The Top Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube

Gone are the days when you and your best friend unsuccessfully try applying makeup on each other until you somehow manage to get the look you saw in a glossy mag just right. Since the advent of YouTube Makeup Tutorials, every makeup lover can easily learn how to perfect the looks they love from the comfort of their home.

But which Makeup Tutorial Videos do we ALL love? Which ones are the current favorites of makeup lovers across the globe? The research team at Tajmeeli crunched the numbers and uncovered the most-watched makeup tutorials on YouTube.

The Top Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. The Top Makeup Tutorial Topics on YouTube

2. The Top Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube

3. The Skills Makeup Lovers Value

4. Methodology

THE TOP MAKEUP TUTORIAL TOPICS ON YOUTUBE

As part of our research, we analyzed the number of views of YouTube videos across 25 popular makeup topics. We identified the top three videos for each, which collectively racked up a staggering 1,116,640,558 views!

Here are the Top Ten Makeup Tutorial topics that comprise the majority of the total video views:

For a full list of all the topics and videos, please click here.

When we break these topics down into segments that deal with different parts of the face - we can identify four different categories:

1. LIP MAKEUP

Of the six lip topics covering makeup on the lips, five are in the top 20 of the 25 Makeup Tutorial Topics. Two of these lip topics (Red Lips and Liquid Lipstick) rank in the top five of the 25 topics reviewed.

Clearly, how to wear red lipstick is something all makeup wearers must know as Red Lips is the second favorite of all 25 topics reviewed, while Liquid Lipstick is the fourth favorite. 

The total views on lip makeup tutorials was 304,060,416.

Here is the breakdown of the number of views for each Lip Makeup Tutorial from most to least favorite:

1. Red Lips - 108,162,324 views

2. Liquid Lipstick - 97,218,934 views

3. Ombre Lips - 37,442,560 views

4. Bold Lips - 22,760,797 views

5. Bigger Lips Tutorial - 20,855,970 views

6. Korean Gradient Lip - 17,619,831 views

2. EYE MAKEUP 

Of the nine topics covering eye makeup, seven are in the top 20 of the 25 Makeup Tutorial Topics with five of them ranking in the top ten. Smokey Eyes as part of a Bridal Look was top in terms of view count ( 111,005,565) . Videos on Winged Eyeliner came in second (78,898,440) while Eyebrow Tutorial videos made a close third (77,547,267).

Smokey eyes, (as a separate makeup tutorial topic), was still popular at 9th place with 43,388,223 views.

If we consider makeup tutorials that focus on using eyeshadow in a particular way, then Smokey Eyes is the favorite look, while Sunset Eye Makeup comes in second and Rainbow Eye makeup, third. 

3. MAKEUP LOOKS

There are five distinct makeup looks in our Top 25 Makeup Tutorial Topics.

The top makeup look is Smokey Eyes as part of a Bridal Look. 

The second top look is an old classic, the Glam Look. The top video in Glam Looks is a YouTube short that was uploaded in 2020, which suggests that Glam is still quite a trendy topic. It clearly is a makeup look that has staying power, as the second and third top videos on this look were uploaded in 2019 and 2016 respectively.

The Egirl Look is the third most popular makeup look, with Doja Cat's tutorial on her Egirl makeup style fittingly leading the top videos in this category.

Here is the breakdown of the number of views for each Makeup Look Tutorial from most to least favorite:

1. Smokey Eyes Bridal Look - 111,005,565 views

2. Glam Look - 54,580,805 views

3. Egirl Look - 49,004,428 views

4. 90s Look - 16,575,425 views

5. Grunge Look - 7,775,073 views

The total views on makeup look tutorials was 238,941,296.

4. CONTOURING, HIGHLIGHTING, CONCEALER, and FOUNDATION

Our data shows that the top ten makeup video topics are all tutorials on makeup aspects the newbie makeup user would be familiar with. More sophisticated makeup topics, such as contouring, highlighting and how to blend foundation are not as popular. The most popular makeup topic of these more complex makeup techniques is Contouring - it is ranked 11th out of our Top 25 Makeup Tutorial Topics.

