May Hidden Gem: TheBelleAdventures

This month's Hidden Gem is Zerina of TheBelleAdventures. I met Zerina through a Facebook group and love her content. Her videos have a style of their own and are fun to watch.

 

 

 

 

When did you start your Youtube channel and why?

I started uploading videos to my channel the first week of November 2013. I've always wanted to make beauty videos ever since I discovered the beauty community on YouTube around 2008. It was just something I didn't have time or equipment for until I finished college and found myself with so much free time on my hands. I figured I'd finally take the leap and start my YouTube journey. 

 

What is the main focus of your channel?

I mostly do makeup tutorials because those are the videos I enjoy watching the most. I'm in no way a professional, but I've realized having a channel is such a great way to track your skill growth, and I believe I've come a long way since I began recording. Other than that, I enjoy filming DIY videos as well. I haven't had a chance to do as many fashion videos as I would like, but hopefully that will change with the warmer weather. I've been thinking about starting a series on my channel and I'm almost done planning it, so I'm really excited for that!

What or who inspires you and why?

I get inspired by people in the community the most. From big gurus, to smaller channels. A lot of people might think running a beauty channel is superficial, but I see them as a vessel for empowering women all over the world. There's nothing wrong in being passionate about this form of art - but I especially respect those who emphasize the importance of loving yourself in your bare skin and feeling as confident then as you do with a glammed out full face of makeup. That's a message that I would also like my channel to portray, which is why I make a point of starting every tutorial with a bare face that I love, imperfections and all. Smaller channels inspire me in the way they keep going and uploading content even though it's so hard to get your channel out there and reach a wide audience. 

 

What has helped your channel grow the most?

Probably the relationships I've formed with other content creators. I love supporting other people and most often those people reciprocate. Joining Facebook groups geared towards beauty channels has also been a major helping factor. Other than that, I'd like to think the videos themselves are a big deciding factor whether or not someone will subscribe.

What would you like people to know about you?

 

I use to be a very outgoing person but over the years I've grown more timid and I have cynical sense of humor. Some people who don't understand this about me might see me as off-putting. I know many prefer watching content creators who are bubbly and loud, but that's just not how I am and I'd rather be myself than pretend to be something I am clearly not - that would be counterproductive and exhausting.

Where you can find her:
Youtube
Blog
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Tumblr

See last months Hidden Gem.

April Hidden Gem: A1nettie

I met Annette through mutual friends on Youtube. She has a great knack at obtaining free stuff and I love her unboxings.

When did you start your Youtube channel and why?

I Initially Started in 2010 on another channel just to do reviews on things. BzzAgent was failry new to me and I thought why not share my views on products on videos too. That was my main reason for starting my channel was to share my thoughts on products.

What is the main focus of your channel? 

Mostly reviews now. I love beauty and always wanted to go there, but freebies, couponing, hauls, unboxings and reviews are my main things I publish. 

 

What or who inspires you and why?

My kids inspire me to be good and be kind. The world has so many positive things in it and if you just stop to look it can inspire you to want to do good for others. My job inspires me to want to help others more and be patient. Kindness is a must and compassion is a must, without it we would never have understanding. When I see others helping one another, I want to do it too.

What has helped your channel grow the most?

I think maintaining communication and being friendly to all. Also sharing to different groups at times helps to. It seems to be just content that if you are interested in you will subscribe. 

What would you like people to know about you?

I do this as a hobby and love it. It has taken away from my family at times and have had to put reality in check. I have a family to care and provide for and they are my number one priority, but Youtube is my secret obsession along with my love for anything beauty related. I enjoy interacting with my on line family and friends which is the main reason I love it so much. I have chatted with people all over the world and it's amazing. This is the modern 

day pen pal! Let's keep in touch!

Social Media Links

Youtube
Blog
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

March Hidden Gem- BeautyByAndriana

This month's Hidden Gem is BeautyByAndriana. 

I came across Andriana's channel about a year ago and fell in love with her videos. Her eye makeup is always flawless and her reviews very informative. Now, let's get to know her a little better.

1) When did you start your YouTube channel and why?

I started my YouTube channel on February 25th, 2013 (my 2 year anniversary just passed!). I decided to finally start a channel because I was obsessed with the online beauty community. I loved talking about makeup products and creating new, exciting looks, so I thought making a YouTube channel would be perfect!

2) What is the main focus of your channel?

My main focus is makeup. This means that my videos can range from tutorials to first impressions to reviews...you name it! And of course, I occasionally post a tag or haul when I feel like it.

