YouTuber Melissa Alatorre’s Shares the Secret to Her Success

Known for her sultry eye makeup looks and infectious personality, Melissa Alatorre is one of our go-to’s for makeup tutorials. The beauty guru started out as an influencer on Instagram before taking her talents to YouTube, where she shares her best tips and tricks for slaying your face (with a side of vlogs and useful hair tutorials).

We recently caught up with the YouTuber at the first Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit to talk making it on Youtube, the lipstick she can’t live without, and what beauty means to her.

What’s a trend you’re loving right now?

I almost feel like makeup has gone more of the natural route, which is really interesting. When I first started I feel like it was very, very heavy. [Full glam] is obviously still around but I feel like everyone’s scaling it back. I’m seeing a lot of glass skin, full brow and lots of highlight. Even the eyes are glossy. Very Glossier. It’s like nothing — and then a bold lip.

Definitely. That trend is perfect for me because I don’t like to do much.

On my day to day, I don’t do much either. All you need is a bold red lip. [I love] NARS Don’t Stop — it literally does not move. The Maybelline Superstay Lipstick doesn’t move either. You need oil to get them off your lips. I love Pioneer, it’s my favorite color.

What would be your advice for someone who’s starting their channel or someone who’s newly established but wants to take it to the next level?

I would say for someone who’s just starting or trying to grow, it’s the same struggle I’m currently going through and a lot of influencers are going through with the changes on YouTube and Instagram. We’re all plateauing or growing at a really slow pace. It’s happening to everyone. So first of all, do not get discouraged. I would also say that consistency is key. You have to be consistent. That’s been my problem recently. I’ve been focused on quality vs quantity but really you’ve got to push a lot of content out there. You have to post every day on Instagram and Insta Stories. Use all the tools that you have. It’s hard but you have to be consistent and be yourself.

What would you tell the Melissa filming her first video?

It’s not that scary. When I first launched my YouTube channel, I didn’t want to just upload one video and not have future videos. So I actually recorded three or four videos and edited them before I started uploading so I had my videos lined up. My first video was an introduction to me, and I was so nervous. Now, I don’t try to speak a certain way. When I first started I was robotic, almost. I just watched them yesterday and I was like, “God, you’re so nervous.” You learn and you get used to it.

Are you excited for where beauty is heading? How do you see it evolving over the next few years?

From the moment I started to now has been shocking. The turnaround for product and content is crazy. Diversity with foundation has become the staple. Is there going to be 100 shades of foundations next? I feel like there’s going to be more options. You can never have too many. If it’s new and it’s hot, people are going to buy it.

What does beauty mean to you?

Beauty is more than just a beautiful face or body. It’s being a beautiful person inside and out. If you’re kind, if you’re loving and considerate of others, then you’re a beautiful person. It’s not the makeup. That’s what beauty means to me.