With pride season just around the corner, ready and waiting to welcome back partygoers for 2021, we’ve curated a list of the hottest LGBTQ+ beauty influencers for your brand’s pride campaign.

Why beauty influencers? Well, if you’ve been lucky enough to attend previous pride events, you’ll know it is all about the glam, the glitz and the gleeful spirt of a global community strutting the streets in the name of equality.

Partnering with LGBTQ+ influencers can enhance your brands commitment to diversity, becoming part of the incredible progress made over the past few decades.

When you’re scrolling through your social feeds, it’s easy to be dazzled by the brilliance of your favourite influencer, forgetting about the lives of the creator, and what they mean to their audience.

So, we’ve selected our top five influencers that we think represent the community in all its splendour – and just happen to brandish a make-up brush like the true artists they are.

Nikkie Tutorials

The queen of LGBTQ+ Youtubers, Nikkie Tutorials recently revealed in her incredibly moving video – I’m Coming Out - that she was transgender.

Now, she is regarded as a major advocate for the community, urging others to live freely and openly as themselves.

After taking a make-up course and spending time as a freelancing MUA, Nikki decided she would like to share insights gleaned from her new career. It was a decision that propelled her into stratospheric influencer stardom.

Her tutorials, product reviews and advice immediately proved wildly popular. An immense following preceded her hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest and the Dutch version of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

And, as if to complete her glittering coronation, Nikkie was appointed as UN ambassador in June of last year – a worthy accolade for the empress of transgender influencers.

James Charles

Is there any look that James Charles can’t achieve? From elaborate inferno designs to cutting-edge goth aesthetics, James is a makeup Youtuber gifted with the deft hand of an expert painter.

But it’s his ultra-glam looks that gained James his super-engaged following, winning him link-ups with just about every influential make-up brand in the industry, each providing him with a stage to showcase his glamourous and flamboyant creations.

And it is from this stage that James performs his wildly entertaining tutorials and near-legendary Youtuber collaborations. Among the most celebrated are his collabs with the Dolan Twins and Emma Chamberlain who together formed that glitter-bomb of energetic youth, The Sister Squad.

Manny MUA

Manny can do it all. SFX, glam, daytime, and one-of-a-kind looks – Manny is a LGBTQ+ makeup artist whose talents won him the considerable honour of becoming Maybelline’s first male ambassador.

His collabs include the megastar beauty influencer Jeffree Star and Marlena Stell, popularly known as the Makeup Geek. And his own beauty brand, Lunar Beauty, is a phenomenon, with its Instagram page alone attracting half a million followers. Wow.

Soon after his brand’s launch, Manny was bestowed with another notable honour. He was named the successor to James Charles as a spokesperson for Covergirl, becoming only the second male to hold the post.

Ingrid Nilsen

Ingrid is one of the most versatile influencers on our list, and among her many talents is her skill for natural-looking makeovers.

If you’re familiar with that last-minute need to conjure a makeup look ten minutes before your Uber arrives, Ingrid has got you covered. Her “Get Ready With Me” videos are a saviour, and her endless ideas of how to best apply makeup from high-street brands are a blessing to her millions of followers and fans.

Ingrid started posting way back in 2009, and it was her take on fashion trends, twinned with a desire to educate younger girls, that secured her prominence in the LGBTQ+ community.

And speaking openly about personal causes shifted Ingrid into the role of a respected spokesperson, with her brave and honest opinions resonating with those who look to Ingrid beyond her brilliant beauty, fashion, and make-tips.

While Ingrid has taken a backseat from her YouTube channel, she’s still busy slaying over on her Instagram, giving us regular insights into her life beyond the makeup brush.

Mark Ferris

Like Ingrid, Mark launched his platform with lifestyle content and posts that covered blogs, challenges, and fantastically hilarious comedy sketches.

His friendship with Zoe Sugg quickly earnt Mark even more attention. Collabs with close pals Zoella and Alfie Deyes followed, and their energetic chemistry is a regular feature of Mark’s cheerfully light-hearted feed.

Mark has become something of an authority on skincare, testing high street and high-end products, presented with irresistible wit – and if you’ve ever seen his Homemade Beauty Treatments content, you’ll know Mark is a one-of-a-kind voice from a diverse community of bright, funny, and talented creators.

To collaborate with LGBTQ+ beauty influencers or to find out more about how social media influencers can impact your brand marketing campaign, contact Influencer Matchmaker via email at contact@influencermatchmaker.co.uk. Alternatively, call one of our dedicated matchmakers on 0203 9580 427.