Looking your best can be as easy as switching on online tutorials
DIY videos are now on the net
Let’s face it; not all of us can braid hair, apply acrylic nails or even contour our make-up for a thinner nose or defined cheekbones.
That’s why we pay professionals for those services.
But what if someone was to teach you step-by-step exactly how to do it? Would it save you money – or would you simply not have the patience to learn?
Online tutorials have taken over the social media space, with helpful videos that promote DIY and show you the step-by-step how-tos; with topics ranging from how to use a sewing machine, how to apply make-up, wrap head scarfs and even do certain hairstyles!
When it comes to the world of beauty, online tutorials can teach you how to put on false eyelashes, contouring, braiding your hair and every other beauty trick you may need.
Do online tutorials then render professionals redundant? We put four beauty online tutorials to a style expert and gauge their reaction.
Are they helpful? Are the instructions easy to follow, and most importantly, can you learn so much from these videos that you can do without the expert?
Kay Khanye is a resident stylist for Previdar magazine, and has worked with all experts under the sun while styling celebrities like Khanyi Mbau, Kay Sibiya, Thabiso Makhubela and Chris Jaftha.
Khanye evaluates three online tutorials:
Putting on false eyelashes
The video is done by South African beauty blogger Danica J Paulsen. She begins by advising the viewers which false eyelashes to go with, differentiating between the dramatically long ones and the more normal and functional lashes.
After making her pick, Paulsen goes on to give tricks and tips on how to firstly measure the lashes against your lash line, before proceeding to show the viewers how to trim the lashes down so they are not out of sync with the lash line, as well as how to apply glue on the lashes and finally how to put them on.
Check out the video at: https//youtube/tSQ9vztm99g
Verdict:
“The video was very user friendly, easy to understand and straight to the point. She did a good job of keeping the viewer engaged and explaining exactly what she was doing and why. I would recommend it.”
How to contour
This video involved a makeup trick that most experts use on the faces of celebrities: contouring. It was posted by a South African makeup artist and blogger Cindy Change from Bluegodess Makeup Artistry, and she prefixes the tutorial by saying that it caters for beginners.
She starts off by talking about the concealer you should choose, advising viewers to choose one that is two shades lighter before dabbing away at her face, making marks of the areas she would like to contour. She blends it all together with foundation and looks beautiful when the tutorial is over.
The link to the video is: https://youtube/x9kZfJtGbzM
Verdict:
“She did a good job with the video, but my problem was that she made it look easier than it actually is.
“All the brush strokes and movements she did around the face were not explained, and there is an art to it. I do not necessarily think that one can watch that video once or twice and know how to get that professional contour look.
“It would take a lot of practice, and it seems that this is something that is best left to the professionals to do if you want it done properly.”
How to do cornrows
The next video was posted by beautycanbraid.com, an online store that specialises in ethnic hair and braids. They are based in Tampa, Florida, in the US.
The video shows a hairstylist working with a full ethnic afro, parting the lines for the cornrows, before describing how to twist and knot the hair into tidy looking cornrows.
The full video link is: https://youtube/-9_aGpT7CZ4
Verdict:
“This was by far my favourite.
“It was very clear and to the point, and I found myself not needing to hit the rewind button to go over a step.
“Everything was clearly understandable, but I do think that the braiding would be best done for an at-home look, not necessarily for a clean, properly done hairdo,” Khanye says.
“It’s a fun tutorial for braiding hair in the comfort of your home with friends or siblings.”