My journey with Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star began when I sat on my bed to watch their first video. Eventually, it led me to be crazy enough to stand in line for a total of ten hours along with all the screaming fans. We stood in the cold, on the sticky floor where drinks had been spilled, and in the VIP line after we had won the chance to meet the YouTube Stars. 

YouTube stars Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star released their makeup collection, the Conspiracy Collection, which they have been teasing through their documentary series on Shane’s channel on Nov. 1 with an appearance at the Mall of America the next day on Nov. 2.

Exactly one month before the launch on Oct. 1, a total of four one-hour videos were uploaded. The series had been pre-recorded since last February to document what goes into creating a makeup collection.

I was one of the millions that attempted to purchase from both Morphe and Jeffree Star Cosmetics. Within seconds of the launch time, the site crashed and remained like that for around four hours until it showed that products were sold out. Luckily for me, Shane and Jeffree were set to make an appearance at the Mall of America 24 hours later. 

With only one hour of sleep, a friend and I drove from Duluth at 3 a.m. to meet my sister at the Mall of America. We arrived at 5:30 a.m. For about an hour, we waited in the cold as it snowed until our section was allowed inside where we continued to move slowly towards the Morphe store. When our section was told to move to the front of the store to receive scratch offs to meet Shane and Jeffree, it had already been seven hours since we first arrived at the mall which surprisingly went by quickly. 

Before we grabbed the products we wanted to buy, we scratched off our card to see if we had won a meet and greet. Neither my friend or I did but my sister did! Videographers were there to record the moment to post on social media. 

After we bought our products, we were sent to the VIP line to meet Shane and Jeffree who soon came out to make their appearance. Unfortunately, if you weren’t directly in front of them then you would not have heard a single thing besides the screams of fans. The only way I knew they had appeared was from Jeffree’s bright black and red wig. 

Cameras were not allowed in the store as the meet and greet went on and the Morphe employees were stationed around to make sure. 

After the meet and greet, we decided to leave the mall and head back to Duluth after 10 hours of waiting in line to buy products and win a chance to meet the YouTube stars.

Reflecting back on it, the event was handled very smoothly and there was not any outrageous incidences or interactions. Everything was well organized and the directions were very clear. As we left, we saw the line going out the door which took us so many hours to get through.

As soon as I got back to Duluth, I swatched the palettes to have a better understanding of what Jeffree meant as the eye shadows being, “buttery.” I am not a makeup fanatic by any means but I do appreciate the products. When I first put my finger on the color and transferred it to my arm, I immediately understood what “buttery” really meant.

It feels like you’re rubbing your finger on a stick of warm butter, similar to how a super soft blanket feels like. It applied smoothly on the skin, and although all the shades were completely different, they weirdly were cohesive.

I went on to ask my roommate as well as her boyfriend what their thoughts on the color and pigmentation were and they were surprised at how similar it had looked to vibrant paint. 

Many asked why I would choose to have one hour of sleep in 24 hours, stand in line for ten hours to buy a makeup palette for $52, and only eat Taco Bell with Red Bull. Although it was crazy and draining, I can most definitely say there were no regrets. 

To be able to see Shane and Jeffree go through every step of creating a collection is unexplainable. They went found a way to allow fans to experience the brainstorming process with them; from the shade names and arrangement to the package design, and even the specific launch date. Being able to take part in someone’s creation is what made all the struggles and exhaustion worth it.

Two weeks later on Nov. 22, the finale of the series was published and showed the massive meet and greet. It was surreal watching and knowing that I had taken part in all the craziness. 

Although the series has wrapped up, Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star announced at the end of the video that there will be a restock. However this time it will have a rearrangement of a shade that had been previously taken out. 

Be on the lookout for the revamped Mini Conspiracy palette.