Vlogger Amanda Steele On Conquering The World Wide Web
The 17-year-old has also signed modeling deals
The following feature appears in the October 2016 issue of NYLON.
Hailed by some as a mini Kendall Jenner, 17-year-old vlogger and social media phenom Amanda Steele is your girl if you need a killer contour or cat-eye. Steele has been in the beauty game for almost seven years and has evolved from a fresh-faced tween showing off fringe-laden Coachella looks in her backyard to a style pacesetter collaborating with heavy hitters like Maybelline, CoverGirl, and L’Oréal. She’s now even transitioning into modeling and acting, proving she rules IRL, too.
About: With beauty dogma like “highlighter over your cupid’s bow is always a good look,” and “dark lipstick can get crazy fast—use a brush,” Steele has built an avid base of acolytes and fans, and today boasts over 2.9 million subscribers on YouTube, with over 6.5 million followers across all of her social platforms. “The first time I got recognized on the street was surreal,” she says of her online fame, “but I had such a close connection to my viewers that it kind of felt natural, like I already knew them.” With the silver screen calling, Steele went on to star in AwesomenessTV’s original series Guidance as Miriam, the surly, enigmatic babe on campus. “It was such a great experience. I learned a ton about acting and being on a set, and loved playing Miriam—she was a unique balance of sassy and vulnerable,” she says. Steele also recently signed on with WME and IMG Models. “I’ve always wanted to design my own line, too,” she adds. “My brain explodes thinking of all the things I want to do.”
Favorite Quote: “It’s cheesy, but I’m owning it: [Oscar Wilde’s] ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’”
Handles: YouTube: MakeupbyMandy24; Instagram: @amandasteele; Snapchat: amandasteele24
Hometown: Orange County, California, a quick cruise down the freeway from her current digs in Los Angeles
Interests: “I could eat sushi every day. Totally not kidding.”
Member Since: 2010, when she discovered that YouTube is life. After poring over makeup tutorials day after day, she finally created her own channel at just 10 years old.
Relationship status: “Married to my Australian Shepherd, Harley”
Song: “Cannot get enough of ‘Cool Girl’ by Tove Lo.”
Top 8: “Right now I’m addicted to my Chanel Boy bag, an amazing matching short set I got from GCDS, RTA’s leather lace-up dress that’s the perfect mix of grungy and sexy, my Givenchy leather heel booties that I wear literally everywhere, my vintage Metallica tee, RE/DONE vintage denim shorts, a Danielle Guizio silk dress, and high-waisted leather shorts from Nasty Gal.”
Zodiac sign: Leo. “I totally identify—expressive, confident, and ambitious.”
All clothing by H&M, shoes by Sophia Webster, rings by Cartier. Hair: Kylee Heath. Makeup: Kelsey Deenihan.
