I'm subscribed to almost a hundred different make-up artists on YouTube. While not an aspiring make-up artist, I enjoy following trends and snagging new products to add to my own collection. With the recent release of Kylie Jenner's make-up line, the beauty community blew up, continuously following SnapChat and Instagram updates to get the long-awaited, frequently sold out, lip kits. People want to perfect her signature pout and get that airbrushed and flawlessly contoured face that her and her siblings have.
But unless you have 2 hours of dead time or $1200 just sitting in your bank account to blow at Sephora, you're not going to want to cake on an entirely new face every single day.
With this, and the fact that the school season is now upon us, YouTube beauty vloggers have come up with ways for their subscribers to save money, time, and product. They've introduced the trends of "drugstore dupes for high-end make-up products" for those of us who are on a budget. They've uploaded 11-minute long videos explaining some tips and tricks to allow for all of us college kids to get to class looking like you've gotten a full night's rest even when you didn't with the most minimal amount of make-up possible.
On August 28, 2016 the VMAs were held at Madison Square Gardens in New York City. Aside from Beyonce winning numerous awards, and Drake and Rihanna becoming #RelationshipGoals, there was one thing that stuck out to me from that night.
Alicia Keys stepped out onto to the red carpet with a look that struck me as incredibly empowering. The artist came out with a make-up free, au naturel palette that seems almost unheard of in today's society.
Tabloid magazines such as People or Us Weekly, have long hired photographers to take photos of celebrities without make-up, almost ridiculing them of their “natural” appearance. The entertainment business is ruthless for almost promoting the idea of plastic surgery, especially to keep older celebrities looking youthful. We can’t blame them; they have all this money and they have to preserve their money maker in some form.
The reason why Alicia Keys’ look on the VMA red carpet was incredibly astounding is because of the rarity of her brave act. It empowers women to move towards accepting their natural beauty. Going bare faced isn’t just a confidence booster. Your skin will thank you for going a day or two without caking on product. Your eyelashes and eyebrows can breathe a little better when there isn’t mascara or pomade all over it.
Let’s all follow Alicia Keys on the journey towards happy skin.
