The Secret Life of Jeffree Star, The End of Laura Lee & What Beauty Influencers Should Be

I have a confession to make. Sometimes, in the privacy of my own apartment, I snuggle under the covers and watch my guilty pleasure on Youtube. Her name is Karina Kaboom and she's a drama channel. Sitting in front of about ten stuffed animals, Karina spills the tea on all the latest gossip in the community. Her videos aren't high in production quality, it's actually fairly rare for her to insert video clips. She's also very fond of the word allegedly. I can't rationally explain to you why I started watching her or why I continue to, but here we are.

If you are addicted to Youtube makeup channels like I am, you are also familiar with the controversies that often follow our favorite Youtubers. Jaclyn Hill pretty much never has a makeup collaboration launch without some kind of drama. And then there's Jeffree Star. It's a rare day if Jeffree Star in not mentioned on a drama channel along with his ex friends Manny MUA and Laura Lee.

I've never supported any of these individuals. I am not subscribed to their channels, I have never purchased makeup from their brands. I don't connect with them on any kind of personal level and find them to be fairly obnoxious and polarizing. Then Shane Dawson released a series entitled "The Secret Life of Jeffree Star." Behind the scenes of his glamorous lifestyle (and boy is it glamorous) is a man who has gone through unspeakable heartache, heartbreak and abuse. He was open, honest, vulnerable and real. He's apologized numerous times for his past mistakes and I think that Jeffree Star has truly changed and grown. I think drama is in his blood, he will always tell it like it is and it will continue to follow him (or he will continue to actively insert himself in it.) That said, I  think he has become someone worthy of my support. I respect everything he's been through and everything he's accomplished. I've witnesses his generosity, his willingness to take others under his wing and show them the ropes.

Two of the people he took under his wing are Manny MUA and Laura Lee. The world may never know what led to their falling out, but I feel that no matter what happened Jeffree Star deserves more respect and gratitude then they've given him. A mean picture taken on a brand trip surfaced and led to people uncovering a series of old tweets from Laura Lee that were racist and cruel (fat shaming for instance).

As a publicist, I often think of what I would advice my clients to do if they were in that situation. In this case, I would have advised Laura to immediately make a heartfelt apology. I'd tell her to offer no excuses and to own up to everything. I'd tell her to take a long break from social media and use that time to work on herself and figure out ways to actively give back to the people she hurt and the community who has supported her for so long. I'd suggest she also call Jeffree Star to apologize.

That is not exactly what Laura Lee did. First, she deleted her Twitter most likely to avoid all of the backlash she was receiving. One day later, it was back up. Then instead of putting up an apology video, she put up a makeup video like nothing happened. Finally, she put up an apology video where she claimed the cruel tweets that she wrote were "retweets" and blamed this on being a small town girl from Alabama. There was a lot of crying, but nothing seemed genuine.

Laura has lost a ton of followers and brands seem to be dropping her and quite honestly, I think that is the correct thing to do. I do not support bullying her, but I think it's important for the beauty community to take a stand and show that this kind of behavior and hate will NOT be tolerated. We have the power to decide which influencers will get millions of followers and brand trips and it's time we start choosing better.

Jkissa is an extremely talented makeup artist/beauty influencer who never gets involved in drama. She rescues pittbulls and uses her channel as a platform to educate the importance of adopting animals. Her channel is vegan and cruelty free. She's honest with her subscribers only recommending brads and products she truly loves. She is someone who deserves 5 million subscribers and the opportunity to collaborate with any brand she chooses. She is someone we can actually admire and look up to.

Christen Dominique has over a million followers and her own beauty line that is now sold at Sephora. Yet she responds to her fans on Twitter whenever she can. She's always kind and respectful, never speaking badly of anyone. When people had issues with her second palette, she immediately sent EVERYONE who ordered her palette a new one, no hassle and no questions asked. You can tell that she's grateful for her success and that it hasn't changed her.

Nicole Renee Cutler also has an organization dedicated to rescuing animals and features animals in need on her channel regularly. She doesn't announce giveaways as click bait, but announces them in videos so that only her loyal subscribers have a chance to win. She much prefers affordable products and has no problem choosing an affordable dupe over a luxury item that was sent to her in PR.

