Makeup and macabre antiques may not be the most obvious pairing, but for Bunny Meyer, the effervescent brain behind the YouTube channel Grav3yardgirl, they go together like "energizer" and, well, you know. The Texas native, who has a devoted following of over 6 million subscribers (which she calls her "Swamp Family"), charms fans with her larger-than-life personality, which can be seen in full force on her chatty vlogs and video series "Does this Thing Really Work?" That's where Meyer gets to play guinea pig, experimenting with new (and oftentimes outlandish) products.
Ironically, Meyer's cheery channel got started in a not-so-sunny way. She began vlogging in 2010 after an injury from a car accident prevented her from pursing a favourite hobby: sewing. "I felt directionless," she says. "I've always struggled with anxiety and depression." To lift her spirits and get out of a creative slump, Bunny took the advice of a friend and uploaded her first video to YouTube — a review on fake nails. From there, she began posting videos about her myriad interests, which range from fashion and beauty to ghost hunting and antiques.
Now, Meyer has teamed up with Beautycon Media to produce a Beautycon box (available for £20), which contains some of her favourite products. In honour of the launch, I chatted with Meyer about her new beauty box, her ascendence to YouTube fame, and of course, creepy baby dolls.
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Where do you think your passion for makeup came from?
"I was always into acting and the portrayal of characters, and I honestly think it was from just watching so many movies and TV shows... I grew up being obsessed with horror movies — The Twilight Zone, that old Vincent Price genre, and [just] creating different characters. I've done so many wild things with my makeup... I loved wearing red lipstick in the second grade, because Cat Woman wore red lipstick. It's that [feeling] that you can play with something and put a mask or costume on and wash it all off. There's just an element of magic to that for me."
What is the relationship between your interest in paranormal experiences and the origin of your username, Grav3yardgirl?
"I have always loved creepy, spooky stuff [like] ghost stories and paranormal shows... I used to go and sit in the graveyard... I don't think I always got the greatest feeling from doing that. I really don't do that anymore at all. "Grav3yardgirl actually came from an M83 song, and honestly, it was just a song I really liked. It's not spelled the same way or anything, but I definitely took inspiration from it. I've always loved creepy stuff and I thought Grav3yardgirl was perfect for my life."
"I was always into acting and the portrayal of characters, and I honestly think it was from just watching so many movies and TV shows... I grew up being obsessed with horror movies — The Twilight Zone, that old Vincent Price genre, and [just] creating different characters. I've done so many wild things with my makeup... I loved wearing red lipstick in the second grade, because Cat Woman wore red lipstick. It's that [feeling] that you can play with something and put a mask or costume on and wash it all off. There's just an element of magic to that for me."
What is the relationship between your interest in paranormal experiences and the origin of your username, Grav3yardgirl?
"I have always loved creepy, spooky stuff [like] ghost stories and paranormal shows... I used to go and sit in the graveyard... I don't think I always got the greatest feeling from doing that. I really don't do that anymore at all. "Grav3yardgirl actually came from an M83 song, and honestly, it was just a song I really liked. It's not spelled the same way or anything, but I definitely took inspiration from it. I've always loved creepy stuff and I thought Grav3yardgirl was perfect for my life."
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Makeup and beauty are temporary. You can just change your clothes and wash your face and you've got a brand new blank canvas to do something else with.
Bunny Meyer
”
What is your biggest beauty regret?
"I don't think I could help it but I'd like to be less clumsy. I still have a scar from a "Does this Thing Really Work?" video that I did last year. I wasn't as careful as I should have been with a 400 degree curling iron, and it touched my leg. Now, I have a triangle-shaped scar. "[But] I wouldn't say I regret [anything]... Makeup and beauty are temporary. You can just change your clothes and wash your face and you've got a brand new blank canvas to do something else with."
Is there a product you've tried for "Does this Thing Really Work?" that you still use to this day?
"Oh my gosh there are so many that I still use... [The product from] my new video over the weekend is my new obsession. It's a spray-paint manicure. You can do all your nails in under two minutes because you just put on this base coat and spray paint your nails and then seal it with a top coat and you have a perfect manicure. It's wild."
What is one beauty item you can't live without?
"That would have to be my red lipstick. I have so many [favorites] but I probably most often wear MAC's Ruby Woo. It's such a wonderful red. I love blue-reds — [they] look so great!"
What is the first beauty product you ever used?
"They don't even make it anymore, but I had a foundation that I started using when I was in theater [that I] held onto for the longest time. Even if you watch some of my first makeup videos, I was still using MaxFactor Pancake Makeup. As it was being phased out I [started] going online to order it in bulk because I was so convinced that I wasn't going to be able to find anything else that I like. It's so funny, because now I look forward to new foundations and I'm definitely not afraid to get out there and try a bunch of different stuff."
"I don't think I could help it but I'd like to be less clumsy. I still have a scar from a "Does this Thing Really Work?" video that I did last year. I wasn't as careful as I should have been with a 400 degree curling iron, and it touched my leg. Now, I have a triangle-shaped scar. "[But] I wouldn't say I regret [anything]... Makeup and beauty are temporary. You can just change your clothes and wash your face and you've got a brand new blank canvas to do something else with."
Is there a product you've tried for "Does this Thing Really Work?" that you still use to this day?
