A first look at YouTube star Jamie Genevieve's new make-up line, Vieve

Jamie Genevieve is one of Scotland's biggest YouTube stars. Photo / Getty Images

How did a beauty obsessive from a tiny village near Stirling become the next big thing in cosmetics? Sarah Jossel meets Jamie Genevieve to find out.

In just six years, 27-year-old Jamie Genevieve has gone from taking selfies in her bedroom to taking selfies with Rihanna, Lizzo and Drew Barrymore. "I try not to think about it too much because it makes me go a wee bit crazy," she says giddily in a thick accent. Born in "a tiny village called Tillicoultry", Genevieve is now one of Scotland's biggest YouTubers, has 1.4 million followers on Instagram and, today, is launching Vieve, a make-up range backed by the investors behind Charlotte Tilbury.

Not bad for a girl whose career began in the Estée Lauder beauty concession in Glasgow's Debenhams nine years ago. "At 18 I had a part-time job working on the counter," she tells me from her home in Glasgow (she moved there when she was 11), while sitting in front of a retina-burning ring light (every influencer's staple) — full face of make-up, killer long talons, a work-of-art tattoo sleeve on her right arm and piercings up and down both ears that jingle and clink as she speaks. "After working on beauty counters I qualified as a make-up artist. I started giving lessons and doing wedding make-up. It was then I began posting on Instagram and getting a wee bit popular."

Wait. Is this just another story about a social media influencer who started taking selfies and now gets paid a fortune to vlog, blog, reel and TikTok? (Have I missed any?) Not quite. Unlike most of her contemporaries, Genevieve is now a bona fide businesswoman and has grand ambitions for global success with Vieve. "I see it next to brands like Nars, Laura Mercier, Urban Decay and even Mac. It's not drugstore — it sits in the accessible-luxury category." Pleasingly, it's not one of those quick-buck collaborations in which beauty brands trade off influencers' faces — and Instagram followings — to sell their products. Genevieve has invested her own money: "We've had to put a fair amount of personal things on hold to make this happen." Indeed, she is doing things differently: "I want people who don't know me to shop Vieve — that's why I didn't go with my full name. Also, I'm not in the campaign pictures — you'll just see my hand, as I did the make-up behind the scenes. I'm the creator, not the face."

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My heart is so full after finally announcing VIEVE to you. I thought announcing @vievemuse would be a relief, but I’m more nervous and excited than ever! Not long to go now for you to see what VIEVE really means. I hope you love it x . #VIEVEmuse

A post shared by 𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 (@jamiegenevieve) on Nov 6, 2020 at 10:18am PST

Vieve is kicking off with a line of five matte nude lipsticks, five lip liners, three buttery highlighters that "are perfect for all ages and skin tones because there's no chalky cast", she says. "They will even look dewy on dry skin." Then there's an intensely pigmented 10-shade eyeshadow palette. "Everyday essentials!" she exclaims. Erm, highlighter and bold eyeshadows? "OK, fine, they're my everyday essentials," she laughs. "But this is the tip of the iceberg. From February 2021 there will be a make-up launch dropping every month and we have confirmed plans to expand into the US, Middle East, Australia and Ireland next."

My top pick so far? The exceptionally creamy, flattering nude lipsticks and easy-to-blend liners. In fact I got on so well with the lip liners, this is the first time I've been converted to bother with the liner step at all.

The most powerful industry names want a piece of the Vieve pie: the brand has received investment from the communications agency Blanket London, which is spearheaded by Emma Dawson, former communications director at L'Oréal Luxe, and last year it got backing (an undisclosed amount) from the venture capitalist firm Venrex — the main investor in Charlotte Tilbury when the world-famous make-up artist launched her namesake brand in 2013. It has also invested in Orlebar Brown, which sold to Chanel in 2018, Notonthehighstreet, Just Eat and Revolut, to name a few. "The deal came through in June while we were in lockdown. We signed on my 27th birthday!" she says proudly, with her pearly-white veneers beaming through my laptop screen. They won't reveal how the investment is being split, but "Jamie is a huge majority shareholder", Dawson confirms.

Are they all a bit nervous that make-up sales are down, especially lipstick? "It's funny. The people I speak to every day online are getting excited about make-up again, because it takes their mind off things. It's really therapeutic," she says confidently. That doesn't mean she isn't keeping a close eye, though. "We had a lipstick launch ready for next spring and we decided to push it back and instead focus on another category that is more relevant in the current climate," she says, pointing to the top half of her face.

Watch Sarah Jossel and Jamie Genevieve do an everyday make-up tutorial together.

When Genevieve first told me that she works with a close-knit group of people, I didn't realise just how close. As her profile sky-rocketed (she gets recognised whenever she goes out in Scotland), both her mother and father, who live around the corner from her, started working for her company. It's the same with her husband of one year, Jack McCann. (They met when Genevieve was working on the Estée Lauder beauty counter.) A former bricklayer, he left his job three years ago, "to become my photographer, videographer and video editor", Genevieve says.

Perhaps having her family close at all times goes some way to explaining why, of all the influencers I have met along the way, Genevieve has the most healthy approach to a social media cesspit that has become synonymous with anxiety. "If you feel anxious with your social media, look at who you are following. All the people I follow make me feel inspired, creative or happy. Curate who you follow." One thing she hates is busy-bragging: "It's the 'I got up today, washed my hair, did all my emails and walked my dog, all before 7am'. No thank you," she says with an eye roll. "I love people who will just say, 'I've been a slob today.' They need to hear you have useless days too." She's also not too fazed by the online trolls: "I just think this person is clearly going through something that's nothing to do with me. If I have to reply, I will always kill with kindness."

Being hailed as Scotland's latest national treasure at under 30 is quite a lot to get your head around, yet Genevieve seems laid-back about it all. "Honestly, I'm happiest at home with Jack, my two German shepherds [Drogba and Juno] and a glass of malbec. I'll always be a beauty-counter girl."

Vieve is available to buy on vieve.co.uk and ships worldwide.

Written by: Sarah Jossel
© The Times of London