Fast confession - Lucie Schejbalová alias Cheese-lover: Zeman could do with some 'highlights'
The original idea, to make fun from yourself in order to entertain those closest to you got out of hand. A girl from a small town in Northern Bohemia, who came to Prague to find work today has tens of thousands of followers on YouTube, where she posts parodies of make-up tutorials. One of them became such a hit it has been viewed by more than one million people. Although the make-up tips are parodies and she makes fun of certain youtubers who take the world of make-up absolutely seriously, big cosmetic brands fight for her. In an interview with Luxury Prague Life the thirty-year old Lucie Schejbalová, known as Cheese-lover revealed what she enjoys most of all.
Lucie, how did you get the nickname ´Cheese-lover´?
That is from a summer camp. I have been going to children´s summer camps for ten years now as one of the leaders and one night I was caught stuffing myself with soft cheese, without any bread, straight from the wrap. The guys mocked me that I am an incredible cheese-lover and it stuck for ten years. Some of those friends do not even know my name any more.
Where are you from?
From Ústí nad Labem, not directly from Ústí itself, but there is a town of Vysoký Chlumec close by. It is a town now, but it used to be a village.
How long have you been living in Prague now?
For six years.
What brought you here?
Well, work, of course! I thought, like any village girl that Prague is waiting for me (laughs). There is not much work in the north, and if there is, it is not very good. At one point, me and my sister have simply decided to give it a go.
You work at an office as a comparer of prices. I do not really know what that means, but what did you want to do originally?
In the beginning I could not imagine what it was about either. But originally I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted it since my childhood, I went to a grammar school and then I don´t know why, but when I was 19 I went crazy and I told myself that I wanted to become very rich. So instead of the teaching faculty I went to study economics which was probably the greatest mistake of my life. I therefore finished my bachelor´s degree and for five years now I have been trying to finish my master´s degree. But it´s quite tough.
How come?
I have already finished everything, but I can't force myself to write my dissertation. It is disgusting, I don´t feel like it, but I must finish it, everything else is done and moreover, it costs me money. The problem is there is always something going on, and I go home just to sleep. I have no time and I don´t feel like sitting down and getting on with it.
And so what does a comparer of prices do?
When you want to buy for example a pink handbag, you open our website, enter ´pink handbag´ and all pink handbags on offer will come up…
And it is you who is looking for that?
No, I'm looking after all the e-shops that advertise with us.
But to do that you do not need to have a degree in economics?
No, not at all. (laughter)
To go back, you have overheated the internet with your videos under the nickname of Cheese-lover.
Yes, I love cosmetics and make-up and I follow everything about it. But they are all alike, it was boring, so I decided to shoot a video about make-up a bit differently. I had no idea that it will have such a reach, I thought it would be only for fun for friends.
But you don´t want to make a living from it, can one actually live off it? And why don´t you want to?
One certainly can. I make quite a good living out of it. When it´s going well, thanks to that I can get one more salary like I normally make. Which is great, but I am such a crazy spender and I have to have every idiotic thing. And I keep buying things for others, for my family, friends. I am a beauty addict, I really have a lot, but they are cheap things. So the money just goes, I don´t even know how. I am simply not good at it, and although I am an economist I am hopeless at it. I do not know how to save, it is a losing battle. (laughter)
And because I never had any money I go quite wild now. Well, and why do I not want to make a living out of it? It would stop being a hobby for me, so I would cease to enjoy it, and moreover, it works on a one-off basis, there was no business in December and I can´t say to my landlord that I cannot pay him for December, because it is a bit slow. Also, most youtubers are under some agency and they look after the business end of thins for them. And I do everything on my own. I choose with whom I wish to work. And, usually, when there is some task to be done from marketing, they give me a lot of free rein.
You tell me that you buy cheaply but cosmetics are not cheap.
They are not, but I always choose a cheap alternative. For example I love shower gels from DM for seventeen crowns. And Dermacol is cheap compared with for example Sephora. When I go to Sephora… I can buy it, but I am sorry to pay so much money.
In addition, I already get brands such as Lancome or EstéeLauder. Someone gave it to me as a gift or I got testers. I have never found that it is so much better that from now on I will always use only that. I simply always have an equivalent to these expensive things. None of those costly things have convinced me.
How many lipsticks or mascaras do you for example have at home?
OMG ... too much.
But you cannot possibly use them all.
No, I cannot. I give away quite a lot and moreover, I and the other youtubers are organising a kind of charity bazaar. It will be called YoutuberCelebrity Bazaar, it is to be held on 17th February in Vnitroblock from twelve to eight in the evening. We will sell all our make-up and all our frippery. The proceeds will go to the endowment fund Vrba. It was founded by a lady whose husband passed away. They help families who have lost their breadwinner in this way.
When did you start to enjoy putting on make-up?
Sometime in my elementary school. When I was 12 or so.
