5th May 2020
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We all know that the internet is the go-to place for cosmetics these days - whether it’s product launches, reviews, or what toxins we shouldn’t be putting on our skin - but making sense of it all can feel like wading through a swamp, particularly if you are sailing into your 30s or 40s and you haven’t changed things up since BB creams burst onto the scene back in 2011.
Adding to the confusion, there is an actual army of mean teens who stomp their way through Instagram, via the Hills (Notting and Beverley), armed with vintage 90s Dr Martens and thousand dollar handbags, and appear to control the beauty industry. What they say goes, and products can live or die on one of their YouTube reviews.
So when a group of people who just graduated high school and already have ‘founder’ on their Linkedin start talking up their own-brand neon eye glitter or 7 hour morning beauty routine, there’s zero relatability for women who have already had a chunk of life well lived and a max of 30 mins to get out the door.
Enter the Grown Ups….
Turns out that, like a fine wine, beauty influencers improve with age. And some of the ones who were there on MySpace back in 2011 bigging up the BB creams are now running multi-million dollar empires and offering products made for women like them. We have put together our pick of the bunch (all over 30 years old) and our favourite products from their ranges.
Tati Westbrook
Arguably the fairy godmother of YouTube beauty, Tati (38) has been testing and reviewing in a fun and approachable way for years.
She’s in it for the long haul and she’s about a legit as you can get - she doesn’t do sponsored videos, she speaks honestly if something isn’t any good and sings high praise to products that she loves.
She also offers tutorials on everything from flawless looking skin, making an ageing neck look better and how to sort out your eyebrows.
In winter 2019 she launched her own eyeshadow palette, Textured Neutrals Volume 1 which very cleverly gives you 6 colours to choose from, each in 4 textures, which go from matt to super glitter.
So if you’re the type of girl who likes to find a colour and stick to it, you can, but you will have 4 different looks to run with.
Textured Neutrals Volume 1, Tati Beauty $48 - Buy Now
Huda Kattan
Another big hitter, Huda Kattan (36) started blogging back in 2010 and released her first products in 2013.
She gained attention when Kim Kardashian declared that she was a fan of Huda Beauty’s false eyelashes, and broadened her range through her company which is based out of Dubai. Huda has over 43 million followers on Instagram and her company is valued at $1.2 billion.
Our pick of products is the Life Liner, which launched summer 2019.
It’s super matte, dark dark black, long wearing, waterproof and smudge proof. It has two ends, one with liquid and one with a pencil so that you can draw your flicky liner then finish it off (or let’s be real, colour in any mistakes) with the pencil. Simple, and fierce as hell.
Life Liner, Huda Beauty £22 - Buy Now
Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland
Marianne Hewitt (32) and Lauren Gores Ireland (31) are beauty and fitness bloggers and together have launched Summer Fridays, which so far has just a handful of products in its range.
Our favourite is the Jet Lag Mask, which launched in Spring 2018 and has the most calming packaging we’ve ever seen. It is unbelievably hydrating, feels like it knocks at least half a decade off your face and can be left on for a few minutes, or overnight.
It’s also paraben-free, cruelty-free, synthetic-free and vegan, so you can be completely guilt-free, whether you’re going long haul or just upstairs to bed.
Jet Lag Mask, Summer Fridays £22.50 - Buy Now
Annie Lawless
Annie Lawless (32) may look like a classic Californian sorority chick, but she’s not messing about where her business is concerned.
After selling 30% of her cold pressed juice business to Coca Cola for $90 million, she launched Lawless Beauty, whose tagline is ‘Clean AF’, meaning there are zero nasties in any of the products. Our pick of the bunch is the Annie Satin Luxe Classic Cream Lipstick range (we like Light Peachy Nude).
It’s creamy, highly pigmented, lasts through a decent lunch and contains Vitamin E, so no dry lips for us thank you very much.
Annie Satin Luxe Classic Cream Lipstick in Light Peachy Nude, Lawless $28 - Buy Now
Michelle Phan
Michelle Phan (33) was the online beauty guru 5 or 6 years ago.
She then went off grid and returned some time later with her Em Cosmetics product line.
The Colour Drop Serum Blush launched summer 2019 and it’s unusual combination of ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and squalane to help with moisturising and plumping, as well as 4 colour choices and a lightweight feel, make it the perfect mix of skincare and makeup in one.
The blushes are soft and easy to blend and in Michelle’s own words, “it gives you that one-glass-of-wine look” (don’t panic, you can still have the actual glass of wine too) .
Colour Drops Serum Blush, Em Cosmetics $25 - Buy Now
Negin Mirsalehi
Raised and based in the Netherlands to a family of beekeepers, Negin Mirsalehi (31) has a masters in marketing and is an incredibly aspirational, and weirdly not at all annoying YouTube vlogger.
She launched haircare brand, Gisou, with her boyfriend back in 2015 and now has nearly 6 million followers on Instagram, and half a million on YouTube.
Gisou manages to be cute, luxe and environmentally aware all at once.
Our pick is the Honey Infused Hair Perfume, because, despite being ridiculously indulgent (it’s literally perfume just for your hair), there’s something about walking round the supermarket with a head smelling like a summer garden that somehow feels absolutely necessary.
Honey Infused Hair Perfume Pocket Size 50ml, Gisou $38 - Buy Now
Anna Petrosian
A former beauty counter girl turned make-up artist, Anna Petrosian (35) launched Dose Of Colors in 2013 and began posting on Instagram with her products. Dose of Colors is now in 400 stores including Ulta and Anna has over 1.3million followers.
Our favourite is the Meet Your Hue concealer, which is cruelty free and vegan, lightweight but with great coverage and long-lasting. Also has a big applicator wand which for some reason is very helpful.
It’s available in about a billion different tones with blue, yellow or neutral undertones, so there should be a match for everybody.
Meet Your Hue Concealer, Dose of Colours $24 - Buy Now
Shay Mitchell
You may know actress Shay Mitchell (33) from Pretty Little Liars, or from Netflix’s You, or you may have watched her reality series on YouTube about being pregnant and birthing her first child. She’s one of those people who radiates effortless cool while also seeming like someone you could go down the pub with and order a 2nd bottle of wine 10 minutes before closing.
Her travel brand, Beis, oozes the same laid back jetset vibe as its founder, and while not strictly beauty, our pick is the Cosmetic Case, currently available in black, beige and pink.
It’s a great piece of kit because it’s lightweight, fits into a carry-on suitcase and has just the right amount of pockets to be useful but not annoying.
It also comes with a large mirror, and a clever wipe-clean flap-pocket (not a technical term) on top where you can store your brushes and avoid getting product on your other items. It looks cool and is efficient, which is really all we’re aspiring to be in life….
Cosmetic Case in Beige, Beis $58 - Buy now
If there's a particular topic you'd love to see covered in depth on the blog then let us know in the comments or email us at balance@abovetf.com.
The Balance Club x