In 2019, it seems that anyone that can upload an Instagram picture or YouTube video and call themselves a beauty influencer. But very few have stood the test of time; Nikkie de Jager, also known as NikkieTutorials, was one of the first beauty influencers to upload YouTube videos of makeup tutorials to her account after being inspired by Lauren Conrad's makeup on The Hills. Yep, we're talking over 11 years of content on her YouTube channel, weekly new video drops, and a strong YouTube fan base of over 12 million (and growing!).
And it's not just persistence that has paid off for the YouTube star, she actually has the credentials to back it up - she's a professional makeup artist, and has collaborated with makeup brands such as Maybelline New York, Ofra Cosmetics and Too Faced, just to name a few. Now, she's been named as Marc Jacobs Beauty’s Global Artistry Advisor, and was recently in Sydney to teach a makeup masterclass. We caught up with Nikkie during an exclusive interview, and quizzed her on her favourite beauty products, her first beauty memory, and her best advice for budding YouTubers.
On her favourite Marc Jacobs products of all time…
“It's going to be the Marc Jacobs Beauty Accomplice Concealer & Touch-Up Stick, because this is truly Photoshop in a [stick], it's insane. But [also] Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer Lipgloss - this has got my heart. [Especially] Cream & Sugar, I mean, just look at the colour. I pop this on on my full makeup days, and on my days where I'm not wearing a lot, it's THE gloss of all glosses.”
On whether she wears a full face of makeup daily…
“I glam up for my videos, I glam up for events, and on my day-to-day life it's just curled lashes, highlighter, lip gloss, done.”
On her mum as a beauty influence…
“My mum is an aesthetician, so she takes care of my skin and every product out there she's like ‘okay, so let me take a look at the ingredients - is it approved by Mama-bear?’”
On whether she packs a lot of beauty products when she travels…
“Half [a suitcase]. One compartment is totally filled up with makeup, and the rest is clothing. I always take my current obsessions and the products that I know work for me, but I also throw in two or three new products I really want to try out and experiment with. So, for example, I have this new eyeliner. For me, eyeliners bleed on the inner corners a lot, so you know what, let me try it out in Singapore, in Seoul, in Sydney. It's a nice little mixture.”
On which beauty products she takes with her on the plane…
“Not that much. I have a sheet mask with me for moisture. I have my lip gloss with me for when I still want to look fabulous. I have my Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant. And that's about it really.”
Marc Jacobs Beauty Accomplice Concealer & Touch-Up Stick
Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer Lipgloss
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
On her first-ever beauty memory…
“When my family and I went camping, the girl next to us wore this intense bright blue shadow, and she was the hot girl of wherever we were. And every guy fell in love with her and she had this bright blue shadow on. And somehow, in some way, I really connected to her, and she was like ‘You gotta wear this too, you gotta wear this too. And so she put it on my eyes and it looked absolutely ridiculous but I was like ‘Oh I'm the hot girl too now you know’. So I think that's a funny memory from very early on.”
On who she would like to collaborate with next on YouTube…
“I have two. My all-time dream is Adele. I feel like Adele and I would be twins, like how we act, the way we go about life, I feel like we would be great together. And funny enough, the second one is The Rock. I would love for The Rock to do my makeup… just the big muscular arms with a tiny little brush. I think that would be really funny.”
On her mentality when she films…
“I try to explain it like this: when I film a video, I'm trying to pass on this feeling. So whenever I'm talking about a highlighter, a lip gloss, whatever, I try to pass on how I feel about it. But when I'm having an off day, it's really hard to pass that on. So I've learned throughout the past that whenever I'm not in the mood I just shouldn't be filming. Even though there's deadlines, there's all this, there's all that. But I know that once I cannot give you the feeling that I have to give you, then it's not worth it. So I don't. And then some people hate me for it.
I love makeup so much and it makes me happy, and makeup was there in the time when I had really dark thoughts and when I was super insecure. And every time I pick up a brush, I want to have that feeling like ‘okay we're here to have a good old time. We're here to have a transformation.’
Makeup is there to make you feel good, and as soon as you're in that mood where makeup doesn't make you feel good, I feel like that shouldn't be the day where you play with makeup. You should just lay the brush down, go eat a hamburger or something.”
On her best advice for those wanting to start a YouTube channel…
“Do it for the right reasons. A lot of people nowadays start for fame, for money, and I think it's super important to start for the love of makeup, or whatever you're doing. That's how I started, that's how I still remain doing this 11 years in. So do it for the right reasons.”
Going on a holiday soon? Here are the beauty products we love to travel with.
What product is a must-have for you when you travel? Tell us in the comments below.
Main image credit: @nikkietutorials
Iantha is BEAUTYcrew's Beauty Editor, and has been part of the team since the site launched in 2016. Besides pinky-nude nail polish and wispy false lashes, she has a healthy obsession with face masks and skin care ingredients. Her previous work can be found in Virgin Australia Voyeur, Women's Health, and SHOP Til You Drop.
