Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katelyn Toone . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Katelyn , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I knew I wanted to pursue this professionally ever since I was about 6 years old playing with my mothers makeup. I was always the kid that stood out / never fit in , My outfits were wacky, my hair was every colour you can think of and I had a new makeup look on everyday.
I started to discover YouTube where my passion for creating took off , for years I would ask my parents to let me have a YouTube channel not just for makeup I had so many different ideas I wanted to do but finally at 16 I was able to start my makeup channel . There I learned how to do creative makeup/body painting as well as so many amazing eyeshadow looks and I learned with the channel as I was “teaching” I was also learning. Everyday I practiced and practiced. In 2018 I started marketing on my socials media’s where I got noticed by people around my town and that is how I started doing makeup freelancing.
Ever since 2018 I started practicing and marketing and pushing myself to create this dream that I now have I fell in love with makeup because I loved the creative flow, the endless possibilities that come with it. Being a military kid growing up moving all the time is was hard to make friends and it began to effect my mental health. Finding my love in makeup and creating brought back the happiness I had inside me all along.
Katelyn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Katelyn Toone or katelyn_mua on YouTube Mbk_beauty on TikTok and mbk_beauty_ on instagram
I am a professional makeup artist/ content creator as well as a nail tech and skincare consultant. I film tutorials/reviews/vlogs etc as well as provide beauty services to the public. I believe my truth to my personality shows through my work I strive to be who I am on camera/in person and not hide it in fear of embarrassment I am very energetic/ full of laughter and have many quirky features that to some may be “embarrassing” but to me it’s a gift that I like to share with the world to make them laugh. The thing I am most proud of is the platform/family I have built on social media, the growth from when I first started to now is just unbelievable and it has been the hardest but most rewarding thing I have done as it’s helped me start my freelancing business and cosmetic brand that is in the works.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish when I first started in 2018 I used YouTube as a platform I started with instagram, posting photos of the looks I created that day
I spent 1-10+ hours on a look to take a photo and that’s it, as much as I loved it and creating was/ is my passion I wish I started on that platform as
When I started posting on YouTube I grew my business a lot faster and creating became way more exciting . I loved explaining the look and creating it with “friends” (I call my subscribers friends)
Having people message me saying I helped them learn to be confident or how to do a look or gave them confidence to start their own channel is just so rewarding I can not explain the feeling. Posting on YouTube is significantly harder than just taking a photo since you need a camera/ good lighting/ editing equipment etc but it truly has been the best thing I’ve done and I wish I started earlier
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
How I built my following is when I started on YouTube I posted every single day (that was excessive) I filmed on my iPad edited on I movie and posted everyday to get on YouTubes algorithm. Same with instagram and TikTok when TikTok became a thing.
Posting everyday got me on the algorithms which made the platform push my content and got the world to see my work. I heavily marketed my platforms by posting on my instagram stories everyday, networking on all platforms – twitter /Snapchat and of course word of mouth. Over time this is what built my platforms
My advice so those starting, get a consistent schedule and stick to it post 3/4 times a week at a consistent time ( example 12 pm)
Staying consistent will get you on the algorithm and your content will be pushed out to the public.
Network your content – post on all social media’s/ public platforms the more you spread out your work the more people you will reach
Be yourself people will love you for you and want to watch you for you, you don’t need to be fake or try and be someone else. Only you can be you so show that emphasize that and you will find the right group who love that and will grow with you. You will find your community over time
And lastly you don’t need fancy equipment to start all you need is a way to film and edit even if it’s an app on your phone. You can use sunlight or the light from your house to film , start like that and when you fall more in love and put more time/ gain more of an audience then upgrade.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbk_beauty_/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Katelynmua
- Other: TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@mbk_beauty?_t=8YIhqslV9k5&_r=1
Image Credits
All photos taken by Katelyn Toone (me)