Starting a YouTube Beauty Channel: Things you should know

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. Today I have some pointers for you on starting a YouTube channel. Now I am not a pro and I don't claim to know everything, but I know what I know and I am going to share what I know with you.

I started my channel Aug 14, 2013 and today being Oct 4, 2013 with 51 subscribers, So that's a Subbie a day so far :).  Now, my channel is a beauty channel, on my channel I do reviews, tutorials and Egg tests.

Whats a egg test? I apply certain makeup products to eggs to test their claims if any on covering pores and what not. This is my niche on my channel. 

Whats a Niche? A Niche is your specialty something that makes you different and sets you apart from the countless others doing the same thing on YouTube. If you don't have a niche find one! 

This can be anything, Like me and my egg. 20/30Glam is apart of the beauty community on YouTube, Their Niche? Each other as far as I have seen They are the only Beauty channel that features Two women, So they can get two views of the same product, So you get to different views, two reviews in one video! kinda like a Siskel and Ebert of beauty and if they play on this I feel they will go very far on YouTube.

Now that you have considered what makes you different from all other beauty channels lets talk Brand.

Whats a Brand? You are your Brand. What you say, how you say it and how you look while you say it is apart of your brand. Don't try to be like every one else use your quirks, the things that make you, You.

Have a southern drawl? use it! Have a cute accent? Don't hide it! Use what you got. 

Now, not everyone is going to fall in love with you, but that's okay too. Haters will come and haters will go, but like Madonna said "Any publicity is good publicity". Example Mirandasings08 from YouTube her channel has many haters, but people watch just to see her madness and see what the haters have to say to her in the comments section of her videos and she responds to them through her videos, she basically used her haters to get ahead and it worked flawlessly.

Lighting! Even if you have a cheap camera or webcam your lighting can make it look so much better.

I use clamp lights from the hardware store and GE reveal light bulbs. I cover them with a white shower cap as a light softener.

 I do not point the lights directly at me because it will make me too bright. Point them at the ceiling, light the area your filming in not just your face.

I use the Logitech C615 webcam that I picked up at Walmart for around $60 dollars. It is a good camera and I like what I get from it for now. Sure everyone wants a great camera to film with but sometimes it doesn't work out that way, so just use the best you can afford.

I have made my background using a poster board from Walmart and wrapping paper from Walgreen's, taped it to a old mop duster stick. I did this because I have a 2 year old, so I have to film when I can and not when I want. And this helps me set up whenever I need it and I don't have to worry about the mess in the background.

Time! Time is a very important factor. If you are a new channel no one wants to see 15 minuets of you blending out your eye shadow or hear about how you love the Naked2 palette. Keep your videos around or under 10 minuets. Once you gain an audience then you can do longer videos because people have subscribe and are obviously interested in what you have to say. 

When it comes to eye tutorials, this I have learned from my own experience if you are doing a whole look do only 1 eye and cut to to finished look. Be sure to record your intro after you have completed your look so they can get an idea of the finished look before the tutorial portion starts so you can get a good intro to your video.

Think of it this way, in every movie blockbuster there are at least 5 trailer scenes. This means there are 5 attention grabbing scenes in every movie, this sells the film so people will buy tickets. ever wonder why the trailer is better then the movie as a whole? But instead of an hour and a half you get 5 to 15 minuets to sell your brand e.g YOU!


So catch your audience within the first 20 seconds then go from there every so often drop a trailer spot, this could be doing something different in the look your doing or showing them a different product, if your doing a review. So don't linger. Remember you have a video bar next to your face screaming watch me instead. So do your thing to keep the viewers eyes on you! :)

Edit your videos and edit them again. Get rid of all those ums. I little trick I am working on is to say everything 3 times and space out my phrases, like this. "this is the new beauty product of the month". Then stop. Don't say "this is the new beauty product and i love um what it does um for my skin". This will be harder to edit. Think of it as a commercial, make your statements and phrases as clear as possible.

When doing a voice over there is no need to keep talking all the way through. Say what is needed and nothing more, if it is funny or pertaining to the video then its alright. Add music to the video for the times you aren't talking, this will help move the video along, make sure its copyright free or YouTube will hate you and spit on your video!

Don't save your video as MyMovie.file.  Name it! YouTube uses this file name as a guide for what your video is about so name it the same way you want it to appear on YouTube itself. 

Don't Yell in your video most people watch YouTube with head phones on and a screaming voice is a sure way to get a video closed before you get to your subject matter.

Do add tags to your video, relevant to your video. YouTube Currently only allows I think 400 or 500 characters for tags, so use them wisely.

Do add big Beauty channels to your tags I currently use Michelle Phan and Kandee Johnson in my tags to show up on the side of their videos. 

