Pretty Talks

Yang Tingting (楊婷婷)

Considering a career as a beauty influencer? Talk like one first.

如何成為百萬美妝博主? 必備話術先學起來

Illustration by Li Si

How many lipsticks can you sell in five minutes? 15,000 was the record for Li Jiaqi, formerly one of Chinas top 美妝博主 (měizhuāngbózhǔ), or beauty influencers.

Li, with 30 million followers on microblogging platform Weibo, became a household name soon after he started sharing creative makeup tutorials (美妝教程měizhuāngjiàochéng) and beauty product reviews (美妝測評měizhuāngcèpíng) in 2016. But he is not the only beauty influencer making waves. A makeup tutorial from last year, in which blogger Ruby Youxi recreates the look of actress Zhao Lusi inThe Long Ballad, a 2021 TV show set in the Tang dynasty (618–907), has attracted almost 27 million views at the time of writing.

In 2021 alone, Chinese consumers spent over 400 billion yuan on cosmetics according to the National Bureau of Statistics, and China has become the second largest consumer market for cosmetics in the world. Li alone raked in 8 billion yuan in just one night on November 11 last year, during Alibabas annual “Singles Day” shopping festival.

Tempted to try your hand at selling some cosmetics? Anyone can set up accounts on Weibo, lifestyle app Xiaohongshu (or RED), or other social media platforms, and start sharing daily makeup looks, skincare tips, makeup techniques, and trendy cosmetic product insights, or even holler at viewers to click on the product purchase links embedded in posts or livestreaming sessions.

But before you rush to buy tripods or fancy spotlights, you might want to first get familiar with the lingo required to be successful in this highly competitive market.

Making your pitch

Skilled makeup influencers can transform their face into virtually anyones, winning them praise from followers: 一人就是半個娛樂圈 (yìrénjiùshìbàngèyúlèquān, one person can stand in for half of the celebrity world). And even if you dont yet have the makeup skills, you can at least talk the talk:

Today were creating a Liu Yifei look that even she herself would be amazed to see.

JīntiānláifùkèyíxiàLiúYìfēi fǎngzhuāng, běnrénkànledōushuōjué.

今天來復刻一下劉亦菲仿妝，本人看了都說絕。

But sometimes, rather than becoming a celebrity, viewers are more interested in learning to use makeup to create more personalized characters, or 氛圍感 (fēnwéi gǎn, atmosphere):

Get ready for this viral, sophisticated rich girl look!

Shuābàoquánwǎng de fùjiāqiānjīnzhuāngjiàochénglái le! Guìqìgǎn mǎnfēn.

刷爆全網的富家千金妝教程來了！貴氣感滿分。

If you want to be simultaneously sultry and girl-next-door, learn this peachy makeup to get that young maiden vibe.

Xuéhuìzhèkuǎn chúnyùmìtáozhuāng, jiǎnlíngbìbèi, shàonǚgǎn bàopéng.

學會這款純欲蜜桃妝，減齡必備，少女感爆棚。

If you talk yourself up too much, you might run the risk of failing to deliver—but thats OK! You can save the day with a bit of self-deprecating humor:

That was a huge fail. Im just demonstrating what not to do.

Shǐwúqiánlì de dàxíngfānchēxiànchǎng, gěidàjiāpáiléi le.

史無前例的大型翻車現場，給大家排雷了。

You understand it as soon as you watch, and fail as soon as you try.

Yíkànjiùhuì, yízuòjiùfèi.

一看就會，一做就廢。

Many makeup artists start simple, so as not to 勸退 (quàntuì, discourage) beginners. A look that anyone can achieve in 10 minutes before they rush off to work is a sure path to popularity:

Today Im going to teach you a 10-minute everyday makeup look thats easy for everyone, even the clumsy.

Jīntiānjiùjiāo nǐ yígèshǒucándǎng yěnéngqīngsōng gǎodìng de shífēnzhōngchūménzhuāng.

今天就教你一個手殘黨也能輕松搞定的10分鐘出門妝。

This contouring tutorial takes care of all your needs. If you still cant do it, maybe Ill have to mail you my hand, or you mail me your head?

Bǎomǔjíxiūróngjiàochéng, háixuébuhuìdehuà, nǐ kànkaànshì wǒ bǎ shǒu jìguòqù, háishì nǐ bǎ tóujìguòlái?

保姆級修容教程，還學不會的話，你看看是我把手寄過去，還是你把頭寄過來？

Raking in profits

To boost sales numbers through their online shops or embedded links, many influencers try their best to make viewers feel like if they dont hit that “buy now” button, theyll be missing out big time.

Skincare is a lucrative field. After all, everyone needs a little help discovering the next perfect product for their skin type. Heres how a beauty blogger might advise you to add products to your shopping cart:

This facial cleanser takes care of sensitive skin, easy breezy.

Zhèkuǎn xǐmiànnǎi mǐngǎnjīyòng qǐláizhēndeháowúyālì.

這款洗面奶敏感肌用起來真的毫無壓力。

This liquid foundation cares for oily skin like a mother cares for her child.

Zhèkuǎn fěndǐyèzhēndeshìyóupíqīnmā.

