Elle Leary Artistry

Back in October last year I wrote an article about the beauty tools and accessories line, Hardwear Beauty. I reviewed the brush roll I purchased from them, their content and briefly touched upon the people behind the accessory line, makeup artist Elle Leary and actor Holland Roden.
Since I liked the content Hardwear Beauty produced, I decided to look more into Elle Leary. I knew from previous research that Elle had been a makeup artist for over ten years, working “… with celebrity clients and high-end beauty brands.” (1) After watching a couple of videos on her Elle Leary Artistry YouTube channel, I quickly feel in love with the content and subscribed.

Elle Leary Artistry is a YouTube channel which currently has over 113,000 subscribers. (2).
As stated on her about page, Elle created the channel to “…share the fun and magic of makeup.”, and to “…really address the issues and concerns that women in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s 60’s and beyond deal with.”
Despite the fact I’m not over thirty yet, though the years are creeping closer, I can appreciate the research, effort and care that is put into every video. They have opened my eyes to a whole new side of makeup and skin care.

I am personally grateful for the skincare videos. I have the unfortunate combination of sensitive skin and acne. It can be hard to find items that can benefit both problems.
I didn’t really look into what I was putting on my skin. I just saw items that said they were good for acne, and for sensitive skin and hoped for the best. But nothing particularly worked, in fact after using certain products, my skin became worse.
After watching Elle’s videos, I’ve learned that it’s important to know what ingredients are in the items I’m using.
Different types of alcohol are sometimes used in makeup and skincare products because it dries quickly and makes the skin feel clean. However, some alcohols are actually bad for the skin, especially if they are one of the more active ingredients. A few of the products I purchased contained different types of alcohol. (Please check out the video (3), as Elle is far better at explaining this then I am and goes more in-depth with details).
As Elle says in the video, these ingredients can make acne worse. After finding this out, I decided to change the products I used.

One of the wonderful things Elle does, are live streams on YouTube every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month. In one of these videos I found my new skin care regime – the Korean seven step skin care routine. (4)
In this video I learned what types of products would be good to use and the best way to apply them.
One of the main reasons I like this routine is because it gives me motivation to get out of bed in the morning. With depression, it can be hard to even get up. Once I decided and bought the items for my new skin care regime, I made a promise to myself to keep my morning and night routine.
At times it’s been hard, but I always feel better afterwards, as if I’m slightly more prepared to face people that day.

Being part of the community, or the Ellesquad as its affectionally known, is also a bonus. Not only does Elle take the time to answer questions, but so do the other listeners. Some share their thoughts and experiences about different products that have been spoken about. You can really feel a togetherness in this group and I love being part of it.

Watching the videos has not only helped my skin care regime, but also how I apply my makeup. I’ve invested in some new makeup brushes and actually have some sort of idea which each one does.
Also those who don’t have a lot of money to spend don’t have to worry, as Elle not only shows brand products but also budget items, something I’m always grateful for. I’ve learned how to make the best out of what I have, and I’ve been introduced to new products I don’t even know how I lived without. Such as the wonder that is Setting spray, something that is always on my must have list now.
I have more confidence in my makeup abilities and I’m trying new styles and colours that I wouldn’t have tried before.

I have already learned so much from Elle, but I have to say my favourite video of all is one that is more personal, rather than a makeup or skincare tutorial. (5)
Though the video is seven months old, I’ve only just watched it. In the video, Elle is very open about issues she was going through and how we all need to take time for ourselves. This was the point where I knew I wanted to write a blog post about Elle Leary. Not only is she an amazing makeup artist, but it’s also clear that she cares about her content and audience and her positivity is infectious.

If anyone was looking for tips and advice on makeup, skin care, especially centred on women aged 30 plus, and a wonderful community then I would always recommend Elle Leary Artistry.

Links –

1 – Elle Leary website – http://www.elleleary.com/about/
2 – Elle Leary Artistry YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ElleLearyArtistry
3 – Alcohol in Skincare & What it IS doing to your Skin? || Skincare
Sunday- Elle Leary Artistry –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dshlO_dF4Y
4 – 7 STEP SKIN METHOD BREAKDOWN|| HOW TO EASY & ADVANCED
LIVE- Q & A – Elle Leary Artistry – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pp-alCQwaQ
5 – I Was In A VERY Dark Place || Why Can’t We Love Ourselves? This is ME
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeVVSj0G8ak