Growing up on social media isn’t easy, particularly when the world has record of your awkward teen photos before your ‘glow up’. Most of us have that shit hidden in a photo album in our parents' house.
To show you all there’s still hope to be a model…well Insta model with filters…we’ve dug deep on our favourite influencers' profiles so you didn’t have to… I mean, we have the time.
Shani Grimmond
Can you believe Shani Grimmond was only 16 when she launched her YouTube channel from her bedroom in Brisbane? Fast forward seven years, and the now 23-year-old influencer has amassed 1.56 million YouTube subscribers, as well as a completely new look.
Almost unrecognisable from her teen years, the influencer’s ‘glow up’ hasn’t happened without some cosmetic enhancements. However, when it comes to transparency about her plastic surgery, Shani is an open book. The founder of Sylk Swim, has documented her procedures to her audience, from her highly popular ‘boob job vlog’ to her videos about her lip fillers and veneers.
Michael Finch
Michael Finch ‘LITERALLY’ looks like a different person since he posted his first make up tutorial six years ago. Renowned for creating make-up transformations on his channel, his own ‘glow up’ is a must-see.
In his first post to Instagram in 2014, a 16-year-old Michael is almost unrecognisable with natural lips and manicured eyebrows. However, as his following grew, so did his lips! The make-up artist became renowned for his famous duck pout, bleached hair, drawn-in eyebrows and full glam. However, sadly Michael revealed on his YouTube channel that he used the lip filler as a tool to try and minimise the appearance of his other insecurities, including his nose and teeth.
In mid 2018, Michael’s transformation truly stepped up. The YouTuber began focusing on his health, resulting in dramatic weight loss. He also invested in veneers to correct the smile he was always insecure about and began letting his facial hair grow. In December 2018, Michael shocked followers when he dyed his famous blonde hair brown. These days, the influencer opts for a more natural look, only sporting full glam occasionally on his Instagram feed or for make-up tutorials. Obviously embracing the less is more mentality, Michael’s lips have also reduced in size, but there’s still enough filler for his famous pout.
Skye Wheatley
Skye Wheatley has well and truly extended her 15 minutes of fame since coming third on Big Brother in 2014. At just 20, the then Gold Coast barista became a fan favourite for her ditzy moments played out on Australian TV.
Upon leaving the Big Brother house, Skye began a self-confessed ‘pursuit of perfection’. The bubbly blonde travelled to Bangkok in 2015 for a boob job, which famously was botched, meaning more surgery. A year later, the make-up artist shocked fans by undergoing a nose reconstruction.
Skye has always been candid about her plastic surgery, even documenting her nose job on a vlog on YouTube. In December 2019, the 26-year-old shared to her 626k followers on Instagram that she had more work done. While her lip filler was no secret, the Instagram model admitted her new surgeon had fixed her once ‘lumpy duck pout’. She also revealed her surgeon convinced her to get filler in her cheeks, as well as botox in her frown line and under her right eyebrow to make her face ‘symmetrical’.
In addition to Skye’s dramatic ‘glow up’, her life has also transformed. Skye now lives in an old-school mansion on the Gold Coast that she is renovating with her partner, Lachy Waugh. The pair met on Tinder and have a one-year-old son, Forest, together.
Chloe Szep
Is anyone else still in shock that Chloe Szep only turned 21 last October? F*ck I’m old! Despite her now only just reaching the legal age to drink in the US, Chloe is an OG influencer who has travelled the world on countless brand trips and collected 573k followers on Instagram along the way. The YouTuber, has graced our screens for the last seven-years, meaning she was only 14 when she debuted on Shani Grimmond’s first YouTube make up tutorial entitled, ‘Casual Night Out – Chit Chat GRWM & Chloe! <3’.
Unfortunately, while the iconic video remains in the YouTube vault, Chloe and Shani’s friendship did not stand the test of time. Last year, the pair unfollowed each other from Instagram, which clearly means they hate each other. It was rumoured Shani’s new beau, Tommy Bugg, caused the friendship breakdown, but neither girls have commented on it…. I know, we want to know the tea too!
Luckily, one supporting role that has remained constant (despite that short-lived break last year) is Chloe’s boyfriend and ‘Angry Dad’ prankster, Mitchell Orval. The pair have been together for over four years and in January they announced the exciting news that they are expecting a baby boy in August 2020.
While we’ve watched Chloe transform from a fresh-faced, Brisbane teen with braces to a glowing pregnant woman and founder of activewear SZEP and the Bloom App, she really hasn’t physically changed that much! If we’re honest, she’s pretty much looked exactly the same for the last five years. One refreshing part of Chloe’s online journey is her real and raw documenting of her acne.