3) What and who inspires you and why?

Let's see...I'm going to stick with YouTube and say Marlena from MakeupGeekTV. As many of you may know, she started off making beauty videos on YouTube and then came out with her own makeup company. I want to do the same thing, so to see how successful she has gotten from it, inspires me to work 10x harder than I already am.

4) What has helped your channel grow the most?

I would say that interacting with my viewers has helped my channel a lot. People really like to know when you find them important and that's one of my biggest goals on my channel. I really want to create a friendship with each of my viewers and I want them to know that they can come to me for any of their beauty questions. 

5) What would you like people to know about you?

Hmm...this one is tough. There's only so much people see from watching a 5 minute video of me. I'm going to cheat and write two things. First off, I'm an extremely shy person, but once I warm up to you, I get extremely comfortable and act very funny/quirky. To go along with that, I am also a very loyal person. I will go through hell and back to help anyone close to me. I'm that one person who you can count on for anything you need help with!

Where you can find Andriana

YouTube

Beauty Blog

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

See who the Hidden Gem was last month.

February Hidden Gem - WiMomMandy

This month’s Hidden Gem is WiMomMandy (Wisconsin Mom Mandy). I have been watching her for a couple of years now and love her content. She does fun reviews and unboxings. She is a mom and her adorable daughter can be seen running around in the background. 

She also started a Sampled Out project this year where she is attempting to get rid of all her samples from her subscription boxes. She posts mini reviews of each product on her Instagram

so you can follow her on her journey. 

Now let’s let Mandy tell us about herself.

When did you start your Youtube channel and why?
My YouTube channel will be 3 years old this summer! I can't believe it's been that long already! My channel started as a beauty subscription unboxing channel. I knew next to nothing about makeup and didn't really wear it much when i was younger.  After I had my first child I realized I was in my 30's and wanted to start taking better care of my skin and start wearing more makeup.  

What is the main focus of your channel?

My channel was centered on a novice starting later in life and trying new things.  Now that I've been amassing a collection over the last three years I'm focusing on using what I love,  getting rid of the things that I don't love, and deciding which products work best for me and I want to continue purchasing in the future.  I'm weeding the duds out of my collection and getting my monies worth of what i have! 

What or who inspires you and why?

Superfreaky1ru is one of the first channels I really loved and it showed me that you don't have to be young, skinny, and look like a model to have an opinion that matters  I love watching smaller channels! I have met so many amazing women from all over the country through YouTube and I wish I could meet so many of them! 

What has helped your channel grow the most? 
I think that although the videos that get the most views for me are unboxings (I think) most people stick around for my honesty. 

What would you like people to know about you?

I would love people to know that I'm a busy mom of 2 that works full time.  I don't edit my videos,  and I don't upload a lot, simply because I don't have much time.  YouTube is a super fun hobby,  but that's all it is to me.  I'm not on a quest to get a certain number of subscribers.  I don't advertise my giveaways, I would rather have 10 people who actually watched the video enter instead of 500 people who only are subbed to try and win stuff.  I appreciate every person who has joined me over the last three years and although I don't always respond to every comment i read all of them and try to answer specific questions.  If you are interested in joining me you can find me on all social media as wimommandy.  

New for 2015:

#SampledOut on Instagram and YouTube.  My goal is to use all samples,  deluxe samples, and minis I have in my collection before 2016. I give a mini review of each item I finish our get rid of on instagram and have monthly wrap up videos on everyone's progress.  I would say there are somewhere between 30 and 50 participants so far and anyone is welcome to join at any time. I'm also participating in Amber F's pan that palette 2015 challenge.  I post monthly update videos of my progress trying to use an entire palette of eyeshadow.  Also coming in the fall: subscription box showdown flashback! Three years ago I subbed to Ipsy,  Birchbox,  and Sample Society for 3 months and compared each service.  I figured out the sample values of each item and compared the services by their bottom line and your monetary return.  In the fall I will revisit this challenge and see how they stack up now and if the samples have really gotten worse (which is a complaint I hear ALL the time but suspect is just a bad case of rose colored glasses)

Where you can find Mandy:

Youtube
Twitter

Instagram
Blog
Pinterest
Facebook


See last month's Hidden Gem

January Hidden Gem - Megalizabeth9

This month's Hidden Gem (see last month's here) is Megan of Megalizabeth9. Megan is a professional hair stylist who makes amazing hair related videos. I have been watching her for a couple years now and she inspired me to create Quick Tip Tuesday videos last year. 

Now, let’s let Megan tell us about herself.

