The Competition Begins - Instant Influencer

Hello sisters! James Charles here, and today I have something very special for you. As you know, last year I started the search to find the next beauty

influencer

. Literally thousands of you responded to the call and I was blown away by what I saw. Wow! (overlapping talk) But I was only able to choose six to take to the YouTube stages in Los Angeles, California. You're officially one of six people on the show. - Oh yeah! (laughing) I'm sorry. I'm so hysterical right now. Congratulations sister, you did it. Oh Lord. Are you serious? - (sobbing) - Oh, why are you crying?

Oh Lord! I was not expecting this. Oh Lord. Over the next month, I'll be testing your artistry, your camera presence, and your potential to become a beauty superstar. - There will be some special guests... - You guys are good too. - (everyone screaming) - Oh, my God. Can't. ...and a lot of surprises. But in the end, only one can become an

instant

influencer

. My name is Christian Perez, I am 18 years old and I am from Los Angeles, California. I moved to Los Angeles because after my father was deported, I knew that Los Angeles was the place I needed to be to advance my career as an influencer.

Some days I'm a blue alien, another day I'm a gremlin. Sometimes I draw Billie Eilish or Naomi Campbell on my face. I work on my art all the time. All I do is makeup, editing and publishing. Makeup, editing and publishing. Makeup, editing and publishing. Makeup, editing and publishing. I live, breathe and die makeup. Hello, I'm Gabriel Dreams, I'm 21 years old and I currently reside in Los Angeles, California. Growing up in foster care, I didn't have the best childhood, but through my art I reconnect with my inner child. By coming here, I really want to inspire others and show them that your past does not define you.

My name is Kailin Chase, I live in Denver, Colorado and I am 24 years old. I went from being an ugly duckling who had a very hard life, to being persevering, tremendously ambitious. I truly found my power through makeup and I'm ready to inspire others to do the same. Mwah! Goodbye, beauties. Hi guys! And welcome to the first episode of "Instant Influencer". Oh my God! I'm so excited to have you here today! But I need to see your beautiful faces. Lights! - Hello James! - Hi guys! Oh Lord! When I called them to tell them they had appeared on the show, we gave them their first Compact Challenge.

Your first challenge really

begins

... - right now. - Well. Tell me what I have to do. I need you to come on the first day of filming with makeup that tells us who you are as an artist. - No pressure. - There are no creative limits. You can come with the look you want, the hair you want, the outfit you want. I just want to be able to look at you and see, okay, this is Ashley Strong, Kailin Chase, Britany Renteria, as an artist and as a person represented. I feel electric! My body is shaking right now. - Very good.

Thank you! - Okay, well, I need to think what the hell I'm going to do. Well, then you better go. It was a pleasure talking to you, sister! Oh my god, thank you! Thank you. Talk to you soon. - Bye bye! - Bye bye. You all look absolutely amazing and I'm so excited to learn more, so let's go ahead and take a closer look. Benny, let's go ahead and start with you. Tell me about this makeup look and how it defines you as an artist. This is just a mix of Japanese cherry blossoms and a landscape with mountains in front of me.

The mountains remind me of my father and my mother lived in Japan. So, I chose this exotic scene to represent the future that lies ahead of me. I come from such a small town where there is nothing to do and I felt like I would always be stuck there. But now that I'm here I realized I have a chance and I'm very excited. And that is the right attitude to have. I am 18 years old and from Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Growing up, I always felt like I couldn't really be myself most of the time. ♪♪ I want to dance ♪♪ What made me feel comfortable coming out of my shell was finding the love for makeup because it gave me more confidence and I can't wait to blossom in this

competition

.

One note I would love to give you is that the history of the mountain and the history of the cherry blossoms are beautiful. But they're not very consistent with each other, so I'd love to see how they can be connected in the future. - Thank you. Hello Gabriel. Tell me about your look today. Well, this represents me as an artist because with this I can bring a message, and that is what I really like to do with my work, is inspire change. So, I made the Earth and the skull to represent how we need to do everything we can to save the animals and nature we have before, you know, it's too late.

