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The Anatomy of a Beauty Room

Something old, something new, something Rose Gold???... well pretty much!

Chances are we all know one, after all you can hardly scroll through Facebook, YouTube or Instagram without finding one. They are everywhere, they are going viral and with modern technology, loads of personality and creative genius they are completely changing the industry! What am I talking about you ask?

I am talking about the modern-day beauty vlogger! I’m pretty sure you know one (or five!) It’s your friendly local Younique Presenter, Mary Kay, Avon Etc. This new business model has brewed up a storm of popularity, fame and fortune with girls and guys alike! The instant success of the direct sales beauty influencer has created a whole new lucrative career path for many, with plenty of incentives, trips and earnings to be rewarded with at every level!

So what is it that is making these beauty gurus so popular and addictive to watch? The answer is lots of things really! I have been studying this niche for about 2 years now and I believe I have discovered the tools needed to become a successful beauty vlogger!

1) A smart phone, or some type of mobile recording device capable of taking and uploading high resolution video. A camera mount is not necessary, but it is most helpful for hands free recording (not to mention a nice still camera for your viewers with adjustability for a flattering angle for you)

2) Thick Skin & Charisma – these presenters only succeed if they can truly engage their audience. While some YouTube beauty gurus may have tons of views and followers, others have to work really hard to get their videos seen by the world. Your success in this industry doesn’t happen overnight, but there is one thing that can really give it a rocket boost! As I said before, I’ve studied this for a long time now and I am certain that the vloggers that are doing LIVE video sessions on Facebook or Instagram are the ones that are reaping the biggest benefits. Why? Because now a days Facebook notifies you every time one of your friends are on live and being the nosy/curious creatures we are, we see our dear friend sitting there in her (or his) beauty room looking like a hot mess – pre makeup, when all you see on their page is ultra-glam selfies and killer makeup looks. So what do you do? You sit there for 40 minutes watching the whole thing to see just how your favorite guru goes from the “just woke up/I need coffee look” to “Va-va-Voom” before our eyes. We hang on every word, we relate to them, we send countless hearts and thumbs up and most of all we can’t resist giving them a shout-out so they will mention your name in their live video (heck we will even shout out to their pets/children in the background – we just can’t help it!) It’s the same scenario in every live beauty video! P.S. beware of lurkers and creepers that try to jump on and ruin your vibe. Haters and internet trolls love to comment just to be a nuisance and not only that some people are just mean. So don’t let some ignorant comment from a total stranger or jealous/bitter person ruin your day.

3) A good ring light, a studio set up or the magical beauty of natural light filtering through a big window - Every good video must have good lighting and good clarity. If you don’t have good natural lighting in your home, or your schedule doesn’t allow you to catch the daytime sun, artificial lighting sources are the ultimate!

4) Actual makeup skills, ladies/gentlemen – if you don’t know what contour & highlight means, and if you cannot even pull off a simple smoky eye, you may want to keep practicing first. With everyone and their neighbor jumping on this bandwagon you better have some pretty good advice or skills to keep people hanging on to your videos otherwise you might see those views start to dwindle.

5) Last but not least, they draw you in by setting the perfect scene/studio space. Yes my friends, this job niche is so large and lucrative that they have actually taken over their own rooms in many homes. What once was the home office is now known as the "Beauty Room". As a designer and home style expert it is my job to help pull the look together for these new chic spaces. So sorry for the long-winded intro, but this is the topic of my story today.

THE ANATOMY OF A BEAUTY ROOM – EVERY VLOGGERS DREAM SPACE

1) A BEAUTIFUL VANITY TABLE

There are many styles of vanity tables out there, and sometimes you don’t even see the “work station” in the video, but some of my favorite videos from YouTube are beauty room tours. I think it is really important to have a good sized work surface that offers storage and room to work. My favorite vanity option is the “MALM Vanity Table by IKEA”. Not only do I love the clean white simplicity and sleek design I LOVE that this piece comes with a glass top which is perfect, because no one likes stains or smudges from powdered blushes and eyeshadows that have gotten loose. Its very affordable, easy to assemble and super easy to clean. It comes with a wide shallow drawer to store all those eye shadow and bronzer pallets that you use regularly.