Do you go for facials and so on?
I have never been. I know I am terrible, but I don´t like it. I do not want some stranger to touch me, and you lose so much time. I would rather do everything myself. (Laughter) I am not a pro, I am a layman. But I simply enjoy it. When I have the time. I like putting on the eye shadows and so on...
Do people ask you for an advice?
Yes, some mothers write to me or young girls. They want to know which mascara under one hundred crowns is a good one and so on.
Where do you get inspiration for all those crazy make-up tutorials?
I simply get an idea, I always walk through the apartment and I use what catches my eye, last time I was with my sister we saw a kind of little rolling pin for children to draw with, so she pushed me on and in the end it turned out to be really good. It´s fun.
How do people react to you in company?
They are all extremely kind, so far I have never encountered any negative comment face-to-face. People keep that for messages or comments.
How do you bear criticism? People can be very bad…
In the beginning it overwhelmed me, especially if you happen to have a stupid day and then you read about yourself that you are this and that. It used to affect me badly. In the main I do not understand why those people did it. When I don´t like something I turn it off and move on. I would not go and write to the author to go and gas himself or something like that. Now I am okay with it. I have a large group of followers, so it is logical that I cannot please everyone.
What was the worst thing that anyone wrote to you?
To go and die or something like that. I do not delete comments, I deleted about ten altogether and they were of this nature.
What about your private life?
No fireworks there. There are a lot of gays around me. I love them, they are good friends, but there are no men around.
You have surprised me now.
That is the truth. Once I refused some guy from Ostrava and the communication was just weird.
Tell me what you like, yourself, as Lucka? How do you imagine your dream day?
Dream day? Perhaps this will sound stupid, but out at a summer camp. Really. Or at a school camp in nature with children. I do not really like holidays, I do not know what I am supposed to do. I can manage two days at the beach, but then I do not know what to do with myself.
But every country offers so many possibilities!
I know, but I find it boring. As children we have not travelled too much, we mainly went to those camps. I love it when that time is filled in by helping someone or making someone else happy. At the camp you hardly sleep at all, you keep planning games. I have fun there.
You should really forget the economics.
Well, that is what I said. (laughter)
Do you want to have your own children?
I have always wanted to, but now I have a niece. And because of her I want to increasingly less. I see how much work and worry it is and the older I get, the more comfort-seeking I get. Nobody sets down any limits, I can go wherever and whenever I want...I like it like that. But of course anything can happen. Some prince may come in shining armour and everything will be different.
Do you speak any languages? I have noticed how you pepper your Czech with English.
No, not really. At school I studied mainly German, even a little English, but I absolutely do not use it, so I am still at that school level. I know nothing really.
Lucka, where do you see yourself in ten years time? I do not suppose that you want to keep comparing prices.
I don´t know, but I am satisfied with the work I have now for the first time in ten years. I have super terms for the work I do as well as great colleagues. Even though they are programmers and there is not much fun with them, but for the first time in my life I am really happy with my work, so I would not mind to stay on.
What have you been doing before that?
Before that I worked in one company at the department of correspondence and before that in the same company at their call centre.
I do understand that!
Well, it was really terrible. During the first three months I always came home in tears. But when I came to Prague, I did not know anybody, I did not have any contacts. For a terribly long time I could not find any work and then a friend of mine asked if I wanted to work at their call centre. I had to. The bills will not pay themselves.
You see and now you are famous!
Well. It is a strange feeling, people recognise you in the street, they want to take a picture with you. Not every day. It is super, today I went by bus with some teenagers, they secretly took pictures of me and were whispering to each other. It was strange. But I have to say that I had to get used to it. When someone came up to me and asked if he could take a picture, I immediately said: "Like why?", and within a second it clicked that I am Cheese-lover.
You now keep being invited to various social events, where there are journalists and other celebrities…
Well, yes, I am. The last one was the opening of the Chodov shopping centre. That was ultra embarrassing. They opened up a shopping centre, everyone wore a formal dress, the organisation was crazy, it was terribly impersonal. I prefer to do puzzles with my niece.
Did you give an interview there?
No, there were more famous youtubers and what´s more, Leoš Mareš.
Were you not nervous when you went to the show of Jan Kraus?
Yes, I was, I even refused at first. But then they called me again and I admitted that I was afraid, that I don´t want to talk about my private life and so on. They calmed me down, that Mr Kraus is looking forwards to meeting me, so I agreed. I have seen some parts and I was surprised that some of those girls there were nervous and the more nervous they were, the harder it was for them. I did not understand that they do not put up a fight for themselves. If they got fed up and did not talk to him... But with me he was super. Terribly funny.
What do you say to the presidential elections?
I am pleased that we can vote directly. But I do not know whom I should give my vote. The main thing is that I do not want Zeman. When I put on Facebook that I will vote Drahoš, it started this crazy debate… but I think I will vote for him.