How long did this makeup look take you today? I woke up at 12:30. - And then... - In the morning? - Yes. - Oh my god. The amount of work you put into it really shows. The only note I would love to give you is that your story about Mother Nature is beautiful, but it has nothing to do with you as a person. I wanted to see your personal journey and how that connects you more as an artist. - Hello, Christian - Hello, James. I'm very intrigued by what's going on with this look today. Oh Lord! Wow!

Tell me about this look and how it defines you as an artist. I was homeless for quite a while in 2019 because my father was deported. Um, so to symbolize my dark past, I wanted to put that on a mask. And then my face is actually an orchid, which symbolizes a better future for me. I'm so sorry to hear about your father and I'm glad you're here and doing well. In your audition video, you introduced yourself as Indigo, not Christian. Indigo is a stage name for me. It's actually a nickname my friends gave me when I dyed my hair blue and all those crazy colors.

And it just stuck, so ever since then, that's been my online personality. Do you want us to call you Christian or Indigo? - Let's go with Indigo. - Okay, Indigo from now on. Well, Indigo, I love this look. The only note I want to give, however, is that this skin and the mask obviously cover your face and you had to do the full reveal. I really want to know Indigo, who you really are without anything hiding or getting in your way. - Hello Kailin! - Hey! Tell me about that look that defines you. So I do a lot of everyday looks and keep them a little more low-key. - Mm-hmm. - But I really wanted people to know exactly who I am.

I've been through a lot in my life and I've been a very lively person... I feel like I also want to cheer people up... Disruptive and fun and I'm loud... No way. There is no way. I'm not even worried about that. Like... My biggest weakness in this whole

competition

is that I am rambling and will talk for days. "Why do you keep emailing me? There's no way." And then I understood it and I was impressed. Then I... Shut up! As serious. With my neck, I actually took the Stila. I was thinking of a painting, like the palette.

It's a mess, which is exactly what I am. - Beautiful chaos. MMM yes. Beautiful chaos. The only note I have for you is that your explanation of the look was also a beautiful mess. But I really want to challenge you to think about what you want to say before you say it. It will really help you when it comes to public speaking and also when recording YouTube videos. - Hello Ashley! - Hello James. This makeup look is very abstract. - I'm really excited to learn more about this. - This is inspired by ink stains. My message has to do with mental health.

I became a mother when I was 16 and that meant many challenges. I've tried hard to maintain a healthy balance, but it's something I've struggled with over the years. Art just helps me slow down and really focus. I wanted to create a look that was interpreted by the viewer because you never really know what's going on beneath the surface. No one sees the same image with an ink stain, so I think it's a very important part of art and life in general. I love that it's part of your message and I hope a lot of people connect with it too.

My drive is super strong coming into this competition. Not only am I taking care of myself, but I'm taking care of my son. What's on your eyebrow? Being a mother, you will do anything for your child. Why do you slide like that? I'm ready to compete and I'm ready to win this. James: I've tried doing watercolor looks many times before. It is very difficult to make them look accurate and this was very impressive to me. The only note I have for you is that due to appearance, your eyebrows, eyes, and lips are missing. I would have loved to see it with a tab, so all those elements weren't missing. - Thank you. - Brittany! - Hello! - Tell me about this makeup look you're wearing today.

So it represents my personality, which is happy. And with the eyes, I just wanted to play with color because that's what I normally like to do. I'm one of those people who focuses mainly on naked eyes and lips. A lot of times people were like, "Oh my God, you're so outgoing and stuff on YouTube, but you're shy in person." So I was that girl that everyone whispered about and said, "Oh, she wears too much makeup. She looks like a clown." For some reason, that made me put on more makeup. It's been hard. I moved when I was 15, so I literally have two full-time jobs and I'm just trying to survive.

