I started watching "beauty gurus" on YouTube when I was about 11. I would stay up until two in the morning with my dimly lit iPod propped up against my bedsheets, subscribing to YouTubers like Michelle Phan, Megan Parken, and jlovesmac1. The first major beauty guru that I became obsessed with was Canadian youtuber CityAndMakeup. I loved watching her hauls and hair tutorials; there was something so neat and organized about the way that she made her videos. Then I followed letsmakeitup1 (aka Kayley Melissa) back when she had less than 10,000 subscribers-now she's almost at a million! It's interesting to watch not only trends grow and change but also the people that create and develop those trends grow and change as well.
These are a few of my favorite YouTube gurus, along with a couple of my favorite videos from them:
I love Chloe Morello, because she's one of the best makeup artists on YouTube. Not only that, but she's charismatic and not afraid to voice her honest opinion on products. Often times, as well, she will openly state that she has been sponsored by a product to speak about it, which is incredibly rare in the beauty guru community. She actually talks to her viewers like they are her genuine friends, and not in that kiddish way that most other gurus do. Her tutorials are always different from one another and she never stays complacent or repetitive when it comes to her videos.
Favorite Videos:
And I, of course, love watching her makeup haul videos, although I do get insanely jealous by the amount of products she gets for free! Each haul video tends to have dozens of high end products from Sephora.
I was originally subscribed to Emma Blackery's original YouTube channel, where she does comedic skits and vlogs, so when she came out with a beauty channel, I was instantly interested in what a comedic youtuber could create in such a different platform. I actually love watching her beauty related videos a lot more than her main channel, simply because the videos seem more like an actual chat you're having with her. It's a lot more personal, which some people may not like, but I actually love. She has recently been promoting Vegan and Cruelty-Free makeup products-something I am 1000000000% behind. Although I am still in the learning process of what it actually means for a beauty product to be vegan, because of Emma, I feel like I have learned a lot more about it. She always gives her honest opinion about brands, even if it means saying that a product that tests on animals did work well for her. Her quirky personality is also adorably charming and makes me laugh every time I watch her videos.
Favorite Videos:
I recently found Karen Yeung when I was searching, in desperate need, for videos that were both organized and visually satisfying to see. Her videos are eclectic, 90s retro, and edited to complete perfection. The first video of hers that I watched was her apartment tour, which made me super envious of her but also enamored by her.
You can absolutely tell that she puts so much effort into making sure that her videos are works of art, each one different than the last.
Favorite Videos:
When I'm in need of a good makeup tutorial for any occasion, I go to Lisa Eldridge. She is a professional makeup artist who has done looks for Kate Winslet (she did her 2015 Golden Globes look this past weekend), Kendall Jenner, Cindy Crawford and more. Here are some of the looks she has created:
My go to makeup look is this one:
Each of Brittany Balyn's videos have these ethereal coolness to them, from her grunge makeup tutorials to her L.A. lookbooks. She is constantly reinventing her look, dying her hair blue, pink, and even green. Each of her lookbooks have these fascinating settings in the background of them and her makeup tutorials are always clean and super satisfying to watch.
Favorite Videos:
I hope you guys enjoyed these recommendations. I truly love watching each of these YouTubers and I hope you do too!
xx
Liz
