I love the beauty and fashion communities on YouTube but personally, I don’t really like following a lot of the most popular channels. Most of them don’t seem super genuine, and sometimes seem to care more about drama than making quality content. On top of that, many of the most popular creators in the beauty community are problematic and haven’t grown from their past mistakes (i.e., the recent James Charles controversy), which makes it hard for me to fully support them.
However, there are plenty of gems within the online beauty community if you know where to look. If you’re sick of watching dramatic and immature creators, read on for five very talented, humble ladies who will teach you some new fashion and makeup tricks without bringing any petty drama to the table.
Jackie Aina
With over three million subscribers, Auntie Jackie is technically a “bigger” YouTuber, but I firmly believe that she’s someone every makeup lover should watch. Not only is she talented, extremely funny, and an overall genuine, hardworking person, but she also talks about colorism in the makeup world, which is something that every makeup lover should be educated on. She originally started her channel to advocate for people of color in the makeup world, addressing how hard it is as a black woman to find a matching foundation shade, and how most brands don’t really cater to people with darker skin. A lot of her content these days is still mostly geared towards women of color, but she is so talented and fun to watch that everyone can find something to enjoy on her channel, regardless of your skin color.
Liah Yoo
Founder of KraveBeauty, Liah Yoo is an expert on all things Korean skincare. I’ve been following many different Korean makeup and skincare YouTubers for years, and I’ve never come across someone who is even near as knowledgeable as Liah. A lot of her content focuses on educating people about specific ingredients in skincare, debunking common skincare myths, and educating people about the importance of knowing exactly what is in the products that you’re putting on your face. If you’re curious about Korean skincare but don’t know where to start, Liah’s channel is definitely the place to go.
Bestdressed
More focused on fashion rather than beauty, Ashley’s channel is mainly centered around thrifting hauls and thrift flips, in which she finds vintage pieces and reworks them into something completely new. It’s super fun to watch her create new pieces out of old, frumpy clothing, and every time I watch one of her thrift flips, I want to dig out my old sewing machine, ravage my closet for all my oldest pieces, and rework them into something completely new. Apart from thrifting and other fashion related videos, Ashley also shares her experience as a film student at UCLA, and gives “big sister” advice on everything from sex positivity to school-related topics.
Easy Neon
Diana Curmei is a 26-year-old beauty and fashion blogger living in the UK and is a total queen of bold eye looks and eyeshadow blending. Her style of videos is usually a walkthrough of her doing a makeup look with chill, lo-fi style music in the background, making her videos very easy to watch and to learn from. Many of her recent videos focus on recreating a celebrity makeup look, drawing inspiration from people such as Dua Lipa, Shay Mitchell, and Jennie from BLACKPINK. It’s super cool to see someone as talented as her take on these looks and put her own spin on them. If you want to learn more about blending eyeshadow or pulling off chic, glam looks any time of the day, watching her videos will definitely give you some tips.
Joan Kim
With videos covering everything from makeup tutorials, fashion lookbooks, detailed skincare routines, lifestyle advice, and super aesthetic daily vlogs, there is definitely something on Joan’s channel for everyone. A Korean American currently living in Seoul, Joan’s videos offer helpful advice on beauty related topics, especially for those struggling with acne or other skin concerns. Her daily vlogs are probably some of the best-produced vlogs I’ve seen of any beauty YouTuber, and they’re filmed in an immersive, slice-of-life style in which Joan shares her life as a foreigner living in Korea. Her channel is great for anyone looking for general tips on beauty, makeup, and fashion related topics, or calming, aesthetically pleasing vlogs to end the day with.