If you haven’t kept up with all the beauty guru drama on YouTube, you’re in a lucky camp. I happen to have many varying interests, a recent one being beauty gurus. Of course, by the time I got into beauty gurus, all of the drama about Laura Lee being racist and Manny MUA rumored to be a social climber was out, and I wasn’t all that sure who to watch. If you’re in the same boat as me, don’t worry!
Here are some fantastic beauty gurus that I personally enjoy watching who are talented and who are either underrated or just really cool. This list is in no particular order, and feel free to comment any beauty gurus you love that I missed!
1. Jeffree Star
If you’re unaware of Jeffree Star, you clearly haven’t either a) been on the internet a long time or b) managed to stay away from the MySpace era entirely (which, lucky you). Star has been the face of some controversy in the past which has a made a lot of people on the internet have a very strong opinion of him. Full disclosure, I used to strongly dislike him – then I watched Shane’s Dawson’s documentary on him, and my opinion of him completely changed. He’s a very talented makeup guru and has grown a lot as a person. Additionally, Jeffree also identifies as androgynous and is completely confident in his own skin. He also owns his own cosmetics company known as, appropriately, Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
You can find to him on YouTube here.
2. Jackie Aina
A funny, talented makeup guru who does reviews and GRWM (get ready with me) on her channel. She’s extremely underrated (despite her large following) and recently did a collaboration with Too Faced for their “Born this Way” foundations. Additionally, she’s never afraid to be real to her subscribers and give them the real tea about certain products. She continuously vouches for more inclusiveness in the beauty industry and is overall just a wonderful person.
You can find her on YouTube here.
3. Safiya Nygaard
I was first introduced to Safiya from BuzzFeed during her time on LadyLike. She was absolutely hilarious in that series, but then she left to go own her own. Her solo channel is all beauty-centered, but it’s a funny beauty that I really appreciate. She has done franken-highlighters, franken-foundations, franken-lipsticks, and franken-eyeshadows. (I also love her because we both love dark liquid lipsticks.) I love the style of her videos and she’s honestly one of the most relatable beauty gurus.
You can find her on YouTube here.
4. Desi Perkins
Desi is a lovely beauty guru who is known for her amazing liquid eyeliner and her lovely personality. Additionally, she is Latina and is not afraid to be open and vulnerable with her fans. Her makeup talents have been recognized by Kim Kardashian and Nicole Richie. Her style of video is much more mature than some of the YouTubers on this list but nonetheless entertaining.
You can find her on YouTube here.
5. Alissa Ashley
Subscriber wise, Alissa has the least amount on this list, but I personally think she should have a lot more. She’s one of the most creative people in this beauty guru list, having her Magical Wheel Mondays where she spins a wheel and does her makeup look according to the wheel. She also advocates for inclusiveness in the beauty industry and in the beauty community. She also recently collaborated with NYX for their Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation line. She’s a very interesting YouTuber and one you should definitely keep in mind.
You can find her on YouTube here.
I hope you find beauty inspiration with these talented YouTube beauty gurus! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.