Do Makeup Tutorials Work?

4 Reasons Why Your Makeup Doesn't Look the Same as the Tutorial

When I decided that I wanted to dabble in makeup, I first turned to my friends who were more advanced than me. Unfortunately, once the pandemic hit, I no longer had the same access to them, so I had to find another source. Naturally, I decided to see what Youtube had to offer. I've turned to Youtube for instruction videos ranging from hair tutorials to computer repair tutorials, so I figured I'd find endless amounts of helpful makeup tutorials. I wouldn't say that that was far from the truth, but I found makeup tutorials to be more entertaining to watch than helpful. This was so frustrating because I wanted to achieve the looks in the videos, but after a month of fails, I noticed a couple of reasons why I wasn't achieving the desired outcome:

1. Makeup is an Individual Journey

I learned very quickly, after many failures, that makeup is not a "one size fits all" kind of thing. We would likely never find a makeup tutorial of someone who shares the same face or has the same routine as us. I found it to be somewhat easier to find tutorials of people with the same skin tone as mine or eyebrow shape, but there was never an exact match. And that's fine, it's normal! I found myself mimicking the exact tutorials and was disappointed when I didn't achieve the desired result. As helpful or general as a makeup tutorial is, almost everyone has their unique part of their routine, so what works in the video won't always work for you. Once I realized that mimicking the tutorials wasn't helping me progress, I started to view the tutorials as an inspiration for what I wanted and figuring out what personal adjustments I needed to make.

2. Youtube Videos are Edited

If you're using a popular Makeup Youtuber's videos as your guide, you may be shocked that your in-person result looks drastically different from the video. Those videos are more than likely shot in the best area of their house, shot with the best lighting, a quality camera, and then edited afterward. Since most popular Makeup influencers' content is created to look more appealing than realistic, I've found that they're better suited for entertainment or inspiration rather than teaching.

3. The Products!

Let me start by saying that I am an affordable makeup advocate. Beauty should be affordable and accessible to all, however, the quality of the products you have at your disposal do matter. It can be someone disheartening when starting your makeup journey, learning from tutorials, and finding that the products shown may be pricy or not easily accessible. Most makeup journies do, and should, start in the Beauty Department of a drugstore, not always a Sephora or M.A.C. While I don't think it's wise to spend a lot of money for the beginning of your makeup journey, I do know how tempting it can be to want the luxurious product you see beauty influencers rave about. Also, mimicking a tutorial without the proper tools can be frustrating. My solution to this is refining your tutorial search. I recommend searching for the specific product you're using or searching for affordable makeup tutorials.

4. Your Preconceived Notions on Makeup

Contrary to belief, "flawless" makeup doesn't exist. As amazing as someone's beat may look on social media, it may not look that way in real life, in different lighting, or after a couple of hours of application. Don't be hard on yourself because your finish doesn't match an edited picture. Textured skin is normal and makeup can't conceal that. Acne is normal and makeup doesn't always conceal that. Your skin routine can impact how your makeup finish looks. Don't lose faith comparing your results to an influencer who has the means to afford a pricey skincare routine.