You Vs The World’s Top Beauty Influencers

You Vs Influencers – the stuff no-one tells you 

Hello, fellow beauty lovers! Something is gratifying about witnessing a beauty pro in action, whether you can blend your base perfectly or struggle to get your winged eyeliner symmetrical. Watching the professional do beauty is always fascinating.

Yet the influencers didn’t always hold court or sway popular opinion; they like you had to start somewhere. Let’s look at the most famous top beauty influencers and how they got to be king or queen of the online world. Starting with Huda Kattan.

Huda Kattan, the eyelash queen

Huda Kattan left her financial job to pursue a career as a makeup artist. When Huda couldn’t find artificial eyelashes to buy, she decided with the help of her sisters to manufacture them herself, and with a flick of an eye, Huda Beauty was born.

Huda Beauty now sells over 140 products, ranging from eyeshadow palettes to lip gloss, with annual sales of at least $250 million. After starting her blog in 2010, Huda, who claims to have never paid for advertising, has almost 37 million followers on Instagram.

While being a mega-rich babe is nice, it’s a fact she gives her time and money to help others is much more impressive and gets less media attention.

Nikkie de Jager – NikkieTutorials

NikkieTutorials is without a doubt one of the most prominent and well-liked beauty influencers on YouTube, with over 12 million subscribers.

Nikkie de Jager began posting makeup instructions on the internet in 2008 and has since achieved significant success in the beauty industry. She’s done makeovers for celebs like Lady Gaga and launched her cosmetic line, Ofra Cosmetics.

What you may not know is that success for Nikkie didn’t happen overnight. Nikkie decided to be a professional makeup artist (MUA) and went to school to learn, most fans think Nikkie is self-taught, but she is not. 

Talented for sure, taking classes taught her enough to score her with makeup work on international TV shows and magazines, including Marie Claire.

Manny Gutierrez – Manny MUA 

The beauty influencer star who goes by Manny MUA online is a growing crop of top male makeup aficionados. He first established a following on Instagram, and then, at the request of his fans, he moved to YouTube. 

He’s now an ambassador for Maybelline, one of his many partnerships, with a total viewership of upwards of 7 million. Manny is talented and clever. Before he got the beauty bug, Manny considered going to medical school, which only adds to his universal appeal.

What you may not realise is that Manny’s success didn’t come all at once; he learnt his trade the hard way, in retail as an MUA for MAC makeup and Sephora in his hometown, San Diego. 

Jeffree Star can sing

If you’ve ever seen a YouTube makeup tutorial (we know you have), you’re familiar with Jeffree Star. His larger-than-life personality has earned him a tremendously successful cosmetics line and a hugely popular YouTube channel.

Teaching makeup skills is something Jeffree has been doing for a long time. Jeffree joined YouTube in 2006 and has been steadily building his fan base since then. His YouTube channel is jam-packed with makeup tutorials, product reviews, and passionate viewpoints.

Jeffree knows everyone, and they know him; on-off friends with Manny MUA, Jeffree also work for MAC Makeup, learning to paint faces as part of his early singing career.

Follow your dreams

Follow your dreams is the important message here. All beauty influencers start somewhere, take classes, and others work the shop floor. Just like anything in life, learning stuff is never a waste of time.