Makeup sales girl becomes YouTube sensation
Twenty-two-year-old UK makeup artist Tanya Burr used to post makeup tutorials on YouTube for fun after her shifts at a Jarrold's department store beauty counter. But what started as a creative hobby has spawned a lucrative career that sends her to lavish parties around the globe. Burr attributes her work for big brands like Laura Mercier and Clinique for her strong background in cosmetics, but she told the Daily Mail that reaching two million hits a month on her YouTube channel (user name pixi2woo) was "totally unexpected."
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While Burr does offer some videos with daily beauty tips and product reviews just as thousands of other aspiring makeup artists do on YouTube, the videos that really resonate are her step-by-step celebrity makeup tutorials. Somehow Burr transforms herself into Brigitte Bardot, Heidi Klum, Beyoncé, and "Twilight" character Bella Swan right before your eyes.
It's no wonder she has more than 26 million video views in total-a quick glance at the video comments shows hundreds of users thanking her for her tips, asking her further questions, and requesting other celebrity DIY looks for future videos. None of the typical online trolls here, just loads of grateful viewers.
"I am still so flattered that people like me enough to watch me every day and it makes doing the videos so rewarding," Burr told the Daily Mail. As her popularity increased, so did her YouTube advertising revenues. Burr quit her day job two years ago to focus on her new life as an online beauty guru. She lives in Norfolk with her boyfriend, Jim Chapman, but often is invited to parties from London to Dubai. She's also launched a jewelry collection with Talullah Tu and established a YouTube fashion page which is one of the most subscribed "outfit of the day" channels on the site. After Burr posted a video about her new Mulberry handbag, the retailer's website got so much traffic they invited her to their fashion show and after party as a thank you.
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"I get to do such amazing things," Burr told the Daily Mail. "But I really want to remain someone people can relate to and my tutorials professional and full of instructions. The most important thing is to give viewers what they want and to keep the videos unique and professional."
We've rounded up our 10 favorite celebrity beauty tutorials from Burr's YouTube page. Take a look and let us know if you think Burr is worthy of all the hype.
Beyoncé in her "Why Don't You Love Me" video
Supermodel Heidi Klum
Brigitte Bardot
