There are now 60 times more social media influencers in Singapore compared to 2015. In other words, many more social media users here are putting in time and efforts to build a career out of influencing their followers’ buying decisions.

While many of them are managed by micro-influencer management and marketing agencies such as Faves and Gushcloud, some are happy to take matters into their own hands, from soliciting products to negotiating deals. 

Anda The Sea (@andathesea), whose real name is Farkhanda Chaudhry, is one example. The 22-year-old Brand Trainer at Sephora for IT Cosmetics works tirelessly to update her Instagram profile with beauty tips and product recommendations. Catch this clip to find out how she got started, why she’s hooked on it and how she tackled the naysayers.