NikkieTutorials, whose real name is Nikkie de Jager, is a Dutch makeup artist and beauty YouTuber who helped define the golden age of beauty YouTube. Born on March 2, 1994, in Wageningen, Netherlands, she is 32 years old as of October 2026. Her 2015 video “The Power of Makeup” became a global viral moment that spawned thousands of imitations. She came out as transgender in January 2020 in a video that became the most-watched upload on her channel, married Dylan Drossaers in 2022, and launched her own beauty brand Nimya, which she funds herself.
As of 2026, her YouTube channel holds roughly 15 million subscribers with over 2.4 billion total views. Her net worth is estimated between $2 million and $6 million, with some estimates putting it near $6 million. She remains the most-subscribed independent YouTuber from the Netherlands.
Early Life
Nikkie de Jager was born on March 2, 1994, in Wageningen, a city in the central Netherlands. She grew up with two brothers; her younger brother Mikai died of cancer in May 2018. She has kept details about her parents largely private.
The origin story she tells starts with illness. As a teenager, sick in bed, she was watching MTV’s The Hills and became fixated on the makeup of Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, and Audrina Patridge. She searched YouTube for “The Hills Makeup” tutorials to recreate the look, and watching those videos gave her the idea to make her own. She uploaded her first video in 2008 at age 14.
After about two years of uploading, she enrolled in makeup coursework at B Academy in Amsterdam to train professionally. In 2011, she signed with the Colourfool Agency, which booked her work on Dutch television productions including Holland’s Next Top Model and Miljoenenjacht. By fall 2013, she was the head makeup artist for the RTL 5 show I Can Make You a Supermodel. She left the agency in early 2014 to work freelance.
Content Style and Collaborations
De Jager’s tutorials are known for their production quality: sharp close-ups, strong lighting, and methodical technique breakdowns. She films full routines rather than quick transformations, and her product recommendations carry weight because she spent years as a working makeup artist before becoming a full-time creator. That professional background shows in her brush work and her willingness to explain why a technique works, not just how to copy it.
She has collaborated with brands across the industry and filmed with fellow creators in the US and Europe. Her audience spans the Netherlands, the UK, and the United States, making her one of the few beauty YouTubers with a genuinely international following. She won the Shorty Award for YouTube Guru and has been a fixture at beauty industry events for a decade, representing Dutch creators on the global stage.
In 2021, she appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, a high-profile mainstream moment for a Dutch creator. The appearance put her in front of a television audience far beyond YouTube and reflected her status in the Netherlands, where she is the most-subscribed independent YouTuber in the country.
The Power of Makeup
In 2015, de Jager uploaded “The Power of Makeup,” a video in which she applied makeup to only half her face to show the difference cosmetics make. The concept was simple and the execution was striking: one side bare, one side full glam. The video went massively viral and inspired a wave of imitations from creators and celebrities showing their own half-made-up faces.
The video changed her career. Her subscriber count surged through 2015 and 2016, passing 5 million by the end of 2016 and 10 million by mid-2018. Forbes named her one of the top ten beauty influencers in 2017. She won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Fashion/Beauty Web Star in 2017 and a Shorty Award for YouTube Guru.
Her channel’s format, detailed tutorials with high production value, professional lighting, and close-up technique shots, set a quality bar that other beauty YouTubers chased. She collaborated with major brands and filmed with fellow creators across the US and Europe.
Coming Out
In January 2020, de Jager uploaded a video titled “I’m Coming Out” in which she revealed that she is transgender. She said she had been blackmailed by someone threatening to expose her, which forced her to share the news on her own terms. She explained that she had fully transitioned by age 19, while already running her YouTube channel as a teenager.
The video became the most popular upload on her channel and drew widespread media coverage and an outpouring of support from fans, fellow creators, and brands. She discussed how she had always known, how her family and then-boyfriend Dylan Drossaers had supported her, and how she hoped the video would help young transgender viewers.
In the aftermath, brands reaffirmed their partnerships with her, and her subscriber count continued growing. The coming out became part of her public identity without displacing the beauty content: she kept posting tutorials on schedule, and the channel’s growth continued through 2020 and beyond. For many viewers, the video was the first time a creator of her size had spoken openly about being transgender, and it remains one of YouTube’s most-watched coming out videos.
The coming out reshaped her public narrative: she had been one of beauty YouTube’s biggest stars for years before revealing a fundamental fact about herself, and the revelation added a layer of advocacy to her platform.
Personal Life and Marriage
De Jager began dating Dylan Drossaers in 2018 after a friend gave her his number; she has joked that she pursued him persistently before they met at a birthday party. They made their relationship public on Instagram in January 2019. Drossaers, born February 8, 1995, in Eindhoven, calls himself “Mr. Tutorials” in his Instagram bio and appears in her videos.
Drossaers proposed in August 2019 during a trip to Italy. They originally planned a 2020 wedding but postponed because of the pandemic. They married on September 6, 2022, in an intimate ceremony with close friends and family. De Jager did her own wedding makeup and took her husband’s name, becoming Nikkie de Jager-Drossaers.
