What These Game Streamers Look Like Without Makeup
The gap between men and women in the gaming space has been steadily closing since 2014. A 2021 report by Statista showed that female gamers represented 30% of the entire gaming population (yes, this includes those who are mean to their fans) compared to the 22% female demographic that was recorded seven years prior. Subsequently, makeup brands are gradually finding their way onto gaming platforms. In 2021, Benefit Cosmetics unveiled "Game Face," a campaign that partners with Twitch streamers who have a passion for beauty.
Gamers like iHasCupquake who can tell their concealers and foundations apart have even opted for secondary YouTube channels that are more lifestyle-oriented, and therefore allow them to capitalize on beauty sponsorship deals.
It's no secret that a majority of female gamers prefer to wear makeup. A handful have even created recognizable signature looks that they can wear while streaming. Once in a while, fans get to have a glimpse of their bare faces, and sometimes, the audience may be entirely wrong about who's wearing makeup and who isn't. Keep scrolling to dive into these gamers' natural looks.
iHasCupquake has posted a number of make-up free selfies
When she got her gaming start on YouTube, Tiffany Garcia, who runs the channel iHasCupquake, was pursuing a Fine Arts degree in illustration. Garcia, who also had a six-year stint as a lifeguard, graduated and decided to become a full-time gamer, as she shared in a conversation with DnDeadlifts. The 30,000 subscribers she had at the time have since grown to 7 million as of December 2023. She's played a variety of games, like "League of Legends" and "War of Warcraft," but Garcia has steadily amassed an audience for playing "The Sims" and "Minecraft."
When it comes to makeup, the gamer doesn't seem to run out of ideas. From fun and playful videos such as having her makeup done by her husband, showcasing a quick routine for busy moms, and sharing a makeup haul, to channeling her inner Hollyberry Cookie from "Cookie Run Kingdom" in a paid partnership, Garcia has found the sweet spot where gaming and beauty are both bankable.
Although she capitalizes on her makeup looks, Garcia has posted several makeup-free selfies. "Nap time skin to skin is my current favorite thing," one of her Instagram posts partly read, alongside a picture of the gamer cuddling her newborn.
SSSniperWolf keeps things really 'simple'
With a whopping 34.2 million viewers subscribed to her YouTube channel as of December 2023, Alia "Lia" Shelesh, who goes by the name SSSniperWolf, rose in popularity by playing games such as "Overwatch," "Fortnite," and "Grand Theft Auto." SSSniperWolf got into gaming when her father bought a PlayStation to mitigate sibling fights with her brother. Shelesh has since transitioned to video reviews and reactions that are just as entertaining. In the past, she's shared her reactions to compilations of people who have experienced close calls, bizarre jobs that people have, and some cringe-worthy TikTok videos.
Shelesh, who usually wears, black, medium-framed glasses, revealed that her makeup look is minimalist in a January 2015 Q&A video. "A lot of people think I wear so much freaking makeup," she said."I actually barely wear anything. I keep it really simple and I barely wear face makeup anymore because my skin's been really good. And I've actually done a lot of videos without makeup." In May 2016, Shelesh posted a video of her laid-back everyday look on YouTube and revealed her gorgeous fresh face (sans her iconic black glasses) at the start of the clip.
LDShadowLady begins her experimental videos bare-faced
When she got started as a gamer in 2010, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dwyer, known on her channel as LDShadowLady (which was a nod to her Xbox Gamertag), played "Call of Duty." She was then drawn to "Minecraft," inspired by watching Call Me Kevin and Zack Scott. It wasn't until she began the single-player series "Shadowcraft" that her audience grew on her YouTube channel LDShadowLady, and she was encouraged to unleash a sequel.
Sporting a fun pink hairdo, Dwyer often tests the waters when it comes to makeup. In December 2016, her then-boyfriend Joel Batty, popularly known for running the gaming channel SmallishBeans, did a voice-over for Dwyer's YouTube makeup tutorial. At the beginning of the tutorial, Dwyer looked stunning without makeup. Batty, who's now married to Dwyer, even did her makeup in another mischievous clip months prior. She of course returned the favor in a hilarious video posted to his YouTube channel, featuring Batty in full makeup, headgear accessory, and three pigtails.
Dwyer's amusing exploration doesn't just end there. She created a real-life makeup look by choosing makeup for her "Sims" character and then mirroring the makeup IRL in a 2018 video posted to her channel, one which also began with a fresh makeup-free look.
Valkyrae is a self-confessed tomboy
After growing an audience of more than 1 million followers on Twitch, Rachell Hofstetter, also known as Valkyrae, signed a contract to stream for YouTube in January 2020. The 100 Thieves co-founder plays several games, including "Among Us," "Valorant," and "Minecraft."
In a July 2020 video, Hofstetter shared her makeup routine with her YouTube audience, and in the process revealed that she grew up without makeup because of her boyish upbringing. "I don't know how to do makeup and I don't know how to do the contouring and the blending and the shifting and the stuff," she joked, also adding that she was clueless about different products."I grew up as a tomboy and I stayed a tomboy for the rest of my life."
She proceeded to do a bare-minimum step-by-step everyday process, featuring undertones that accentuated her facial features in an almost natural way and concealed an eyebrow scar she got when she hit a tree while playing tag years prior. In October 2022, Hofstetter posted an updated version of her easy-going look, and not much had changed. She revealed that she's always worn the same look since her high school days — a look that is toned down and beautiful.