Do add your channel name to your tags, this will help your other videos show up on the side while someone is watching your current video.

Do use annotations to ask your views for likes, subscriptions and comments, engage your audience.

Always ask for Likes, comments and subscriptions at the end of every video. Kandee Johnson always mentions a hug after her videos, GossmakeupArtist Always winks at the end of his videos. I haven't found my sign off signal yet, but I will one day! So find yours :)

Most Important! Look into the camera! Not the view finder, Not the computer screen. Talk to the camera like you are talking to your friends or family. 

You don't have to be all dolled up for a video, but you should look decent.

I am currently looking for new subscribers!
Please Subscribe if you like and if you have a beauty channel I will subscribe back :)

So that's all my brain can handle for today.

I will be Adding to this series as I go, so Please follow my blog if you like with bloglovin or google+

YouTube Channels I have mentioned above :)
TheMakeupSquid
20/30Glam
Mirandasings
Kandee Johnson
GossMakeupArtist

All Items mentioned above were purchased with my own money at Walmart.

Thanks for readings and have a great day :)

Things I bought today

Today I decided I was going to treat myself to some stuff I have been seeing around online and wanted to get my hands on. The girls at 20/30Glam told me about a BH cosmetics deal that was going on so I hopped on over and picked up a few things and here what I bought. Enjoy!

Pop Art Steal
I have used BH cosmetics brushes before and I liked them a lot so I picked up these guys.

This set comes with 10 brushes and this awesome holder that reminds me a lot of Sephora.
I picked these up for $12.
I will do a review on them once I have used them for a little while.

BH San Francisco Eyeshadow & Blush Palette
This guy I picked up for $6.

Yes $6 if your order is over $25. My friend from YouTube Lifeasamy1 Got these when they first hit the site and she recommended I try them so, here I am. I will do a review when they arrive.

28 Neutral Color Eyeshadow Palette
I love this palette and think its perfect for this time of year. I got this guy for only $10 so I am forced to love him :). Will do a review on him when he gets here.








I have used BH Cosmetics before and still use their older palettes.
I am looking for other things to purchase online within this price range so if you have any suggestions please let me know.

Thanks for listening and have a great day :)

Links are fun :)
Blogs/Vlogs I mentioned 20/30Glam, Lifeasamy1
Products and Companies mentioned above BHcosmetics, Sephora

The Reasons why I use a mans razor

Okay, I have been shaving with a mans razor for over 5 years now. Why? Well the truth is I shave daily no matter what the season. If I don't shave in the shower I just don't feel like I did it right OCD anyone?

It started with showering with my Venus and I needed a refill, but didn't have any, but my guy did so I clipped one in and used it. Oh My Goodness!

What a close and wonderful shave it was and I have never gone back since. I even have my Squid-let using a mans razor for legs, underarms and bikini area.

The Reasons why I use a mans razor:

1. Men shave more then the average women does, so their blades are more pronounced then a woman's razor.
2. They are made to stand up to daily uses and have longer blade life then a woman's razor.
3. They are often a dollar cheaper then a woman's razor.

facial skin is different then leg skin and a mans razor is made for a very delicate yet durable area, so it will perform better, more precisely.

Since using a mans razor I also have not found the need to use a shaving cream, I just shave at the end of my shower to make sure the heat has softened my skin and I have exfoliated my legs.

I don't need to refill very often either maybe about once a month at a shower a day.

Here is how I extend my blade life:
I only expose my blade to water when I am using it.
I thoroughly clean it after every use, running it under water, tapping it out on the shower wall and blowing it out removing any excess water.
I keep it high on the shower stall so that when other use the shower it won't be exposed to any water.

This keeps my blade clean and dry waiting for my next shave.

When it is time to renew I never buy the cartridges, I just buy a new blade.
A new blade goes for around $9 and it includes 2 blades as the cartridge refill goes for around $13
So for $9 bucks I am getting 2 months worth of shaving!
I promise you will see the difference and you will love it!

I hope this helps in anyway.

have you ever used a mans razor for a shave? How did it go?

Thanks for reading!
Have a great day :)

Maybelline Fit Me Vs. MUFE Matte Velvet Foundation Egg Test

This is an Eggsperiment I did on the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation and The MUFE Matte Velvet Foundations.

For those of you who don't know know what an eggsperiment is. It is a Test That I do to products that claim they give a flat, flawless look, from primers to concealers no product shall go untested! I use an egg of course. Because the egg has a similar texture to our skin, you cant see this texture but you can feel it. Now that you have stopped touching your face or thinking about touching your face. Let's move on.

