This post is more like a walk down memory road. I first discovered the beauty community in YouTube around 2010/early 2011. A friend of mine mentioned a seemingly popular YouTuber, and out of curiosity, I decided to watch said YouTuber's video. Little did I know that that was the start of endless watching of beauty videos and subscriptions.

The five beauty gurus in my list not only ignited my curiosity and love for makeup but they also taught me a lot of tips and tricks back when I had no knowledge about makeup. They still do actually, and they never fail to amaze me in their tutorials. They were my online teachers then and they still are now. I'm really thankful I stumbled on their channels because I learned things that I haven't learned in makeup school.

1. Michelle Phan

-The YouTuber that my friend mentioned? Yeah, that was Michelle. I remember seeing her videos and being amazed at how talented she was. She made makeup application so easy! The videos I watched back then was the ones where she filmed everything on her own. Just her + the camera. And I freaking loved it. I remember watching her Lady Gaga Poker Face tutorial, her Purple Hazy look, and her Barbie Transformation look. Such classics. Now, Michelle has her own cosmetics line, Em, has over 7 million subscribers, Ipsy, a book, and a professional set-up for her videos. And yes, I'm still subscribed to her. 

2. Makeup Geek

-I consider Marlena of MG as my primary makeup mentor. Seeing her tutorials back then was like a proper makeup lesson for me. Her eye looks were really cool and a bit complicated, looks that are worthy of the hashtag #EyeMakeupGoals. She really makes sure that her audience gets something out of her videos, whether it be techniques or inspiration. Fast forward to today, she has a makeup line of her own called Makeup Geek which sells affordable yet killer eyeshadows. I'm also happy to hear that a couple of years back, she was able to fulfill her dream of going to the Make Up For Ever Academy in Paris.

3. Promise Phan

-Last name sounds familiar? Well, that's because she's Michelle's sister-in-law. I was drawn to Promise's channel mainly because of how different she was from Michelle makeup-wise. Michelle is more sweet and conventional while Promise is more loud and out there. The first tutorial I saw was her Avatar transformation. Who knew that would be the start of everything? Promise is now more popular than ever due to her amazingggg transformations, including her Elsa transformation that has 42 million views (!!!), and her Maleficent transformation. My ever-favorite video of her, however, is the Creepy Stretched Lips Makeup which I've done in Halloween a couple years back.

4. Tanya Burr

-The first British YouTuber I subscribed to was Tanya. She's such a bubbly gal yet creates such fierce looks. She showed me how Brits (most of them, I think) do their makeup, which is quite different from how Americans do it tbh. I remember loving her Haifa Wehbe tutorial. I didn't subscribe to her right away but I found myself going to her channel every now and then so I decided to just hit the Subscribe button cause why the hell not?

5. Pixiwoo

-I found Pixiwoo's channel through Tanya's. Sam and Nic are professional makeup artists and you can see how pro they are at what they do in their tutorials. The sisters don't have the same style; Sam's more into dark, smokey, grungy looks while Nic's more light, clean, and polished. That doesn't mean they can't do each other's styles because they certainly can. My fave tutorials to watch are their wild ones, looks you can definitely see in a beauty campaign. Now, the Pixiwoo duo are known for their brushes, the ever-popular Real Techniques which was started by Sam. They also have their own e-magazine called TWO Magazine by Pixiwoo (you better download their app because the issues are so visually appealing and inspiring!) and from what I see on Twitter, they now appear on talk shows both on their native land and in the US.

xxx

And those are the women who inspired me a lot in makeup. I'm now subscribed to a lot of beauty gurus but these five all have a special place in my heart (and subscription box). Who were the first five beauty gurus you watched in YouTube?