In 2022, the beauty industry and its influencers are the second-largest industry filling Instagram feeds. With #beauty housing 496 million posts, alongside #MUA with a total of 80 million posts, it is clear that Instagram is the ideal platform for showcasing new and exciting beauty creations and products. However, with beauty creators in abundance across the app and over 96% of beauty brands using the platform, it can often be hard to dish out those worth following. Things become more interesting when subcultures of beauty come into play. From the likes of experimental nail art to MUAs who alter their faces to look like another species, the possibilities within the creative beauty industry are endless. In order to make the process of elimination easier, here are the top five stand-out beauty creators worth following on Instagram, selected by BeautyMatter.
Based in NYC and LA, @byjuanalvear, AKA Juan Alvear, is a nail technician taking nail art to new heights through consistent and exciting experimentation, hoping to push past the mundane. Loved by many, Alvear has provided a range of styles for several well-known names. Alvear's range of talents is limitless, from baby pink, short and sparkly nails for Paris Hilton to endless inches of "gravity-defying" extensions for RuPaul's Drag Race champion Symone. With his Instagram page currently at a follower count of 50.7K, the nail technician first became popular through his "finsta” (a non-serious Instagram page), originally named @nailsbyjuan, where he would post images of his classmates' questionable nail looks throughout their school days. The artist recently took charge at Christan Cowan's NYFW show, adding to an already extensive portfolio of looks, presenting bold and daring gem-encrusted designs.
Heavily inspired by their Manchu Chinese background, Niohuru is a visual artist with a passion for turning even the visually unappealing into a work of art. With a highly future-forward feel to their work, Niohuru's creations range from those animalistic, venturesome, and alien-like, completely changing the structure of the face, to those more simplistic yet equally as refreshing. Currently studying fashion design at Parsons, the artist only began experimenting with makeup out of boredom in lockdown. Since then, they have transformed their face into various outstanding looks, including a Mulan-inspired creation as an homage to their roots. The look was uploaded alongside an educational message on Chinese culture, shedding light on the importance of respecting boundaries and embracing cultural diversity in appropriate ways. With an entire career ahead of them, Niohuru has already caught the attention of the likes of Lady Gaga, leaving endless possibilities at their fingertips, giving them the opportunity to both embrace differences and educate the next generation.
Sometimes beauty comes in different forms; it's not always just about hair and makeup. Instagram user @toothcharm, real name Clarissa, is the perfect example of this, adding her touch to the beauty industry through accessories, specifically tooth gems. In NYC, Clarissa has decorated several mouths with intricate gems, using various embellishments, including Swarovski crystals. From subtle diamonds on singular teeth to Pac-Man designs and a mouth full of hearts and bows, Clarissa has created an abundance of different looks through her time as a decorative dentist. The artist commented on her place in the industry, stating “As the world of beauty shifts into embracing our imperfections and embellishing our freckles and love handles, why not do the same for toothgaps? Or missing teeth? There is so much beauty within that too! Waiting to be explored!”
This month, the artist embellished Brazilian influencer Lívia Nunes Marques' mouth with subtle multicolor gems in time for her visit to Paris Fashion Week. Clarissa sees her work expanding the limitations of expression within beauty: “Although there has been a long history of tooth modification and tooth adornment, modernly, the idea of styling your teeth as an accessory to an outfit or makeup is something completely new to be explored.” She feels introducing more people to such a service challenges conventional standards of beauty such as the “western narrative of straight, white, and bare” teeth.
An artist in more ways than one, Salina Killa is a musician who rose to fame on TikTok and a makeup content creator, focusing solely on the more sinister side of beauty. Originally from Okinawa, Japan, the creator began posting videos on TikTok in 2019, showcasing weird clown makeup looks while lip syncing to music and keeping on top of the latest viral TikTok sound trends. As time progressed, Killa began to share content creating the clown based looks, in a tutorial style. Killa's work has no limitations, ranging from softer, more subtle clown looks, one of which she named Luella, to more ominous and uneasy blood heavy creations with piercing red contact lenses. Since releasing music, the artist has made the clown stance her core look, taking to Instagram to share her latest creations in high fashion and editorial presentations with her 212K followers. Selina Killa is at the forefront of the game when it comes to abstract beauty.
From Helsinki, Finland, Maria Boucht is a makeup artist making waves in several areas of the beauty industry. If anyone should be praised for the perfect use of social media's beloved graphic eyeliner trend, it's almost certainly Boucht. From high-shine spider web eye looks to a full face covered in linear work creating a dragon pattern, Boucht heavily experiments with different mediums of makeup, presenting something fresh each time. The artist also dabbles in the Goblincore area, creating makeup resembling mythical creatures, with bright red shined apples of the cheeks, wispy eyelashes, and soft freckles. On top of this, Boucht is always the first to react to a prominent pop culture moment. Having once painted herself entirely blue in an ode to Doja Cat's Planet Her album release, as well as posting Euphoria inspired looks, she's always one step ahead of the game.
