Quotes from Eva Chen

The eight months I took off between 'Teen Vogue' and 'Lucky' afforded me such amazing opportunities, and I learned so much from so many different people - the brands that I worked with, the companies that I was consulting for.

I have a bag and shoe addiction. If I were a doctor or a lawyer, I'd still have it.

I bought my first pair of pointy-toed Miu Miu shoes with a kitten heel from Barneys. They were $200, and it was a big deal. I wore them with a pleated black Benetton skirt and a white shirt. I looked like a waitress.

Instagram was initially launched as a community for artists and photographers.

Instagram is the perfect place to reach your audience because the playing field is leveled if you can create engaging/amazing/compelling content that people want to follow. Remember that there's more than just showing product. Show the woman who designed it. Write about your muses.

You can get inspired from a magazine, yes, but you can also be inspired from a website, from a street-style blogger, from what people post on Instagram.

When I use a polish, I end up changing my nail color 2.5 times a week. The '.5' is when I get them done and notice it's not perfect - I'll fix it myself.

There's a curiosity about what magazine editors do, the behind-the-curtain experience.

Print is very important because I think there is nothing like the tactile sense of picking up a magazine.

I was very focused on school. No social life whatsoever.

A good attitude is really important. And a sense of optimism, someone who has ideas and isn't afraid to pitch them no matter what level she is. Someone who is proactive. Someone with efficiency and common sense. They don't always go hand-in-hand, common sense and, well, everything else.

Basically, I feel like people have always taken photos of themselves. When I was in college, I had these Polaroid cameras my friends and I would have so much fun with. Today, we'd be taking those pictures on our phones. I think it's just part of culture today... Why not have fun with it?

I've been trying out all these bronzers, and By Terry has an amazing one called the Bronze Expert.

Build a lifestyle around your brand, and the audience will follow.

For a lot of children of immigrants, what happens is your parents want you to do something very linear that they can understand. I had an aptitude in sciences and never really questioned it.

During Fashion Week, I tend to do a gel manicure because it's easier.

Working at 'Harper's' was an awakening experience for me. I genuinely enjoyed the process of putting together a fashion magazine.

Beauty is the lowest common denominator: I don't care what they say - every girl, every woman, wants to feel pretty and empowered and beautiful, within their own definition of beautiful. I love fashion, I love shopping, but I love beauty more because I love the science of it.

You could be an 18-year-old girl in Tokyo wondering how you could ever break into fashion or beauty, so you follow your favourite designer or editor, see what their day comprises, where they go, who they meet, how they do it... If I were setting up my own label today, I would definitely do it through Instagram.

My job is more about helping people tell their stories in ever more interesting ways.

This is so cliche and cheesy but so true - seeing how happy people get if you A. give them a beauty product or B. give them a tip that works. There's such joy in finding a good beauty product.

I finish off my manicure with Dior's Gel Coat, which has a thicker consistency than most top coats. It dries quickly and leaves your nails really shiny.

The new generation of designers, like Prabal Gurung and Alexander Wang, have hundreds of thousands following them on social media who will probably never be able to afford their dresses but still feel a loyalty to them. So when that designer writes a book or launches a beauty line, they might pick that up.

Think about what you like and then think about why - was it the shape? The hem length? And then repeat over and over until you find your signature style. And if you ever get sick of your signature style... change it! That's the beauty of fashion.