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Back when beauty vlogging took YouTube by storm, it became crystal clear that you don’t have to be a professional makeup artist or celebrity facialist to give your two cents on beauty and skincare; instead, you could just be a Sephora VIB with an iPhone.
Today, the best (and most convenient) way to consume beauty tips and tricks from regular people and experts alike is via Instagram, where you can read pretty detailed product reviews and tutorials right in the captions. Plus, now that you can “save” photos on the app to your own folders, it’s super easy to keep track of all the looks and products you want to try.
To help you tap into the best of the best, we’ve pulled together a handful of beauty-centric Instagram accounts you should definitely have on your radar — a mix of skincare fanatics with office day jobs, young makeup artists providing all of the out-of-the-box inspo, and even some OG YouTubers, too.
Joelle Hyman: Photo researcher during office hours, complete and total beauty guru all day long. Expect lengthy captions with super helpful descriptions and reviews on everything she’s using or trying — both skincare and makeup — and tons of throwback ads and editorial images for all your mood-boarding needs.
Kristen Noel Crawley: Mom of two insanely adorable boys, founder of both a successful fine jewelry line and a young buzzy beauty brand, regular contributor to Elle.com, and Dior poster girl — Kristen Crawley is nothing short of a superwoman. Once you hit follow (you know you will), be sure to watch her stories as they pop up for step-by-step skincare and makeup tutorials. (And take comfort in the fact that she’s constantly tagging things #notanad #itjustworks.)
Gelcream: This account is the creation of Yana Sheptovetskaya, an LA-based beauty fan single-handedly creating the next wave in beauty blogging. She’s garnered an impressive following (over 16.5k followers in less than a year) with only 211 posts, all by holding up products in some good natural light and giving straight-to-the-point reviews. You’ll find a good mix of high and low products, and the whole page is ad-free. (Because it’s easier to trust someone about whether or not you should spend $85 on a serum when you know they did, too.)
Deepica Mutyala: Deepica is one of the OG YouTubers, and she over 75k very loyal followers on this platform. From hair to skincare to a heavy beat, Deepica constantly uploads reviews and easy-to-follow video and photo tutorials that you won't find anywhere else but her page and Instagram story. (Important: there is an 80 percent chance her videos are soundtracked by Beyoncé.)
Sam Escobar: Recently named Allure’s deputy editor and editor of Janet Mock’s new “Beauty Beyond Binaries” column for the magazine, Sam is an openly queer, non-binary person pushing the boundaries of what we expect from beauty publishing. Follow for behind-the-scenes photo shoot looks, product reviews, and of course, their cool blue hair.
Sort of Obsessed: Okay, this account is kind of wild because there is so! much! product! But it’s actually super helpful thanks to the thorough rundown of each item, whether it be a serum or moisturizer. Sort of Obsessed is also super transparent — some of the reviews are as simple as “I'm currently in the process of returning it” — which we can all appreciate.
Nikki DeRoest: This LA-based makeup artist keeps it very real (and cheap!), so you’ll find her using and reviewing everything from La Mer products to things you can find at the drugstore. Her Insta will give you an inside look at her morning and night routines, along with heaps of editorial inspiration from her #newwork.
Tamira Jarrel: Another early YouTube hit, Tamira has years of reviewing under her belt. Her Instagram account covers a good balance of fashion, makeup, and skincare, so you’ll see posts that run the gamut from explainers in the caption to tutorials in her stories. Warning: Her aesthetic is so nice and her demeanor so warm that I was almost convinced to drop $200 on the Barney’s Beauty Bag she was promoting. Follow at your wallet’s own risk.
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