Both of these foundations have strong followings and for good reason they are both amazing products, but, yes there is always a but. Which of these two bad boys can go up against the Incredible, Edible Egg? 

Let's See!

What's My Face Worth TAG!

The Lovely Ashley and Julie over at 20/30Glam Tagged me for this, you should totally go an check out their blog and see their results, but to me they are priceless :) Their blog has a little bit of everything beauty, hair , nails and they are currently in the market for the perfect red lipstick! So go check them out tell them the Squid sent ya :)

Okay, I need to give you a little background before we begin. I don't have a makeup box/bag, I have a makeup table. and everything is always their staring back at me shouting, try me, try me. So I found it hard finding out what my face is worth, so what I did was make a list of what I use most.

I will include pics of what I am using as a makeup table now and show you my old makeup set up, this was my baby and these pictures break my heart every time. Enjoy :)

Where I am now :)

Where I was :o

Sometimes you just have to be big girl and roll with the punches ;)

 Now on to this tag!

I am not going to post pics, but here it goes.

L'Oreal Magic BB Cream $34.00

Maybelline Fit Me foundation $7.99

Maybelline Fit Me concealer $6.49

Maybelline Fit Me Powder $7.99

UD Primer Potion $20.00

Naked2 $52.00

UD 24/7 $19.00

 TooFaced LashGasam $21.00

Oh la lift $22.00

Hello Flawless $34.00

Elf Blush Bronzer Duo $3.00

Chanel Rouge coco $34.00

Drum Roll please! $229.46 Oh, my goodness! 

I am ashamed and secretly  happy at the same time. LMAO!!!

You never really pay attention to it but these are products we use everyday

 for months so it evens out I hope :/

Thanks Ladies (20/30Glam) for this fun tag!

The blogs I tag are DenineBlondie, Lifeasamy1, LolliK Leigh-Ann and YOU!

( If I tagged you after you have done this sowy )

Disney Villains False Lashes by Ardell SALE!!

Disney Villains False Lashes by Ardell are at Walgreen's And they are on sale from 7.99 to 5.99 

for a few days only!

I am a nut when it comes to lashes and these are amazing! Each Villain has her own set of lashes and some even have rhinestones on them perfect for any glam look especially with Halloween right around the corner.

Lets see what these villains have in store for us tonight!

Cruella De vil

She is as bad as they come! A Fashionista and a Die hard bitch. She hatee puppies or anything that has a prettier coat then the one she wears, But these lashes are all about the drama! Long and full of statements. The bottom pair features rhinestones on the outer rim perfect for a winged liner look matched with a red lip. 

Oh, the villainy!

Ursula

Now this is a villain if there ever was! Even though she was a Squid at heart, her selfish ways brought poor Ariel down to her knees! She used her sensual eyes to draw your attention away from the fact that  she was half squid and could take you down in a millisecond. These lashes are sure to get the attention of your prey.

Maleficent

For years she has defined the art of the perfect arch and with the sexiest eyes of any animated character. She was the one you loved to hate but watched her just to see what she would do next. Captivating us with her surreal beauty and cold heart, Maleficent is the way to go to show, No isn't an option. To follow in her footsteps you will have to take matters into your own hands. The faint of heart need not apply here.

Evil Queen

What would it be like to have minions at you beck and call? Answering to your every whim? She embodies deathly beauty and determined eyes, no one will get in her way.  Sensual and powerful are the two main ingredients with any of the lashes from her set. Do you have what it takes to compete with the Evil Queen?

Well my friends our journey through the Disney villains has come to an end.

First of all I want to thank Ardell for these, even though I wont wear them often is was nice to go back down memory lane, even just for a moment or two! 

I think the Squidlet and I will do a Disney Villains makeover movie night since its the perfect season for it, yay for Halloween :) 

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! It really took me back when I saw these for the first time. 

They took me back to when I was a girl and Going to the movies meant something. Another time and another place, but I will never forget these characters. Now I am all grown up, but I can still play!

My favorite has always been Maleficent never knew why maybe because she can turn herself into a Dragon.

Who is your favorite Disney Villain?

Thanks for listening!

Have a great day!

Eye Primer Eggsperiment!

Eye Primers. We use them to enhance the color of our shadows and give us a smooth surface to work on.

The three eye primers I have used are the three pictured here.

they all claim to do the same thing, but do they all do as they claim?




I decided to do my own experiment on these three primers using an egg, yes an egg.
I let the egg get to room temperature before I started.

In this eggsperiment I was looking for three things. Color payoff, Smoothing effect and Staying power.
In the video you will see my results enjoy!
Oh, and if you like what you see please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.

Please watch and let me know what you think. I plan on doing other experiments like this is the future Please let me know if there is any other product I should test.