Lisa Eldridge was six years old when she discovered her mother’s make-up bag, sparking a lifelong fascination with all things beauty that has led her to become one of the most respected figures in the industry. With more than 25 years as a make-up artist under her belt, Eldridge has created beauty looks for countless magazine covers, catwalk shows and celebrities, as well as launched her own beauty line, fronted documentaries about the history of make-up and become an early pioneer of the YouTube beauty tutorial, establishing a 2 million-strong following on the platform. Who better, then, to turn to for the eighth and final instalment in British Vogue and YouTube’s Vogue Visionaries series? The past year has seen the likes of Naomi Scott, Sam McKnight, Alexa Chung, Bernardine Evaristo, Jourdan Dunn, Celeste and Patricia Bright all impart their expert knowledge and advice on how to break into their respective industries, and now Eldridge shares her hard-won wisdom on everything she has learnt about the beauty business from her almost three decades working in every corner of it. From how to get a foot in the door (Eldridge, new to London, first worked on make-up counters) to building a kit on a budget (buy your make-up brushes from an art store), Eldridge gives the need-to-know practical tips on building a career as a make-up artist as well as providing a how-to on the one skill every budding artist needs to master – the natural beauty look. In fact, Eldridge’s YouTube video (she launched her channel 11 years ago) on how to achieve “no make-up make-up” has been viewed 3.3 million times and counting. Lisa uses the platform to embrace her creativity. As she puts it, “With YouTube, I do it on my own time, on a day that I’ve got an idea. I’m able to go through the whole [editing] process myself.” When it comes to being a successful content creator, her advice is simple: “Be authentic.” Most of all though, if you want to make your mark and earn a name for yourself, you need to “stay curious,” she says. “Stay excited.”
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