worked. What was nice about it is I worked in the gay area of San Diego called Hillcrest. So it was fun because I was like, firstly coming out.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Lee]

And I worked in the gay area. I was really friendly, shown the gay world in a way, you know, and

[Candy Johnson]

it was like, pleasant.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah, it was nice.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. What was yours?

[Manny Mua]

Oh, my God, there's so many.

[Laura Lee]

There's just so many.

[Candy Johnson]

I did.

[Manny Mua]

You guys had a lot of jobs. I did everything. I think I would switch jobs every year because it was just all bad jobs, you know.

[Candy Johnson]

What was like. What was like the one that you just really did not. Not you. It was really hard to go there every day.

[Manny Mua]

Dick Sporting Goods.

[Candy Johnson]

You weren't at Dick's 40 goods.

[Manny Mua]

I did.

[Candy Johnson]

Where were you with cash register?

[Manny Mua]

Were you like the sales Cash register moved up to a front end coordinator, which means you're over all the cash registers moved to apparel move to. Because I hated working with customers. You know, customers are tough.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Manny Mua]

Like, that is going to be the toughest part of the job, is working with the public because you're gonna get

[Candy Johnson]

a crazy, angry person every day. Every day.

[Manny Mua]

They're all insane. Like, these people are insane at a. And you would be like a sporting goods store. But no, it's like, it doesn't matter where you're at the public. You're gonna catch the crazies, like, every single time. So I finally. My favorite position, which I finally made at Dick's, was unloading the trucks at 5am when they come in. I was in heaven. By yourself? I was in heaven. I was like, go in at 3am you know, working when the store's opening. Get out of there. You.

[Candy Johnson]

You little fragile self is lifting all the boxes.

[Manny Mua]

You have no idea.

[Candy Johnson]

This is why you're saying you have muscle memory from that stir? Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

Yes. I was a monster. I Used to load that cardboard into the compactor, rip those boxes apart. And the people that were doing it before me, because you. There was no manager. Like, you were just there doing it with a couple of guys in the back. So everybody did whatever they were lazy, like, did whatever they wanted. Like, you didn't have to really work because there was no boss because it's too early. So I saw that, and I hate it. I hate working in the front. As the cash register is the worst job in the store. Because you have to deal with every single customer face to face. All the ick. All the.

[Candy Johnson]

You're the friendly experience of the Dick Sporting Goods. Yes.

[Manny Mua]

And when you're apparel, you still have to deal with customers and their craziness, but when you're the cashier, you have to deal with every customer because they're

[Candy Johnson]

probably complaining about the person that helped them. Then the apparel department to you.

[Manny Mua]

And Dick's Sporting sells guns. So I'm talking about. We're doing gun. Like, in Alabama, you can literally go to 711 and get a gun. Are you kidding me? Yeah, we sell guns. So I would have to fill out paperwork this along. Checking their background. Crazy. They would try to make us sell credit cards to people. Are you kidding me?

[Candy Johnson]

I don't want to sell a credit card.

[Laura Lee]

The credit card shit is the worst.

[Manny Mua]

And then they would be like, oh, they bought a treadmill. Get the warranty.

[Candy Johnson]

Like, get the.

[Manny Mua]

And I'm like, bitch, I'm 18. I don't know what I'm doing.

[Laura Lee]

I don't even want a warranty.

[Candy Johnson]

We shot a treadmill.

[Manny Mua]

I got like, negative $5 my account. So that was like, the worst. And then you had to have, like, at this store, like a 97 on scorecards, which is just the little rewards, you know? So I used to take whenever a customer was like, I don't want that, and shut me down real quick. I'm like, you're gonna get me my hours cut.

[Candy Johnson]

You're like, can you just say yes and then not do it later?

[Manny Mua]

Maybe I would do it every trick. And they would call me back in the office and chew my ass. Not because I was scamming the system. I would just take a scorecard, scan it, and throw it in their bag and be like, fill it out later. But you can't do that. So as you can imagine, I was like, fighting my way to get out of that shit and get to work in the back of the store. But so I would say, be like being a cashier. And here is the gag at the gag. So I did that in Alabama and then I worked at wine stores, childcare, waitresses, I mean everything. I worked at a doctor's office for four and a half years and medical assistant trained on the job like you. What of kind of doctor Dermatologist cutting out skin cancer. Oh, crazy shop. Love that job. That job was not bad. But it was bad.

