Beauty Guru Of The Month: Briana Soto

If you have been looking for makeup tutorials and inspirations and you manage to stumble upon ‘BeautyThroughBri’, then you are definitely on the right path! Briana Soto who owns this YouTube and Twitter handle, is StarCentral Magazine’s Beauty Guru of the Month for the Month of June 2015. She finished Bachelor of Arts with a degree in International Studies in New York University, and is currently based in New Jersey.

After school, Briana carved her fate into the world of Digital Media Advertising where she landed a job in the industry that she loves. The thing is, she somehow felt that something was still missing despite her corporate success. She knew that she needed a platform that would allow her to release all her creative juices. While in search of this elusive thing, Briana would find herself watching YouTube videos every night before bed and that was when she recognised her ability to connect with the audience.

Briana has always been fascinated with makeup. Back when she was still younger, she remembers how her cousin would let her play with different hairstyles and lip glosses. This interest eventually grew when she entered a boarding school and started to attend formal dining meals.

In August 2014, Briana decided to start a YouTube Channel as she aimed to help her audience with their makeup journey. She wanted to contribute to the beauty community and this huge learning opportunity coupled with the ever changing trends and new products has allowed her the freedom to touch the lives of people who are in constant search for makeup inspirations.

Like her subscribers, Briana also has a habit of looking for new inspiration that she can pass on to them. She rummages through various magazines, blogs, and social media as she strives to keep her channel fresh and not oversaturated with the same contents. The continuous development of makeup products, trends, and styles has helped her achieve this main goal.

Briana loves the give and take process between her and her audience. She looks up to her friends and subscribers as the constant inspiration behind her channel. Every like, comment, constructive criticism, and request that come her way is an opportunity for her to devise up new content and to grow and improve her video quality. Additionally, Briana points out that being able to interact with her subscribers is the most memorable, gratifying, and humbling experience she ever had. ‘They feel like my extended family. I wake up to reading their comments and go to bed responding to them’, she shares gratefully.

Briana has been getting immense support from her family while her boyfriend, she says, has been her greatest supporter who helps her through all the technical issues and listens patiently to her whenever she feels the need to vent. Her channel might still be new, but there is no doubt that in the future she will also have the chance to meet her favourite YouTubers and MUA’s.

Furthermore, she plans to build a successful YouTube channel and continuously share it with the people who love her contents. When asked about the important lesson she learned all throughout this journey, Briana leaves us with this – ‘I have learned to be myself and know that it will always be good enough.’

‘LIGHTNING FAST’ Round:

What is the one beauty product you can’t live without? CONCEALER! It’s the only product that can erase last night’s damage. MAC Pro Longwear and Giorgio Armani Master Corrector are just a couple of my favourites.
What is the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to change your looks? I chopped my hair into a bob to cut off the damage and wore my hair straight for almost 18 months.
What is in your makeup bag when you travel? I always carry Evian Facial Spray to keep my skin toned and hydrated. Benefit’s Bo-Ing concealer, mascara, a great eye shadow palette like the LORAC Pro to Go, Urban Decay’s DeSlick Spray, and Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Matte Lipstick in soft nude mixed with Kat Von D’s studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita.
What is the one “flaw” you wouldn’t change about yourself? I used to consider my freckles a flaw but looking back, it’s the silliest thing. I’m starting to fall in love with it and I can’t imagine myself without them!
Your best guilty pleasure. Curled up in bed watching some reality TV and munching on Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits!