Ten up-and-coming beauty bloggers, five beauty-related challenges and a panel of esteemed beauty editors and celebrity guest judges can only mean one thing … the Allure Beauty Blogger Awards are back! Naturally, the Her Campus beauty bloggers did a little digging about this year’s awards and even got to ask the lucky winners a few questions about all things beauty.
The Beauty Blogger Awards, which are sponsored by Allure (every beauty junkie’s fave magazine), gave 10 beauty bloggers and YouTubers the opportunity to compete in five beauty-centric challenges. These ranged from shopping sprees and makeovers to empties videos, beauty philosophies and Allure cover recreations. Each challenge was judged by online votes along with a panel made up of the magazine’s beauty editors as well as one celebrity judge each week. If you’re a diehard beauty junkie like us, you’ll probably recognize a few of the incredible guest judges, including YouTube gurus Dulce Candy Ruiz, Cassandra Bankson and sisters Elle and Blair Fowler as well as blogger Elizabeth Dehn.
The competition was fierce and the immense amount of talent made for some difficult decisions, but in the end, beauty blogger and YouTuber Alyssa Wallace of Alyssa Forever was crowned the winner of the 2014 Allure Beauty Blogger Awards! Alyssa wowed judges with her impressive skills (she won four out of the five challenges!) and inspirational personality (she coined the word “Flawlyss” to describe how every girl should view herself). Alyssa won a trip to NYC, backstage access to a fashion show, admission to Allure’s Best of Beauty party and more! Though Alyssa ultimately walked away with the title, the remaining award recipients are just as awesome. Scroll down to check out HC’s exclusive Q&A’s with each of the winners!
Beauty Blogger: Alyssa Wallace of Alyssa Forever
Allure Award: Winner!
1. How would you describe your personal beauty philosophy?
I believe that beauty should be fun yet practical. I generally stick to natural/neutral looks because I don’t want to look drastically different when it all comes off.
2. What is the one makeup item you can't live without?
I am torn between an amazing brown pencil and really good mascara. Brows make it or break it for me, so I’d say my life could still go on if I only had a brow pencil. Then again, accentuated lashes are essential as well. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels less feminine with bald lashes. I also have thin brow hairs, so I usually swipe them with some mascara, too … shhh!
3. What is your number one piece of advice for girls starting their own beauty blog or YouTube channel?
The key to being successful is finding a balance between what the people want and what makes you happy. You’ve gotta find a way to make what you love entertaining to other people.
P.S. Viewers hate a lot of “blah blah, so I blah blah blah, me me me.” Viewers are suckers for visual stimulation -- make it a fun experience!
Why you should check her out:
Alyssa’s big win is totally deserved, and one look at her bubbly YouTube channel will tell you why. She delivers amazing hair tips and tutorials (specifically for natural hair!) as well as makeup hauls and reviews, all while remaining approachable and down to earth (she even vlogs about getting braces!). In addition to being totally gorgeous, Alyssa is crazy talented with makeup -- just check out this video makeover she did on a friend! It's refreshing to see a girl so comfortable with herself, and Alyssa's incredibly inspirational and upbeat energy certainly reminds us to always feel "Flawlyss" in our own skin.
Beauty Blogger: Mallory Cornelison of Mallory1712
Allure Award: First Runner-Up
1. How would you describe your personal beauty philosophy?
My personal beauty philosophy is to have fun and always take that time for myself. Putting my makeup on and doing my hair is a way for me to zone out of the daily grind and focus on the simple things that make me happy.
2. What is the one makeup item you can't live without?
I cannot live without my Dior Extase mascara! I have hooded lids, so smudging is a huge problem for me. Dior Extase doesn't smudge or flake and has a great eyelash serum in it that actually makes my lashes longer.
3. What is your number one piece of advice for girls starting their own beauty blog or YouTube channel?
My number one piece of advice is BE YOURSELF! There is only one of you, so share your uniqueness with the world!
Why you should check her out:
This fun and quirky YouTuber is a natural in front of the camera and has clearly mastered the art of a killer winged liner. Mallory offers a huge variety of videos, ranging from tattoo chats and absolutely stunning celebrity makeup tutorials to an inspirational video about learning to forgive yourself. Not limited to makeup, Mallory's channel has tons of hair tutorials and OOTD videos as well as life advice featured in her Wednesday Wisdom segments. With her quirky and endearing sense of humor, flawless face and relatable girl-to-girl life advice, Mallory1712 is definitely worth checking out.