CONTOUR WITH ME , the video with the highest number of views in the contouring category, ranked 26th of the videos analyzed and has a total of 16,266,364 views. The video is a YouTube short made by content creator Sydney Morgan who has a series of short fun makeup tutorials on her channel.

When it comes to highlighting, it's almost no surprise that a video mentioning the Queen of contouring and highlighting in its title, Kim Kardashian, is number one. The video, titled: HOW TO CONTOUR AND HIGHLIGHT LIKE KIM KARDASHIAN has 11,834,978 views.

“How to Blend Foundation Properly” is clearly a less popular makeup tutorial topic and is ranked 23rd.

THE TOP MAKEUP TUTORIAL VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

Below is a list of the Top Ten Makeup Tutorial Videos, the makeup tutorial topic they fall in, their view count, and the percentage of the total views of all 75 videos ( 1,116,640,558) they represent.

1	WHY EVERY GIRL LOVES A RED LIPSTICK? Amazing Makeup Trick You Should Know#123Go #shorts	Red Lips Makeup	78,691,868	7%
2	How to apply lipstick part-150	Liquid Lipstick	60,200,236	5.39%
3	Real Bride | Engagement/Nikaah Asian Bridal Makeup | Gold Smokey Eyes And Bright Pink Lipstick	Smokey Eyes Bridal Look	49,053,262	4.39%
4	2016 makeup trends VS 2021 makeup trends | Beauty Trends	Makeup Trends Videos (comparison between years)	47,645,310	4.26%
5	Use These TRICKS To Apply Perfect Wing Eyeliners on BOTH Eyes | Shruti Arjun Anand	Winged Eyeliner	33,702,470	3.01%
6	Sunset makeup look on my mom!	Sunset Eye Makeup	32,869,103	2.94%
7	Classic Smokey Eyes with soft lips ! Bridal Makeup by Parul Garg	Smokey Eyes Bridal Look	31,920,082	2.85%
8	DIY Perfect Brow at Home/Super Easy & Quick Way For Beginners	Eyebrow Tutorial	31,694,879	2.83%
9	Real Bride | Modern Traditional Asian Bridal Makeup | Red Glittery Smokey Eyes	Smokey Eyes Bridal Look	30,032,221	2.68%
10	Makeup Trends from 1990 vs 2020 | Beauty Trends	Makeup Trends Videos (comparison between years)	28,817,125	2.58%

The Top Makeup Tutorial Video on YouTube

WHY EVERY GIRL LOVES A RED LIPSTICK? ?? Amazing Makeup Trick You Should Know#123Go #shorts   is a video from 123 GO! Kevin, a channel comprising all sorts of videos on tips and hacks for day-to-day living. 

Although not a makeup channel, the video uses simple but clever storytelling to show how a dental floss holder can be used to help line the lips with lipstick to make lipstick application easier. 

It has a whopping 7% of the total number of views of the 75 videos in our research. This is quite phenomenal considering that the top Makeup Tutorial Topic,Smokey Eyes Bridal Look, comprises only 2% more of the total views than this one video.

And in Second and Third Place…

The second favorite video, How to apply lipstick part-150 shows how to apply liquid lipstick to prevent it from sticking to any surface. The video is from the channel 24 Hrs G which has a collection of very short makeup videos ranging from tutorials to unboxings. 

The video in third place, Real Bride | Engagement/Nikaah Asian Bridal Makeup | Gold Smokey Eyes And Bright Pink Lipstick , was uploaded in 2016 and shows a makeup artist doing the makeup for an Asian bride's wedding. The video's emphasis is on the eye makeup, particularly showing how to do the smokey eye and winged eyeliner correctly. 

Even though this video is only ranked third of the top three videos, the topic it deals with, Smokey Eyes as a Bridal Look , reigns supreme as far as makeup tutorials on YouTube go. All three videos dealing with this topic are in the top ten list above.  Real Bride | Engagement/Nikaah Asian Bridal Makeup | Gold Smokey Eyes And Bright Pink Lipstickis ranked third, Classic Smokey Eyes with soft lips ! Bridal Makeup by Parul Gargis ranked seventh and Real Bride | Modern Traditional Asian Bridal Makeup | Red Glittery Smokey Eyes is ranked ninth.

