We all need a bit of escapism every now and then, and while some of us turn to social media, others opt to stay within the realms of the beauty industry when it comes to their entertainment of choice. Particularly for those of us in lockdown, whose binge sessions are one of the only things getting us through, we thought it was time for a little round-up of some of the most popular beauty, hair and aesthetics content currently bringing some joy to our days.
Glow Up
This one is for the makeup lovers, and with three whole seasons ready and waiting for you on Netflix, there’s more than enough to keep you going! This competition reality show brings together aspiring makeup artists to show off their skills across various themes and challenges, from jeweled lips to theatre, red carpet to prosthetics, period makeup to fashion and editorial – the list goes on.
Skin Decision
Also on Netflix, Skin Decision’s 8-part series is perfect for dermal and cosmetic medicine practitioners – or those looking to learn more about what’s out there in these fields. It hosts a cosmetic nurse and plastic surgeon side by side, and each episode features a new patient experiencing varied concerns, from scarring and injuries to ageing. Each practitioner will recommend their preferred method of treatment according to the needs and preferences of the patient (and their personal favourites!) either surgical or non-surgical. Together as an audience we get to bear witness to the outcomes of those choices and see some pretty incredible transformations.
Dr. Pimple Popper
Either you find immense satisfaction in watching things being squeezed from the skin, or it makes your stomach churn! If it’s the former, this is for you. Sandra Lee, AKA Dr Pimple Popper, is a California-based Dermatologist with over 7 million followers on YouTube. Several new videos are uploaded every week, anywhere between 3 and 20 minutes long. Those who loved a hardcore squeezing session will find immense satisfaction on this channel and see everything from blackheads, milia, and pustule extraction through to sever cysts, rhinophyma, and lipoma. A quick warning – this one is not for the faint-hearted!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The world’s most famous drag queen has now made it to 13 incredible seasons (and that’s not including the likes of All Stars and international spin-offs!) of binge-worthy glamour to melt away our troubles! Hosted by RuPaul, drag queen contestants compete in an elimination-style contest to strut their stuff through a variety of challenges. Wigs, fashion, makeup, runways and belly laughs, it’s almost guaranteed to make you smile and put some colour back into your day. Find this one on Stan.
Mirror Mirror
We aren’t going to lie – if you’re working in beauty, dermal or aesthetics, there’s a good chance Mirror Mirror will make you angry. Channel 10’s latest mini docu-series is hosted by Todd Sampson, an experienced and respected news journalist who unfortunately represents a fairly one-sided perspective of the aesthetics industry. The first episode explores various aspects of the skincare and beauty market, as well as some of the most popular surgical options for face and body. The description of the first episode tells us that it explores “the societal crisis of body image dissatisfaction and the manipula
tive trillion-dollar industries that profit from it” – already not off to a great start. The ep also features one dermatologist saying unequivocally that topical skincare cannot do anything to improve wrinkles and that only s4 drugs can achieve any results (we can already hear some of you yelling at your screen). We will say this – if you’re a beauty therapist or a new/studying dermal clinician with an interest in surgical procedures, you’ll get to see a lipo and fat transplant procedure in action, as well as the lovely Dr. Michael Zacharia performing an excellent facelift. This footage isn’t seen too often so if you’d like to witness these in all their gruesome glory, you may find it worth the watch. Tune in online on-demand via 10 Play.
Brad Mondo
This one is for the hairdressers! Or even if you aren’t a hairdresser, Brad’s hilarious and wholesome YouTube channel will definitely help you forget your troubles and crack a smile. An immensely popular professional hairdresser, Brad Mondo has built an enormous following on his ‘hairdresser reacts’ videos, where he films himself reacting to home hair makeover videos that others have put on YouTube. While this sounds tragic in theory, somehow Brad delivers this in the most lovable, feel-good way possible so that you come away from his 10-20 minute videos feeling a little bit lighter and more joyful. He is real, down to earth, and above all, fun. His videos include reacting to box dyes gone wrong, home bleach jobs, TikTok trends like colouring with CoolAid, DIY haircuts, and his newest favourite: reacting to America’s Next Top Model Makeovers. And they aren’t all epic fails either – some of these budding home hair enthusiasts do freaking amazing things!
Do you have a beauty-related binge favourite that isn’t on this list? Why not share it in the Beaute Industrie Facebook community? We could all use as much love, laughter and entertainment as possible right now, so if these little recommendations can bring these things to at least one other person, we’ve done our jobs!