Are you looking to take your beauty content to the next level? Everyone starting out in the world of beauty blogging eventually gets to a point where they go from amateur to professional. And there are some beauty blogger tools that are essential if your goal is to eventually monetize.
These days it isn’t hard to create quality beauty content with nothing more than a smartphone. Many of the most popular Instagram and You Tube influencers got their start with them. There have even been entire commercials, photoshoots and movies that have been shot on smartphones. But there are still plenty of tools that beauty bloggers can acquire over time to improve their content. Whether you’re shooting YouTube tutorials or Instagram posts these essential beauty blogger tools are sure to help you land your next big brand deal. With a little hard work and passion too of course!
Top 7 Beauty Blogger Tools
1. DSLR
If you’re really looking to shoot quality images and videos it might be time to upgrade your smartphone. If you ask any blogger, they’ll always tell you the first step in taking their craft to the next level is with a DSRL. The great thing about using a camera over a smartphone is the options for focus and zooming. This is a great feature for beauty bloggers who are looking to take product shots and need that control.
Shop: Canon EOS Revel T7 DSLR Camera, $449
2. Tripod
Whether you’re using a smartphone or a DSLR every beauty blogger needs a tripod. Relying on shelving and books to set your phone up for filming is limiting. With a tripod you easily get a lot more freedom when it comes to where you can shoot. Plus you won’t have to worry about your phone or camera falling down mid-shoot.
Shop: UBeesize 67″ Tripod, $35
3. Wireless Shutter
Selfies will always be a beauty blogger staple. But with a wireless shutter you can turn those selfies into glamour shots with hands free shooting. They’re super discreet so they also work great for DIY outfit pictures. Wireless shutters are available for both smartphones and most DSLRs.
Shop: CamKix Wireless Smartphone Shutter, $7 | Wireless DSLR Shutter, $39
4. Lighting
Probably the most important of the beauty blogger tools is good lighting. Natural light is always the best option for photography. But that isn’t always an option, or readily available. To give yourself the freedom to shoot when and where you want, invest in some lighting. There are a few options you can go with in the lighting department
Ring Light
Ring lights are one of the most popular lighting choices for beauty bloggers. They’re a great option because they provide direct light to the face. And because it’s a ring, the light is distributed evenly versus coming from one particular angle. Some ring lights also come with tripods built into them so you can film with your phone or camera directly inside the light. The benefit to ring lights is that they are a compact form of lighting. So they’re easy to put away and don’t take up much room when not in use.
Shop: Neewer 18-inch Dimmable Ring Light, $85
Softbox Lights
Softbox lights are another great option for lighting. In contrast to ring lights, softbox lights do take up a bit more room when installed. So they’re not ideal if your shooting area is in a tight space. But if you have the space and want studio quality lighting, you definitively want to go with softbox lights.
Shop: Neewer 700w Lighting Kit, $90
5. Background
Every good beauty blogger has a good background. You don’t want the scene behind you to be distracting and take attention away from your image or video. Some choose to use their bedroom, office or bathroom as their set. And if that is the route you’re taking just be sure the area is neat and non-distracting. You can also choose to use a backdrop behind you for your content. You can affordably create this with drapes and a backdrop stand
Shop: Julius Studio Backdrop Kit, $75
6. Video/Photo Editor
Once your content is shot, it’s all about the editing. Before you start editing you need to decide if you’re going to use your phone or a computer to get the job done. If you’re looking to shoot complex YouTube tutorials you should probably be editing on a computer, for the sake of your sanity. But if you’re just taking photos or short videos you can get away with editing on your smartphone. There are just as many great mobile editing programs as there are desktop ones. Adobe for example has all their classic editing tools like Premier and Lightroom available on mobile devices.
7. Feed Planner
Whether you’re focus is on blogging or YouTube, every beauty blogger as somewhat of a footprint on Instagram. And in the beauty industry it’s all about all things visually pleasing. So a clean and aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed is a must for any beauty blogger. Using feed planner apps is a great way to preview your feed before you publish your content. The apps will connect to your Instagram account. So it not only shows you what’s in the pipeline, but how it will look when paired with the rest of your feed.
If you’re looking to create a cohesive Instagram feed, you can learn more here.
