Nikkie de Jager is better known by her online persona Nikkie Tutorials. Originally from Wageningen, Netherlands, her career kicked off in 2008 when she began posting makeup tutorials on YouTube. She now boasts 13.7 million subscribers on the video-sharing platform and her online presence has grown exponentially after she teamed up with Marc Jacobs as their global artistry adviser. She has also worked with celebrities like Ashley Graham, Jessie J, and Lady Gaga as well as many prestigious names in the makeup industry like Ofra Cosmetics.
Early in 2020, de Jager made the brave decision to come out as a transgender woman. She opened up about her gender identity through an emotional and inspiring YouTube video on her channel. Despite essentially being forced into making the confession, de Jager received an outpouring of praise for her bravery. Let's take a deeper look into de Jager's journey that helped her become a beauty superstar.
Transforming An Ugly Situation Into Something Beautiful
de Jager kicked off 2020 by posting a 17-minute YouTube video revealing that she's a transgender woman. In the emotionally-charged confession titled “Coming Out,” she explained that she had always known that she was a female, ever since her childhood.
By the age of 14, she had started hormone treatments and when she turned 19, she had fully transitioned. de Jager further explained that facing blackmail from people threatening to leak her story is what compelled her to take control of the situation and tell her story on her own terms and, in turn, reclaim her power.
Growing Up With Supportive Parents
Born in 1994 in the Dutch municipality of Wageningen, when de Jager turned six years old her parents supported her decision to start growing her hair out. When she celebrated her seventh birthday she began wearing female outfits exclusively.
De Jager thanked her mother in her video for supporting her. Her mother had been there for her every step of the way and de Jager said it's the one thing she's most thankful for. She continued that she didn't want her fans to lose trust in her or look at her with different eyes thinking that she had changed.
Fans Rally In Support For de Jager
She said that it was liberating to finally share her truth with her followers who had supported her throughout her 11 years on YouTube. De Jager added that she wanted everyone to know that she is still the same Nikkie and sharing the truth about her gender didn't change her personality.
She received an overwhelming amount of support from the LGBTQ community, her fans, fellow YouTubers, celebrities, and even from several Dutch politicians. The minister of science, education, and culture, Ingrid van Engelshoven, lauded de Jager for her bravery and even called her a role model.
Venturing Into YouTube
During a 2018 interview with Teen Vogue, de Jager said that she published her first YouTube video in 2008. She discovered her love for makeup the same year after she watched an American TV show called The Hills and she knew immediately, that she wanted to recreate one of the looks from the series.
De Jager was sick when she binge-watched the show and it sparked her passion for beauty. She searched for 'The Hills makeup,' on Google and ended up on SandyGold's YouTube channel. She recalls one of the videos where she recreated Lauren Conrad's glam look using drugstore products.
Pursuing Beauty As A Career
De Jager wanted to pursue beauty as a career, partly because being a YouTuber still wasn’t exactly viewed as a career in 2008. She decided to take up professional makeup classes in 2010 under Pascale Tesser. The next year she joined Tesser's Colourful Agency which linked her with magazines and international TV jobs.
At the time, she was also working with publications like Marie Clair. However, she knew that she wanted to challenge herself and focus more on her YouTube channel. In 2014 she went freelance which gave her more time to focus on content creation as well.
From GlamourGirlx3 to NikkieTutorials
Initially, De Jager named her channel 'GlamourGirlx3' but she told Teen Vogue that she wanted her brand to sound more professional. She needed a name that fit the bill, and since beauty videos were dubbed 'tutorials' back then, she took inspiration from the trend and simply attached her name to it.
That's how NikkieTutorials was born, and the name has stuck since then. Her channel also keeps growing and after she posted the video in January 2020 talking about her gender identity, in just 24 hours, her social media following grew by about 300K. Her 'Coming Out' video has now garnered 34 million views!
The "It" About Beauty
De Jager told HelloGiggles that everyone has a personal reason why they are drawn to the beauty industry. There are people who set out to conceal blemishes while others want to transform their faces essentially into works of art. Using beautifying products is no longer just about enhancing your looks.
She considers makeup as a wonderful tool that can be used as a form of self-expression. It allows her to be creative, challenge the norms, and in essence show the world her individuality. She added that it's a personal choice whether to go light, in-between, or full-on drag.
Driven By Passion & Drive
De Jager entered the industry with very little experience but that didn't prevent her from pursuing her dream. The Hills inspired her to level up after seeing the cast always looking so put-together. That's how de Jager became hooked on makeup, and for the next three months, she was glued to the show to get as much inspiration as she could.