[Candy Johnson]

But it's like a heavy thing. Yeah. Skin cancer is serious. It's not like a light like fluffy like.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah. So that was another job. But I, whenever I moved to California because I wanted to be a content creator. So I moved out here with Ty and I had to go back to Dick's Sporting Goods as a cashier.

[Candy Johnson]

When you were out here. No, you did not.

[Manny Mua]

Yes, I did. It was the only job I could get because I was like, I worked there before, so I was able to get. And I had to go back as a cashier year and I did that for six months and I got my YouTube channel to catch enough wind.

[Candy Johnson]

You're like, I'm gonna be posting five times a day. Get me out.

[Manny Mua]

Compared to the I'm back in after being a medical assistant for four and a half years making, you know, I think I could buy more money than that. More money than that. I had to go, you know, revert back to the worst job ever. I just had to do it cuz we didn't have enough money out. It's expensive out here compared to Alabama.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh my gosh, the gas prices I just saw yesterday, I was like, yeah, the rest of the country would have a heart attack. This is crazy.

[Manny Mua]

Yes. So I had to go back and I had to be a cashier again. Humbelina.

[Candy Johnson]

While you were posting online.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

Did anybody ever recognize you?

[Manny Mua]

All the time. Actually. I was quite a small creator, but I would get the occasional person come through my line.

[Laura Lee]

Oh my God, Laura, isn't that the craziest thing you've ever experienced?

[Manny Mua]

Yeah. And I would tell all the other employees in the store how I'm gonna be a famous YouTuber and I'm on my way out. I was dead on the dollar too. I. I was like, I'm not gonna be here long. So with that heavy accent back then was like this. I was like, I'm not gonna be here very long. Cause just so you know, just to

[Laura Lee]

remind you, I don't work here anymore.

[Candy Johnson]

Just so you know.

[Manny Mua]

Just so you know. I sure did. It's six months and they're like this. Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

You have to tell the people. You have to tell the people this,

[Laura Lee]

you have to tell them. You have to manifest it for yourself too.

[Candy Johnson]

It was. I was in first grade and I did not like the school I was in. And I'd ask my mom to homeschool me every, single, every day. I would go to school and I'd be like, I'm not going to see you guys tomorrow because my mom's going to homeschool me. And I. I will not.

[Laura Lee]

That is so funny.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm going to say bye to you guys cuz I won't be here. Guess who was there the next day? I'm like, I mean it. Tomorrow. This is the last day on the playground. If you want to play with me, that's it. So if you want to go on the swing, you want me to push you hard? This is the last day. I was still there the next day. I was like, oh, my God.

[Laura Lee]

So how long did that last?

[Candy Johnson]

Mom, get me out of here, please.

[Manny Mua]

Did she ever. Did she ever.

[Candy Johnson]

She finally got me out of there at the. And I was like, thank the Lord, Mom.

[Laura Lee]

I've been telling all these. I'm not coming back.

[Candy Johnson]

All these first graders every day. This is the last peanut butter and jelly lunch you're going to smell for me. And I would be there the next day.

[Laura Lee]

And I know they're looking at you like this.

[Candy Johnson]

No, I'm like, you may have locked me in the bathroom yesterday. You know, I won't be here be locked in the bathroom tomorrow. And then.

[Laura Lee]

Kids are cruel, though. Kids are sick and cruel.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, they were so mean. They so mean.

[Manny Mua]

I got locked in the bathroom in kindergarten.

[Laura Lee]

Are you serious?

[Candy Johnson]

What is. What you pullbackers in?

[Manny Mua]

Two girls. It was two girls. They were best friends and they would lock me in.

[Laura Lee]

The girls go, you too?

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah.

[Manny Mua]

And I got held back because my teacher didn't feel like I was evolving enough to go to first grade.

[Candy Johnson]

This is two bullies. It's just two bullies.

[Manny Mua]

But I was so fucked up in the head. Like, I couldn't even speak. Like, I couldn't even, like, get it out. Like, they're locking me in the bathroom every day.

