Online beauty tutorials are a big business these days, generating billions of views and turning amateurs and teens into celebrities (on the internet at least).
But in Lisa Eldridge was anything but an amateur when she started uploading how-to clips back in 2009.
By that stage, the make-up artist, who grew up in Liverpool, had already racked up more than 15 years’ experience in the industry, adorning the faces of celebrities and supermodels for red carpets and cover shoots.
Her staggering client list includes everyone from Kate Moss to Kim Kardashian West (she’s currently responsible for Kate Winslet’s looks while promoting the new Steve Jobs film) and Eldridge has held numerous Creative Director roles at major brands, including her current post at Lancome.
As if her schedules weren’t jam-packed enough, Eldridge has just published her first book – but it’s not just a rehash of her most viewed videos.
“Everyone expected me to do a how-to book, so I didn’t want to do that,” she laughs, perched in the haberdashery department of Liberty, as a queue of young fans snakes down a stairwell nearby, eagerly awaiting Eldridge’s appearance for a Q&A and book signing session.
“The history of make-up has always been a passion and I wanted to scratch that itch.”
Face Paint: The Story Of Makeup chronicles cosmetics throughout the ages, from the earliest uses of red ochre in prehistoric times, through to the latest high-tech innovations.
“My dream is that anyone who reads it, the next morning when they pick up their make-up bag, they’ll look at it in a whole new light,” Eldridge says, revealing that writing the book gave her a whole new appreciation for the freedom we have today, compared to times when make-up was seen as sinful.
“Look at this time we’re living through,” she says, gesturing animatedly around the room. “All these women have got whatever make-up they want on today and no one’s criticising them.”
It’s clear to the 41-year-old that being a feminist and owning a dozen red lipsticks is not a contradiction.
And with her YouTube videos, Eldridge is able to engage with a huge audience (she has more than 1.2 million subscribers) to find out what women really want to know about make-up.
So what’s the burning question she gets asked most often?
“There’s a couple. They’re usually about skin make-up because people often struggle with foundation. Either they can’t find the right shade to fit their skin tone, or they’re not really sure how to use it with concealer if they want to cover their spots.”
Well, Eldridge clearly has the answer, because she claims to have four spots when we speak, but all I can see is flawless skin. And her blemish-banishing video is her most popular of all time, heading for three million views.
What you won’t find on this pro’s YouTube channel are the shopping ’haul’ videos so beloved of teen vloggers, detailing their latest pharmacy finds.
“Because I’ve been involved in new product development for years, when I go shopping here, I tend to know which factory it’s from, or which formulation,” she explains, “so it has to be different, it has to be a colour that I haven’t seen before, that’s the sort of thing that will really stand out to me.”
And to make it into her mammoth make-up kit is even harder.
“I’m quite scathing,” Eldridge admits. “I don’t want to get caught out doing someone’s make-up on the red carpet and it doesn’t look good, so I really test new products out before they go in the kit.”