YouTube make-up tutorials are not only A Thing, they're A Thing People Parody
YouTube has many niche subcultures—video-game walkthroughs, product unboxings, DIY tutorials—but one of the strangest might be make-up tutorials. There are a handful of vloggers who draw millions of views for their videos of them putting on makeup in front of a camera, and some—like Michelle Phan and Lauren Luke—have transitioned into careers as makeup artists/spokespeople as a result.
The popularity may seem a bit confounding, considering many of the tutorials these women present aren’t exactly everyday looks—Phan’s videos have covered turning yourself into a Gothic Lolita Doll and Sailor Moon; Luke favors garishly dramatic music-video-inspired looks—but after watching a few of these videos, their appeal becomes apparent. They’re strangely hypnotic, often scored with soothing music and, in Phan’s case, accompanied by dreamy visuals, as the girls ramble on about make-up or whatever else is on their minds. It’s positively narcotic.
