LSA Debutante: Proud Devakula on her TikTok breakthrough and marrying her bestfriend

Welcome back to Lifestyle Asia Thailand’s LSA Debutante, where we meet Thailand’s younger generation and talk about their thoughts and opinions on current topics. As this month is our Celebration issue, we wondered who else could be a better candidate to feature than the talented and stunning Proud Devakula herself. So, before we end the year, let’s get to know Proud and learn about her breakthrough on TikTok, along with some wedding tips. 

When it comes to the most interesting Thai beauty bloggers of the moment, someone who instantly comes to many minds is Proud Devakula. Growing up in Germany, Proud has always religiously watched beauty and lifestyle YouTubers. But it wasn’t until the age of 14 when she started wearing makeup by secretly stealing her mum’s cosmetics. Although she’s now recognised as a significant beauty and fashion creator, recently winning the Best of Beauty and Fashion Award from TikTok, according to Proud, the feeling is still surreal. Nevertheless, having extreme talent must run in the family, as her cousin, Vatanika Patamasingh Na Ayudhya, is also an iconic Thai designer. 

Besides her career, Proud also told us that this year was a whirlwind. Being based between Amsterdam and Bangkok, this young starlet recently celebrated her 3 weddings in 3 cities, with her last celebration in Thailand. Now, as she’s slowly returning to normalcy, we received an incredible opportunity to interview this talented creator. Read the full interview below. 

[All images courtesy of: Instagram @prouddevakula]

LSA Debutante: Proud Devakula on her TikTok breakthrough and marrying her best friend

Tell us about how you got started in your beauty career.

Just like everyone else, I got bored during COVID and found TikTok to be a fun outlet. Initially, I was just watching other people’s videos, and there was a trend going around then, so I decided to hop on it and make my own video with the trending sound while doing makeup. The video unexpectedly got 100k+ views, and it became my starting point to do more beauty videos.

I’ve also been religiously watching beauty and lifestyle YouTubers since I was 12, so that helped a lot since I know how it feels to be a viewer and the relationship you feel with the creators. It’s surreal to be on the other side now!

If you can remember, what was your first-ever beauty product obsession?

Back then, they were mostly American beauty YouTubers. I was in Germany, and we did not have any of those beauty brands like the U.S. The only brand we had in common was Benefit. So, I saved up to buy the Benefit Hoola bronzer, which I still love to this day. I would also ask my sister to bring EOS lip balms from the States. It was a huge trend back then.

@prouddevakula

We did it! ขอบคุณทุกคนที่สละเวลามาโหวตให้พราวทุกวันนะคะ เป็น community ที่พราวรักที่สุดเลย อยากกอดทุกคนมากๆ this one is for you all ❤️ #tiktokawardsth2023

♬ Otra Vez – ProdMarvin

You’ve broken through your beauty career and even won a TikTok award. How do you feel about that? 

I never thought I would ever have a career doing something I am passionately in love with, nor did I ever think I would win an award for it. I have always been a black sheep in my academic life. I’ve never won any awards or been at the top of the class. I have always been fiercely average at everything I do, never truly excelling at anything. I came to a point where I accepted that being average is fine too, even great, actually. So, receiving that award has truly been a dream. I’m so grateful that the award came to me at this stage in my life after I’ve tasted rejections and failures, where I can truly appreciate this milestone.

What were the challenges you’ve faced along the way?

There is this saying, “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” Once in a while, I will get hate comments or someone who doesn’t like me, and I just have to remind myself to breathe in and let it go when I breathe out.

Overall, the biggest challenge would be keeping my mental health in check. Once content creation is your job, it’s easy to equate your worth to the numbers and statistics. I post one video a day, and I have to remind myself it’s not normal for someone to broadcast their life daily, receiving instant gratification and dopamine from the comments and views. I try to draw boundaries and stay grounded/aware of reality. Otherwise, it’s so easy to lose yourself in all of it.

What makes a good beauty influencer?

Being authentic and aware of your influence. I know that many younger viewers save up just to buy a product I recommended (just as I did when I was a kid), and I never want to let them down. I try to create trust with my audience by only promoting products I love and use. When you start working with brands, it’s easy to get swayed by the money, but the trust your audience has in you is priceless.

Not only that, but I am aware that everything I say is being perceived by many young girls. Therefore, I try to talk a lot about empowerment, body positivity, fast fashion, healthy relationships, and any topics I would discuss with my little sister.

Your followers love how relatable and real you are. How do you stay so grounded despite your massive following?

At the end of the day, I am just a girl talking about makeup in my apartment [laughs]. I also have much to thank my audience for creating such a safe and comfortable space to express myself. It’s a two-way street. I feel like I’m talking to my best friends, and whatever happens in my life, I am rushing home to tell everyone.

What’s your relationship with Vatanika like?

Vatanika is my first cousin, but I think we have the classic older sister-younger sister or Leo-Gemini relationship. She is fiercely protective of our family and would not accept anything but the best for us. She has taught me so much about work ethic and how to carry oneself as a woman. I have always looked up to her since I was little. I’d be playing in the garden in my primary school uniform, and I would see her returning to visit from university in London. She just looked like a superstar in my eyes. She still does.

Congratulations on getting married! How’s marriage life, and was it hard to plan your wedding? 

Thank you! I am completely and utterly in love with marriage life so far. It’s stable, safe, and passionate all at the same time. Planning the wedding was relatively smooth, as we had a wedding planner. Pro tip for anyone getting married: get a wedding planner!

My favourite part of the whole ceremony was the first dance(s). I danced with my father, then with my husband, Jan. One of our best friends choreographed the entire dance for us, which I’d never done before (and probably will never do again). We also surprised our guests with fireworks right after the first dance. It was magical.

As a newlywed, do you have any marriage tips and tricks you would like to share? 

Marry your best friend. Marry someone who wholeheartedly supports your goals, who makes you laugh, and who you look forward to waking up next to every morning. Lastly, always communicate and compromise.