She then invested in cosmetic products to recreate some of her favorite looks and it soon became an obsession. She told Teen Vogue that being a YouTuber allows her to set her own work hours and do something she's passionate about. However, it also requires a lot of motivation and drive to keep going and stay on track.
Empowering Artists Around The World
De Jager went viral in 2015 when she posted the video "The Power of MAKEUP." An episode of the reality competition show, RuPaul's Drag Race, inspired her to show her followers how makeup can drastically change one's appearance.
She creatively used 10 beauty products to transform one side of her face while leaving the other completely bare. Some of the products she used included an eye-shadow palette from Too Faced and a concealer from Urban Decay. The video is considered one of the most empowering ones she has put out to date, as it helped destroy the stigma around makeup.
Endorsement Deals & Collaborations
Like most successful YouTubers with millions of followers, de Jager has done several collaborations and brand endorsements over the years. In 2016 she landed her very first collaboration deal with Too Faced Cosmetics. The deal saw her team up with the cosmetics giant to come up with a limited-edition product line that had de Jager's name on it.
The collection included loose glitter, an eye-shadow palette, purple mascara, eyeliner, and a primer. De Jager has also worked with Maybelline and in August of 2020 she teamed up with Beauty Bay to launch an eyeshadow palette. As of June 2020, de Jager is also a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
Fallout With Too Faced
In 2017, a bitter feud surfaced between Youtuber and beauty mogul, Jeffree Star and Too Faced. Star took to his Snapchat and Twitter to talk about the company's founder Jerrod Blandino. He also hinted towards an alleged fallout between Too Faced and de Jager.The feud involved a measly $50K paycheck de Jager had received from the collaboration which, in Star's opinion, was a gross underpayment.
Anonymous sources reported to Business Insider that the company netted $8 million from the deal. In a video addressing the scandal, de Jager said that the poor quality of the palettes also made her more cautious of future brand collaborations. Too Faced had allegedly changed the quality of the products without her knowledge, leading to thousands of bad reviews.
Teaming Up With Ofra Cosmetics
De Jager later collaborated with Ofra Cosmetics for the OFRA x NikkieTutorials line which was released in 2017 and included a highlighter and a set of three liquid lipsticks. The highly-anticipated collection almost sold out instantly.
After the success of the initial collaboration, de Jager released more collections with Ofra, which shows how much influence she has on her audience. Her hard work and talent have caught the attention of many big brands as she has continued to sign collaboration deals after her project with Ofra. de Jager said that it took her a long time to start trusting brands again after the Too Faced ordeal.
Childhood Insecurities And Bullying
The Shorty Awards, also known as the Shortys, are held annually to recognize the contributions of social media creators in enriching the online space. Past winners include Michelle Obama, DJ Khaled, Rebel Wilson, The Try Guys, and Taylor Swift.
De Jager won the award for the Best YouTube Guru in 2017. In her acceptance speech, she spoke about being bullied in her childhood and how it affected her self-esteem. She explained that she had never thought that she would make it because of her insecurities but her success has given courage to so many of her young fans to chase their dreams.
Collaboration With Marc Jacobs
De Jager's star continued to rise over the years, and in 2019 she got her biggest collaboration deal yet when she teamed up with Marc Jacobs as their first-ever global artistry adviser. The role will see de Jager work with the brand's product development, artistry, and social media content teams around the world.
She told Allure that she decided to work with Marc Jacobs because the brand approach to beauty is similar to hers. She considers makeup products as a gateway to self-expression and she embraces the process of experimenting and pushing the boundaries that goes hand-in-hand with it.
Working With Celebrities
De Jager has also worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. In December 2019 she used products from Lady Gaga's Haus Laboratories to give the singer a makeover. She even has a YouTube video on her channel documenting the transformation process.
She has also worked with artists like Becky G, Bebe Rexha, Jessie J, and Ashley Graham on various occasions. Snoop Dogg even narrated one of her tutorial videos walking audiences through de Jager's beauty routine. She told Buro that she had the most fun working with Jessie J because they laughed a lot and she considers Jessie an incredible person.
Her Biggest Inspiration
While de Jager has spoken extensively about being inspired by Lauren Conrad's style, her beauty icon and role model is someone entirely different. She looks up to Pat McGrath who is a British beauty entrepreneur with a company valued at an estimated $1 billion.
