YouTuber Christen Dominique created her own beauty empire years after stealing her mom's concealer

• Since starting her YouTube channel in 2009, Christen Dominique has amassed a following of more than four million subscribers.
• She also launched a namesake beauty brand, Dominique Cosmetics, in 2018.
• As part of Insider's "Beauty Files" series, Dominique explained how she went from stealing her mom's beauty products and doing her classmates' makeup to working at an insurance company and later starting a YouTube channel.
• She also listed an e.l.f. Cosmetics product as being the least expensive thing in her beauty routine, and shared her tips for applying concealer.

In 2009, Christen Dominique uploaded her first makeup tutorial to YouTube.

Though she didn't know it at the time, that video would later lead to her having more than four million YouTube subscribers, 1.5 million Instagram followers, and a namesake cosmetic brand over a decade later.

We spoke with Dominique about her makeup journey as part of Insider's "Beauty Files" series, which takes readers beyond the beauty world they see online. She spoke about her early days doing makeup for classmates, tips for applying concealer, and her mindset for staying inspired when working with her brand Dominique Cosmetics.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Christen Dominique talks about how she her makeup skills through helping her classmates apply their products at school

Amanda Krause: What are some of your first beauty memories?

Christen Dominique: I wasn't allowed to wear makeup, so I snuck my mom's yellow corrector. Once I applied it and went out into the world, I felt the transformative power of makeup because I was teased for my under-eye circles so heavily at that point in my life.

Then I started doing people's makeup using their products, and I became the locker-room makeup artist from late middle school through all of high school. I did freelancing out of high school as well. It just became a passion of mine to make others feel beautiful and confident the way I felt that day.

Krause: You mentioned that you were a freelance makeup artist. Did you always work in beauty?

Dominique: I worked in medical insurance. You know the number you call on the back of your insurance card? That was me. I was going to school full-time as well. Freelancing was just something I did on the side, but I eventually let go of the career because it was taking too much time and money. But then I started YouTube so that I could practice my passion.

The YouTuber explains how her beauty routine has changed while social distancing

Krause: Do you have any beauty regrets from your early days doing makeup?

Dominique: I look back like, "Oh my god my brows," or "Oh my concealer was so bright." I have so many, but I actually don't regret them.

Now I can teach others to avoid the mistakes. I have a lot of "Do's and Don'ts" videos on my YouTube channel inspired by those situations.

Krause: What have the past few months been like for you? Has your beauty routine changed at all?

Dominique: My beauty routine has actually changed a lot. It's more natural, quick, and easy.

Well, my natural probably isn't everyone's natural — I still wear lashes — but my skin is more natural. I focus more on the eyes.

Krause: Do you have a current favorite product?

Dominique: My liquid eye paints, which Dominique Cosmetics just came out with. They've been my go-to because you can just pop them on with your finger. They're so easy to use and super blendable.

Krause: I'm also wondering about your makeup techniques. Are there any beauty tricks you swear by?

Dominique: Concealer has never failed me. If you apply concealer on the inner corners of your eyes and below the temples, it always makes your face look fresh, awake, and a little lifted. I've been doing that for so long, and it's my favorite trick.

Krause: What are the least expensive and most expensive parts of your beauty routine?

Dominique: One product that's a little more extra would have to be my $36 Dior Forever Skin Correct. I absolutely love it. It's the best thing on Earth, and the best concealer I've ever tried. It's so bougie.

I think the least expensive would have to be my $4 e.l.f. Cosmetics bronzer and blush duo in the St. Lucia shade.

Dominique says her beauty brand stands out from others on the market — and she has big plans for the future

Krause: The beauty industry is filled with more makeup brands than ever before. How do you keep Dominique Cosmetics fresh, and how do you stay inspired?

Dominique: Our brand tagline is "You're beautiful inside and out," and with every launch, we have another tagline that's included on the mirror or the vial so that people can look at it and remind themselves that beauty starts from within.

I feel like that's something I don't see other brands doing, and I'm really passionate about it — especially because my beauty journey started from an insecurity. I want to make sure people know that their beauty inside is so important.

Krause: What does the future look like for you in terms of your YouTube channel and beauty brand?

Dominique: The future for me and the brand is expanding in every category — like formulation and innovative packaging people have never seen before — and doing it well. I want to touch somebody's soul with our products and the meaning behind them.

• Read more:
• Patrick Starrr shares how late nights making YouTube videos led to him owning a cosmetics company
• YouTuber Manny MUA talks about his journey from wearing his mom's lipstick to being a top beauty influencer with his own makeup line
• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley says having her makeup done for years as a model inspired her to start a show about beauty