[Candy Johnson]

Who?

[Manny Mua]

How?

[Candy Johnson]

I don't know how these little kids do this.

[Manny Mua]

How did they even know we were at kindergarten?

[Laura Lee]

They learned it at home.

[Candy Johnson]

And they turned the lights off on me, so. And there weren't windows. So I was in the dark and they're just yelling until, like, the janitor heard me and they did that. What was that thing in the. You do in the mirror? The mirror. The.

[Manny Mua]

The scary thing.

[Candy Johnson]

Something that Terrified me. So I'm terrified in the dark, just screaming like, yes. And I was like, help me. Help me. Help.

[Manny Mua]

Been there. I'm like, been there.

[Candy Johnson]

I was like, you got to get me out of this. These girls are mean.

[Manny Mua]

It's crazy how they know that young to like, even do that.

[Laura Lee]

That's what I'm saying. I feel like I'm like, that's learned behavior. You don't just like, yeah, there's so many logs.

[Candy Johnson]

You live in bathroom houses.

[Laura Lee]

Yeah. You don't just think that. You see that. You learn it. It's something.

[Candy Johnson]

Yeah. So I feel you on that. I'm not going to be here. And then I think even in my waitress,

[Laura Lee]

the exact same.

[Candy Johnson]

Were you telling me you were going to leave at Mac every day?

[Laura Lee]

I was like, you guys, you know, I didn't get hired permanent. I'm a freelancer. So you just. It's not going. I'm just not going to last.

[Candy Johnson]

How long were you there?

[Laura Lee]

A year.

[Candy Johnson]

What?

[Laura Lee]

I was. I was freelancing for a year in la. In San Diego. Sephora first for a year, Mac for a year.

[Candy Johnson]

And then I feel like, Mac is such a good job.

[Laura Lee]

One shift, I got recognized maybe like 12 times.

[Manny Mua]

Wow.

[Laura Lee]

Wait, I was doing.

[Candy Johnson]

I was doing channel already.

[Laura Lee]

You already doing Instagram doing it. And I remember when I was like, I'm getting clocked too much.

[Candy Johnson]

And they're like, I've seen those eyes before. I know.

[Laura Lee]

I would literally. No. And they would. You guys. You guys. They would be like, don't post your Mac stuff. Like you're worrying about. Yeah. Was very, like. Was so, like, prestigious. So cool. I would be posting things.

[Manny Mua]

Dallas cowgirls not allowed to have Instagram work for Mac can't post. Like, it was very late because they didn't want the responsibility of what you're posting. Like, they didn't want. It's a risk. It's a risk. You know, I mean, I get that because they're like. But nowadays it's like. So now they're like, please post your Mac.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, it was so when I was first doing makeup, like, I was still doing make freelance makeup while I was starting my blog and my YouTube stuff. And I remember I worked on a couple toy commercials doing kids makeup. And it was like, really fun. Hair and makeup. I did. So I was like, I'll post this on my blog. Oh, my gosh. The. The, like the director called me and he's like, candy, you cannot post. You need to take all that down. You cannot. And I was like, it was so funny because this was like 2009. And then it was so funny, like, years later. Like, people were just like, please, will you post the photo shoot? Will you profit? I was like, how funny. The tables have turned.

[Manny Mua]

Mac was one of the latest brands to hop on, which is so sad because it's a cosmetics, youthful fun brand. But they were one of the latest Estee Lauder Lauder latest brands to hop on.

[Candy Johnson]

They were so prestigious. Like, you still go into the Mac stores back in the day, and the Mac employees would either be super friendly or they'd be like, you got one or the other looking at you like

[Manny Mua]

you got a 50, 50 chance.

[Candy Johnson]

They're like, that's not your color. And I'm like, this is my color.

[Manny Mua]

They're like, get out.

[Candy Johnson]

I know my color. Okay.

