These days there are tons of famous makeup artists on YouTube, churning out video tutorials for all your makeup needs. But have you ever wondered what notable makeup artists looked like before they got famous? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find a series of famous MUAs before and after their launch to beauty guru stardom.
Ever wondered what Jeffree Star looked like in high school or what Zoella looked like before she was one of the most followed beauty gurus online? These before and after photos of your favorite makeup artists will introduce you to the old school looks of your favorite artists before they fell in love with makeup and became some of the most trusted names in the beauty industry today.
Nikki Tutorials
Born in Wageningen, Netherlands, Nikki De Jager first began making YouTube makeup tutorials in 2008 after being inspired by similar channels. In 2011, she signed with Colourfool Agency which connected her with projects such as The Face, Holland’s and Benelux’s Next Top Model, and the Dutch game show Miljoenenjacht. Since then, the professional hair/makeup artist has gained an international following with over 7 million subscribers on YouTube.
Patrick Starrr
Patrick Starrr is a Filipino-American YouTube beauty expert from Orlando, Florida. After high school, Patrick got into photography, which later led to his love of makeup. He started his YouTube channel in 2013 and has amassed quite the following. With over 3 million YouTube subscribers, he won the Beauty award at the 2017 Streamy Awards.
Before Jeffree Star began his makeup line and started amassing followers for his YouTube makeup tutorials, he was known on the club scene. As a gender-bending singer, DJ, and performer, he released an album called Beauty Killer in 2009. On his website, he shares that he’s always had a love of makeup and “worked at makeup counters, freelanced, and worked on many celebrities, music videos, fashion editorials and weddings” in his early days.
Before becoming Manny MUA, Manny Gutierrez got Instagram famous where he amassed over 4 million followers, along with a healthy Twitter following of 850,000. He first began his YouTube channel, on which he reviews makeup products and gives tutorials, in July 2014, and has since gained over 3.7 million subscribers. In 2017, he became the first man to become a Maybelline makeup brand ambassador.
Jaclyn Hill started her YouTube empire in December 2011 with video tutorials inspired by Kim and Kourtney Kardashian. Since then, the makeup artist and fashion blogger has garnered over 4.5 million followers on both YouTube and Instagram.
After graduating from beauty school, Kandee realized that while she loved doing makeup, she wasn’t so into hair and decided to focus her talents purely on being a MUA. She booked her first job on VH1’s I Love the 80s and after working as a MUA in film and television, she decided to produce her own YouTube channel. On her channel, she showcased her ability to use makeup to transform herself into everyone from Snow White to Edward Scissorhands. She has nearly 4 million subscribers.
Before becoming a YouTube star, Tati Westbrook was a child actress who worked on shows such as Greek and Unsolved Mysteries. She launched her YouTube beauty review channel, GlamLifeGuru, in 2011, which boasts 3 million followers. She also appeared on Amazon’s Style Code Live as a beauty correspondent in 2017.
Before launching her now famous makeup line with Sephora in 2008, Kat Von D was already super famous for her tattoo artistry skills. Appearing on both Miami Ink and LA Ink, she also authored the book High Voltage Tattoo, which ranked in the top 10 on the New York Times Best Sellers List.
Christen Dominique
Freelance makeup artist Christen Dominique created her first video on how to achieve fuller lips in September 2009. Since then, she has become a YouTube phenomenon who has over 3.1 million subscribers and 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
Kathleen Lights
Kathleen Fuentes is originally from Miami, Florida, and first created her channel KathleenLights in January of 2013. The StyleHaul partner and beauty guru has since accumulated over 3.4 million subscribers.
English Youtuber Zoella, whose real name is Zoe Sugg, created her now famous YouTube channel as the result of boredom in 2009 and now has over 12 million subscribers. She also has her own UK beauty line and has authored a series of young-adult novels called Girl Online.
Jackie Aina
Not only is Jackie Aina a YouTube makeup and beauty sensation, she’s also a veteran of the US Army. She became a cosmetologist after graduating from Vidal Sassoon Academy and went on to work as a freelancer, as well as a sales associate for both MAC and Bobbi Brown cosmetics. Her YouTube channel currently has over 1.7 million subscribers.
Fancy Vlogs By Gab
Gabi DeMartino and her twin sister Niki now have over 5.9 million subscribers on their YouTube channel, and Gabi’s makeup-heavy solo channel Fancy Vlogs by Gab boasts 1.3 million subscribers. In an interview with Cambio, the twins say that they started making videos at 13.
“We started making videos before YouTube was even a thing on our little MacBooks when they were white and plastic back in 2008, and we would carry the webcam around our house and just make music videos… Yeah and it started from there, and then we started putting them on YouTube, and we made our beauty channel from that.”
“We started making videos before YouTube was even a thing on our little MacBooks when they were white and plastic back in 2008, and we would carry the webcam around our house and just make music videos… Yeah and it started from there, and then we started putting them on YouTube, and we made our beauty channel from that.”
Though the Chinese-Irish YouTuber may now be known for her makeup tutorials, her first post on her Bubzbeauty channel was actually this fantastically random video of her dancing to Missy Elliot. She has since moved on from her dancing days with her own clothing and makeup lines and 2.9 million YouTube subscribers to boot. In December 2017, she released her book, A Beautiful Mind, A Beautiful Life: The Bubz Guide To Being Unstoppable.