Beauty Blogger: Megan Moore of The Beauty Snoop
Allure Award: Second Runner-Up
1. How would you describe your personal beauty philosophy?
Natural, classic and evolving. I often think that many of the most popular beauty bloggers are "glam" gals, and they specialize in full-face looks complete with falsies and the works. And while I enjoy watching their tutorials and scoping out their favorites beauty products, I am a different kind of beauty blogger. I wear a more natural daytime look because I would look silly picking up carpool with club makeup on! Although I wish I had late-night adventures to get dressed up for, that just isn't in the cards anymore. So I write for the gal that loves a classic and feminine look that isn't too fussy and takes less than 10 minutes to apply.
2. What is the one makeup item you can't live without?
It has to be my Buxom lip glosses! The minty tingle is perfect and refreshing, almost like ChapStick, but the colors are beautifully pigmented with just the right amount of tackiness. I go through them like water, and I haven't purchased a color that I didn't love.
3. What is your number one piece of advice for girls starting their own beauty blog or YouTube channel?
Research, research, research! And then research some more! No, really though -- the best place to start is by identifying what type of feel, voice, look and point of view you want to have in your blog. Find the sites that speak to you and keep you coming back for more, then pinpoint what it is about that blog that you love so much. Is it the easy-to-navigate layout, the comedic writing style, the type of photography? Once you know what you love (and don't love) about other blogs, you can start to piece together your own with a clear direction. And of course -- put your own spin on it!
Why you should check her out:
The initial draw of this beauty lover's blog is the super bright and colorful web design, but the content is amazing, too! In between all of the gorgeously photographed blog posts are YouTube clips of a bubbly and energetic Megan dishing on all things beauty. Whether you're looking for a fun hairstyle for a night out or an overview of the best budget friendly products on the market, Megan's got you covered. There's a nice mix of step-by-step photo tutorials and video tutorials that showcase her amazing filming setup (she films against a white brick background, making her the star of the show!). Come for the eye-catching photo collages and colors, stay for the stellar beauty expertise, hauls, reviews and more!
Beauty Blogger: Miranda Mendoza of Slashed Beauty
Allure Award: Most Buzzworthy
1. How would you describe your personal beauty philosophy?
My personal beauty philosophy is that beauty can be found in anyone, without an ounce of makeup on, without plastic surgery, without photo filters. I also believe makeup should be used to express rather than to conceal. I feel like a large amount of the beauty industry points out how to change yourself or achieve features you don't have, while I advocate using your natural beauty as a canvas for art!
2. What is the one makeup item you can't live without?
One makeup item I could never live without is mascara! Even when I'm not wearing anything else on my face, I've got to throw on a bit of mascara to look and feel polished.
3. What is your number one piece of advice for girls starting their own beauty blog or YouTube channel?
My number one piece of advice for girls starting a beauty blog or YouTube channel is to do it for yourself and not other people. Don't turn it into a competition and try to keep up with that guru who has a million subscribers; just "do you." Also, keeping in touch with other bloggers via networks like Her Campus can give you a resource for advice, support and technical tips!
Why you should check her out:
If you're looking for a thorough and easy-to-navigate blog, this is the one for you. Slashed Beauty is super well-organized and multi-faceted, making it ideal for pros and beginners (she even has a section specifically for beauty newbies!). Her step-by-step guides leave nothing out, and Miranda makes sure to photograph each and every step and swatch. This guru also utilizes YouTube for more in-depth tutorials, like this gorgeous festival hair look (bookmarked!). Miranda takes her blog deeper than surface level with her Perception of Beauty section, a forum where she weighs in on topics like the eternal selfie debate and modern conceptions of beauty. Miranda's energetic and friendly tone and obvious beauty know-how definitely get HC buzzing!
The competition was tight, and although only four girls walked away with titles, the six remaining bloggers were just as fabulous, so make sure to check them out: Tamira Laboy of Lipstick With Some Sunshine, Marianna Hewitt of La La Mer, Nicci Gilland of A Difference Face, Ivy Boyd of Wake Up for Make Up, AJ Schulz of Your Stylist AJ and Serein Wu of Dress Yourself Happy.
Her Campus would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of the participants and winners of this year’s Allure Beauty Blogger Awards. Keep up the fabulous work, ladies!