Jeffree Star's androgynous style, bright hair, and many tattoos help him cut a distinctive
figure, first in the music business and later in the makeup industry.
His prolific career began on MySpace in the mid-2000s.
From there, the singer/songwriter made a name for himself as a beauty influencer on YouTube.
Today, Star runs a hugely successful makeup company.
His influence has won him many fans as well as a few enemies.
But does he really care what other people think?
Here's the truth about Jeffree Star.
A shady past
No one is perfect something which Star proved in spades, thanks to some racially insensitive
MySpace videos, which resurfaced in 2017.
Star issued a video apology for them in June of that year, saying,
"Those videos were 12 years ago" "It just makes me sick to my stomach because
I don't know who that person was."
Star revealed that he had been struggling with anger issues when he created that content,
saying,
"That person was seeking attention."
"I didn't know any better.
And does that make it okay?
Absolutely not."
Going with the flow
Star regularly sports pink hair and lives with his boyfriend, Nathan, but these days,
he's not labeling his sexuality.
When he was first starting out, Star would often refer to himself as gay or androgynous,
but he now recognizes that wasn't his truth.
He told Paper,
"I am attracted to both genders and I have been with transgender people and I just don't
even know if there's a name for it.
And even with all these new labels out there, I still am just like, 'I'm Jeffree, and I'm
attracted to whoever I want to be.'"
Everyone's got a vice
He may seem to have all the makings of a rock and roll lifestyle, but Star doesn't drink
alcohol or smoke cigarettes.
But there is one vice he'll indulge in: marijuana.
"For a silky, sun….You guys, sorry, mama's high"
Fortunately, Star lives in California, where the herb became legal in 2018.
He told Cosmo,
"I love marijuana.
I just love the feeling of it."
It seems like getting high might be one of the ways that this celeb deals with the pressures
of fame.
He revealed,
"I would rather just be successful and have money than be famous.
I know that's crazy coming from me, of all people, but I think it's just [...] wisdom
and life experiences."
The power of a look
According to Star, makeup is a powerful means of self expression that reaches far beyond
covering up a few flaws.
He told Glamour that when he first started playing with makeup as a kid, he was transfixed
by it, saying,
"I just loved the idea of transformation.
I loved that you could become a character.
[...] You just feel different, like a boss-a-- b----.
And I love that at the end of the day you can wipe it off, and you're back to you."
About those tatts
Star clearly loves that ink, and many of his tats feature some pretty iconic faces.
Among his many tattoos are portraits of Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana.
He told Out,
"I'm obsessed with art, and you know when you're younger and someone tells you that
you can't change your appearance, you're going to want change it more than normal.
So now I'm like a walking canvas."
But he warns fans about rushing into getting inked, too fast.
Star hated his early tattoos so much he had them lasered off, saying,
"Now I've heard horror stories" "it's horrifying, it's really painful, there's
blisters, there's blood… those are all true."
A supportive mother
Star describes himself as coming from a family where alcoholism and abuse were the norm.
But he says his mother was always on his side.
He discovered his mom's makeup stash when he was 12, and by 10th grade, he was wearing
makeup to class.
But his school claimed that Star was distracting the other students, and alerted his mother.
He told Nylon,
"My mom fought the school and I got to wear makeup every day."
Cruelty-free philosophy
Star's looks may destroy, but his products sure don't.
His cruelty-free makeup line even has the support of animal rights organizations PETA
and Leaping Bunny.
He told Logical Harmony,
"I think it's so archaic that cosmetic companies are still using animal by-products and insects
in their products!
Why is anyone still doing that?"
Launching his line
After Star's MySpace music career stalled in 2013, he turned toward another one of his
passions: makeup.
But while he had amassed a legion of followers through his music, he wasn't exactly rolling
in the dough.
In order to launch his makeup business, he had to make a risky move: sinking his entire
life savings into a line of liquid lipstick.
Star had some experience in the industry, having previously worked as a makeup artist
at MAC, but he told Cosmo,
"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.
It was probably the most scared I've been in my entire life."
The move clearly paid off.
And as far as the rest goes?
"The rest is makeup, filters, Instagram, and concealer, baby, so do you, be you, and f---
anyone that don't like the real, raw you."
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