Back in the day, women looked to celebrities to learn about the newest beauty products and makeup fads. Now, beauty bloggers have become the go-to for beauty advice, with some of them earning thousands of dollars a month doing makeup reviews, swatches, and tutorials.
In 2015, Bustle reported that YouTube beauty vlogger Yuya, whose real name is Mariand Castrejon Castañeda, earns roughly $41,000 a month, while Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella brings in over $27,000 a month. One of the pioneers of beauty vlogging, Michelle Phan, reportedly only earned $15,000 a month on YouTube in 2015. However, Phan is said to make more money as she was able to expand her brand with a beauty sampling subscription service called Ipsy, valued at $500 million.
Then there are the beauty bloggers who have parlayed their Internet fame to bigger things, such as mannymua or Manny Gutierrez, who has been named as the first male ambassador for Maybelline. Clearly, beauty bloggers are making a fortune doing what they love to do.
But how exactly do beauty bloggers make money online? Those who run blogs generate most of their income from advertising, and most get started with Google Adsense. Bloggers get paid when a reader clicks on an advertisement, so the more visitors a blog gets, the better for the beauty blogger’s income.
They also earn through affiliate programs, wherein bloggers make money by promoting products. They earn a commission for each person who purchases the promoted beauty product.
Those who are thinking about starting a beauty blog this year could do that through WordPress, and they could do product reviews, makeup tutorials, swatches, and even online giveaways. All one needs is a laptop, Internet connection, and a good camera for taking pictures and videos.
As for the cost, be ready to spend some money on makeup as it will take some time before companies start sending you free makeup to review. Jamie Page of JamiePageBeauty told Mic that she normally goes to Sephora at least twice a week in search of new products to feature on her site. Arieh Simon, who has 22,000 subscribers on YouTube, spends about $2,500 on makeup a year.
Being a successful beauty blogger takes patience, commitment, and a genuine love for all things beauty-related. Though the road to Internet fame could take some time, all that effort pays off in the end.
For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on odd jobs that pay surprisingly well.
