Whether you’re into makeup or not, you will probably have heard the name Jeffree Star.

RD5

Jeffree Star’s massive ego and personality undeniably made him one of the strongest names and forces on youtube, gathering a whopping 16.5 million subscribers. Even if you’re not interested in the beauty community, there’s no way you haven’t heard of Jeffree Star or missed his very public feuds with other celebs and makeup artists online.

The King placed back on his throne.

Jeffree Star’s past makes him one of the most controversial YouTubers of all time, you either LOVE him or hate him there’s no in-between. No one is perfect, even celebrities make mistakes. Jeffree made a BIG mistake, and in 2017 an old video resurfaced on the internet of Jeffree being a racist. Instead of Jeffree hiding from his past or hiring a major PR person to deal with the storm, he faced it himself. This revealed a lot about Jeffree’s character but it wasn’t enough to prevent the online hate and declining subscribers.

Jeffree Star was once the highest-ranked beauty guru’s on youtube until a younger more shiner version came along and knocked him right off his throne. Not for long though, poor James Charles came under fire from another beauty YouTuber considered to be his close friend, resulting in the loss of 1 million + subscribers in just 48 hours, putting king Jeffree right back on his throne.

His journey to creating a multi-million dollar makeup brand. 

Something Jeffree Star prides himself in is being ‘self-made’. Before Jeffree was a major makeup guru, he had a love for music. Unfortunately for him, this became short fated. It crashed and burned (for the best), but it wasn’t over for Jeffree. He then took his many followers that he had previously gained on a platform called ‘my space’ and combined them with his life savings to invent and create his first product line which was a HUGE success. Taking one of the biggest gambles of his life he said;

“It was either this was gonna work out for me or I was gonna have to go back to the mall… and work at MAC again,” – Cosmopolitan.

This was the first huge step Jeffree took in his career, but it paid off massively for the beauty guru. He then invented and created other product lines such as highlighters, foundations, eyeshadow palettes and so on, making Jeffree Star cosmetics the successful multi-million dollar company it is today.

 

RD8

Money can’t buy class… 

It’s time to discuss the ‘Secret World of Jeffree Star’. Despite Jeffree Star growing a multi-million dollar company, he still left a sour taste in many youtube goers mouths. From his past to getting himself involved in many dramas and dissing Kylie Jenner, it didn’t matter how much money he was making, he was still hated by so many. People subscribed to Jeffree because of his rawness when reviewing other brands, he left no stone unturned. He went in on many brands, even his neighbor Kylie Jenner’s calling her products overpriced while throwing them in the bin. His dark humor left him very unliked in the beauty community, to the point where even people he considered his ‘friends’ turned on him. Even though Jeffree Star was rich to the point where he could cut a Chanel bag in half without thinking twice, he became not just unliked but unrelatable to.

What changed?

Jeffree Star met Shane Dawson.

 

 

So, who is Shane Dawson? In a world of unrelatable YouTubers and their Rolex watches, Shane Dawson is a beacon of light. Despite the fact that Shane has 15 million youtube subscribers and is considered an OG (he started his channel 8 years ago), he has stayed hilariously relatable and humble.

No one really knew what series 1 of the ‘Secret World of Jeffree Star’ was going to entail, but all I can say is it’s definitely not what anyone expected. Shane filmed a 5 piece documentary series on Jeffree’s life and without a doubt changed (almost) everyone’s opinion on the makeup mogul. Jeffree Star talks about many raw and personal things that he doesn’t share on his own platforms, all while giving a tour of his 7 million dollar closet. We see what Jeffree gives back to his fans, friends, and family, and it’s truly without a doubt it’s truly inspiring.

It starts with Shane taking a tour of Jeffree’s mansion in hidden hills and finishes with Shane surprising Jeffree to a visit of his first original apartment where he experienced some of his darkest times. Without ruining the documentary for those who have not seen it (highly unlikely that there’s many), Jeffree gets personal with money, business, life and let’s not forget his 6 dogs.  Shane and Jeffree’s documentary shook the youtube industry, and without a doubt helped many youtube goers fall in love with the ‘real’ Jeffree Star.

 

 

There was a massive want for a makeup collaboration between Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson, so fans got what fans asked for. They have just launched their ‘Shane x Jeffree Conspiracy Collection’ which covers lipsticks, eyeshadows, and more. It has sold to date 1.1 million palettes, and both youtube stars gained something amazing out of this. Jeffree received a massive amount of praise and acceptance from the internet and subscribers, while Shane received plenty of $$$ (even though we know he is merely interested)… Can’t relate.

 

 

For those who are interested in finding out more about the notorious Jeffree Star, you will be happy to know that Shane has just made and aired a second series called ‘The beautiful world of Jeffree Star’.

Let’s hope the tea is just as hot.

Rachael Diamond is a final year Bsc Communication Management and Public Relations student at Ulster University. She can be found at: Twitter – @diamond_rachael and LinkedIn @https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-diamond-31449b173