What is it about watching makeup tutorials that is so therapeutic? Is it satisfaction of watching a bare-faced mortal transform into a completely different being? Or the magical things they can do with the same makeup products littering our own bathrooms? Whatever the case, the best YouTube tutorials make us feel like we've got a professional makeup artist right in our own home, teaching us their tricks of the trade -- for free. And better yet, we can pause and replay as many times as it takes to master the trickiest makeup techniques.
Since it can be tough to know where to start, we created a short list of the best makeup tutorials out there, featuring vloggers who wield makeup brushes like magic wands. Whatever it is you want to master -- be it false lashes, winged liner, a smoky eye or the cut crease -- we found the video tutorials that truly break it down for you step-by-step. So sit back, grab your makeup brushes and watch your makeup goals become reality.
Image via Imaxtree
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Best Contouring and Highlighting Tutorial With Kandee Johnson
This makeup tutorial from crimson-haired YouTube doll Kandee Johnson removes all of the mystery surrounding contouring. (Sure, we know everyone says contouring is out, but that doesn't mean makeup artists aren't still using it on their celebrity clients.) In this video, she shows us how to contour as well as highlight the face from all angles (see our strobing makeup tutorial here) for that lit-from-within glow.
Along the way, Kandee explains the ideal face shape as well as makeup color theory, in a way that only she knows how -- with tons of humor. She also shows us how to spotlight our best features, while downplaying our less-favorable ones. When her entire face is covered in highlighter and contour, and we worry she's steered us wrong, she pulls out her trusted Beautyblender and shows us the way to a beautiful, chiseled end result.
A smoky eye is one of those eye makeup techniques that doesn't seem very hard until you try to execute it. If a smoky eye is your personal struggle, this tutorial from beauty blogger Dulce Candy will up your game in no time.
Dulce shows us how to create the dramatic eye look by starting with a white bristled brush (they pick up less product) and holding it at the very end to ensure a light touch, gradually building the smoky eye from lightest to darkest colors. She shows us how to add black shadow by using a flat brush -- "packing" the color onto the lid then using a fluffier brush to blend and smudge outward. She accentuates the eye shadow with a lighter brown shade, lines the eye and uses a lash curler before applying mascara -- all to really make the eye pop. The woman knows her brushes, and it shows. The end result is a gorgeous, black smoky eye.
Best Acne Concealing Makeup Tutorial with MyPaleSkin
MyPaleSkin is the woman to turn to for blemish-concealing makeup tutorials. When she developed adult acne, Em Ford, a beauty aficionado from London, decided to start a blog about her experience -- and all of the makeup tricks she learned to hide it. She's also a vocal campaigner to end body shaming -- especially in the form of hurtful YouTube comments.
In this makeup tutorial, Em reels us in from the very beginning with surprising tips like using a grey-toned concealer underneath foundation to neutralize blemishes. After a meticulous application of her foundation, Em applies one more layer of concealer with a brush and feathers it out with a Beautyblender. The trick, she says, is to slowly build up coverage in layers. Instead of using powder to set her look, she sprays her face and Beautyblender with finishing spray, then taps the concealed spots with her sponge for a completely flawless finish. You would never know she had a pimple a day in her whole life.
Looking for a foolproof makeup tutorial to break down this glamorous, contoured eye look? Carli Bybel, YouTube beauty blogger with tons of gorgeous looks to choose from, shows us how to create the coveted cut crease.
Consider this your Cliffs Notes version of the cut crease. Carli cuts to the chase, skipping the blow-by-blow on foundation application and other basics, and goes straight to what we really want -- the eye tutorial. We love that she starts the video with one eye finished so we can see the final look that we are trying to achieve. And she's got a genius approach that simplifies the cut crease: She uses a pointed shadow brush to follow the eyelid crease in a line that mimics her winged liner. Then, she blends it out for a slight gradient effect. By the end, we all feel confident that we can recreate this look ourselves.
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