One note I'd love to give is that this look, compared to the others, is a little more simplistic. I'd love to see how creative you can really be. I think James thinks I'm basic. I'm not basic. Thank goodness this wasn't an elimination challenge. I still have the opportunity to bring it. I am honestly very, very impressed with each and every one of your looks. Many of you reached the level I expected. But one person in particular surprised me with his technical skill and imaginative artistry in connecting it to his personal journey. Ashley, congratulations, you are the winner of the first Compact Challenge. - Oh Lord! - I'm so excited.

Thank you. - Thank you! My gaze won. I made the right decision. Yeah! And this means that you will get a big advantage in today's elimination challenge. - Yeah! - Before we get into that, do you want to know why you are competing? - Yes, good. The winner of "Instant Influencer" will take home a complete package of lighting and videography equipment just like what I have at home, valued at $10,000. - Wow. - Then your boys' videos will look great. You will also win a collaboration with me on my YouTube channel. Both: Hello sisters. James Charles here, and welcome back to my YouTube channel.

A new challenge we are doing here called "Makeup Relay". Oh! Thank you very much for all the-- - (laughs) - And finally, it's not a big deal or anything, but also... $50,000. - Oh Lord. - Oh Lord. Of course, it all sounds fun, but it will just be the result of very hard work and I am very excited to tell you about today's first elimination challenge. As you know, there are many aspects of what it takes to be a successful beauty influencer, and this program will test them all. Marketing is a vital skill when it comes to being an influencer, and in today's challenge, we'll test your ability to sell products.

I had the opportunity to collaborate with Morphe on my James Charles X Morphe palette. It remains one of the best-selling palettes of all time. However, to achieve this, we had to do a full marketing campaign behind it. And I don't know if you saw my reveal video, but I did ten different makeup looks, all in different colors of the rainbow for all 39 shades, and I finished it off with the white paint look that's now all over the packaging. In today's challenge, you will make your own revealing video. I've never revealed a product before, but I sell things all the time.

So I think I have this in the bag. At the beginning of this challenge, you will be able to step foot into the Ulta Beauty Closet for the first time, for all your makeup needs and needs, where you will select an item to create your marketing campaign. You need to plan, film, and edit your short commercial about your makeup product. I want to see your personality and your ability to sell products, because at the end of this challenge, one of you will go home. For this challenge, you will have three hours to prepare your commercials. I'm terrified that I have to finish this video in three hours.

It takes me three hours to film a single video, so I don't know how it's going to work. I don't want to add more pressure or anything, but I feel like I should probably tell you about the judges who will be joining me on the final panel. My permanent judge who will be with us throughout the series is a legend in the beauty community. She is the president and creative director of Anastasia Beverly Hills. - Norvina will be here today. - Benny: I love Norvina. And I love Anastasia Beverly Hills. James: And also, our second celebrity guest judge is someone who can only be described as iconic.

She is also very good. This is Paris Hilton. - Oh my God! - Can't. Is Paris Hilton here? I can't breathe. So they have to make sure that Norvina and Paris also want to buy their product. Ashley, as the winner of today's Compact Challenge, you'll be able to make your first pick in the Ulta Beauty closet. Bye. Oh Lord. Ashley: I see the closet.from Ulta Beauty and the first thing I want to do is grab a bag and start putting things in there. I'm so excited I can't believe there are so many things. All Good, Ashley, what did you choose as an item for your commercial?

I purchased the ColourPop Volumizing Mascara in “Blue Ya Mind.” Well. This should be super, super interesting. Okay, everyone else will have the same opportunity to run to the closet. And remember to blend in, but don't blend in. Your time starts now! James: Oh my God. That's a running sister if I ever saw one. - Victory. - Yes Yes! - Well. - Well, guys, I want to know what everyone got. So we know Ashley has blue mascara. Christian, Anastasia Beverly Hills Foundation. Benny, the KKW contour bar. Gabriel. Oh ho ho! You better be careful with that one.

