By Brea McDougal

Alyssa Mocas ‘18 is a beauty and lifestyle vlogger who operates a fully functioning YouTube channel where she creates original looks involving hair, makeup, and occasionally fashion. She began the account two years ago with a “Braided Cheer Hair Tutorial,” which received over 40,000 views.

Mocas advertised her first video on her public social media accounts and was recognized by many.  “I’ve always loved watching makeup / beauty gurus on YouTube, but when I realized how far YouTube has taken some people, it really motivated me to create a channel and see where I could go with it,” Mocas said.

She aspires to create similar videos of content and quality to other beauty gurus.

“My biggest inspirations would be Nicole Gueirrero, Jacyln Hill and NikkiTutorials,” Mocas said. “They are all very funny, beautiful and creative makeup artists who have all come so far from YouTube. They’ve all branched out and created their own makeup line, which I’d love to do one day.”

However, Mocas has to balance a life of academics and athletics.

“School comes first, always. If I have a test or homework, I’ll always study and finish my assignments before or after practice. Cheerleading actually helps me with my channel because a lot of subscribers are cheerleaders, so I can easily do a cheer video and it’ll get a lot of views and comments,” Mocas said.

She normally films on Saturdays in her free time and often uploads on Sundays.

Mocas isn’t limited to the world of filming; her makeup talents apply in her real life.

“I get asked about makeup tips and tricks all of the time! I will get direct messages asking for makeup help almost every day. I’m always very happy to help, I actually did eight girls’ makeup for prom this year,” Mocas said.

Follow @alyssam.makeup on Instagram for pictures of her prom and daily looks.