[Laura Lee]

Just like, I was one of the nice ones.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm sure 50 there was like, the nice ones that would be your bestie, that would, like, know your colors. They would help you find anything. If it was out, they'd make you a sample. Like, you were probably that one. And then there's the other one, like, just staring at you from the corner. You're like, do you hate everybody in the zor? You know what's funny is Mac hired me to launch their Snapchat. They didn't have a Snapchat yet, so they hired me to go to New York at Fashion Week. And I was supposed to do this fashion show. I think it was Betsy Johnson, I can't remember. And they were like, and this is going to be the official launch of Mac having a Snapchat. And so I had, like, all these things take over. Yeah. And so they put this. They didn't know the settings back then, so they put these, like, settings. Because I'm like, I couldn't post till after the show. Okay. So they put this safety setting. I was going to capture everything, and then I was going to hit this thing, and it was going to go live. All the posts. So I'm there doing every snap. They're asking me to do the whole thing. We leave, and I hand her the phone. I had, like, some. One of their phones. And the girl accidentally deletes all of the. All of the things I had snapped because she didn't know the settings. They didn't know they didn't have a Snapchat yet. And I'm just, like, standing on the street in New York while this girl is getting, like, screaming, screamed at and like, the brand. I. I felt so uncomfortable. I was just like, I I. We don't know when it was so awkward and uncomfortable. They had nothing. None of this stuff.

[Manny Mua]

It just goes to show back to Mac. Just like, doesn't know what they're doing. I was like, I mean, they're just lazy. They didn't know what they would be near.

[Candy Johnson]

That would have been helpful if a Snapchat person was here to help.

[Laura Lee]

Yes.

[Manny Mua]

Not a random employee that doesn't run Snapchat. You know what I mean? Like, that's the kind of. And then they've paid for you to come out, they have you hired on the job set, and it's all for nothing because they don't know what they're doing.

[Candy Johnson]

And they're like, we're gonna have this thing after and we're going to have a Mac people help them.

[Manny Mua]

Yes.

[Candy Johnson]

And they're like, we're going to have you go get your makeup done by this Mac person. You're going to capture this now. And I was like, all right, fine, we'll go.

[Manny Mua]

Okay, well, before you leave, we want to play a really quick game of this or that.

[Candy Johnson]

Okay.

[Manny Mua]

So are you ready?

[Candy Johnson]

Maybe

[Manny Mua]

old school YouTube or TikTok.

[Candy Johnson]

Old school YouTube.

[Manny Mua]

You have to say that I can't

[Laura Lee]

even get my heart.

[Candy Johnson]

It's my heart. It's my.

[Manny Mua]

Like filming a tutorial or filming a vlog.

[Laura Lee]

Ooh. Oh.

[Candy Johnson]

I mean, I love a tutorial because it's so step by step and I love teaching, but it's a lot of work to edit. So for ease, I'm saying vlog. You just be like, whatever.

[Manny Mua]

I want to love it. A viral challenge or get ready with me.

[Laura Lee]

Oh.

[Candy Johnson]

I mean, viral challenges are fun.

[Laura Lee]

Fun.

[Candy Johnson]

But I think I. I'm just going to go towards the get ready with.

[Laura Lee]

She like, justifies every. She's like, okay, but I'm going that

[Manny Mua]

Disneyland or Beach Day.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, shoot. If it's hot, I'm going to Beach Day. If it's a nice winter day.

[Manny Mua]

Disneyland, perfect.

[Candy Johnson]

I do not like Disneyland on a hot day.

[Laura Lee]

Hell no.

[Manny Mua]

Wear glitter everywhere forever or never get to wear glitter again.

[Candy Johnson]

Okay. I've had glitter get in my eye several times, so I'm going never wear just for the safety of that glitter experience in my Ey. I'm gonna go blind because of the super glitter eyeshadow.

[Manny Mua]

Correct answer. Coffee or matcha? Coffee Only use one makeup product forever. Okay. Mascara or lip gloss?

[Candy Johnson]

Mascara.

[Manny Mua]

Okay. Love it.

[Candy Johnson]

I don't wanna be looking little beady eyes. I need, like, some beauty. Yes.

[Manny Mua]

Yes. Online shopping or in store?

[Candy Johnson]

Online only because you can get things you can't get in store. But I do not wanna get a shit shoe or something I can't try on. Like I just want to know or makeup. I. Online makeup purchasing scares me unless I know exactly what I want.