"Oh my gosh there are so many that I still use... [The product from] my new video over the weekend is my new obsession. It's a spray-paint manicure. You can do all your nails in under two minutes because you just put on this base coat and spray paint your nails and then seal it with a top coat and you have a perfect manicure. It's wild."
What is one beauty item you can't live without?
"That would have to be my red lipstick. I have so many [favorites] but I probably most often wear MAC's Ruby Woo. It's such a wonderful red. I love blue-reds — [they] look so great!"
What is the first beauty product you ever used?
"They don't even make it anymore, but I had a foundation that I started using when I was in theater [that I] held onto for the longest time. Even if you watch some of my first makeup videos, I was still using MaxFactor Pancake Makeup. As it was being phased out I [started] going online to order it in bulk because I was so convinced that I wasn't going to be able to find anything else that I like. It's so funny, because now I look forward to new foundations and I'm definitely not afraid to get out there and try a bunch of different stuff."
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So much of your job requires baring your soul to the internet. How do you deal with negativity?
"I have a pretty tough skin. I have been bullied my whole life... People will go on my channel and leave smart-aleck or insulting comments like, 'Oh, you've got horse teeth,' and I'm like, 'Really? This isn't even creative anymore.' [It's] the same stuff I heard when I was in the second grade. "I always tell people you can't pay any attention to [negativity], because no matter what you do in life, whether it's school or a job, somebody is always going to try and discourage you and stop you from being yourself... If there's somebody out there saying nasty stuff, just block them and delete their comments. You can't stop it, it's just unfortunately part of online culture that there will be trolls... I just like to keep my online space as absolutely positive as it can be... I clean out comments that are very negative. I have my slogan of 'ignore it, stay sassy, and move on.' That's what we in the Swamp Family say when someone is being nasty."
"I have a pretty tough skin. I have been bullied my whole life... People will go on my channel and leave smart-aleck or insulting comments like, 'Oh, you've got horse teeth,' and I'm like, 'Really? This isn't even creative anymore.' [It's] the same stuff I heard when I was in the second grade. "I always tell people you can't pay any attention to [negativity], because no matter what you do in life, whether it's school or a job, somebody is always going to try and discourage you and stop you from being yourself... If there's somebody out there saying nasty stuff, just block them and delete their comments. You can't stop it, it's just unfortunately part of online culture that there will be trolls... I just like to keep my online space as absolutely positive as it can be... I clean out comments that are very negative. I have my slogan of 'ignore it, stay sassy, and move on.' That's what we in the Swamp Family say when someone is being nasty."
“
Ignore it, stay sassy, and move on.
Bunny Meyer
”
What was the experience of curating your box like? How did you choose which products to include?
"Some of the things that have irritated me in the past [about beauty boxes] is that they will send you a shampoo that's for straight hair but what if you have curly hair? I was trying to be mindful of all different skin tones and skin types, and focusing more on basics and necessities that absolutely everyone could use. "I love [the makeup wipes in the box because] they have charcoal in them so they are very helpful for drawing out impurities. Another product that I was dead-set on having was a Beauty Blender, so we have the two Beauty Blender Minis [in the box]. You can use those with anything — concealer, highlight, contour, basically any liquid product. "The keychain is definitely one of the items that I'm most excited about. I'm obsessed with creepy old baby dolls. I feel like that's a big part of my life and I've done so many uncommon objects hauls and [videos to] show people my collection of creepy babies... We actually took one of my antique dolls from the 1800s and casted it to make those keychains. So that's actually a doll from my collection."
What is your relationship with your Swamp Family of subscribers?
"If I could have a meet-and-greet every week I would. It's always so amazing to see everybody and hear their stories. The positivity that I hear from being in our community and hearing how many friends people have been able to make on social media, that was always my goal. Before I started my channel, there were so many times [when] I would feel so alone and sad. That's what I wanted to try and help other people with. If you can just make one friend out there, then this is an amazing thing that we've done. I never take the credit for that."
"Some of the things that have irritated me in the past [about beauty boxes] is that they will send you a shampoo that's for straight hair but what if you have curly hair? I was trying to be mindful of all different skin tones and skin types, and focusing more on basics and necessities that absolutely everyone could use. "I love [the makeup wipes in the box because] they have charcoal in them so they are very helpful for drawing out impurities. Another product that I was dead-set on having was a Beauty Blender, so we have the two Beauty Blender Minis [in the box]. You can use those with anything — concealer, highlight, contour, basically any liquid product. "The keychain is definitely one of the items that I'm most excited about. I'm obsessed with creepy old baby dolls. I feel like that's a big part of my life and I've done so many uncommon objects hauls and [videos to] show people my collection of creepy babies... We actually took one of my antique dolls from the 1800s and casted it to make those keychains. So that's actually a doll from my collection."
What is your relationship with your Swamp Family of subscribers?
"If I could have a meet-and-greet every week I would. It's always so amazing to see everybody and hear their stories. The positivity that I hear from being in our community and hearing how many friends people have been able to make on social media, that was always my goal. Before I started my channel, there were so many times [when] I would feel so alone and sad. That's what I wanted to try and help other people with. If you can just make one friend out there, then this is an amazing thing that we've done. I never take the credit for that."