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Jeffree Star defies molds, genres, boxes; a trail-blazing and fearless gay teen in Los Angeles in the late ’90s he wore his mother’s makeup, dyed his hair pink and was voted the “Best Hair” kid in the yearbook.
Star is a model, a fashion designer, a beauty icon, a singer, songwriter, performer, and make-up artist with a global following.
But it was Star’s early intrepid use of the internet where he found his niche, his home and his future. He was bold, daring, crass, clever, quick and unapologetically odd.
Said to be worth around $20 million, Star, now 32, is an original internet personality and among the earliest social influencers.
In a video he uploaded Sunday Aug. 19, Star confessed a “dark secret.” He’d told Shane Dawson in a special series that his tattoos cover his many scars from self-harm — cutting his body with razors or knives — from more than a decade ago.
But in his new video, “Revealing My Last Dark Secrets,” Star says that his self-harm continued up until just a few years ago; he could not quite tell the full truth to Dawson. Painful stuff. But Star is open, candid and unafraid to sat what he thinks and share himself and his wounds, and his wins.
There’s so much to know about Star starting with a recent post on Instagram where Star shares this:
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever buy a Lamborghini… Sometimes my life feels like a crazy dream but then I pinch myself and remind myself of all the struggles, hard times, sleeping on friends couches to get to work when I couldn’t afford my own place.. I remember my first car was a 1991 Nissan and it would break down all the time when I was a freelance makeup artist and worked at MAC. What am I getting at? That ANYTHING is possible. It’s not about the car or how much money I’ve made, it’s about the personal goals I’ve accomplished and the dreams I never gave up on, when people would spit in my face and tell me no one would ever take a man wearing makeup seriously ? It’s to remind all of YOU to never give up on what you set out to accomplish. Never let anyone take away your sparkle. I’ve been to hell and back but I made it.”
Here’s what else you need to know about Jeffree Star and his money:
1. Starting His Journey as a Gay Nonconformist Cali Kid, Star Is a Self-Made Internet Icon & Powerful Social Media
Influencer
Born Jeffrey Steininger in Los Angeles County in 1985, Star was unafraid as a teen to be himself even if that was with full makeup and pink and black hair.
His father died when he was young, so he was raised by his mother, a busy working single parent. She was a model, so the apple doesn’t fall far. And he got into her make-up and later, Star worked for MAC cosmetics. His passion for cosmetics and beauty products, and just beauty in general, would lead him to a career that has made him a multi-millionaire. The kid with the 1991 Nissan.
2. Star Was Every Inch a Star on MySpace & It’s Where He Built a Multi-Million-Dollar Music, Fashion & Beauty Career
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Jeffree Star, an icon and an inspiration for a generation of misfits born with the internet.
Star garnered more than 25 million plays of the music he released on MySpace as the sites most popular unsigned artist. Soon he released a debut record “Beauty Killer” on Popsicle records which topped out at number two on the US Heatseekers chart while also making it on to the top 10 dance/electronic albums.
The track “Lollipop Luxury” featured rapper Nicki Minaj.
But it was his flamboyant style and IDGAF attitude that drew MySpace users to him. His posts and the comments on them are largely unprintable, but his following was so massive that when he realized fans were trying to emulate him by, for example, copying his make-up, style and fashion choices, he knew where that could lead. The site was a platform for Star to promote his ‘brand’ even as he was creating it. The gender-bender opened sealed-tight doors and was MySpace’s most connected personality in 2006.
Content from MySpace dating to 2006 includes:
“The latest news for Star is a soon to be announced TV show, a brand new album titled BEAUTY KILLER out in the fall and so much more. He has sold OVER 100,000 downloads on iTunes and has over 40 million plays on Myspace. It’s clear that Jeffree Star is much more than just another pretty face, the stoic battle to remain at the top is ahead for him, so stand back or be eaten, or worse, be gored with a vicious stiletto heel.”
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“Not everyone’s going to get me,” sighs Star. “But that’s the point. I’m not the first person to be ahead of my time—but I don’t have time for the retirement center to catch up. They can pop Geritol and recycle the tried-and-tired; it’s more important for me to continue to evolve and expand.”
3. But It’s YouTube Where Star Makes the Serious Cha-Ching
This video make-up tutorial was posted two days ago, on July 31. It’s been viewed more than 2.2 million times since.
Star took his persona, his music and his fashion, beauty and make-up know-how to YouTube. An upload from 8 years ago was the video for “Beauty Killer.” His next several were also music videos. “Prom Night,” which has 8 million views, was a portent of sorts since it opens with Star doing prom make-up on himself and a girlfriend. So the make-up. Beginning in around 2013, Star first addressed make-up, literally in the video of the ‘tour version’ of his dance track, “Jeffree Star Wears More Makeup Than You.”
Star had been doing make-up since MySpace days but his YouTube tutorials and product reviews are hugely popular and other playlists including “First Impressions,” his make-up and beauty product reviews, “The Jeffree Star Show,” “Travel Vlogs,” “Beat My Face,” “Lip Swatches Reviews,” and his “ASMR” help relax the anxious and bring sleep to the restless.
According to SocialBlade, Star, who has more than 10 million subscribers, has had his videos viewed just shy of 1 billion times, earns an estimated $20,000 to $314,000 a month, with annual earnings that have ranged from $250,000 to nearly $4 million.
Snapshot one day in July, say July 25, Star who has an ‘A’ SocialBlade ranking, was estimated to have earned more than $37,000.
And as this post was written, his channel’s live video on Thursday evening was earning Star nearly $9,000 …in minutes.
4. Jeffree Star’s Cosmetics Line Is Hugely Popular & Likely Earns Him Millions & Millions
Jeffree Star Cosmetics is so ginormous. Go big is right. Big money.
Everything you want to know about Star’s line can be found on his Twitter, with 2 million followers, his Instagram with 6.7 million followers and of course on his YouTube channel; one of the video-sharing site’s biggest stars is Star. Out this summer is Star’s “Thirsty” collection eye shadow palettes, liquid lips, and lip scrubs. Star promotes the line on all his platforms.
And if you’d like to meet Jeffree and attend a live, 5-hour makeup class like the “Behind the Brush” event in selected cites it’ll cost a bit, oh just $250 to $450 large but presented with LipStickNick, the event is sold out in some cities right now. The $450 VIP ticket-holder gets everything, seriously; private entrance, swag bag packed with Star and Lipsticknick’s favorite products from their tour sponsors, a commemorative laminate, front row seating, live Q&A, photo with Star, autographed pictures and access to the VIP hangout once the class has ended.
5. Über YouTuber Shane Dawson Has a New Show All About Star, ‘The Secret World of Jeffree Star’
“The Secret World of Jeffree Star” premiered Wednesday. Polygon said, Dawson’s documentaries don’t just spill the tea, they tumble the cup.
“The first episode of the series includes a lengthy tour of Star’s private closet, full of clothes, jewelry and accessories valued at roughly $7 million. Star has never shown that closet off before; he’s never talked about how much his most valuable possessions are worth,” the ‘review’ in Polygon reads. “All of this makes the documentary feel like Star is opening up a part of his life that, until now, most people didn’t even know they needed to see.”
And here’s where Jeffree Star shows Shane Dawson just how huge financially he really is. “Oh my God, a warehouse.” And the whole block it’s on.