Smokey Eyes as a Bridal Look is the only topic of the 25 Makeup Tutorial Topics that has all three of the top videos in this category in the Top Ten Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube. As a Makeup Topic on its own, it ranks number one in terms of overall view count and comprises 9.9% of the total views of the 75 videos in our research (see table above in section dealing with Makeup Tutorial Topics) .

Trending Makeup Trends Videos

We clearly like to see how general style trends evolve over the years: Two out of the three Makeup Trends Comparison Videos are also in the Top Ten Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube. 2016 makeup trends VS 2021 makeup trends | Beauty Trends ranks fourth and Makeup Trends from 1990 vs 2020 | Beauty Trends ranks tenth. 

2016 makeup trends VS 2021 makeup trends | Beauty Trends is a creator's display of how she did her makeup in 2016 versus 2021. In it she shows how she wore thicker eyebrows in 2016 versus what she calls “Spock eyebrows in 2021”, she also shows how she wore very little blush in 2016 to lots in 2021. The end of the video shows each side of her face in her 2016 and 2021 makeup, demonstrating the overall look of both. 

The video is quite pleasing to the viewer as it shows how using different makeup techniques for each part of the face amalgamates to form entirely distinct looks on the same person's face. 

The video, Makeup Trends from 1990 vs 2020 | Beauty Trends does a similar thing, but the creator is less skillful in applying her makeup than the first. 

THE SKILLS MAKEUP LOVERS VALUE

Getting that Lipstick Just Right

Just by looking at the top two videos in our research, it's easy to see how applying lipstick correctly is a skill all makeup lovers value. The top two videos on our Top Ten Makeup Tutorial Videos list, WHY EVERY GIRL LOVES A RED LIPSTICK? ? Amazing Makeup Trick You Should Know#123Go #shorts and How to apply lipstick part-150   both show how to apply lipstick that doesn't bleed or smudge. 

Smoking Hot Smokey Eyes

As previously mentioned, the traditional Smokey Eye as part of a Bridal Look is by far the favorite Makeup Tutorial topic to search on YouTube. Add that to the popularity of tutorials on how to do Smokey Eye Makeup (separate from any look) - and it's obvious that being able to apply the Smokey Eye correctly is a top skill for makeup lovers across the world. Videos on the 'Smokey Eye' comprise 13.78% of the total views on the Top Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube. 

Don't Wing the Winged Eyeliner

As a topic on its own, Winged Eyeliner Tutorial videos are ranked fifth of the 25 Makeup topics our research explored. And although none of the winged eyeliner videos rank in the Top Ten Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube, applying winged eyeliner is part of the tutorials explaining how to do Smokey Eyes as a Bridal Look (the top-performing Makeup Tutorial Video Topic on YouTube). This just shows how wanted the ideal winged eyeliner look is in the world of cosmetics.

METHODOLOGY:

Tajmeeli curated the above lists of top YouTube makeup tutorial videos by searching for popular and trending makeup topics via view count. Videos that made the list of The Top Makeup Tutorial Videos on YouTube needed to be:

1.) Relevant to the search term, that is, they had to address the topic at hand,

2.) They had to display a strong tutorial element within the content of the video and 

3.) This intent also needed to be reflected clearly in the title.

This meant that videos with high views that didn't meet the above criteria were not included in the list.

Videos that took a more comical and gimmicky approach to makeup were excluded. 

Videos of celebrities doing makeup that casually addressed the topic, yet didn't have the intent reflected in their title were also excluded. An example of this scenario is a video titled Kylie Jenner - My Everyday Makeup Look  - the video ranked second when searching for a “concealer tutorial” on YouTube. 

Advertorials or marketing videos from top makeup brands were also excluded, unless the video was a tutorial.

*The views as they were on Apr 1, 2022 .