Marlena Stell
Marlena Stell teaches makeup with a cosmetic formulator’s eye, sharing practical tutorials, product reviews and beauty advice while building her fragrance and beauty brand, Marsté.
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Known for
Makeup Geek
YouTubeOverview
- Work
- Beauty creator, cosmetic formulator and brand founder
- Before YouTube
- High school music teacher
- How it started
- Launched the Makeup Geek YouTube channel in 2008
- Known for
- Makeup Geek cosmetics, application tutorials and candid product reviews
- Today
- Marsté fragrance and beauty, plus Makeup Geek Academy
Mini bio
A teacher first.
Before fans knew her as Makeup Geek, Marlena taught high school music. She studied music education at Pensacola Christian College and minored in stage makeup. In 2008 she began teaching makeup application on YouTube, pairing tutorials with candid product reviews. She left her teaching job in 2009 as the project grew.
From tutorials to eyeshadows.
Her audience helped turn Makeup Geek into a cosmetics business. Marlena focused on affordable, pigmented eyeshadows and sold directly to fans. In 2016 she appeared alongside Manny MUA to introduce their Makeup Geek palette collaboration. Makeup Geek earned a place on the Inc. 5000 list in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Building again.
Marlena announced the closure of Makeup Geek’s cosmetics business in 2022. Beauty education remains part of her work through Makeup Geek Academy, whose classes cover application, content creation and business. Her newer brand, House of Marsté, combines fragrance and beauty, drawing on her time living in Paris and a collaboration with perfumer Michael Nordstrand.
What fans find now.
Her recent videos make room for mature skin, affordable makeup, seasonal color analysis and perfume reviews. The emphasis stays practical: how to choose a formula, use a tool and adapt a technique to your own face.
Creditschronological, newest first
Beauty education and media
- 2026Apply Foundation Like This and It Looks Like SkinCreator and presenter
- 2025The Uncommon Leader Podcast, episode 150Guest discussing confidence, motherhood and mentorship
- 2019Beauty and The BossCreator of the YouTube transformation series
- 2008Makeup Geek YouTube channelFounder and makeup educator
Beauty collaborations
- 2016Makeup Geek x Manny MUA PaletteMakeup Geek founder; presented the collaboration with Manny MUA
Awards
Quotes
You're never too old to start overMarlena Stell, The Uncommon Leader Podcast, January 14, 2025
Asked what message she would put on a billboard, at about 25:05. Interview: https://metacast.app/podcast/the-uncommon-leader-podcast/tbQ12Sgk/turning-childhood-challenges-into-success-marlena-stell-on-confidence-motherhood-and-mentorship/tDYFBWKi
Trivia
- Her college studies paired music education with a minor in stage makeup.
- Her parents were among Makeup Geek’s first employees.
- She told Forbes that fans helped name new eyeshadow shades through contests.
- In her September 2026 perfume video, she says her collection includes more than 400 fragrances.
Find Marlena
Find more tutorials, fragrance discoveries and beauty lessons on Marlena’s official channels.
Are you Marlena Stell?
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