First, thank you for teaching my how to "wing" my eyeliner (pun intended). Second, I'm sorry people don't take what you do seriously when they have no reason not to. It is perfectly fine for people on social media to make their livings off of pranking people on the street, or record themselves playing video games, but somehow when someone is being creative with a little makeup, it's not okay and suddenly it's made a mockery of.
I know people will roll their eyes when I say this but, makeup truly is an art. No, I'm not referring to the fact that it can enhance our features. I'm talking about the fact that it is actually a talent to be able to do a lot of the techniques needed to master a full face of makeup. Not only that, but makeup doesn't just have to be for everyday wear. It can also be a form of expression, which I've learned from hours of watching Mykie (Glam&Gore) and Lex (Madeyewloook) who both vary in talent with their ability to do costume makeup.
Above is Mykie, who has taught me, through the magic of the internet, how to face paint, wing my eyeliner, transform myself into an 80-year-old lady and much, much more. Just like me, many girls and boys who are just learning the basics of costume makeup are able to use it as a creative outlet because of makeup artists donating their time and energy into making videos to teach them.
I won't lie, I do sometimes spend fifteen minutes of my day watching a first impressions video for a hundred-dollar lipstick that I can't afford, but it's just something that interests me, as well as many others, across the web. So, what's the big deal?
Instead of shaming beauty gurus and beauty vloggers the way the internet sometimes seems to do, I would much rather just say thank you to the ones that have taken the time to teach me some valuable things about the power of makeup.
Many people would look at this and say something demeaning, such as, "Wow, this is why you take her swimming on the first date!" or "She looks so fake!" To me, however, the power of expression that Nikkie (NikkieTutorials) is able to put into each of her looks astounds me.
Many people think that makeup is meant to cover up our identities and to shield insecurities that are on the surface. But for me, it is quite the opposite. I believe that makeup is the ability to bring our inner creativity out into our style every single day and show people who we really feel we are inside.
I rejoice in the thought that all of these different backgrounds of people are able to come together in a social media community to share their talent through makeup. Beauty vloggers, keep doing what you're doing. You're motivating the creativity of millions of people.