1. When did you start your Youtube channel and why?

I started Megalizabeth9 on December 12 2011 when I launched my first "12 Days of Christmas" series that I now do every year. I decided to start it because I missed doing YouTube videos that I had done in high school with my best friend. We were both theatre nerds and made music video remakes and put them on a channel we called SmarganM. They're still there…and super embarrassing, but part of who we were then.  But she had gone away for college and we didn’t make them anymore and I loved YouTube so much. So since I'm a hairstylist, I decided to make a channel dedicated to hair, and here I am 3 years later!

 

2. What is the main focus of your channel?

I call it all things hair.  I have hair tutorials but I also have Tuesday videos called Quick Tip Tuesday in which I talk about hair advice. However, I'm ready to take my channel for a turn, so I'm taking a break for the month of January and only having a couple videos up so I can focus on these changes.  Still hair tutorials, but imagine a hair tutorial that tells a story and teaches you how to do the style in the story!

 

 

3. What or who inspires you and why?

Lately my viewers have really been inspiring me to keep going.  Right now I'm just being inspired by everyday life.  For example, I started having an idea for a video after seeing a balloon, and I wanted to incorporate balloons.  Then a wave of my friends got engaged. So what did I do?  Just filmed a hair tutorial for a romantic date look that involves balloons! I'm really excited about it, it's going more in that new direction I want to take!  

 

 

4. What has helped your channel grow the most?

Honestly I've had to stay dedicated to it and work on growth

 all on my own.  I think the thing that has helped the most is getting to know viewers.  I really do enjoy reading comments.  And I try to respond in a conversation like way.  It's actually helped me to get to know a lot of people so it's like my channel is a big group of friends.  I almost always squeal when I see two of my viewers talking to each other in the comments.  It shows me that the idea of us all being friends is right.  I also do a lot of giveaways.  I don't ever do it in a "Bragging" fashion as in "Oh look at all this money I spent", I just enjoy giving cool hair stuff to my viewers.  Actually I take the money I make off of my YouTube channel and go buy things for the giveaways.  So it's certainly not a show off contest. 

 

 

5. What would you like people to know about you?

That I am indeed a licensed cosmetologist, which means I professionally do hair. I know most of my regular viewers know that, but I will get random comments from people that they think I don't know what I'm doing.  Of course,  I know there's always those people on the internet,  but I make my videos because I want to share my love of hair with people and help them do fun things with their own and keep it in good shape. I'm always growing in my career, you never stop learning.

Thank you Megan! Please make sure to check her out!

Where you can find Megan:

Youtube

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Blog

Website

Last month's Hidden Gem

Hidden Gems - December 2014

https://www.facebook.com/Blacklockbeauty

Our very first Hidden Gem is Courtney of BlacklockBeauty. If you have been watching me for awhile you’ll know that Courtney is the reason I started watching Youtube way back like five years ago. I wanted to learn how to curl my hair with a curling iron and I came across her video. Five years later I am glad to be able to call her a friend. She has great content and I think there is something for everyone on her channel and blog.

Now let’s let Courtney tell us about herself.

1. When did you start your Youtube channel?

I started my Channel back in 2009 and then I took a long break where I did videos off and on eventually stopping, I'm not sure why, I think it was a few things, negative comments, losing control of my weight, figuring out who I was. I just got back into it the beginning of this year.

2. Why did you start making videos?

I started making videos because my dude, now husband suggested that I make my own channel. When I did it just took off, but that was before I took a long break, now it's coming back, but very slowly now that I'm much different on camera.

3. What is the main focus of your channel?

Mainly Beauty, but I do diet and recipe videos as well as fashion occasionally.

4. What or who inspires you and why?

I don't have one person in particular, I would say the youtubers that have consistently made videos despite negative feedback and have made their channel grow.

5. What would you like people to know about you?

This one is hard to answer. I would like people to know of only great things about me, but I also would like them to come to their own conclusion.

6. What has helped your channel grow the most?

I did a lot of Google advertising and a lot of pinterest posts. What I noticed is that the photos make a big difference, an eye catching photo sells. Photos and video quality.

Where you can find Courtney

Youtube

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

New Blog Series!

Starting in December I am starting a new blog series called Hidden Gem. Every month I will pick a Youtuber/blogger who is one of my favorites that I feel should have more subscribers/followers than they have. I will not be featuring already very established Youtubers. I think I will cap it at 20K subscribers/followers with maybe an exception here and there.

If you have anyone that you think I should check out let me know in the comments below. =)