Raw Beauty Kristi, Samantha Ravndahl, Jamie Page and Alanna Davison are friendship goals. These are girls are who are genuinely supportive of each other, who build each other up. They are honest with their subscribers, they talk about real issues (depression, self esteem, etc). They've been in the game for a long time, but they've stayed true to themselves and the friends who have been there for them, not the people they think might increase their viewership or further their careers.

These are the people we should be supporting. It's the beauty guru's who would turn down a brand trip to Ibiza because a brand is not cruelty free, the beauty influencers who will risk getting kicked off a PR list to give their honest review, the influencers who don't clap back to drama, the beauty influencers who do what they are doing not for fame or fortune, but for a genuine love of their craft and a genuine love for their subscribers.

Bachelor in Paradise Recap - I Love Colton. I Just Do

It's the most wonderful time of the year. The birds are chirping, the raccoons are looking for new friends to talk to and Wells is pouring some cocktails. Our favorite Bachelors and Bachelorettes (as well as quite a few we can't remember for the life of us) have come to Paradise to find sex. I mean, love. They've come to find love. Obviously. They are all sporting their Diff eyewear and floral rompers from Becca's boutique. Or Lauren boutique. Or Jojo's boutique. They all have boutiques.

It's great catching up with our old Bachelor friends. Krystal has learned to talk like a normal human. Wills is still wearing funky shirts. Wills, Wells, Potato, Potaaato,  I'm starting to get confused here, but I shall continue. Kendall is still quirky as ever and we are finally getting to know Grocery Store Joe. To be honest, it doesn't seem like there's all that much to him but he is adorable and seems sweet. He's the labrador retriever that Jordan claims to be, but Jordan is a small poodle. Speaking of Jordan, seems like not much has changed with him. He still thinks his face, his professionality and the fact that he can walk and talk make him the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have a feeling that this isn't going to end well for Annalise, but she is scared of dogs so there's that. Now she can add male models to her list of fears along with furry friends and bumper cars.

I am just going to touch on some of the other people before getting down to the juicy tomato (Tia and Colton obviously). Who on earth is Angela? Who on earth is Nysha? Although, I love that they refer to David as "former chicken" i am very surprised and upset that he does not fall off a bunk bed during the opening theme song. After all, it's almost paradise - not actual paradise and there are in fact bunk beds. One thing David has taught us is that bunk beds can be dangerous even for grown ass men. Additionally, it seems that David's main purpose in life is to cock block Jordan.

                                                                      Who are you???

I don't get Chris. Sure, he looks like Danny from NKOTB and I looove NKOTB though not going to lie, Danny was always my least favorite. Chris had a crazy emotional breakdown on Becca's season and reminded us all of Chandler's creepy roommate on Friends.

Still, his heartfelt apology on Instagram was nice and I was ready to give him a chance. I'm kind of over that. Judging from how nuts he is being towards Colton and the dramatic previews that imply he will ditch Tia for Crystal...Chris is just not my cup of tea. He is like overly emotionally chamomile tea and I'm a peppermint kind of girl. 

                                              Which is Chris? Which is NKOTB Danny? #twinsies

Speaking of Tia...here we go. Tia has been getting a TON of hate on social media and I am totally opposed to any type of online bullying so I'm going to try and be as nice as possible keeping in mind that I don't know Tia in real life, she is a human being, and she's never done anything that is actually awful. Maybe because she's Raven's friend and southern, I expected to love her because I really enjoyed Raven. First, Tia threw young Bekah under the bus on Arie's season. It was kind of a dick move, but it's not like she murdered my cat.. Then she told Bachelorette Becca to go for it with Colton in the beginning of their relationship and then took that back and said she had feelings once they were much more serious. Again, kind of a dick move, but no furry friends murdered. On Paradise she's just been insufferable. I'm all for girls standing up for themselves and refusing to be strung along, but if I were Colton I probably would have told her to stick that rose up her arse. Ridiculous ultimatum's are not the way to a man's heart.

