There is a beauty revolution going on and if you are not a teenager/twenty something (or living with one) you could have absolutely no idea it was happening. For some time my beauty obsessed daughter has been telling me about her favourite beauty vloggers (bloggers who make videos on YouTube) and how they are changing the face of the cosmetics industry.
The vloggers talk about the products they love – usually from their bedrooms – and provide tutorials on how to achieve their favourite looks. Usually gorgeous, girly and very accessible (think glamorous girl next door) their peer to peer personal approach engages young girls in a way mainstream media and advertising can only dream of.
This growing group of online influencers are not only making a name for themselves and generating millions of hits a day on their channels, they are also making a lot of money for the beauty industry.
The influence their videos have on young women (the typical age range is 11 – 18) is huge and the products they recommend can become cult, must have items in a matter of days, meaning the financial rewards for vloggers can be very lucrative, from both advertising revenue and brands who are keen to promote their products.
The big vloggers are now becoming brands of their own, creating their own product lines and expanding their channels beyond just beauty, to cover parenting, food and interior decoration.
There also seems to be potential beyond just the teenage demographic. Make-up artists Sam and Nic Chapman have more than 200m views on their Pixiwoo YouTube channel and think the potential outside the teenage market is huge. “While the typical YouTube age range is, say, 11-16, we have a really big range of people, starting from 16 right up to 65,” Nic told the Financial Times. “Ours is a massive demographic of people who really want to learn. It also helps that our work is what YouTube calls evergreen content, which means it doesn’t date.
It’s an interesting area and definitely one to watch, after all isn’t there more need for advice on how to update your look as you get older? I don’t know about you but I am definitely got stuck in a rut when it comes to experimenting with different looks – I have one!
I did a search for beauty vloggers who are targeting the older market and only found this one excellent video from celebrity make up artist Charlotte Tilbury, making her mum Patsy look fabulous.
Chatting to some of our readers at our scent salon this week, I found there is a real desire for beauty advice on products and a desire to try out new looks (that don’t make us look like drag queens!) for the older market. Perhaps online tutorials are the way forward.
Check out the interesting feature in last Sundays Observer on beauty vloggers and watch out for The Womens Room beauty vlog – coming soon!
Hi, I love reading your pages, addicted to them! Just had to let you know about two great video clips on the Lisa Eldridge site. one for “Menopause make-up and chat’ and the other for “Make-up for mature skin’. Here is the link, which has just caused my teenage daughter a hysterical laughing fit as I had to ask her how to do it! I can live with the humiliation. http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/
I think YouTube is just so accessible to anyone these days, especially teenage girls, but it’s also become so easy to sit in front of a camera and give advice. I think it’s that vulnerability that makes these people so relatable.
I’m also planning to start making YouTube videos, alongside my blog: blogdesherrell.com. I think it’s a great way of connecting with people.
thanks for the links Jenny – will definitely check them out – I really like Lisa Eldridge.
Joanne will look out for your videos and look out for ours – made in conjunction with a teenage beauty guru (my daughter). I think this may catch on!
J x
I can’t WAIT for your vlog, bring it on! I didn’t find the Observer piece that useful, I wanted actual figures on what these people are making but nothing seemed to be forthcoming. I do agree with you though, these vloggers (and bloggers) are making a shit ton of money for the beauty industry. That there is no doubt about!
Oh yes, do check out Lisa Eldridge, she’s fantastic.
I also love Wayne Goss; (I think) he is managed by Gleam but isn’t as twee as Tanya Burr or Zoella, and really knows his stuff. Guess that’s the difference…he and Lisa are professionals!
I did read that Zoella was making enough to rent a seafront flat in Brighton! But, yeah, there are no real figures bandied about are there?
Church’s have their sale on again, if you need me to check out their outlet store. I also recently got taken to the Wacoal Eveden factory outlet – bras as far as the eye could see. Fantastic!
Zxx
Zoe, thanks for the tips will check them out. OOO and interesting about Churches could you email us – I can’t seem to find you email
Thanks J x
Navaz,
I feel it may have a slight comedic element, but coming soon, will let you know
x