The Views: Monica Ravichandran Applies a Fresh New Look To Accessible Beauty
Gregg DeGuire
Handle: She goes by @monica.ravii on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Series: Her longest series has 142 videos narrating her wedding process, while her second longest series contains 60 videos discussing color theory in fashion and makeup, which is more relevant to her beauty content outright.
Creators: Monica Ravi-Conway is the channel’s main creator, occasionally accompanied by her now-husband, Chris Conway, or other beauty influencer like recurrent channel guest Jazzi Manalo.
Platform: Her channel focuses predominantly about beauty and wellness, with occasional vlogs about her life and wedding preparations, culminating in her wedding celebration video two weeks prior.
Genre/Genres: Her channel focuses predominantly about beauty and wellness, with occasional vlogs about her life and wedding preparations, culminating in her wedding celebration video two weeks prior.
Subscribers/Followers: She has 1.03 million YouTube subscribers, 836,000 TikTok followers and 571,000 Instagram followers.
Monica Ravi-Conway is a South Asian-American beauty influencer based in Los Angeles whose platform advocates for “inclusive beauty.” Her brand is also aptly labeled as “No B.S., Just Beauty,” and has become part of her video intros and channel banners. Monica delivers her content in a very familiar way, but it is also very direct, as is typical of many instructional beauty and skincare videos. Even when analyzing TikTok makeup hacks and judging whether they are “scams” or “slays,” she makes sure to demonstrate why her decision skews one way or the other, along with live testing of said hacks. Her testing is often realistic, like testing the transferability of lip stains by drinking from a coffee cup or explaining the color theory behind under-eye dark circles color-correction. Many people who wear makeup daily have to deal with issues like these. Through sharing her experiences in this way, she makes the experience of living with makeup more relatable to both beginner and experienced make-up artists.
Monica’s work is distinct due to her personal experiences and cultural identity. She spoke in an article for Cassandra Bankson about her childhood in San Francisco and dealing with her skin as a South Asian. She sought makeup to alleviate her self-perception after being bullied for her appearance in her teen years, resulting in a long journey of self-love and self-confidence. When Monica reflects about it now online, she is radiant, optimistic and very introspective on her younger self’s struggles. She conveys this same energy in her content, especially when it comes to directly mentoring new artists like herself when she was younger. Her interactions with her audience are also positive, with subscribers to her YouTube channel thanking her for her advice and experience with darker skin tone. Monica has spoken out against the lack of representation of darker complexion in the makeup and beauty industry, and her videos are working to address this issue at a time. When she was younger, she discovered that the products she was recommended did not work for her skin and were marketed to those with fairer complexions.
What seems to be behind her audience growth is exactly her relationship with makeup. Monica sees it as more than just a tool for improving her appearance; it’s a way to increase her self-confidence. She notes in her videos that makeup should complement rather than replace confidence. She appears bare-faced in most of her content, and unlike many other beauty influencers, she doesn’t shy away from acne. While this is quite normal, it is not as frequent in the beauty community on YouTube and online, making Monica a welcome addition to the landscape. She publicly criticizes makeup trends that are harmful to the community, like her critique of the TikTok-based “Latina makeup,” which she shares with her community. By combining their perspectives and her own, she draws conclusions about makeup and wellness that will ultimately serve to create makeup a more inclusive space. In that video, she also takes the time to educate her audience on “Chicana makeup” and the variations in makeup trends across South and Latin America.
Her target audience seems to be mostly women, particularly as she herself identifies as a “brown girl,” women with similar complexions. Many of her videos are beauty product reviews with the background of having dark skin. Most popular makeup brands are not aimed at darker complexions. Monica tackles this directly by recommending both luxury and affordable brands that cater to everyone. This is valuable for younger and older audiences who want to learn more about makeup and to enhance their skills.. Recounting her encounters with racism and being excluded from her community when first starting out with makeup, and also growing up, makes her a grounded and relatable figure. Coverage of her wedding also contributes to this image. Her relationship with her husband is admired by her community for its warmth and positivity, and he appears to be a great supporter of her work. Vlogs about her wedding have garnered a lot of views on the channel, with her bridal makeup video being one of the most popular.
Monica spent a lot of money on products that failed to serve her. She has mini-series centered on “drugstore makeup” (makeup that can be y found at drugstores and is cheaper than what is available in luxury brand stores like Sephora) and specific makeup kits designed for brown and black skin tones. Her comment section thanks her for it, and applauds her interactions with her channel guests, who represent an array of complexions and identities. Monica doesn’t alienate either audience, but rather encourages them all to embrace one another.