Although Tia informed Colton that no one else wanted him there and if he didn't commit to her he would be doomed forever, in a crazy twist of events, Bibiana gave Colton her rose!! I love Bibiana cause Bibiana gives zero fucks. Also, her uterus is ready for some action and that is a direct quote. 

I've honestly been looking for reasons to not like Colton. It seems like there are things he could have been more upfront about. I feel like his relationship with Tia was more than just one night. Perhaps he does find himself attracted to girls in the public eye whether it's Aly Raisman, the Bachelorette or a girl who was most likely going to be the Bachelorette before Arie pulled the old fiance switcharoo. Perhaps he wasn't on the show for the right reasons, but let's be honest...is anyone? I assume most contestants figure they have a slim chance of getting engaged, but have a high chance of being able to quit their 9-5 jobs to promote gummy vitamins, fabfitfun boxes and start their own podcast. Best case scenario, they happen to make some friends and maybe even fall in love. I'm sure most or all are somewhat open to that, but they are really in it for the potential podcast opportunities.

Colton is kind of like a mythical unicorn. He is a hot athlete who is also a virgin! He has a foundation dedicated to helping kids with Cystic Fibrosis! He takes many, many pictures with adorable puppies. He really did seem to have genuine feelings for Becca and his reaction to seeing her in Paradise confirmed that for me. I really don't blame him for wanting to go on Paradise, have fun, get over his heartbreak and increase his chances for Instagram sponsorships. I felt like he was pretty upfront with Tia. He wasn't stringing her along telling her one thing in private and then sneaking off with the mysterious Angela behind her back. He basically told her he didn't know what he wanted, which in guy terms means I'm just not that into you. I do not think he deserved the wrath of Tia and he definitely did not deserve the wrath of the three stooges (Chris, Jordan and some guy named Nick who I also don't have any recollection of).

I'm sure Tia is a nice person. She is beautiful and I truly hope she finds love and happiness. I just don't find myself actively rooting because she's not the most...how do I say this...likeable. There, I said it. Maybe Colton wants to be famous, but he also helps kids with Cystic Fibrosis. We know he's not planning to sleep with every girl in Paradise. It takes a lot for a guy to admit they are a virgin on national television. I think that speaks to his character and I give him credit. I believe he did fall in love with Becca and he deserves to go to Paradise and have some fun. As he said, he and Tia had like one or two dates and he doesn't really owe her anything. He's not pulling a Dean and being shady, he has been totally upfront. He wants to keep the door open with Tia, but he's not ready to commit to anyone and I don't fault him for that. I LOVE COLTON, COLTON WILL YOU ACCEPT MY ROSE!

Sorry, that just came out.

OK, where was I? Ah yes, Colton is a magical unicorn and I want to wipe his tears and feed him scallops from Scallop fingers leftover container. I miss scallop fingers, I hope she returns. I also hope Sarah Hyland makes a visit to paradise because she and Wells are the cutest couple everrr. Seriously, they are goals.

Paradise is like the wind. It's constantly changing. People come and people go. Relationships start quickly and end even more quickly. Thank goodness it's on again tonight because clearly i'm very invested. Who will be the next Jade and Tanner/Carly and Evan? Will Jordan find love with someone other than himself or will David continue to cock block him? Is David safe from the danger that is bunk beds? Will Annalise be forced to ride in a bumper car with a labrador on her next date or is she destined to leave Paradise broken hearted? Will Grocery Store Joe finally get his happy ending? Can't you just see him and Kendall owning their own little farm with a grocery store and tons of stuffed taxidermy animals roaming around? Well, I guess stuffed dead animals don't actually roam, but I think you can grasp my vision. And finally, Will Tia and Colton be the next Jared and Ashely I? After years of tears, will they/won't they and a stint on Winter Games where Tia meets someone else, will Colton finally realize his undying love for her? Or is the end of Coltia (look I shipped them) forever?

Only time will tell, but I'm sure this season will be the most dramatic one ever because they always are.

PS Marry me Colton. I know I don't know you and I'm not famous. But I'm a publicist who represent famous people. I used to frequent the Playboy Mansion and I have a very cute rescue dog named Simon.