Lauren Luke

Lauren Luke (born December 8, 1981) is a make-up artist known as Panacea81 online who attended her local college to study to become a beautician. She creates makeup tutorials on her YouTube channel, Panacea81, which has over 135 million views and over 539,000 subscribers.^[1][2]

Early life

Luke was born in South Shields in the North-East of England in 1981. She has two younger twin sisters, Rachel and Mikayla — fourteen years her junior — and younger sister Helen — two years her junior.

YouTube

Lauren Luke's video tutorials show viewers how to apply makeup to recreate various looks, including celebrity-inspired looks.^[3] Her YouTube channel, Panacea81, has 135 million views and over 539,000 subscribers since her first upload on July 22, 2007.^[1][2] Luke chose the alias Panacea81 by pairing the Greek Goddess’s name Panacea with her birthday year, 1981. Luke is a YouTube site partner and is one of the most subscribed YouTube users in the UK.^[4] She has done eye makeup looks inspired by celebrities such as Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Amy Lee, Leona Lewis, and more.

In November 2008, Luke was featured in a BBC documentary called Inside Out.^[5] The Guardian then recruited Luke to write a weekly beauty column in January 2009, which she still updates weekly.^[6] In March 2009, a second, more in-depth documentary about Lauren and her life aired as part of a documentary series titled Natalie Cassidy's Real Britain, on BBC Three.^[7][8]

In October 2009, Luke introduced the launch of her book on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour^[9] and Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady Show.^[10]

Personal life

Luke lives at home in South Shields, UK, with her partner and her son Jordan. She has spoken out about having been bullied when she was younger over her looks and weight.^[11]

Professional growth

On April 27, 2009, Luke launched a proprietary signature cosmetics line called By Lauren Luke. Sephora launched the line in 135 stores across the USA and Canada on September 21, 2009.^[12] October 1, 2009, Hodder & Stoughton released Luke’s book, “Looks By Lauren Luke,” in the UK.^[13] In November 2009, Luke is to be featured as an avatar in the Nintendo DS game Supermodel Makeover By Lauren Luke.^[14]

Advocacy

In July 2012, Luke teamed with Refuge, an UK-based advocacy group, to produce a video as part of their 'Don't Cover It Up' campaign^[15] to encourage women who have been victims of domestic violence to report incidents.^[16] The video depicts Luke starting out in the usual tutorial manner, however she is depicted using foundation to cover up bruises from an implied beating. While Luke was already well known in the UK, the video was promoted by the National Organization for Women in the United States, and reported on internationally.^[17][18] Luke noted that, "The bruising on my face for the video wasn't real, but my emotions in that video were. I had a bad experience in the past with a previous boyfriend. He never physically hurt me but I did sometimes fear what would happen next if I said the wrong thing. He could be overprotective and embarrass me in front of my work colleagues or friends because of his aggressive behavior. Sometimes it was like living with a volcano which could erupt at any second—I felt I was walking on egg shells just to keep him from exploding and smashing something across the room."^[19]

Press

• June 2010: Lauren Luke becomes a beauty trends and tips blogger for Glamour (magazine) UK's blog.^[20]
• March 2010: Allure (magazine), "The Influencers: Lauren Luke, The Makeup Mentor." Lauren Luke named most influential makeup mentor in Allure's 2010 influencer's issue.^[21]
• December 11, 2009: Woman's Wear Daily, "The 7th Annual WWD Beauty Biz Awards." Lauren Luke named Beauty's Best Newcomer of 2009 ^[22]
• January 9, 2009: The Guardian, “Lauren Luke: ‘Just Steady Your Little Finger and Practise.’” By Esther Addley.^[23]
• February 28, 2009: CBS.com, “The Self-Made Makeup Maven of YouTube.” By Eleanor Tuohy.^[24]
• July 31, 2009: Vanity Fair Daily's Society & Style, "Lauren Luke's Makeup Palettes." By SunHee Grinnell.^[25]
• August 6, 2009: New York Times – Thursday Style Section, “An Every Woman as Beauty Queen.” By Ruth la Ferla.^[26]
• August 18, 2009: Women's Wear Daily, “A New Kind of Celebrity: YouTube Stars Evolve Into Brands.” By Rachel Brown and contributions from Anne Riley-Katz.^[27]
• September 2009: Time Magazine, “Women In Fashion: The Female Economy.” By Marion Hume.^[28]
• September 18, 2009: Allure Daily Beauty Reporter Blog, "YouTube Star's New Makeup Line." By Alyssa Kolsky Hertzig ^[29]

Notes

External links

• Lauren's's channel on YouTube
• Lauren's official Website
• Lauren's iPhone App