Aphmau maintains a signature minimalist winged eyeliner look
"Minecraft” gamer Jessica "Jess" Bravura, who runs the channel Aphmau, started her YouTube channel back in 2012. She's since amassed an audience to the tune of 18.8 million as of December 2023. As far as makeup goes, Bravura sports a winged eyeliner look that she's worn in many Instagram selfies and YouTube videos. Bravura also brushes her eyebrows downward, which is an unconventional method that makes her beauty look unique. The rest of her face appears to be makeup-free, but it isn't.
In a 2016 tutorial, Bravura revealed that she uses products like lip balm, a BB cream that acts as foundation, and neutral lipstick to obtain a near-natural look. She then draws her prominent winged eyeliner. "I love this look by the way," she expressed. "It's very nice. You can go out and, you know, do your grocery shopping in this or like, you know, go to your doctor's appointment."
Just like other gamers who love makeup, Bravura has uploaded some playful videos on YouTube. Her husband did her makeup in a March 2018 post, and so did her daughter in a video posted days later.
Jinnytty shaved off her eyebrows for $5,000
South Korean streamer Jinnytty, real name Yoo Yoonjin, is a talented singer and an even better gamer if her hundreds of thousands of followers and subscribers on Twitch and YouTube are anything to go by. Yoonjin got started on Twitch in July 2017, and grew an audience playing games like "Hearthstone," "Among Us," and "A Way Out."
She's both playful and daring with makeup. In a YouTube Shorts video, she tried out different makeup filters from the "100 Years of Makeup" trend to show how she'd appear in each era. Given her caption, she did not like the outcome. In another Shorts video, Yoonjin walked down memory lane to retrace how she did her makeup in high school and wasn't impressed. In one of her YouTube videos, she amusingly had her brother do a voiceover narration while she put on makeup.
Her audacious side showed itself when she got rid of her eyebrows for a couple of benjamins in July 2020. What began as a harmless question posed by a follower quickly escalated into a $5,000 donation that forced Yoonjin to keep her word and shave her brows. Her family wasn't impressed by the move and tried to talk her out of it, but she did it anyway: "Eyebrows gone! Oh my God!" Yoonjin exclaimed when she'd done it. Luckily, she was able to draw them with a pencil afterward. History repeated itself yet again in April 2023 when she shaved off a single brow after failing at geocaching.
Kyedae doesn't 'have the patience for makeup'
For someone who started gaming in 2020, "Valorant" player Kyedae Alicia Shymko, simply known by her first name Kyedae, has accumulated quite a large following of 1.18 million on YouTube and 2.6 million on Twitch in a very short time. Although some of her fans believe that the gamer wears makeup, she said multiple times that she actually doesn't. In a joint stream with her fiancé Tyson "Tenz" Ngo, Shymko debunked the myth by revealing that she only wears eyelash extensions, and she proved it even further by trying to wipe her presumably done eyebrows which stayed put.
"The audacity you guys have to think I wear makeup!" she yelled in mock horror."I wish I had the patience for makeup guys." Ngo also chimed in and said that in the rare occurrence that Shymko wears makeup, only a dash of blush does the trick. However, the 100 Thieves content creator has a knack for goofy makeup videos as long as her fiancé is in the makeup chair. In a November 2020 stream, she cheered on as Ngo received a hilarious makeup transformation complete with a pink wig.
Alexia Raye kickstarts her GRWM videos without makeup
Alexia Raye would have been a biochemist in an alternate universe, but in this one, she is a Twitch gamer with over 380,000 followers who are eager to see her play "Overwatch 2," "Apex Legends," or "Pokemon."
Although there are hardly any pictures of a fresh-faced Raye on her Instagram account, she has filmed "Get Ready with Me" Shorts on YouTube in the past which all begin with no makeup. In one such clip, Raye showed how she did her makeup in a GRWM video, and casually mentioned that the lipstick she was using was homemade by a friend. In another "GRWM" video, Raye filmed her morning routine, which is pretty natural and bare-bones.
She also leans on the fun-loving, witty side. In a video posted to her channel in 2014, Raye humorously had fellow YouTuber Alex Ernst attempt to do her makeup. Ernst, who had no clue where each product was supposed to be applied, used eyeliner for Raye's eyebrows and couldn't keep up with her usual sequence. Safe to say, the final look was all over the place.
Steph0Sims keeps things natural before recreating The Sims looks in real life
YouTube gamer Steph0Sims, real name Stephanie Kate, got started on the social media platform as a "The Sims 3" player back in 2011. Years later, she has garnered a following of 639,000 subscribers on the video-sharing platform and 43,200 on Twitch. Kate often uses "The Sims" series to inspire real-life events; in November 2020, the game was an inspiration for her to design a new apartment layout.
Similarly, some of her makeup looks have been inspired by "The Sims," and each video begins with her fresh face. In a clip posted to her channel in May 2018, Kate used "The Sims 4" to create a look complete with purple lips, dark blue eyeshadow, and light blue eyebrows, and she then replicated the look on herself to near perfection. "I'm gonna look like I was rejected from the Met Gala," she joked about the look.
Likewise, the gamer was inspired to show up as Trisha Paytas for Halloween 2018. The buck doesn't stop there, either. In an October 2017 video, she showed off her artistic eye when she hopped on the "Ugly to Beauty Challenge," and managed to transform a supposedly not-so-good-looking sim into one that's easy on the eyes.