So you want to be a beauty guru.

Hey lovies.

First things first, yes, Blogtober was a bust. Sorry! I just couldn't find time to blog every single day during the month. :( But I wanted to make this post because I CANNOT tell you how many emails/messages/comments I receive every day asking me the same question.

"Lo, how can I be a beauty guru?"

First off, let me say CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm so excited that you want to join the YouTube beauty community. I joined about four months ago, so I'm not exactly an expert just yet, but I have to say that it's been the best four months of my life (no joke). I've made amazing friends and met girls just like me that want to learn more about the beauty and fashion industry. Not too long ago I was in your shoes, creating my channel and asking myself how on earth I was supposed to get started.

Well, easy answer: There is no "proper" way to start your beauty  channel. Everyone is different and everyone's channels are going to grow differently. But I'm more than happy to share a few tips and tricks that I've picked up along the way.

1) Of course, start your channel.
Be creative with your username! I've seen too many makeupby____ or beautyby____ etc, etc. My name is Lo, so I wanted to incorporate that with my username while still letting others know that I was a beauty channel. It took me awhile to come up with thebeautyLodown. Don't be afraid to really brainstorm and ask other people's opinions on your username. :)

2) Make your first video (another no brainer)
But make it something popular that everyone seems to want to watch right now! Maybe a natural everyday makeup tutorial, or how you achieve the perfect red lipstick. Or maybe you're all sorts of daring and you want to put a tutorial out using bright yellow/pink eyeshadow combo. Do it! Nobody is telling you what you can and can't do on your channel... it is YOUR channel after all. Be unique and creative and put your all into it! For editing, I love Windows Movie Maker (the newest version) but I know iMovie is great as well. No need to spend money on an expensive editing program.

3) Promote, promote, promote.
This is where it's going to get a little tricky because I'm sure there are others out there who are going to disagree with me. But I don't think there is ANYTHING wrong with a little self-promotion through youtube. The way I've reached the majority of my subscribers has been by finding them writing on bigger guru's walls, or maybe they're even gurus themselves. See someone commenting on a beauty video on how much they enjoyed the tutorial? Reach out to them! Ask them to swing by your channel sometime because you think they'll like it. The worst that they can say is no, and I've found that the majority of the time they'll give your channel a fair shot.

4) Learn.
I cannot stress to you how important it is to actually know what you're talking about with makeup. If you want to be a guru, please take the time to watch other guru's videos (my favorites are MichellePhan, juicystar07 and amarixe). Watch what they do, take notes if you need to. Build your collection, and if you don't have much of a budget to work with, stick to drugstore brands or cheap alternatives, like Coastal Scents and Nyx. Be on top of the new releases (even if they are just at the drugstore) so you can get them quickly and review them for your viewers. I never buy makeup anymore without getting a second opinion... and I know other girls do as well. Learn about your passion.

That's pretty much all there is to it. Just be creative and show other people your talent. Good luck on your channel, and make sure to keep in touch with me at www.youtube.com/thebeautyLodown. I'd love to be your first subscriber. :)

I love you,
Lo