I expect greatness. - I will try. - Britany... - Okay, the illuminator Ofra. - Yes. Very good, and finally, Kailin. - The Real Techniques beauty sponge. - Yeah! - Good luck guys. - Cool. OMG, so much glitter. Well. Ashley: First of all, these video labs are awesome. I'm excited about how professional the setup is. Oh my god, can you see other people? What (beep)? The blue mascara is pretty self explanatory, but it's a really fun and pop product. I had never made a product presentation video before. This is something new and really challenging. But I feel like I'll be able to create a great campaign around this because the product is really simple.

I came out with new mascara and I'm so excited to show it to you... Oh, I should talk to the camera. Since this challenge is not art-based and I can't show my creativity that way, my goal is to wow the judges with what I know about editing, which is like a B-roll, Lazy Susan moment. , and really convincing behavior. Oh. Benny: Three hours seems like a long time, but once you start working and hustling, it's not time at all. -My skin looks nice. I'm revealing the outline and the KKW light bar. I'm just going to show you guys how to contour, get ravished and get a man after this.

I feel like I'm really good with contour, but not with cream. Is it okay, sister? Well. I'm focusing on the cheeks because it gives a lot of definition. My plan is to make a very happy, fun but also informative video. It's perfect, it's very creamy and gives you that shiny look. Now, this foundation has relatively complete coverage. Indigo: I picked up the Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation because my skin has been tinted pink since the first challenge. Not only is it getting rid of the redness I had on my skin, but it's also getting rid of the dark circles under my eyes.

This product is working just as I wanted. I've never actually used it, but it has full coverage and works perfectly. - This actually looks better than my usual foundation. So thank the Lord for that. Hi guys! So today I'm going to record a video on my favorite favorite, which is Ofra in the color Pillow Talk. Wait. I need to take a breath. I know it's key to not only show off this Ofra highlighter, but also show off myself. Luckily for me, once I turn the camera on, my happy side comes out naturally. Before you apply the highlights, you want to have a flawless base, so I'm going to go ahead and do this off camera real quick.

I decided to do my introduction without makeup, something I'm not used to because I usually do it first. But I want to wear makeup most of the time off camera. Oh this blush is going to be perfect! Look how beautiful that is. Wow. I know it's a risk to use James' Morphe palette, but I think this risk will be worth it. - You'll be fine. - I came up with the idea of ​​showing that you can do a lot with neutral colors and a lot with bright colors. It's very difficult for bright colors to pigment, and that's not the case with the James Charles palette, girl.

This morning, James didn't really feel like he knew me through my eyes. This must be good. This should be... So now, I am revealing this colorful product to show my colorful personality. - Oh! Well. - Guys, today we're going to do a sneak peek with literally just one... Wait, (beep). I forgot my words. Oops. I like to take my time when I'm filming my videos. And I like to take shots you wouldn't believe. I take so many takes. Boys and girls, welcome. So today we're going to look at how... What the hell did I just say?

Guys and girls, hello, well... Oh, okay, I should take that off my hands. Well. Boys and girls, welcome. Hello! So today... Well, that sounded very false. Well. In the previous challenge, James noted that he was rambling, which he was absolutely right about because that's a weakness I've had my entire life. When I make my base, I like to press quickly... When I make my base... When I make my base, I like to press quickly... And so, in this challenge, I'm really going to focus on being concise, clear, and prepared for my words. My skin literally looks so fresh, so supple and juicy right now.

So plump. Who needs... Oh, wait, wait, wait. Well. I can do this. I can do this. Well? Britany: I'm the first one out of the room to edit and I'm so excited. This is exactly what he wanted to show James, that he could work hard and be the first to finish. Well. Let's edit. James: Alright guys, I wanted to come in and tell you that you have about an hour and 30 minutes left in this challenge. I'm very excited to see the final products. Cuts super fast again. There are many images, Gabriel. What were you thinking? I think I'm pretty good at editing.