If you are into something a little more glamorous check out this mirrored vanity table from wayfair.com

2) A FANCY CHAIR

Typically there is nothing quick about one of these videos, the average edited video ranges from 15-30 minutes and the average live video runs somewhere around 40 minutes to an hour. (Don’t you just love it when their title says “quick get ready with me video” and it ends up being 45 minutes?) If you are going to be there a while you will want a comfy chair, but again style comes first in this equation, with the possibility that your viewers will see your chair, you want it to be something really eye catching and cool. Swivel stools are nice if you are working with adjacent storage in your videos.

Gold-Framed, Hairpin Vanity Stool With White Faux Fur Top

Cream Velvet, High-Back, Tufted Vanity Chair

Round Back Swivel Chair

3) GOOD LIGHTING

The next time you watch beauty tutorial, take a look into the eyes of your presenter, do you see a white glowing ring reflection in their pupils? Chances are they are using a “ring light”. This is the most preferred type of lighting for beauty vloggers because it sits in front of you and your camera can mount up right in the middle of it, nice huh? Real nice!! These usually come with a pretty hefty price tag. The reason they are so great is because the light illuminates from all angles for a really crisp flattering result. You can get similar results with photo studio lights, but here is a little secret I figured out on my own… You can purchase a inexpensive clip on ring light for your smart phone with multiple light settings. Boom! Instant pro lighting on a budget!!! And its portable so you can take it with you wherever you go!

Professional Ring Light Studio Set Up

Clip On Ring Light with Adjustable Light Settings

Frameless Vanity Mirror with Hollywood Bulbs & Built-in Plug In Receptacle

Gold, Table Top, Tri-fold Vanity Mirror with Touch Pad L.E.D. Light Control

4) SOMETHING FUZZY

I see them in almost every video, somewhere in the background is a luxurious fur pelt, throw or pillow. It seems the most common color is white for furs, but gray is also increasingly popular. It just adds a luxurious element of texture to your studio set up. Decorative throw pillows piled in the back ground or a fur throw draped over their makeup chair are two common applications for this styling method.

Flokati Faux Fur Stool

Silky Soft Faux Sheepskin Rug/Fur Pelt

5) SOMETHING SPARKLY

What do you do if you don’t have a “pretty space” for recording videos? Easy, make a trip to your local fabric store and buy yourself a 6’ run of sparkly sequin fabric. I had my dad custom make an adjustable frame that I can use for outfit of the day videos (standing) or makeup videos (sitting down) All you need is a frame or structure with two ends and a pole in the middle to hang your back drop. You can safety pin your fabric to the frame, or if you are lucky enough to find a ready made curtain, you can simply slide the pole through the grommets or pocket at the top. (Pro Tip: Shower Curtains Work Great!) Another great way to add sparkle to your room is with a trendy mermaid sequin pillow, these are hot right now and of course the most popular colors are rose, rose gold and gold! Big surprise! Look for gold and rose gold metallic and retro mid-century modern styling.

Take a tip from famous YouTube star @nikkietutorials her backdrops always got it goin'on!

This Stunning Clock by Society6 comes in a Variety of Color Combinations (Rose Gold & Marble with Black Clock Hands and Natural Wood Frame)

Rose Sequin Mermaid Pillow Case 16"

6) TWINKLE LIGHTS

Twinkle lights are often seen in the background, whether they are strewn across a shelf in the background, strung up in an interesting pattern on the wall or crumpled up into a mason jar or clear glass vase, they add a beautiful soft glow. Tiny L.E.D. lights in white work best, I personally like the ones with the thin wire so its more inconspicuous. Christmas lights have heavy bulky wiring where the thin style allows more focus to be on the lights vs the ugly cord. If you prefer candles you can achieve this glowy soft mood lighting with regular flamed or flameless candles in votive holders, I recommend plain clear glass, or mercury glass.

Twinkle Lights with Rose Gold Wire

Jonathan Adler Pop, Candle Champagne

7) A SOFT PAINT SCHEME

Over the years as I have been studying this trend, I have noticed that my absolute favorite beauty rooms have something in common, they all have soft, soothing color pallets. Common wall colors are blush and beige tones, greige (gray-beige) soft watery blues, pale grays and tones of white. For trim work, furniture and shelving, the most common color used is you guessed it – plain stark white. (However the mirrored furniture I have seen is absolutely gorgeous too!)

Recognize the furniture? Keep scrolling! Lack Wall Shelves by Ikea and Malm Vanity Table. White furniture balances well for a soft/clean look.

