Heather Moorhouse, more commonly known as ‘makeupmouse’ by her fans, is a make-up artist who has built a successful career as a beauty-focused YouTube creator. She was a speaker at the University of Sussex’s YouTube Panel Discussion on 26th February where we got the chance to catch up with her and discuss her work.
Heather has already had an incredible career, and anyone with an interest in make-up should check out ‘makeupmouse’, as Heather creates unique and eye-catching works of art through her skills with a make-up brush. Heather has come a long way since the start of her career, and luckily we got the opportunity to talk to her and learn a bit more about her journey to success.
For anyone who doesn’t know what you do, could you explain a little bit about your career?
So I am a beauty focused YouTube creator and Instagram influencer and I am based in Brighton. I create all kinds of colourful looks based around different themes.
What initially made you start your career as a YouTube makeup artist?
Well I never really expected it to be a career, but it started out by just experimenting with different make-up styles by myself in my own little room. I just began taking pictures and then making videos. I discovered that I enjoyed it so I kept going, kept creating different looks, being as experimental as I could and over the years I have finally been able to pack in my day job and become a Youtube creator.
You say your day job, what was the full-time work you were doing before?
I was working in admin, basically just the normal 9 to 5 job and then I had my secret alter-ego in the evenings [laughs].
And now you have over 23,000 subscribers on your channel. How did you manage to make your YouTube channel global?
Wow, those are big words to put on it! I think just by constantly creating stuff over the years. I started out with no knowledge of how to make videos; no knowledge really of what I was doing at all! I have taught myself how to do each part of it, which has meant that I can produce stuff on my own terms, in my own timeline. It has become a very big part of my life, with me doing it almost full-time alongside my actual full-time work. Then it became clear that this was really where my passions lay, so I took the leap and went for it.
You have an Instagram account as well as your YouTube channel. How do you think these two platforms work together and compliment one another?
I think, certainly for what I am doing which is very visual-based, when you are doing stuff with make-up the two really compliment each other nicely. You can really make them feed into each other.
Most of your make-up looks are very advanced and take a lot of work. In general, how long does it take you to do a video from start to finish?
Usually it will take me a little bit of time, around half an hour, to set everything up and get all my stuff out. Then it will take me around one to three hours to create the actual look, and then a little bit longer to take the photographs. Sometimes it can take like half an hour to an hour to take the pictures, and then editing it is a whole process as well. It can take me a whole day to edit a YouTube video.
Your looks cover such a wide variety, but do you prefer doing character/fantasy looks or your classic-make up looks?
I think the more fantasy ones are definitely the most fun for me as I don’t have to worry about, you know, whether or not I’ll look nice in the final pictures, it only matters if the character looks right. So I can just focus entirely on what I am creating.
Overall then what has been your absolute favourite look/video that you’ve done?
My favourite video that I have done was a very exciting one for me, when I got to do Drew Barrymore’s make-up, which was pretty exciting. But, as far as looks that I have created go, it would be this one where I was a blue and red clown over Halloween, as I designed a whole thing from start to finish. I did everything from costumes, to the make-up and the accessories, which was a fun little project.
Following up from that, how did your collaboration with Drew Barrymore come about? What was it like to work with the famous actress and make-up artist?
Well it came about because she has her own make-up line Flower Beauty, and apparently she follows me so she dm’ed me on Instagram asking if I wanted to meet up with her! So obviously I said yes! It was absolutely petrifying but she was really, really nice, much more calm and relaxed than I would have anticipated from a superstar. Oh I’m such a name dropper! [laughs]
Image credit: Instagram – makeupmouse
More generally, what do you think the most important things about the beauty industry are?
I think one thing that is really good about the beauty industry as it is moving forward is that it is becoming a lot more inclusive. What went from a very regimented style of beauty and opinion that everyone has to look a certain way is now really branching out. It is becoming a lot more inclusive to different styles, different ethnicities and different genders. Just generally it is becoming a lot more welcoming to a lot of different people, which I think is a positive change that I am seeing.
What’s your opinion on the statement that the beauty industry poses unrealistic beauty standards?
I think we can’t really escape the fact that it is probably a little bit true, certainly in more mainstream beauty. But I think that is why individual platforms, where beauty is not only coming from brands and media outlets but also from individual people, is a very positive thing where you can get more representation of different people. Hopefully it will break down some of those beauty standards over time.
What is your personal favourite make-up or beauty product of the moment?
I am really into blush. I think heaps of blush, just make yourself look as red and happy as possible… it brings a lot of joy into the face [laughs].
What tips would you give to any students who use make-up as a hobby or to any aspiring make-up artists out there?
I would say don’t worry about things being perfect or beautiful. Experiment and see what happens and often from your mistakes you will find out that you really like something different to what you originally thought and then you will find your own style over time. Just play around with it and don’t worry too much about the outcome.
In terms of your own style’s evolution then, have you always done what people may consider to be some of your more ‘out-there’ looks, or was that something that evolved as your career did?
It definitely evolved as I went along. I never wore makeup when I was a teenager, so it was only when I started experimenting in the safe space of my own room that I really found my more out-there style.
What are your plans for your future career/do you have any more exciting projects coming up that we should be looking out for?
Nothing set in stone so far, hopefully just more content, more stuff, more elaborate creations. So, onwards and upwards!
Featured image credit: Instagram – makeupmouse