The hardest part was whether or not to put in all the clips I wanted to make. You... have to make it work. At this point I'm starting to get nervous, but I know I have to finish no matter what. Britany: I did most of my makeup off camera, so I only have a small amount of clips because editing is not my strong suit. I can't really polish it the way I want because I'm afraid that if I keep working on it I'll make it worse. I've finished. Kailin: I was really hoping to have like an hour and a half to edit.

But at this point, I have no idea how I'm going to narrow this down. I'm very nervous right now and I'm fighting for my life. I'm just cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting my life. James: Five, four, three, two, one. We're done! Cut, period. Time ran out and I didn't see my full video. I don't know what to say. We're getting into this deliberation and I have no idea what this video looks like. Alright my artists, how was your first official elimination challenge? - Intense. - Yes. Well, we are very excited to see what you have prepared for us today.

But before that, I want to quickly introduce you to our guest judges. We will be joined throughout the season by one of my close friends, the makeup legend, she is the president and creative director of Anastasia Beverly Hills. Let's welcome Norvina. - (applause) - Hello guys. I'm very excited to see what you have to offer. Our second judge needs no introduction, let's be honest. She is iconic, legendary and totally attractive. Paris Hilton. - You guys are good too. - (laughs) Let's go ahead and watch some videos. Benny, you'll go up first. The rest of you can go take your seats.

It is important to do well in this first elimination challenge, because otherwise you will go home. And I don't want to be the first to come home. Alright, Benny, let's go ahead and take a look at your commercial. (coughing, gagging) Hi guys, I'm Benny Sera. Sister, join the family. Okay, for today's video I'm going to review KKW Beauty, um, Creme Contour Sticks. So once I have the product on the back of my hand, I'll take a stippling brush, something like this, and pinch it a little bit. And I'm going to go in with the brush and I'm just going to take it and put on the contour, you know, sis?

Hello everyone. Okay, I just did my makeup off camera and now I'm back. The Creme Contour Sticks look amazing. All I did was set them in loose translucent powder, because this works. Very good, Benny, thank you very much for sharing your video with us. I'd love to give you some positive notes. I really like how your personality was expressed in this video. And that's really important when it comes to being an influencer. But I would have loved the opportunity to see you apply that product, blend it a little more and all over your face instead of just on your cheekbones because we contour everywhere.

Yes I understand. - Norvine? - Hello Benny. - Hello. -I actually have the pleasure of creating product reveal videos all the time for Anastasia Beverly Hills, and one of the things I would have loved to see from you is for you to explain what the product is, first and foremost. What is contour? How is this different? The different ways you can contour. You can do it with cream, you can do it with powder. When you're actually revealing a product, you have to explain it to the viewer as if they had no idea about the product, about the category, for the first time.

That's a very good point. Paris? I loved your personality in the video, and I love that you say "sister" because my sister here always says it, and I... I love that. So I feel like they really... you know, when viewers watch, they feel like they're part of your family. That is what I want. That's what I want to do. I want to make everyone happy and entertained because they put me down most of my life, saying I would never get anywhere. A lot of people don't really believe in me. - Well, look where you are today. - Exactly.

Here in Hollywood filming with all of us and I think you're a star. Thank you so much. That means a lot. Thanks Benny for sharing your commercial with us. - Thank you. - You can go ahead and sit down. Very good, our next artist will be Britany. Hi guys. So, today I'm filming a very exciting video. I'll tell you all about my favorite Ofra moment. Well, now that I have my base, we are friendly and impeccable. But let me show you this color right here. It is so beautiful. It has a pinkish tone. Check it out.