In August 2020, the couple was robbed at gunpoint in their home in Uden, Netherlands. Three intruders broke in around 4 pm and held them at gunpoint, taking valuables. Neither was physically harmed. Dutch police later arrested suspects.
Nimya: Her Own Brand
De Jager launched Nimya, her own beauty brand, with a skincare-first range debuting September 23. She announced in her launch video that she turned down investor offers and funded the brand entirely with her own money, wanting full control. Trade publication Cosmetics Business covered the launch.
Nimya’s lineup includes skincare prep products, the “Glowification” highlighter range, glitter lip toppers, lash products, and accessories like the Nimya headband. In 2026, the brand released Trash Until The Lash V2, a trio of strip lash styles named after dates significant to de Jager: July 16th (the most dramatic), September 10th (a cat-eye flick), and March 31st, dubbed “Nikkie’s Natural.” The lashes retail at 13.99 euros per pair on nimya.com.
The brand’s German Instagram account holds about 1.2 million followers, and Nimya runs regular live sales on Instagram and TikTok with de Jager hosting from the company warehouse. As of 2026, the brand remains active with frequent product drops and promotions.
Career Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2008 | First YouTube upload at age 14 |
| 2011 | Signs with Colourfool Agency |
| 2013 | Head makeup artist for RTL 5’s I Can Make You a Supermodel |
| 2014 | Leaves agency to freelance |
| 2015 | “The Power of Makeup” goes viral; subscriber surge begins |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Award; Forbes top 10 beauty influencer |
| 2018 | Passes 10 million subscribers; brother Mikai dies |
| 2020 | “I’m Coming Out” video (January); home robbery (August) |
| 2021 | Appears at Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam |
| 2022 | Marries Dylan Drossaers (September 6) |
| 2023 | Nimya brand launches |
| 2026 | Nimya Trash Until The Lash V2 release; brand continues live sales |
2024 to 2026 Developments
De Jager’s recent years have centered on Nimya. The brand’s 2025 calendar included Valentine’s promotions, a birthday sale with 31 percent off site-wide, and regular TikTok and Instagram live sales hosted from the warehouse. The Trash Until The Lash V2 launch in 2026 expanded the lash line with the date-named styles, and customer response was strong.
Her YouTube upload schedule has slowed from its peak pace, with more energy going to short-form content and brand operations. She remains active on Instagram and TikTok, posting makeup looks and brand content. Her subscriber count held around 15 million through 2026, making her channel a mature asset rather than a growth engine.
She has also kept a presence in Dutch media beyond YouTube, and her wedding in 2022 drew coverage from entertainment outlets across Europe. Fourteen years into her channel, she remains the reference point for beauty creators in the Netherlands and one of the longest-tenured stars in the global beauty vertical.
Follower Counts (as of 2026)
| Platform | Followers | Date of figure |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | ~15 million subscribers; 2.41 billion views | March 2026 |
| Large following under @nikkietutorials | 2026 | |
| Nimya (brand IG, DE) | 1.2 million followers | 2025 |
De Jager belongs to the generation of beauty YouTubers who built the industry’s first influencer economy, alongside American creators like James Charles. The newer wave of influencer fame runs through reality television: personalities such as Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt, and Mayci Neeley broke out via Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. De Jager’s path, fourteen years of consistent YouTube output, remains the longest-running success story of the beauty vertical.
Net Worth
Estimates of de Jager’s net worth vary. SuperStarsBio put it near $6 million as of 2026, while InfoCelebs estimated around $2 million and SuperStarsCulture gave a $1-5 million range. The spread reflects different estimation methods and the private nature of her brand finances. Her income comes from YouTube revenue, brand partnerships, and Nimya, which she owns outright. As the brand grows, her wealth is likely to follow it upward.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is NikkieTutorials?
She was born Nikkie de Jager on March 2, 1994, in Wageningen, Netherlands. She is 32 years old as of October 2026.
What is NikkieTutorials’ real name?
Her real name is Nikkie de Jager. After marrying Dylan Drossaers in 2022, she took the name Nikkie de Jager-Drossaers.
Is NikkieTutorials transgender?
Yes. She came out as transgender in a January 2020 YouTube video titled “I’m Coming Out,” explaining that she had fully transitioned by age 19 and was sharing the news after being blackmailed.
Who is NikkieTutorials’ husband?
Dylan Drossaers, born February 8, 1995, in Eindhoven, Netherlands. They met in 2018, went public in January 2019, got engaged in Italy in August 2019, and married on September 6, 2022.
What is Nimya?
Nimya is NikkieTutorials’ own beauty brand, launched with a skincare range. She funded it entirely with her own money after turning down investors. The brand sells skincare prep, highlighters, lip products, lashes, and accessories through nimya.com, with regular live sales on social media.
What was “The Power of Makeup”?
Her 2015 viral video in which she applied makeup to half her face to demonstrate the difference cosmetics make. It became one of beauty YouTube’s defining videos and inspired thousands of imitations.
What is NikkieTutorials’ net worth?
Estimates range from $2 million to $6 million as of 2026, depending on the outlet. SuperStarsBio estimated near $6 million; other trackers give lower figures. She has not confirmed a number publicly.
