Maleficent Gets A MAC Makeup Line
Just like generations of teenagers before her, Thea McQuaid Jones sits in her bedroom experimenting with her make up, copying celebrity hairstyles and discussing her latest fashion finds. But she doesn't just share cheap mac lipsticks with her friends. The Urmston schoolgirl is a YouTube 'beauty guru' and her uploaded videos have received more than 2.9m views worldwide on her channel, xrubyredlips. It's earned the youngster a slice of the advertising revenue generated, along with a loyal following of fans. Even consumer brands are taking note, sending her products to review. And she's just 14.
Thea is quick to point out that this wasn't her intention. Commenting on the popularity of the videos she uploads, she says: "I didn't have a clue. I honestly just thought a few people would watch it and that would be that." It all started at the age of 12, in July 2008, when Thea, inspired by other gurus, such as Lauren Luke (panacea81), decided to try it herself. "I was into make up because I sing and do shows and wore a bit of make up on stage," explains Thea, who hopes to be a presenter. "And one day I decided to do a video. I put it up on YouTube and it got over 66,000 views, then I started doing more and it just escalated from there," adding that a video can get 5,000 views in one day.
"It's a bit overwhelming to know you've got that many people watching you who are saying good things about you," she adds. The vlogs (video blogs) make up tutorials, product reviews and fashion mac makeup lipsticks hauls (where Thea talks about her recent buys) are all filmed in her bedroom she's done 203 to date. Part of their charm is that they are unscripted, with Thea simply sharing her love of fashion and make up. Sometimes a train of thought is forgotten there's the sound of rummaging as the next product is hunted for, and sometimes family members accidentally wander on screen.
Internet safety is important, so Nicola, a qualified nurse, vets the channel and monitors all correspondence. And while mum Laura, 32 is proud of her daughter's efforts and has even started her own channel with Thea, mummeandglamour she didn't approve at first. "I hated it because she was on YouTube and I didn't really understand it," says Laura, a beauty and holistic therapist at Total Body Care in Urmston. "And, obviously, she's my daughter so I was saying: 'I don't understand why you are putting videos on YouTube. You're putting yourself out there I don't get it.'
"At the beginning, I thought it was a phase, but it just escalated and escalated and it's part of her life now," says Laura, adding school still takes priority for Thea. Just over a year after Thea began her vlogs, in August 2009 she was made a 'partner', which includes the chance to earn money from the videos on YouTube through revenue sharing. "I kind of knew what a partner was, but I didn't know you could make money through it, so it was a bit of a big bonus, really," Thea explains. "When they asked me to be a partner we thought: 'Oh, OK let's just go for it and see what it is.' Since I became a partner everything has just gone up."
All the money generated from the site, says Thea, has been ploughed back into her YouTube work, including a Nikon professional camera to film, an Apple Mac to edit her videos and the make up to use in wholesale mac cosmetics her tutorials. Since October 2009, companies have sent her free products, such as make up, clothes, chocolate and candles, asking for them to be reviewed and offering items for giveaways. It's helped thousands of viewers and not just to find a new look. In one video, Thea shares how she didn't like the scar on her nose after having a mole removed and talks about the British Red Cross skin camouflage service.
Others have emailed to say how her videos have given them confidence, or even asking advice about serious topics such as anorexia. This, says Nicola, has prompted them to add links to helplines cheap mac cosmetics and websites on the channel. It all adds up to a response that has surprised the teenager. "I just thought people would be like: 'Thank you so much for doing this make up look I wore it on a night out,' or something like that," Thea says. "I didn't expect people to be saying that they actually wait for my videos to come on and that I'm 'an inspiration to them' and I'm their 'biggest idol'. I didn't expect any of it.
Thea is quick to point out that this wasn't her intention. Commenting on the popularity of the videos she uploads, she says: "I didn't have a clue. I honestly just thought a few people would watch it and that would be that." It all started at the age of 12, in July 2008, when Thea, inspired by other gurus, such as Lauren Luke (panacea81), decided to try it herself. "I was into make up because I sing and do shows and wore a bit of make up on stage," explains Thea, who hopes to be a presenter. "And one day I decided to do a video. I put it up on YouTube and it got over 66,000 views, then I started doing more and it just escalated from there," adding that a video can get 5,000 views in one day.
"It's a bit overwhelming to know you've got that many people watching you who are saying good things about you," she adds. The vlogs (video blogs) make up tutorials, product reviews and fashion mac makeup lipsticks hauls (where Thea talks about her recent buys) are all filmed in her bedroom she's done 203 to date. Part of their charm is that they are unscripted, with Thea simply sharing her love of fashion and make up. Sometimes a train of thought is forgotten there's the sound of rummaging as the next product is hunted for, and sometimes family members accidentally wander on screen.
Internet safety is important, so Nicola, a qualified nurse, vets the channel and monitors all correspondence. And while mum Laura, 32 is proud of her daughter's efforts and has even started her own channel with Thea, mummeandglamour she didn't approve at first. "I hated it because she was on YouTube and I didn't really understand it," says Laura, a beauty and holistic therapist at Total Body Care in Urmston. "And, obviously, she's my daughter so I was saying: 'I don't understand why you are putting videos on YouTube. You're putting yourself out there I don't get it.'
"At the beginning, I thought it was a phase, but it just escalated and escalated and it's part of her life now," says Laura, adding school still takes priority for Thea. Just over a year after Thea began her vlogs, in August 2009 she was made a 'partner', which includes the chance to earn money from the videos on YouTube through revenue sharing. "I kind of knew what a partner was, but I didn't know you could make money through it, so it was a bit of a big bonus, really," Thea explains. "When they asked me to be a partner we thought: 'Oh, OK let's just go for it and see what it is.' Since I became a partner everything has just gone up."
All the money generated from the site, says Thea, has been ploughed back into her YouTube work, including a Nikon professional camera to film, an Apple Mac to edit her videos and the make up to use in wholesale mac cosmetics her tutorials. Since October 2009, companies have sent her free products, such as make up, clothes, chocolate and candles, asking for them to be reviewed and offering items for giveaways. It's helped thousands of viewers and not just to find a new look. In one video, Thea shares how she didn't like the scar on her nose after having a mole removed and talks about the British Red Cross skin camouflage service.
Others have emailed to say how her videos have given them confidence, or even asking advice about serious topics such as anorexia. This, says Nicola, has prompted them to add links to helplines cheap mac cosmetics and websites on the channel. It all adds up to a response that has surprised the teenager. "I just thought people would be like: 'Thank you so much for doing this make up look I wore it on a night out,' or something like that," Thea says. "I didn't expect people to be saying that they actually wait for my videos to come on and that I'm 'an inspiration to them' and I'm their 'biggest idol'. I didn't expect any of it.
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