If you’re a girl (or boy) even slightly interested in beauty, you have to admit you’ve watched a makeup tutorial or two – or thirty – on Youtube either out of curiosity or in an attempt to get the same flawless look as your favorite beauty bloggers. You also can’t deny that, most of the time, theses tutorials are extremely hardly to follow and nearly impossible to duplicate unless you’re a makeup guru yourself. We tested this theory to see how close we could get to recreating some looks from some of Youtube’s most popular beauty gurus, including Carli Bybel, Kylie Jenner, and even the first male face of Covergirl, James Charles, with the makeup budget and skills of the average college student (including a male). Our experimenters ranged from people who do glam looks every weekend to people who can’t tell the difference between eyeliner and mascara. Keep reading for the results; they weren’t as off as you may think.
Tutorial #1: Start to Finish Glam – Big Eyes and Contour – SONJDRA DELUXE
Zoe, Age 21
Level of experience: Doesn’t like to wear make-up, if she does its mascara, eyeshadow, and blush. She owns one of each.
Products used:
- IPKN Primer
- Bare Minerals Foundation -Golden Tan
- Bare Minerals bronzer-Dark 2
- Elf Contour Kit
- Bobbie Brown blush- The High Dive
- Too Faced highlighter- Radiant finish
- L’oreal Lumi Highlighter
- Morphe 350M Eyeshadow Pallet
- Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallet
- Mary Kay Eyebrow Pencil
- Dior Mascara
- Mary Kay Mascara
- Femme Coutour Mascara
- Palladio Eyeliner-Fifty Fifty Cat Eye Liquid Liner & Smoky Kajal
- NYX Cosmic Metals Lipgloss-Retro Harmony
- Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix
Thoughts: I hate putting on this much makeup, the last time I wore this much was for junior prom in High School -I am now a senior in college. I am not about this. I was 40 seconds into the video and I already put on more makeup then i was used too. When you don’t have the skills or practice of a guru it doesn’t feel like it looks as good as theirs. I felt like the bronzer pales me out because I am mixing products to try to copy what she is doing. I am not used to seeing myself in this much makeup. It’s just so much effort to do. I would never do this everyday especially because I have 8am’s
THE FINAL LOOK
Tutorial #2: Autumn Makeup Tutorial – Tanya Burr
Alex, Age 19
Level of experience: Little-to-none. Wears mascara. That’s about it.
Products used:
- Nars Sheer Glow Foundation- Light1
- Sephora Bronzing face powder- Light 1
- COVER/FX Perfect Setting Powder- Translucent Light
- Revelon Color Stay Concealor
- Naked Smokey Urban Decay
- Elf Contour Pallet
- Too Faced Medium Matte Bronzer-Chocolate Soleil
- Benefit Rockateur blush
- L’Oreal Telescope Mascara
- Palladio Eyeliner-Fifty Fifty Cat Eye Liquid Liner & Smoky Kajal
- Kylie Jenner Lipgloss-Jolly
Thoughts: I had no idea what was going on most of the time – she jumped from one step to the other way too quickly and it took me twice as long to do things. I also had no idea how to do them and she did not actually explain the steps. I would never actually spend time on this everyday.
THE FINAL LOOK
Tutorial #3: Everyday Easy Glam Makeup – James Charles
Ben, Age 19
Level of experience: Absolutely none. Hasn’t worn makeup a day in his life.
Products used:
- Too Faced Hangover Primer
- Nars Sheer Glow Foundation- Light1
- Sephora Bronzing Face Powder- Light 1
- COVER/FX Perfect Setting Powder- Translucent Light
- Revelon Color Stay Concealor
- Naked Smokey Urban Decay
- Elf Contour Pallet
- L’Oreal Telescope Mascara
- Palladio Eyeliner-Fifty Fifty Cat Eye Liquid Liner & Smoky Kajal
- Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz- Taupe
- Make Up For Ever-Artist Liquid Matte
Thoughts: This is way too much makeup for everyday; it looks cakey and not at all “natural” like the title claims. He also contoured way too much. It felt good to coverup imperfections but I wouldn’t do the eye makeup ever again. I would never go out in public with this on.
THE FINAL LOOK
Tutorial #4: Kylie’s Full-Glam Birthday Look – Kylie Jenner
Alysa, Age 18
Level of experience: Pretty good and experienced with makeup. Wears at least some makeup every day and frequently does glam looks.
Products used:
- Revlon Color Stay Liquid Foundation
- Naked Smokey Urban Decay
- Lorac Unzipped Eye Shadow Pallet
- Ulta Brand Contouring Kit
- Too Faced Medium Matte Bronzer-Chocolate Soleil
- Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
- Urban Decay Naked Liquid Illuminater
- Ardel Eyelashes
- Cover Girl Full Lash Bloom mascara
- Urban Decay Liquid Eyeliner
- Kylie Matte Lipstick – “Candy K”
- MAC Setting Spray
Thoughts: Even though I enjoy makeup and am pretty decent at it, this was frustrating because she jumped from one step to the next way too quickly and I had to keep rewinding to see what she did. I also spent a lot of extra time trying to get my look to look like hers at the end, because her few simple steps weren’t enough. I had to go over things a few times for them to look similar. it took me more than double the time. I would never do this everyday, but it’s a sufficient going-out look.
THE FINAL LOOK
Tutorial #5: Classic Glam – Carli Bybel
Lauren, Age 19
Level of experience: A decent amount. Experiments with makeup sometimes.
Products used:
- Too Faced Hangover Primer
- Tarte Foundation – Medium
- Too Faced Medium Matte Bronzer-Chocolate Soleil
- Sephora Bronzing Face powder- Light 1
- Revelon Color Stay concealor
- Naked Smokey Urban Decay
- Lorac Unzipped Eye Shadow Pallet
- Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
- Elf Contour Pallet
- Urban Decay Naked Liquid Illuminater
- L’Oreal Telescope Mascara
- Palladio eyeliner-Fifty Fifty Cat Eye Liquid Liner & Smoky Kajal
- Anastasia Beverly Hills brow Wiz- Taupe
- Trestique Lipcolor -Tuscan Wine
- Kylie Lipkit -Doll
Thoughts: This girl contours way too much; that just doesn’t work on my face shape. I would never wake up every day to look like this, as good as it looks; I’m lucky I make it to class as it is.
THE FINAL LOOK
Takeaways
- These looks take A LOT of time; however long it takes the guru, double or triple it.
- You will have to improvise and figure things out yourself, because the tutorials move quickly and you probably don’t have the same products as them.
- You don’t need high-end, expensive makeup to achieve these looks; even drugstore brands will do the trick.
- Remember, these people do makeup for a living. You may not look exactly like the guru, but you’ll definitely look just fine and not like a 5-year-old who got into their mom’s makeup, regardless of your experience level.
- These looks are great for special occasions, but not for every day, regardless of what they may tell you. Do yourself a favor: stick to just your mascara and concealer for class and get those extra much-needed minutes of sleep.
Try some of these out yourself and let us know what you come up with!
