Top 5 Favorite Beauty Gurus

Since starting my beauty Instagram account, I have spent countless hours just pouring over my newsfeed to find new artists to follow. Many thumb cramps have I suffered by endlessly scrolling the "Explore" page. I love finding new gurus that feature unique works. And it's a plus if they have a YouTube account for me to obsess over too!

On my About Me page, I give a small shout out to some of the more famous YouTubers I adore, such as: Jaclyn Hill, shaaanxo, and LustreLux. However, this post will be focusing on some of the lesser-known artists that I've grown to love.

So here are my Top 5 Favorite Beauty Gurus (in no particular order)!

Whenever I think of dramatic eye work, I automatically think of Tia from @tialacakeface. If her cut creases don't win your heart, her colored brows and ombre lips will. She has some of the most impressive work I've ever laid eyes on. Her cut creases are always expertly blended and she features a ton of fun color combinations. She has also began dabbling in negative space cut creases, and they are so fabulous!

Another well-loved makeup artist of mine is Alyona of @mrs_mua. Her eye looks are gorgeOUS! She has a good mix of every day, more practical looks, as well as fun and funky. She also does some more artistic looks and creates some very impressive shapes and angles. I don't understand how this woman has less than 3000 followers, because she is absolutely amazing at what she does.

Katie from @psalm392_makeup is an absolute doll! She's definitely on #wcw status! I consider her to be a well-rounded artist. She features practical looks as well as dramatic, high-fashion looks (pictured here). She actually created this look to enter a contest, and she was a finalist! One of my favorite things about her is that she's not afraid to mix things up. This is one girl who definitely isn't stuck in a rut.

This next guru is a YouTuber. Tiffany Neilssien. I just enjoy her channel so, so much! She doesn't so much do tutorials on her channel. Instead she does a lot of reviews and hauls, which I really like. So many YouTubers are all about tutorials, but I much prefer a more well-rounded channel. She also really likes drugstore make up, which is great for any of us that don't have a lot of high-end products. Her videos are also just well edited. I don't find myself bored or uninterested.

Not so much of a lesser-known artists, but this last artist is perhaps one of the most creative that I have come across. Known as the Brow Chameleon, Alo from @makeupby_alo blows me out of the water every time I visit her page. This woman is a facial architect with her deep understanding of highlighting and contouring to reconstruct facial features. Not only that, but she is overflowing with creativity. Something else I also appreciate about her is her authenticity. Alo is real and blunt, and not afraid to tell everyone how it is.




If you haven't checked out any of these artists, I highly recommend doing so. Each of these ladies are amazing in their own unique ways. I enjoy visiting their pages (or channels) daily, just to see what amazing looks these artists have dreamed up. Most of these women probably don't even know I exist, but they have made in impact on me. It is my prayer that one day I can be in their shoes, and be just as kind and compassionate as they are.

Who are some of your favorite artists? Why? How do they inspire you?

Exploring the Discomfort Zone

Every professional has their comfort zone, right? At my law firm job, my comfort zone is LLCs. At my husband's job, his comfort zone is Kindergarten. Remaining in the comfort zone is easy and relaxing. However, stepping out of the comfort zone can sometimes be a very good thing and yield some incredible results. Same thing goes for make up enthusiasts/artists. My comfort zone are my every day looks. I've gotten pretty good at creating wearable, safe every day looks. I really enjoy creating these looks because they're more practical. But I just find myself sOoOoOo enamored by some of the more glamorous looks on my Instagram feed.

@chiknita81

@caprisssmakeup

@malenefrank93

 So this past weekend, after baby sitting a 5-month old for 8 hours, I decided to dive into my make up and create a more dramatic look for myself than I normally would. I decided on the black smokey eye with a warm crease. Easy (in theory), but definitely different than what I'm used to doing.

Someone get me a pair of falsies!

This is the end result, and I feel so silly posting this under all those great artists, but you know what? They didn't start out like that! They started where I am: as a girl who loves make up. With practice, determination, and dedication, they worked and blended their butts off until they became the amazing artists we all fawn over on IG. And with the same work ethic, I can do it too. We all can!

From this day forward, I will create at least one dramatic/glamorous/fun n' funky look per week. I will find inspiration from all sources, allow creativity to well up inside of me, and transfer that creativity from my hands and to my eye lids. I will then blog about my eye look and reflect on it. Is it what I envisioned? Do I like how it turned out? What would I change? Did I have the appropriate tools/colors I wanted? And please feel free to offer any sort of constructive criticism!

Are there any areas in your makeup life that you would like to step out of?