Instagram Beauty Favorites

My love for beauty came long before social media allowed us access to bloggers, vloggers and other beauty insiders. My first inspiration was my mom, with her endless collection of red lipstick, and her refusal to leave the house without a full face of makeup. But, today, it's easy for beauty aficionados like myself to find inspiration in other women (and men) whose approaches to beauty may resonate with us. I gravitate towards Instagram for inspiration, because it's simple and usually authentic, and narrowed down a list of my favorite folks to follow for nuggets of beauty wisdom, life wisdom, or simply because they truly own who they are, and there's nothing more beautiful than that.

Sophia Amoruso
@SophiaAmoruso 
What I most love about her Instagram presence, beyond the fact that she is striking and you just want to live vicariously though the snapshots of her incredible (and hard-earned) life, is that she is so comfortable making a complete fool of herself in front of her audience. She hides nothing about who she is (if you read her book, you know she put it all out there in those pages) and every single one of her posts makes me want to work towards having that kind of confidence. Of course, seeing her flawless complexion and eyebrows serve as reminders for my own personal maintenance.

Matin Maulawizada
@ItsMatin 

I had the privilege of meeting Matin while working for Pamella Roland, and he's one of those gentle souls -- and extremely humble despite the amount of success he's had as a makeup artist. Matin's account is a favorite because his approach to beauty is real and never intimidating, and he has a knack for highlighting his clients' (Claire Danes, Lena Dunham and Lupita N'yongo to name a few) beauty without gimmicks or masks, so to speak. I especially love when he shares personal stories about his family, adorable Italian Greyhounds, and his work with Afghan Hands, a nonprofit he founded which helps disadvantaged women in Afghanistan gain independence through the craft of embroidery.

Ximena Navarrete
@XimenaNR
I can appreciate sheer beauty in another woman, especially a fellow Mexican. This former Nuestra Belleza Mexico winner and Miss Universe's account is pure eye candy. Her features, reminiscent of Maria Felix, make for a beautiful post every single time. And all the makeup shots highlighting her usual makeup artist Victor Guadarrama give me loads of inspiration for beauty looks.

Into the Gloss
@IntoTheGloss
Into the Gloss is my go-to source for behind the scenes coverage of fashion week and trends in beauty that are real, approachable and actually attainable. The #ITGTopShelfie content franchise is great for discovering new products, and for causing some serious top shelf envy. And, this Instagram account has to be the must visually appealing and gorgeously curated beauty accounts out there.

Sarah Brown
@SBRogue 
I learned about Sarah Brown a decade ago (or longer), reading an essay she wrote in Vogue where she shared that her beauty resembled that of the Renaissance. Now I follow her on Instagram, and appreciate her account for the lack of pretense you might expect from a Vogue beauty editor, and all of the approachability and accessibility that you might not. I love the glimpses into her life, her travel and experiences, but am obviously there for the beauty products, the treatments, and even fashion from likely the most well-versed person in the industry.