YouTube makeup guru talks beauty and confidence

GUTHRIE: And teenage model and YouTube makeup sensation Cassandra Bankson is with us now. Cassandra , good morning to you.

Ms. BANKSON: Good morning.

GUTHRIE: Well, first things first. We have watched your transformation this morning. You did this live for us as well.

Ms. BANKSON: Of course.

GUTHRIE: I know a lot of people who are wondering, first of all, how did you learn to do this? You're like a professional makeup artist .

Ms. BANKSON: Well, thank you. I had a lot of time because of the social situation. I wasn't talking to friends or family. I would do homework, play with my cats and essentially learn how to put on makeup . And a lot of trial and error really got me there.

GUTHRIE: Well, you mentioned that you really struggled with acne and that you kind of isolated yourself, that kids at school bullied you.

Ms. BANKSON: Yeah.

GUTHRIE: Can you just kind of talk about those hard days?

Ms. BANKSON: Well, it was essentially I was my worst critic. But having that feedback from other peers and students at my school was just really kind of self-traumatizing and put me into kind of a reclused, isolated state. You know, I switched schools to get away from them. And yes, I did graduate two years early, but I was completely anti-social at that time. Makeup is kind of what helped me break out of that shell for a period.

GUTHRIE: That's what makes this all the more remarkable because here you were, so ashamed that you basically were hiding in your house.

Ms. BANKSON: Yes.

GUTHRIE: And then you decided, 'You know what? I'm going to show the world my face.'

Ms. BANKSON: Mm-hmm.

GUTHRIE: How scary was that when you posted that video?

Ms. BANKSON: It was traumatizing. I was crying before I filmed the video, and it didn't go up four months until after I filmed it. I've always wanted to help people, but it wasn't until my boyfriend actually told me, you've always wanted to help people. This is how you can do it . It's your duty.

GUTHRIE: I know you posted it and then you were kind of afraid to look at what the response would be.

Ms. BANKSON: Yeah. For another four or five months, I didn't even check YouTube because honestly I thought that people would be just as cruel as they were in school. I thought if it helped one girl or one guy, it would be worth it, but I didn't want to see the negativity. And I came back. I was overwhelmed.

GUTHRIE: I want to read a couple of the comments that were there. Someone wrote, "You do realize that even without a smidgen of makeup on, you're still beautiful, right?" Have you been surprised at the resonance of this? You have more than six million hits.

Ms. BANKSON: It's unbelievable. I mean, I think that definitely makeup and just skin care in general is so important and education is really the foundation for understanding your skin and beauty is confidence. People need to know that.

GUTHRIE: But your message is more than skin deep. It's not just about cosmetics. You really feel that makeup helps bring out the more confident side of people.

Ms. BANKSON: Well, confidence is beauty essentially. You can't have one without the other. And I think that makeup is that gateway for a woman to feel confident until they overcome whatever insecurities they have so that they can feel beautiful with or without.

GUTHRIE: And you now have a modeling career. I mean, there's a certain irony that you came from this moment where you were so afraid, and now you're saying, 'Hey, world, look at me.'

Ms. BANKSON: It's still unreal.

GUTHRIE: Yeah.

Ms. BANKSON: Yeah.

GUTHRIE: Cassandra Bankson , it's such a pleasure to meet you. And I know a lot of people who have watched the video learned all your good techniques.

Ms. BANKSON: Thank you.

GUTHRIE: We really appreciate it.

Ms. BANKSON: The pleasure is all mine.