4 Crucial Ways Social Media Has Helped Me As A Makeup Artist
This blog is a project for Study Unit MCS3953, University of Malta.
It is without a doubt that social media has served a pivotal part in making me the makeup artist I am today. The following points below summarize how social media platforms have served as an influence on my current experiences and journey as a makeup artist and what I have learned from it.
1) Makeup education
Its reasonable to note that one learns from their own mistakes. Looking back at my very first attempts at makeup in photos, compared with my most recent ones, I notice a huge difference from almost every aspect. From the blending, the ratios and the photo angles — everything seems to have improved for the better. When I first began to gain interest in makeup, my beauty drawer comprised of a couple of eyeliners and lipsticks which I had been given to, bought long ago and never used or shared by my mum. I have always been a very active individual on social media and remember scrolling through the my news-feed on Instagram and noticing an increase in the number of makeup-related videos and posts. From eyeliner tutorials to eye-shadow reviews, I became gradually intrigued by the beauty gurus’ explanations and techniques and this information, gained by social media, facilitated to enrich my underdeveloped knowledge on makeup to the point where I am now confident enough to disseminate, and even teach, these same ways to others — something that would never have crossed my mind at the start! As a current influencer, I enjoy sharing opinions and suggestions about which brushes to use, which eye-shadow palettes have the best colour pay-off and which foundations are best for a certain skin tone, for example. Although I have recently completed a course in makeup application, and also took a job in the beauty industry, most practices I mastered were grasped beforehand, through social media coverage. Now, such techniques are not only used on myself to create diverse eye-looks, but also on clients too. Whilst there are no universal ‘rules’ in makeup application, some very basic concepts have been around for years and are still vastly apparent and useful today. In the makeup community, the never-ending number of unique and talented individuals attempt to vary and reform such techniques as their own — seen through makeup trends and other alterations that we constantly learn from each day.
2) Inspiration
The countless number of makeup videos, images and other social media posts serve as a great opportunity for one to gain an idea of what people like to see. On my Instagram account, for example, I follow over 500 beauty-related accounts, many of which containing shared work of individuals. Most of the content that I have created up until now was, in some way or other, inspired by or based on creations by other artists, yet molded and reshaped according to my liking. With the ability to save posts on Instagram, it is easy to refer back to an image or video from an account if needed. When I find a post appealing, for example, I basically add it to my saved section as to attempt to recreate it later on. It is however looked down upon by beauty gurus when the original artist’s idea is not credited in the description of the recreated post. Ever since I entered the makeup community, I have noticed that, unfortunately, many individuals (and surprisingly even makeup companies) ‘steal’ artist’s ideas and original posts without mentioning the original creator in it. Whilst it is something that one cannot have control over, and other than reporting the situation, I (as well as the majority) find that adding a watermark in the photo (in my case @beautybyaudz) helps to remind the audience who the owner of the post originally is.
2 Halloween looks I created, inspired by my followers
3) Development of social ties
Social media networks offer the ability to establish an endless number of links between individuals. The moment I entered into the makeup community, I felt as if I was thrown onto a deserted island and it was up to me to fend for myself. Most social platforms give new users options to follow accounts or posts according to their preferences as a starting point in building their online identity. I began following random makeup bloggers who appeared to have appealing content and similar interests, and from their accounts I soon realized who the most popular and influential beauty gurus were. Presently, I have befriended a large amount of followers on my page who I communicate with, promote and also encourage through Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Whilst I have never met the majority of them, I still feel ‘close’ to them as if I had met them in real life, a strange experience which online communities have led society to feel. These weak social ties, which have not only helped boost my recognition (such as promotions, being sent free makeup and earning a job in the makeup sector), but have welcomed me into a networked society consisting of others who have similar interests and commonalities.
4) Self-expression
Around 2–3 years ago, the few rudimentary interests I had in makeup experimentation seemed to have gone a long way. The use of social media has shaped and transformed these mere aspirations into a hobby that I am now dearly passionate about. By taking an initiative, as well as through countless hours searching through YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, this experience has enabled me to step outside my comfort zone, bringing out a more artistic side of myself; which I had never unleashed before. Along with my studies, this has led me to dedicate much of my free time to makeup, hoping that each look, created on myself or others, reaches an optimum level of precision, detail and beauty. As a makeup artist in a rather competitive society, I depend almost entirely on social media to get my name out there. With the rise of the online community over the past few years, posting photos and videos on such platforms has become one of the easiest and quickest ways in gaining trusted recognition by individuals and, in turn, enriching one’s social capital. Although I am still learning, by exposing my work to the world, this has allowed me to leave room for improvements, receive feedback and also appreciate much encouragement from my friends, family and followers. For me, makeup isn’t simply a way in enhancing one’s natural beauty but also a mode of self-expression, stress-relief and unraveling one’s inner artist.
References:
Vilander, J. (2017). Personal Branding on Social Media and Social Media Based Entrepreneurship. Retrieved from https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/138917/Vilander_Jenni.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