McGrath has been involved in the industry for decades and she's built a well-deserved reputation with a visible influence when it comes to trends and techniques. De Jager felt inspired by the fact that McGrath is self-made and she told HelloGiggles that she has the honor of rubbing shoulders with McGrath once.
An Inspiration To Many
Since de Jager dropped her coming-out video, she has become an inspiration to even more people who may not have known her full story before. At the time of making the video, she didn't know how people would react to her truth, but she received nothing but love and positivity from fans.
In an Instagram post, she expressed her gratitude for the incredible response to the video. She also got emotional while talking about her mother, who she considers her biggest supporter and confidant through the transition journey. It was because of her mother's support that she was able to live her truth without feeling any shame or guilt.
Praise From Fellow YouTubers
Her YouTube peers had nothing but kind words to say about de Jager after she shared her Coming Out video. SophDoesLife, a YouTuber based in the UK, told the BBC that she considers de Jager a truly incredible woman. She added that she has inspired many and is happy that de Jager can finally feel free and live her truth.
Former Ru Paul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon was amongst the first people who congratulated de Jager for reclaiming her story. Monsoon shared a Tweet applauding how she handled the situation by not letting other people control her story.
Suffering From PTSD Symptoms
The advocacy group GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) extended their support to de Jager. The group's head of talent, Anthony Ramos, explained that every LGBTQ person should be allowed to come out on their own terms and not pushed to it.
De Jager said that she experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the blackmailing ordeal. De Jager also got help from a doctor because she had trouble sleeping. That's when she found out that she had PTSD symptoms. She told &C Magazine that she takes it in stride day by day but she's learned to conquer it.
Comfort From Her Fiance Dylan
On what later turned out to be a controversial appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show, de Jager explained that she had feared the people threatening to leak her story to the media were out to ruin her life. Fortunately, she had someone else offering her the comfort she needed at that time.
Her fiancé Dylan Drossaers offered a shoulder and supported her decision to tell the truth. He also pushed her to post the video assuring her that whatever the outcome would be, they would get through it together. He reassured her that she was making the right decision and it turned out for the best.
The Ellen DeGeneres Controversy
Later on, de Jager spoke about her experience during her appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show saying that she had received unfavorable treatment before taping. De Jager shared her ordeal with &C, a Dutch outlet, saying that Ellen was very cold and barely spoke to her before the interview.
She added that the closest bathroom was reserved for the special guests of the night, The Jonas Brothers, who also appeared on the same episode. De Jager is also quoted saying that the friendly and welcoming atmosphere audiences see isn't the reality behind the scenes at the studio.
Losing Her Brother
De Jager might only be 26, but she's experienced more tragedy than anyone should have to bear. She lost her brother to a rare form of lymphatic cancer. She told Glamour in 2018 that he had gone into remission after going through radiation and chemotherapy but the cancer came back.
She described it as a black page in her life when her brother tragically passed away after fighting the battle against the illness for two years. De Jager was devastated by the incident and honored him with a rainbow-themed video posted on her YouTube channel.
An Armed Robbery
The blackmailing wasn't the only traumatic experience de Jager has suffered in recent months. She and her fiancé were held at gunpoint by robbers. According to news outlets, three assailants made their way to the home de Jager shares with her fiance in broad daylight on the 8th of August 2020.
De Jager said that it was like a terrible nightmare when they were attacked in their home. Fortunately, they were physically fine but she couldn't say the same about their mental wellbeing. She shared the post on social media to assure her fans that they were safe but wanted to take some time off to recover from the incident.
Add Some Glitter When In Doubt
De Jager's mantra is to add sparkles figuratively and literally. Her vibrant personality is magnetizing in itself but you'll always notice that she spots some extra glitter. It's become one of her signatures and her collaboration with Too Faced made sure that consumers got a hold of some much-needed pop of glitter.
She told Seventeen at the time that she believed people would simply love the glitter because it helps to make their looks pop. She also doesn't consider it a product that's only suitable for special occasions and she recommends it to complete any look.
Haters, Back Off
Even in 2020 we still have people who shame others for wearing makeup. De Jager told Seventeen that she thinks the haters are simply intimidated by those who dare to think outside the box and embrace their creativity.
She said that women shouldn't have to change their style just to please men or appear more natural-looking. De Jager added that the person you should love most is YOU and as long as you're happy with yourself, nothing else should matters. She finished off by advising that if you feel like putting on a glitter liner or a really glowy highlighter, go ahead and rock it.