Hidden Beauty Inspo on Reddit

By Grace Goodenough

Reddit, an online information and discussion site, has a reputation far from glamorous, with its most popular subreddits covering science, gaming and world news. However, if you dig deeper into the different communities, a plethora of threads related to makeup and beauty emerge. Reddit has many makeup subreddits in which people post questions and share looks to discover new products and design ideas.

Though Reddit has 330 million monthly active users, most aren’t searching for beauty content and are unfamiliar with the platform. After making an account, you can search for topics that are of interest to you. Some popular subreddits include /Makeup, /MakeupAddiction , /brownbeauty and more. You can scan the thread, read other people’s posts and the recommendations they receive. You can also write your own post with personalized questions about what types of makeup you want in relation to your skin type, undertones, etc. 

For example, I can post a question asking for foundation recommendations for pale, dry skin with cool undertones and people can respond with their suggestions and swatches. Each subreddit has a unique community of everyday people that are working toward upping their makeup game.

Reddit

This is a pink, monochromatic look shared on /MakeupAddiction with a detailed list of all the products used to create it. Aside from the full product list, people can ask questions about how exactly to blend the eyeshadow, sharpen the eyebrows, etc. The looks shared on Reddit are creative and well thought out, with the purposes of developing a makeup community where people share and help others recreate similar looks.

Looks range from practical, everyday wear to editorial, creative visions. While not the most conventional, Reddit as a source for makeup tips is beneficial for many reasons.

MUA’s on YouTube have helpful and interesting videos, but most are sponsored or contain products from PR packages. The same can be said for Instagram sponsorships where influencers are paid or even brought on fancy vacations in exchange for the promotion of a product. Reddit is free from biased opinions, and instead comes from recommendations from real people who have purchased and used products on their own time.

There are so many nontraditional communities to find makeup advice ranging from everyday to elaborate looks. Using Reddit is a refreshing way to get new product knowledge and tutorials from people of all skill levels.