[Manny Mua]

Like it's so hard at home bare or it says glam at home or being out and about bare faced. Both are torture. So be careful.

[Candy Johnson]

I feel like I'm out and about without makeup all the time. I wish. I honestly wish I look good because it'll always be when I look like garbage trash can and I'm awful somewhere and somebody's like, are you candy? I'm like, oh, oh, no, now it's not a picture. And I was like, okay. And I'm always like, if you see me again out, like, find me. So I'll take. I'll try to put makeup on next time so I don't look like this wah wah in your picture. Like, wow, she looks like sweaty and skin discoloration. Freckles all over. I don't have the cute freckles. They're like not fake. They're like in. Nobody wants freckles down here. But that's how they really are. They're not really just right here.

[Manny Mua]

I have some of those too. Okay. I do. Lose your entire makeup collection or your entire camera roll.

[Candy Johnson]

Oh, I'm going with makeup collection.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah, that can be more makeup. Same texting or voice notes.

[Candy Johnson]

I love a voice note, but I don't think people love listening to a voice note.

[Laura Lee]

So I'm like, candy, yes. You're my kind of people.

[Manny Mua]

He wants a voice note.

[Laura Lee]

I love a voice note.

[Candy Johnson]

But you can feel people's excitement. You can feel their humor. You can tell like they're whatever and it's like more real. Like best friend boys time.

[Manny Mua]

Yeah.

[Candy Johnson]

I just leave longer ones and people probably, they're like, I don't want to hear 1 minute and 31 seconds of you talking. I'm like, but why?

[Laura Lee]

That's literally me.

[Candy Johnson]

I'm like, good morning.

[Manny Mua]

That is you too.

[Laura Lee]

With me though. Like, she was in a voice though.

[Manny Mua]

I do. Okay. And the last one. Heels or sneakers?

[Candy Johnson]

Sneakers all the time. I mean, you guys have seen me at beauty events. I'd be the only one that looked like I could go run a marathon. Or I just have like baggy tomboy clothes on it.

[Manny Mua]

I.

[Candy Johnson]

Cocktail dress was the attire. Okay.

[Laura Lee]

You're like, oh, okay. Well, I'm in.

[Manny Mua]

Great.

[Candy Johnson]

I've got platform sneakers.

[Laura Lee]

Those are.

[Manny Mua]

That counts. They came back.

[Candy Johnson]

But like back in the day I was always like going to events and I'm like, I don't have an the stretchy bandage dress like everybody has.

[Laura Lee]

I didn't have all the things.

[Candy Johnson]

And then bless my mom. She was like, you always. You go with your style like you've had since you were kindergarten. I'm like, I had weird outfits, mom. Thanks.

[Laura Lee]

Okay, great. Thank you so much.

[Manny Mua]

Well, thank you so much for coming on full coverage. Thank you guys for having so much fun.

[Candy Johnson]

Anytime you need the extra eat, I can just squeeze, right? I'll go work out to the gym and I'll go on some extra runs so I get extra fitty in between.

[Laura Lee]

Absolutely. Thank you so, so, so much. We appreciate it guys, so much.

[Candy Johnson]

We honored you guys wanted to have

[Laura Lee]

me here so much. And we'll leave, of course. Everything linked down below. You guys, check out Candy's page. She's absolutely incredible. Amazing. Obviously.

[Candy Johnson]

Thank you. No cutesy name, just my name.

[Laura Lee]

Just Candy.

[Manny Mua]

Just Candy Johnson, which is cutesy.

[Candy Johnson]

It is first and last name. Just out there on the Internet. Just know her Social Security number is her hand. Literally, literally my phone number.com is my.

[Laura Lee]

Yes is your handle. We'll see you guys next one.

[Candy Johnson]

Bye. At first, I didn't think it was real.

[Laura Lee]

I woke up to the this blinding light.

[Candy Johnson]

And I was transported to another place.

[Manny Mua]

Pluto tv.

[Laura Lee]

Then I heard a voice.

[Candy Johnson]

Come with me if you want to live.

[Laura Lee]

There were thousands of movies and shows, and they were all free.

[Candy Johnson]

Truth is, it's just so Beautiful on Pluto TV.

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