這款粉底液真的是油皮親媽。

This moisturizing mask is the one and only savior for your desert-like dry skin, keeping it calm as the seasons change. Buy it without a second thought!

Zuì hǎoyòng de shāmòdàgānpíhuànjìwéiwěn de jiùxīngmiànmó, méiyǒu zhīyī, bìyǎn rùjiùduìle.

最好用的沙漠大干皮換季維穩的救星面膜，沒有之一，閉眼入就對了。

A must-have for acne-prone skin, this concealer makes your skin as fresh as a newborn babys.

Xiácīpíbìbèi de zhēxiáyè, dǎzàomāshēngpízhuānggǎn.

瑕疵皮必備的遮瑕液，打造媽生皮妝感。

Lost in lipstick color options like 爛番茄色 (lànfānqiésè, “rotten tomato color”), 豆沙色 (dòushāsè, “bean paste color,” or dusty rose), or even 死亡芭比粉 (sǐwángbābǐfěn, “deadly Barbie pink”)? Beauty influencers can make your choice easier in just minutes:

Rotten tomato is the best shade to make your skin look fairer. A must-have for those with yellowish or dark skin.

Zhègelànfānqiésèzhēndeshìxiǎnbáilìqì, huánghēipíbìbèi.

這個爛番茄色真的是顯白利器，黃黑皮必備。

This classic dusty rose doesnt discriminate against skin tone, including olive-toned skin, and makes lips look sweet and charming.

Jīngdiǎn dòushāsèrìchángbùtiāopí, huángpíyěkěyǐ jiàyù, shàngzuǐ chāojíwēnróu de.

經典豆沙色日常不挑皮，黃皮也可以駕馭，上嘴超級溫柔的。

And how about some love for your hair? Beauty bloggers always offer inspiration for a range of hairstyles—from strikingly modern to arrestingly cute—much sought after by stressed out young workers worried about their receding hairlines:

Compensate for your hair loss: This three-minute look will make your crown fluffy and luxurious.

Zhěngjiùfāliàng, sānfēnzhōngyōngyǒu péngsōnggāolúdǐng.

拯救發量，三分鐘擁有蓬松高顱頂。

In the ecosystem of beauty influencing, to grow a liking for a product is called 種草 (zhòngcǎo, literally “planting grass”), to finally place the order is to 拔草 (bácǎo, “pull up the grass”), and when you 踩雷 (cǎiléi, “step on a mine”), you have fallen prey to bad products (and will hopefully learn from the experience). Aseasoned influencer is always able to plant the right seeds in the right hearts.

Ive got a hankering for this mascara. Its dirt cheap—perfect for students.

Bèizhèkuǎnshénxiānjiémáogāozhǒngcǎole, xuéshēngdǎngbáicàijià.

被這款神仙睫毛膏種草了，學生黨白菜價。

This super moisturizing liquid foundation does not crease or cake off. Youll use it all up in no time!

Zhèkuǎnfěndǐyèchāojíshuǐrùn, bùqǐpíbùkǎfěn, jìnqīkōngpíngxuǎnzé.

這款粉底液超級水潤，不起皮不卡粉，近期空瓶選擇。

Products from highly coveted brands like Chanel, Dior, and La Mer have at least one thing in common: They hurt your wallet. But beauty influencers claim fans of luxury beauty products can find alternatives that work just as well—at least for those who are not obsessed with filling their social media with logos.

All five of these facial creams are inexpensive substitutes for luxury options. For less than 300 yuan, your face will stay just as moisturized as if you are using top-notch brands.

Zhèwǔkuǎnmiànshuāngkěyǐshuōshìshénjídàpáipíngtì, suīránzhǐyǒuliǎngsānbǎikuài, dànshìbǎoshīxiàoguǒwánquánbùshūdàpái.

這五款面霜可以說是神級大牌平替，雖然只有兩三百塊，但是保濕效果完全不輸大牌。

Winning trust

While it may seem like influencing is a business thats solely focused on revenue, more conscientious influencers do their best to look out for their impulsive beauty product buyers and try to steer them away from wasteful purchases:

Do your research before purchasing. Grow grass rationally.

Zuòhǎo gōngkèzàirùshǒu, lǐxìngzhòngcǎo jiù hǎo.

做好功課再入手，理性種草就好。

Although this product is popular online, I find it far from cost-effective. I dont recommend it.

Suīrán wǎngshàngfēnghěndà, dàn gǎnjuéxìngjiàbǐ yǒudiǎn dī, bùjiànyìrùshǒu.

雖然網上風很大，但感覺性價比有點低，不建議入手。

But of course, there are still plenty of influencers out there who are driven purely by sales numbers and dont hesitate to push their viewers to pull the trigger on buying an item they may not really need:

Divide the price by 365 days, and youll be looking at only a few yuan a day. Its basically free!

Bǎjiàgéchúyǐsānbǎiliùshíwǔtiān, yìtiāncáijǐkuàiqián, sìshěwǔrùjiùshìbúyàoqián!

把價格除以365天，一天才幾塊錢，四舍五入就是不要錢!