Millennial Makeup

Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are an increasing way young women seek validation from their peers and the popularity of the proclaimed ‘selfie’ only emphasises this thought. After all, the ‘selfie’ itself would be in vain (pun unintended) if it received fewer than 10 likes - when the average person typically acquires one hundred plus ‘friends’ and/or followers.

Perhaps, this is the reason more and more young women my age flock to YouTube sensations for advice and tips, these gurus recreate celebrity looks and provide step-by-step beauty tutorials for all occasions. They act as a ‘big sister’ who through their experimenting make all the mistakes so you don’t have to; providing reviews and promoting their favourite must-have finds, in response to requests left in the comments.
 These ‘YouTubers’ easily amass millions of loyal channel views and one of the reasons I believe this growing trend is so popular is because of their honesty and transparency. To many of these women make up is just a hobby having no formal qualifications in the field. Most sit in front of their cameras - normally in the comfort of their bedrooms, (surrounded by little quirks of their personality in the background) barefaced with flaws on full display as they go into these routines and effectively come across as totally relatable to their audience. These YouTube beauty gurus can also be seen to be empowering their viewers by giving them the tools to build up their confidence. A prime example of this is 19 year old beauty vlogger Cassandra Bankson, who suffers from severe cystic acne and provides her audience who might suffer from the similar problems useful tips on how to conceal skin conditions. Having been the victim of bullying due to her condition, she hoped and succeeded in helping others with low self esteem.

I often wonder whilst watching, how many of these make up brands have paid for the more popular make up artists to promote their ranges through strategic product seeding, rather than the beauty influencers being genuine fans and everyday users of the cosmetics featured. Though, if true this is no bad thing, if now major brands are stepping down from their pedestals to rely on ‘YouTubers’ to help influence an audience they were unable to reach through their more formal mode of address in a big budget ad campaign.

The ‘big sister’ acts as the opinion leader (through product selection) in the ‘Two-step flow of communication’ process and the cosmetic industry noting their social influence have bridged a gap between themselves and the consumer. They’ve done this by using someone on the same level as their target consumer to be a friendly brand ambassador. The problem with many makeup brands is their adverting, personally I would probably be more inclined to buy a product after viewing the transformation of ‘plain Jane’ via Youtube. Than a million dollar endorsement fronted by a world class model. The smarter beauty ‘Youtubers’ have capitalised on their popularity to form partnerships with cosmetic giants; popular guru Michelle Phan recently collaborated with the L’Oreal Group to release her very own collection.

One makeup trend that has surged in popularity over the past couple of years on YouTube is contouring and highlighting; which essentially makes your features pop by adding definition to your face whilst also making it appear slimmer. Though adopted to the mainstream now as part of an everyday makeup routine with celebrities like Kim Kardashian endorsing the technique. The art of contouring and highlighting was once reserved for the drag queen subculture when wanting to create a more feminine bone structure to the face. Think the fierce Ru Paul and extrovert diva Grace Jones. Though the look can be captured using normal concealers, bronzers and powders, cosmetic brands such as Sleek Makeup and SmashBox were reactive to the growing trend. Creating their own innovative contour kits thereby needing only one product to get the desired look. This again perpetuates the influence of YouTube bloggers who inadvertently help to co-create these products by creating a demand in showcasing these techniques.

These self-made beauty gurus continue to guide many young girls through pivotal milestones such as prom and ‘first day back to school’ - a space that was usually reserved for Mum. The social influence of the everyday YouTube star/‘big sister’ is a growing and more recognised force when making such purchases. Helping makeup virgins (myself included) since 2006.