NEW BRUNSWICK, Canada—Twenty-five year old Sam Marie Slipp a.k.a Samaries, got her first pair of glasses when she was only eight-years-old and became a makeup enthusiast around 2009, when YouTube was still small and the idea of vlogging was not the phenomenon it is today.
Like many of us, Sam found herself down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos, and she started noticing that so many makeup tutorials geared toward glass wearers like herself, were often limiting. “I always wore glasses, so I never took that into account when I watched the tutorials,” Slipp told VMail Weekend.
“As YouTube started to get more popular, I kept finding makeup for glasses tutorials that always said, ‘Don’t wear too much makeup,’ or ‘Just wear brown eyeshadow.’ I have been wearing different makeup my whole life and hated the idea that people who wear glasses would see those videos and think that’s all they can wear.”
Because of these restrictions, Slipp created Samaries, a lifestyle blog that gives tips on how makeup enthusiasts can fine-tune their looks to their glasses. It wasn’t about placing a restriction for Slipp, but about alerting her readers on small adjustments they can make when wearing makeup and glasses.
For example, “The Best Makeup Brushes for Nearsightedness,” a post she published in October of last year, advises the reader to use shorter brushes which allow them to get closer to the mirror in order to do more detailed makeup, without hitting against it. Another post, “Makeup Tips for Eyes with Differing Prescription Strengths,” is aimed at someone who may have one lens that is more magnified than the other and gives tips on how to even their eyes out.
As her readership grew, Slipp decided to transition from strictly blogging, to posting tutorials on YouTube. Her channel, Makeup for Glasses, features content that she would otherwise write on the blog. “I think it’s always easier following what someone is doing, rather than reading the words,” she explained. “I figured doing video tutorials would be more effective. Certain topics like, ‘How to Apply False Lashes for Glasses’ warrant a video rather than written words.”
Though she started her blog focusing primarily on the makeup aspect, Slipp caught the attention of people in the optical industry and wound up getting invited by The Vision Council to Vision Expo East in April.
“I didn’t even know there was this large eyewear community online, when I first started. When I created my Instagram account and was focusing more on it, optometrists, and other people in the industry started following me and we became friends.” Slipp’s Instagram page, also named Makeup for Glasses, is an extension of her blog. She features everyday looks, seasonal looks, and the occasional, always irresistible “puppy wearing glasses” photo.
With her audience continuously growing, Slipp has also been in touch with some eyewear companies. While at Expo, she got to meet with Ogi Eyewear and Allure Eyewear. Emmert Eyewear—a women’s eyewear company—was one of her first collaborators.
They provided Slipp with all the glasses they make for her to feature in some of her tutorials. “I didn’t take any form of compensation for it. I was just looking for different glasses to play with or be inspired by for the makeup looks and they gave me a lot to pick from,” she said.
Though Samaries and Makeup for Glasses are a second priority for Slipp as she focuses on her fulltime job in human resources right now, she still hopes that both platforms continue to grow. “I’m hoping to inspire young girls who may be struggling with the fact that they have to wear glasses,” Slipp stated. “Doing this has made me comfortable with having bad eyesight and having to wear glasses all the time, so I hope I can help people in that way.”