Nikkie de Jager, the talented makeup artist behind NikkieTutorials, has been shaking up thebeautyworldsince 2008.
The Netherlands-based YouTube star has gained an international audience in the years since she first came onto the scene.
How exactly did she do it?
This is the untold truth of NikkieTutorials.
Too sick to leave bed, de Jager spent the weekend watching TV and watchedThe Hillsfor the first time.
“For two days I drooled over Lauren’s beautiful eyeliner and Heidi’s gorgeous hair.”
The first seed had been planted.
“I opened a video from SandyGold called, ‘Wakeup and Makeup!,'” she said.
“She showed us how you could get the Lauren look with drugstore makeup.
For three months, I became a zombie, with my eyes locked on the screen.
I am going to do this!'”
And thus NikkieTutorials was born.
You get to set your own hours, not to mention do something that you are truly passionate about.
Staying motivated takes a lot of self-control and motivation.
Nikkie de Jager is no exception to this.
“That’s how ‘NikkieTutorials’ was born.”
Chemotherapy and radiation put him into remission for a while, but the cancer soon came back.
“This is the black page in my life,” she said.
The self-made entrepreneur has been a huge role model for de Jager.
“Pat McGrath is my goddess,” she toldHelloGiggles.
“I had the honor of meeting her once and it literally felt like meeting God.
I was like, ‘Oh my god.
I’m in the presence of a legend.'”
McGrath is an icon in the beauty industry and has been on the scene for decades.
Her influence in the world of beauty is undeniable, and her reputation is well deserved.
“She has come up with all the trends, all the techniques,” said the NikkieTutorials star.
Pat McGrath is EVERYTHING!"
Some people want to cover up blemishes.
Others want to create a dramatic look, or transform their face for a costume.
Gone are the days when makeup was simply a means of enhancing beauty.
I think that is the power of what makes makeup so beautiful, it’s because it’s personal.
I think makeup is for everyone."
Nikkie de Jager was bullied growing up, and she still feels some insecurity about her weight.
While she tragically lost her younger brother, she still has her mom around to lead her cheering section.
“My mother is fantastic,” she said.
“She speaks zero English, but she understands everything.
I have never experienced anyone in my life who is assupportiveas she is.
She keeps an eye on everything, reads everything, sees everything, and I tell her everything.”
The special bond between de Jager and her mother may be in part due to their striking physical resemblance.
According to the NikkieTutorials star, she and her mom are pretty much twins.
“I think people will go nuts over the glitter.”
For de Jager, glitter is a way to make any look stand out.
“It transforms any look,” she said.
“When in doubt, add glitter.”
Nikki de Jager isn’t okay with this, and she shared her defense of makeup in aYouTube video.
Baby, rock it!"
The YouTube star said that she’s known ever since she was little that she is a girl.
“I am here to openly share that I am transgender,” she said.
She noted, “This world needs us.
We need to accept each other.
We need to respect each other.
But most of all, we need to hear each other and understand.”
Instead of complying with her blackmailer, she came out.
“I am still Nikkie,” she said.
“Nothing changes about that.
She added, “I am free, and I get to be me, finally.”
“When I was younger and starting out, I definitely had an alter ego,” she toldGlamour.
De Jager projected a confidence in her NikkieTutorials videos that she didn’t necessarily exude in real life.
As the years passed and as de Jager has grown more confident in herself, things began to transition.
Now de Jager says that the person you see on YouTube is 100 percent Nikkie de Jager.
“Everything can be an inspiration to me.”
The makeup maven has expanded far beyond social media, too.
In 2019, Marc Jacobs named de Jager its first-ever global artistry advisor.
Surprisingly, de Jager’s must-do beauty move skips makeup altogether.
“I’ll curl my lashes,” she said.
“I have super straight lashes that point down and it makes me look tired.
Then, I let it cool down because you don’t want to burn your eyelids.”
She continued, “It’s like an actual curling iron for your lashes.
I do that every single day, I just cannot live without it.
That takes me about 45 seconds which leaves me 15 seconds to pop my lip gloss on.”
“All the celebrity makeup experiences are super special to me,” she toldBuro.
He proposed with a stunning band made of heart-shaped diamonds.
In a poston Instagramcommemorating their engagement, the gleeful NikkieTutorials star wrote, “YES.
The two have been together since 2018, but de Jager kept the relationship private for a while.
After a couple years of uploading videos, though, she decided to get some professional training.
According to theEvening Standard, de Jager then joined Pascale Tesser’s Colourfool Agency in 2011.
In 2013, she became the head makeup artist for the showI Can Make You a Supermodel.
In 2014, she went completely freelance.
It’s not exactly a traditional career path, but it’s one that has brought de Jager success.
According toCelebrity Net Worth, the YouTube celebrity has a net worth of $6 million.
De Jager also reportedly drives a Ferrari.
De Jager believes that hard work is important, but sincerity is vital.
“Be yourself,” she toldTeen Vogue.
“I can’t stress this enough.
I hate it when I see girls hold back their true personalities.
If you like to be all hyper, do it!
I love seeing girls who just don’t care what others think about them.
Also, don’t give up.
Give everything some time; you have to work hard for the things you want.”
But things almost wentverydifferently.
De Jager nearly didn’t post the video that made her YouTube channel famous.
“I filmed it and I almost never uploaded it because I hated it,” she toldNews.com.au.
“It just didn’t feel right.
I thought, ‘Nobody is going to get this.'”
At first, nothing happened.
While it didn’t perform too well at first, it went viral after a couple of weeks.
De Jager woke up one morning to find her views and follower count had gone through the roof.
“I thought I must be dreaming, this can’t be real,” she said.
In 2017, she partnered withMaybellinefor a YouTube series (viaTubefilter).
The following year, Maybelline and NikkieTutorials dropped a highlighter together.
“I’m looking out for us pale pasties out there.”
How does she keep her skin looking so fresh?
It turns out she’s got another beauty secret up her sleeve her mom.
Her mom is also something of a beauty guru, although her expertise is skincare, not make up.
De Jager also revealed some skincare tips of her own.
“And just watch what you eat.