So, let me go ahead and show you this baby in action. So, I'll use my Morphe M510. You can use any brush to highlight. And look how beautiful this is. Some of those drugstore highlighters can sometimes look a little powdery. Do not misunderstand. There are some good drugstore highlighters out there too, but this one is worth spending your money on. I hope you enjoyed watching how I get my favorite shine and I'll talk to you in my next video. Bye bye! Okay, well, one thing I would have loved to see was a slightly raised camera angle.

You actually cut off the top of your head in some of the clips and I would have loved to have it focused a little more on your face. That is very, very important to be able to connect. I noticed when we were looking at the breakout rooms, that you were actually the first to go out and edit, and the first to finish editing, right? I kept thinking about all the things I could have done and wish I had spent more time on it. It's important to take those extra minutes, even if you're in a rush, to make sure everything is perfect and ready to go, because slow and steady wins the race.

I was hoping James would see me finishing in two hours with an hour to spare as a good thing. - Norvine? - Hello, Brittany. Hello, I love your eye shadow. I just had to tell you. - It's lovely. - Thank you. Thank you so much. I loved your highlight. It looked beautiful. - Thank you. - It was blinding, that's for sure. I think you looked beautiful. One of the things I would like to see improved is to think about reviewing the product more, talking about the product and revealing its attributes. As I watched you, I was trying to figure out why you mentioned so many other things, like the Morphe brush and drugstore highlighters.

All that did was send my thoughts in other directions and you want to keep me focused on what you're selling. - Paris? - First of all, I want to say that I love your hair color. - Thank you so much. - I think for an influencer, it's definitely important to have your trademark, and I think that color suits you really well, and I thought you had a lot of fun with it. - I thought you killed him. - Thank you so much. It means a lot. I love my fellow artists, but I'm discreet and hope someone has it worse than me.

Alright, our next artist will be Kailin. Kailin: This is going to be very interesting. - Let's all say a prayer. - Boys and girls, welcome, because today we are going to delve into how to apply makeup all over your face with a single tool, the Real Techniques Beauty Sponge. I'm telling you guys, this is phenomenal. When I start my foundation with this sponge, I like to focus on the perimeter of my face. Oh my God. Guys, if that's not a stolen base, I don't know what is. It's time to get into the contour, and I like to put the contour color directly on the sponge so it doesn't make it harder for me to blend it.

See you friends? The cream contour is not so scary. And when you use a beauty sponge, you really have control to diffuse it. Foundation, cream contour, powder, highlighter, eye shadow. Literally everything was done with this beauty sponge from Real Techniques. - That's all. - Oh! Oh Lord. Thank you. - Are you OK? We're ok? - Yes Yes. Oh, God... I just didn't expect it to come out. Before even getting into this, I realized this is a common theme with you. You don't have much confidence. Which is a problem... because you should be. Well? I'm telling you now.

I was very excited to talk to you the first time because weincredible. That's the reason you're here and I don't want you to forget it, okay? You have to promise me. - Promise? - Yeah. Bitch, you better promise. You are so incredibly talented and you are so beautiful, and your personality is infectious. I love how cheerful you are and I'm sure everyone at home will love it too. - And I want you to remember it, okay? - Thank you. Before we go, I want to take this opportunity to sign off on the show together, just like a normal YouTube video. - Well.

Hi guys. James is here with Britany and we're signing off to episode one of "Instant Influencer." Brit, thank you so much for joining us here in the competition. - Thanks for inviting me. - We are very blessed and lucky to have you. - Thank you. - Like me, I'm sure everyone at home will fall in love with you. Where can they see you if they want to see more? At BritanyRaquell on Youtube, and everything else too. Thank you all so much for watching. - See you next time. - Bye bye. Thank you very much for watching this episode of "Instant Influencer".

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to give it a big thumbs down to show your love and support. Also, click the subscribe button. And finally, click the bell icon to get notified every time I upload a new episode. If you liked any of the looks you saw today and you feel inspired and want to recreate them, be sure to tag me, tag the show and finally #

instant

influencer because I will be reposting some of my favorites. See you next week.