Links to Make up and Lighting Tips for Zoom, YouTube and Instagram

A year ago, I wrote about my excitement about using vanilla bean orchid pollination as an antidote to COVID era ennui.

That was about a month into the pandemic, and, a 365+ days later, I’m sad to say that my excitement didn’t pollinate the orchid or alleviate boredom.

Tricky stuff. Orchid propagation and boredom.  

My next enthusiasm was makeup techniques for women of (ahem) a certain age.  YouTube is a great source of how-to for just about anything and lighting and makeup are no exception.

Of course, after visiting YouTube so often (Google says I have visited “this page” many many times), I started to wonder what it takes for a makeup guru look good on camera.  The answers are often filters and lighting, and some of my favorite stars in this modern firmament aren’t afraid to show before-and-after techniques. 

For many of us this isn’t a stretch: crafter YouTubers, for example, often don’t feel  the need to fix up or they simply never show their faces. Their hands and voiceovers do the teaching work.

However, a celebrity makeup artist is extremely sensitive visually. Their image is their profession.  A frank look at their so-called flaws and the artifice it takes to cover them is a stretch for them.  

The two personalities I feature today are only the tip of the iceberg.  If you are photographed often, you probably know the facts. If you are  new to the medium and serious about being on camera, I recommend  further research, practice and education. 

My first recommendation is makeup artist Wayne Goss.  In this November 2020 episode, he demonstrates  makeup techniques that are useful for Instagram and YouTube.  A split screen shows the technique with and without a filter. Goss does sell a makeup line and I believe he’s using his own blush. He’s advertising his eye shadow in print, but not in the content.  He’s usually pretty clear about sponsored episodes, and his opinions seem to be independent.

Another YouTuber with a strong following is Angie of the channel Hot and Flashy.  This video from March of 2020 goes into her lighting setup in some detail.  Hot and Flashy posts frequently and she rates many donated products.  Her opinions seem to be honest and she doesn’t have her own makeup line. 

 

Angie and Wayne Goss each have many more posts that range from the technical to the aesthetic.  They have much competition, and I hope you’ll investigate the subject and let me know your favorites.  The pandemic probably is on its way out , but using the camera and social platforms to offset travel and other restrictions are probably here to stay.