What We’re Watching: ‘Murder, Mystery, and Makeup’ is for True Crime Lovers

bailey sarian murder mystery and makeup monday youtube series

If you’ve ever watched true crime shows, you know they can sometimes be dry, with a lackluster host who only delivers facts, never opinions. That’s what makes Bailey Sarian’s YouTube series Murder, Mystery, & Makeup so different; she’s a fantastic storyteller and doesn’t shy away from giving her opinion.

Murder, Mystery, and Makeup is exactly what it sounds like. Every Monday, Bailey tells a true crime story while doing her makeup. As our Senior Editor, Josh Hendrickson, put it: “It sounds like the foundation of a good series.” And puns aside, it really is a brilliant idea for a YouTube series.

Bailey started her YouTube channel in 2013 but didn’t start the Murder, Mystery, & Makeup series until January 14, 2019 . She comments on how strange the concept is, but ultimately, true crime and makeup are two of Bailey’s biggest passions and it just made sense to bring them together. You can check out the first video in the series below.

Before watching Bailey’s videos, I was never super interested in true crime. If I heard a horrible news story, I might read a few articles about it, but that was the extent of my true crime obsession. But when I was scrolling through Facebook one day, I came across a shortened version of one of Bailey’s videos and I was instantly hooked. I watched them on Facebook for a short while before heading over to her YouTube channel where I discovered that the full videos were 30 to 50 minutes long (which, for me, is a very positive thing because it means even more true crime story details).

The way she explains everything, from the murderer’s past to period history to random tidbits, is truly captivating. Even if you’re not interested in makeup, Bailey’s infectious personality and storytelling capability will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you watch the whole video. Plus, Bailey doesn’t talk much about the makeup; she puts what she’s using in the video description, but the makeup is really there as something to watch while she tells true crime stories.

Editor’s Note: Totally agree. I don’t care about makeup at all and I love Bailey’s videos. I watch them with my wife and daughter all the time. -Cam

She really does her research too. She watches and reads anything about the story that she can get her hands on, even for much older crime stories from the early 1900s. Then, she takes a few days to write up a script and get everything in order. She doesn’t read from the script but instead uses it as a guide to make sure she doesn’t forget any details. And when she tells the story, she tells it as though she’s talking to a friend, taking moments throughout the story to react and share her opinions.

Even if you aren’t currently interested in true crime or makeup, give at least one of Bailey’s videos a watch. Pick the shortest one or watch a shortened Facebook version if you don’t want a huge time commitment. But after you watch one, you might just experience how addictive her videos can be.

There’s a ton of other great content on Bailey’s channel, but her Murder, Mystery, & Makeup series is by far the most popular. Though she did also just start a Dark History series that’s available on YouTube or through podcasting platforms; in this series, she dives into the history books and reveals truths that we weren’t taught in school. It’s just as captivating as the ‘Murder, Mystery, & Makeup’ series, but gives you a nice break from true crime.

You can watch Bailey’s YouTube channel, or stream the Murder, Mystery, & Makeup playlist. Or, if ‘Dark History’ sounds more up your alley, you can watch it or listen to it.