When you’re considering in creating MUA tutorials, it’s essential to have the equipment that will help you create professional-looking tutorials to showcase your talents. Let’s look at why and how you should be creating your tutorials with a ring light with stand.
Why Use a Ring Light?
Ring lights are perfect for makeup tutorials, because they cast an even, gentle light that removes shadows on the face.
There are ring lights with adjustable brightness, like the Spectrum Aurora 19” Diamond Luxe Ringlight, which gives flawless, continuous and flicker-free lighting so you can accurately see the colours you are applying without awkward shadows getting in the way.
The ring light’s goose neck and light stand is fully adjustable, allowing you to place the ring light exactly at the angle you want it.
This ring light is daylight balanced, to help you avoid unnatural colour casts, and if you wish to warm the light temperature up (for instance to suit darker complexions without the skin looking washed out), you can add snap-on filters to give the light a warmer glow.
If you don’t want to mess around with filters, you can get the Spectrum Aurora 19” Gold Luxe Ring light, which allows you to adjust to the colour temperature that you require, from daylight balanced through to warm orange with just a turn of knob – this is the main difference in controls between the two lights.
This ring light also has adjustable brightness control so you can adjust it to suit the brightness of the place you are creating your tutorial in. Again, it comes with an adjustable ring light stand that is fully portable and sturdy.
Do I Really Need a Proper Stand?
“Yes” is the short answer! You can’t just prop your ring light up against a wall or book – not if you want it to give you the best light you can get. An adjustable ring light stand is essential to get the best out of your light, and also to hold it safely without the risk of it toppling over.
A ring light with stand can be adjusted to any height, and you also have the option of adjusting it so the light is shining straight down. A desktop option is also available that can be placed on your dressing table or desk here.
You may be tempted to follow one of the many tutorials out there on making your own DIY ring light, but however good they may seem, they are a false economy as they are just not up to scratch, and you will end up with disappointing results and a less-than-stellar tutorial.
I Want My Tutorials to Look Amazing!
A ring light with stand is brilliant and essential tools to have, but for the most visually amazing tutorials, why not go for broke and buy a complete “3-point” lighting kit? (“3-point” means there are 3 lighting sources and in this case it’s the Spectrum Aurora ring light and the 2 Spectrum soft boxes”)
Softboxes are great at providing even, diffused light, and if you place one of the lights in the softboxes to one side of you, and one at the other with the ring light in the middle, you’ll have the most even and beautiful lighting for video or photography.
The Spectrum Aurora 19” Diamond Luxe Complete Makeup and Beauty Ring Softbox Lighting Kit includes the Diamond Luxe Ringlight, plus two Rectangle Softboxes.
This type of “triangular” lighting is often used in beauty tutorials. If you always remember to form a triangle with your lights - put yourself and the ring light in the centre, with the softboxes to the side at an angle to form a triangle (bit of unintentional poetry there!) you’ll master this lighting style in no time.
The lights in the kit are all balanced at 5500K, meaning that there will be no ugly colour casts on your video or images.
The heavy-duty ring light stand also has a mounting bracket for your camera or phone, so you can shoot directly through the centre of the ring light for a flawless beauty look every time.
What About the Tutorial Itself?
If you’re new to creating MUA tutorials, there are a few things to remember other than lighting.
1. Planning
Plan what you are going to do and say before you start filming, so that you always look like you know exactly what you are doing. Download video planning template HERE and a story board template HERE. Determine whether you would like to film with a camera or smart phone. Smart phones are great for beginners and are convenient especially for traveling. It’s really helpful to explain why you are doing something, as it helps your viewers gain a deeper level of understanding. It can also help to explain any possible mistakes that could happen when applying makeup, and how to fix them.
This is just skimming the surface of how to create a tutorial, but I’ll leave you with one last tip that I’m sure you all follow anyway – make sure your makeup brushes are clean and that your fingernails are too – ring lights show up the smallest details, (which is one reason why they are so popular with beauty vloggers) so be sure they are details that you want your audience to see!
2. Audio
How is your audio sounding? You can have great lighting, but if your sound is letting you down, you should consider upgrading to the best mic you can afford such as the Boya lapel microphone. You’ll also need to remember to speak up, and keep the volume of your voice consistent throughout.
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Audience Engagement
To keep your audience engaged, you’re going to have to do more than just apply makeup and style your hair. You need to be able to entertain, so keep the dialogue going when filming or practice beforehand. If you already have a following on Instagram or Facebook you can check your insights and find out the demographic and age of your audience. Also you can check your followers and who they’re following to find out their interests. This way, you can determine the tone and content that is appropriate for your audience.
3. Editing
If you’re using a smart phone, there is a lot of good quality apps which is especially great for beginners. These can range from free to $5 USD. One free app which has raving reviews is called Inshot that is available for iPhone and Android phones. If you’re using a desktop computer, apps such as iMovie or Adobe Premiere are super user friendly and have many editing options such as cutting, filters, frame transitions and many more.
When selecting music, it needs to fit the theme of your brand and your audience. Popular ways to find free music is by searching “copyright free” music on Youtube. There are thousands to choose from. Another popular option with a wider range of music is called Epidemic Sound. It’s easy to use interface and quality music is worth doing a free 30 day free trial ( after the 30 days it’s a small fee of $11 USD per month to download and use the music).
…And there you have it!
There are many ways you can level up your vlogging or blogging game by playing around with your ring light with stand – you’ll soon learn to master it and maximise its potential.-
The improvement in lighting quality will hopefully bring many more views and likes your way. One last thing – practice, practice and practice some more before going live so that your tutorials are as flawless as your makeup and hair!
