“I’m not trying to brag in any way, shape or form,” may be a phrase you were familiar with — or even looked forward to hearing — every holiday season. The beauty gurus of 2012-17 will be studied in history books.
Everything was saturated, quirky and perfect. Creators like Alisha Marie, Miss Remi Ashten, Niki and Gabi, My Life As Eva and Aspyn Ovard would collaborate to film Christmas hauls and back-to-school videos.
Alisha Marie paved the way for skit-style videos with her “Schoolisha” series. Remi Ashten’s healthy cooking segments of her vlogs were well received and replicated. My Life As Eva romanticized a Pinterest-worthy highschool experience.
Niki and Gabi, twins from Pennsylvania, exaggerated their different personalities and styles as the sisters, one blue to the other’s pink. Aspyn Ovard was one of the first content creators of her generation to embrace adulthood, as she married young and built a seemingly perfect family.
Looking back, the content may feel staged or too loud, but it was 2015 — being a full-time YouTuber wasn’t quite a profession yet. My Life as Eva’s song “Literally My Life” perfectly encompasses the humor, style and color palette of the time. Her lyrics and video contrast the life she portrays online with her reality: “Literally, my life is / Beaches every single night / Messy buns and Christmas lights / Literally, my life is / Skinny waists and high fashion / Riding in the G-Wagon…”
The sector of the internet these queens reigned in had a similar vibe to the song. The tone and image of the beauty gurus from this time seems to emulate the style of the female celebrities young girls idolized at the time, like Disney Channel actresses.
These young women upheld a good brand image, followed relevant trends, maintained an aesthetic presence and were relatable through self-deprecating humor.
“I’m not trying to brag in any way, shape or form” was the standard introduction of most hauls — videos showing off purchases from extensive shopping sprees — during this period. Most creators no longer use this phrase, not because they’ve become more eager to brag about their purchases, but because the phrase became tired and indicative of the weirdly performative expectations of the time.
As someone who watched almost all this lifestyle content, I didn’t realize how clean-cut and Disney-like these girls curated themselves to be. They maintained positive images and consistently engaging performances for their young fans.
As the years went on and their original fanbases grew up and lost interest, beauty gurus opened up about the pressures of perfection they confined themselves to, and more influencers came on the scene and captured viewers’ attention. YouTube is a saturated market, and it’s easy to lose touch of where a creator is today.
So, what are the original beauty gurus up to almost a decade later?
Alisha Marie and Remi Ashten are best friends who post lifestyle content. They have a successful podcast, “Pretty Basic,” and recently created a new podcast with fellow YouTubers Zane and Heath called “Pretty Unfiltered.” Remi has continued posting her recipes and runs a separate food channel called Cooking with Remi.
My Life As Eva models, travels the world, and makes music as a DJ. Eva updates her Instagram more than her YouTube now, but she seems to have an elevated sense of self and style.
Niki and Gabi no longer post on their shared YouTube channel. They are both independent artists who have since broken up with the longtime boyfriends they filmed with so frequently ten years ago. Both twins have since come out as pansexual and post more of their own individual styles rather than in contrast to the other twin’s.
Aspyn Ovard was the epitome of a classy, modest Utah family channel with her husband Parker. She is now handling a public divorce and even poking fun at the situation and the idea of getting back together with her ex. Now that she is back on everyone’s radar, Aspyn is admittedly posting as much as she can about the surprising situation and revealing a real side that her many fans had not met back in the day.
These are just five of the many influencers of the time who have grown into their own identities past the pastel, picturesque frame of 2015.
