If you're plugged into the beauty stratosphere, you might have been hearing a lot about beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook and her brand new cosmetics line, Halo Beauty. But if you're not familiar with her beauty videos, you might feel a little nonplussed with all the hype and controversy surrounding her name right now. So to help you fill in the gaps, let's explore who is Tati Westbrook, and why is her launch such a big deal right now.
Westbrook is a 36-year-old beauty vlogger who originally grew up in Seattle before moving to California to chase her cosmetics dreams. She moved to Los Angeles to become a makeup artist and image consultant, and in November 2010 she decided to start up a YouTube channel to share her love of makeup with a wider audience. Calling it GlamLifeGuru, she began to upload unbiased product reviews, create step-by-step makeup tutorials, shared thoughts on both luxury and drugstore products, and walked her viewers through fun haul videos. She started from the bottom just life everyone else, and now she's a beauty guru with over 3.5 million subscribers!
She created a devote base that trusts her opinions thanks to her straightforward and honest reviews, and she often compares high end products to drugstore finds, helping people feel gorgeous no matter their budget.
To give you an idea what kind of content she posts, her number one most popular video is "Drugstore Makeup Favorites & Hate Its," which got over four million views and breaks down her favorite buys and which products to avoid. Her runner up video was "$90 Lipstick First Impressions," which got around 4 million views and explored if the new super luxury Christian Louboutin $90 lipstick and lip liner was worth the price. That way her viewers didn't have to spend their hard earned cash if it wasn't worth the hype.
She also posts honest videos about palettes she regrets buying, and whether new makeup trends are worth trying out - like her "Full Face Using Putty Makeup" review. She also tackles gimmicky products you might be curious about and whether they're worth the investemtn - like her "Wet N Wild $70 Makeup Brushes" review - and tries out new drugstore collection drops to share the tea if they're worth buying, like her recent-ish video on the much-buzzed-about Gigi Hadid x Maybelline collection.
Another thing about Westbrook that sets her apart from the rest is that, as a rule, she declines sponsored videos. Since her honest reviews are what built her subscription base, she doesn't want to tarnish her reputation by posting up sponsored content, and then having viewers wonder if she's hyping up a product because a label is paying her. She does, however, sometimes accept sponsorship from a few brands she believes in, and does accept free products in exchange for fair reviews.
In 2016, she also created her very own app, the GlamLifeGuru app, which is basically a more in-depth extension of her YouTube channel. The app compiles highlights of her videos, features advice from Tati that she doesn't upload onto her YouTube channel, gives users exclusive giveaways, and even features a forum where makeup lovers can share tips and swap thoughts.
Seeing how plugged in she is to the beauty community and how well versed she is in products and what makeup lovers look for, it only made sense that the makeup guru would branch out to create her own cosmetics collection. Her first-ever brand drops Mar. 2, but her first product was not what her fans were expecting.
"A lot of you are expecting skincare or makeup. It's neither," Westbrook shared in her brand reveal video. While she acknowledged that her label would get to those beauty staples eventually, she instead will be starting out with a "Hair Skin & Nails Booster," which is a chic bottle of vitamins that will take care of your skin from the inside out.
She explained that she wanted to first create a bottle of vitamins that actually delivered results, where a person would be able to look in the mirror and see a noticeable difference within two weeks. She explained that in her boosters there are five ingredients alone that would fight grey hairs, and there are more that improve skin from head to toe, giving you a softer, firmer, better hydrated look.
While she got mixed reviews of both surprise and support, she's excited to see where her new brand will grow. And seeing how she has such a long history of beauty experience and insider expertise, her fans can be sure that she'll deliver them amazing, well-thought-out collections.