I'm Totally Blushing

Whites & Creams

8) STORAGE FOR ALL THOSE PRODUCTS

Chances are if you are a Presenter for a cosmetic line, you have gobs and gobs of inventory. So how do you store and organize it all. Drawer stacks, floating shelves, credenza cabinets, baskets and boxes all add style and function to your space. Graphic Mugs are great for holding your beloved makeup brushes and eye/lip liners. Think outside the box, you can use things like jewelry trays or even clear divided tackle boxes (yes I just said tackle boxes) to keep small items like costume jewelry handy) and flatter items can be stashed under your bed or stacked on a top shelf in your closet.

Four Door Mirror Front Credenza with Decorative Cut Outs

Remember these sleek floating shelves from the picture above? These are a major favorite among beauty gurus, pair it with the right organizational storage containers for polished perfection.

If you like a little more dramatic look use pieces that contrast and make sure to stage it up right with beautiful accessories on top and let that be the background. Four Door Mirrored Credenza in Black.

IKEA storage cabinet with doors and drawers in high- gloss white.

9) ACRYLIC EVERYTHING

To add to that last segment, clear acrylic organizers can be used in a variety of ways to display and organize your prized products. You can find these online, in home décor stores, discount stores like Ross, Five Below, Etc. But again, I encourage you to think outside the box! Office supply stores are an unexpected place to find the perfect organizers. Would you think to use a clear, plastic, desktop mail or C.D. organizer to display your fanciest eye shadow pallets? Coffee mugs also make excellent brush holders! Choose one with a fun saying on it.

Clear Acrylic Cosmetics Organizer

Clear Acrylic Desk Chair

Use stand up clear dividers to display all of your favorite makeup pallets in a neat easy to grab format.

Graphic coffee mugs are a great way to express your personality and store things like makeup brushes and pencil products.

This mug is so cute, "I can't even"

Everything where you can see it! 9 compartment brozner/highlighter organizer.

If you need more drawer space but like to keep everything visible, acrylic table top drawers are the answer.

10) BOTANICALS

Succulents Everywhere! Also know as air plants these lively little darlings add a touch of beauty and zen to your beauty room. Something about them makes me feel calm. Maybe it’s the lack of fear that I will forget to water it and it will die. These plants are pretty self-sufficient surviving on mainly water and sunlight. Terrariums are quite popular, and they add retro modern style to your setup. Another common plant found in most beauty videos is flowers, most often roses in white, blush, or pale yellow. Florals give a very elegant classy vibe to your scene.

Artificial Pink Hydrangeas in a Black Ceramic Vase

Brass - Framed Diamond Air Plant Terrarium

Glass Bottle Vase with Faux Branches - Sleek and Simple

11) A GOOD CAMERA MOUNT

As I mentioned before, you don’t need a camera mount to succeed, but having one will make a world of difference! You can get a variety of camera mounts at pretty affordable prices. I actually operate with three types of camera mounts – well four if you count my old selfie stick, but I use a full-length floor tripod for my outfit of the day pics/videos, I have a small desktop tripod for seated filming or table top filming (for example if I wanted to shoot a d.i.y. decorating video) I can set it up close to me so that what I am doing with my hands is the main focus. My favorite and most useful mount is my clip-on swivel mount arm. It actually clips to my mirror. I love that I can adjust the angle so I can really get my good side when I am recording 😊 I got mine from Five Below for just $5.00. It’s the best investment I’ve made in a long time!

This is a great package deal, its a clip on camera mount with an adjustable arm and attached adjustable ring light

This handy tripod is one of my favorites, it adjusts up to 50" tall so you can film while standing or sitting . I love use mine with my selfie stick remote.

12) Ultra Glam Artwork - it it is Chanel, Prada, Gold, or Classic Black and White, chances are it will look stunning in the background of your frame. Here are a few of my favorites.

Iconic Art Print by Vogue

Gold-Framed Prada Art Print

"More Issues Than Vogue" Art Print

So if you are a beauty guru, or digital presenter, or you just want to be like one, follow these tips and see how it works out for you! I’d love to hear your comments or experiences! Beauty Vloggers, would you say this is pretty accurate? Please leave me some feedback! If you need help with a personalized beauty room give me a shout and don't forget to ask about my 3D design process!

photo resources for this article are : amazon.com, wayfair.com & pinterest.com

This blog post contains affiliate links to most of the products shown. I earn commissions on sales generated by my personalized product suggestions.

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