Kylie’s Housekeeper and Kim’s Assistant are the Real Heroes of the Kardashian Empire
Working for the likes of Kim and Kylie is now almost as good as being an actual Kardashian.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians portrays the family as a close knit bunch who just happens to casually run an entire empire from Kris Jenner’s kitchen counter, without any help. Yet, increasingly the family’s employees are seeping into the spotlight. See: all the recent intrigue over the sister’s seemingly abrupt break with longtime stylist Monica Rose.
Of course, the family is taking advantage over the increasing interest in the people who make their lives tick as well. Indeed, Kim Kardashian West has a new cosmetology-themed reality TV series in the work called Glam Squad. The winner gets a gig as Beauty Director for Kardashian Apps.
It seems like working for the Kardashians is the new being a Kardashian, and every week we get a new bit of info about some other lieutenant in the Kardashian’s behind-the-scenes empire.
Indeed, Kylie Jenner has been secretly making her house keeper secret for a long time now. The skin in all the Kylie Cosmetics makeup swatches that appear on Jenner’s social media? Yeah, it belongs to her housekeeper.
“My housekeeper, I use her arm for my Snapchats,” Jenner told Fast Company in a new interview. “She has the best arm for swatches. She’s so nice and just sits there and has her arm ready and lets me do my thing. I care a lot about what my products look like when people first see them.”
Fast Company didn’t delve any further into the revelation, but we can only hope the unnamed housekeeper gets extra compensation for providing what may be the most seen skin on all of Snapchat (Jenner’s account is, after all, the network’s most followed).
Likewise, Refinery 29 offered a deep dive into the life of Stephanie Shepherd, who started out in 2013 as Kim Kardashian’s assistant and has now worked her way up to COO of Kardashian West Brands. As it turns out, being a Kardashian assistant can pay off to the point that Shepherd went from living with Kardashian West when her first child North West was born to living in a mansion of her own (though she shared it with boyfriend and Apple Music head of content Larry Jackson). She also now has an assistant of her own.
After a gig as a dancer for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Shepherd moved to L.A. at 18, worked, for a while, as the assistant to a choreographer who just so happened to be business partner with Pussycat Dolls Svengali and Kardashian friend Robin Antin, and eventually was recommended to Kim while the star was pregnant. She did everything from schedule appointments to building North West’s stroller, and now has reached the level of Kardashian executive.
“It was time for a title change,” she told Refinery of her new COO gig. “My role has expanded outside of just an executive assistant… I’m basically Kim’s liaison at this point. Every time she launches a product or makes a move to own her brand, it’s essentially like launching a startup. Even just right now, there’s…Kylie’s Lip Kit collaboration and the website, and more fun stuff coming. Kimoji has been my favorite, because I’m not really that much of a beauty girl, but I have an eye for the packaging and fonts and details.”
As Monica Rose Splits, Meet the Rest of the Kardashians’ Glam Squad
Hair stylist Michael Silva preps Kim Kardashian alongside makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic at the Met Gala 2017.
Makeup artist Hrush Achemyan works on Kendall Jenner‘s look of contoured cheekbones and a sleek cat eye at the 2016 Met Gala.
Mario Dedivanovic, long time makeup artist to Kim Kardashian, has taught us everything from contouring to “non-touring”.
Long time makeup artist to Khloe Kardashian, Joyce Bonelli is known for her bold and dramatic beauty looks.
Fitness trainer, Don from Don-A-Matrix Training, has helped to get the whole Kardashian crew into shape.
Nail artist Britney TOKYO creates elaborate designs for Kylie Jenner‘s long nails with Barbie pink prints.
Hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons works regularly with the whole Kardashian clan. Here, Andrew adds the finishing touches on Kourtney Kardashian‘s hair.
Nail artist Heather Sanders gives sisters Kylie and Khloe their famous “Kardashian claws” sporting vibrant, long nails in all shades.
Makeup artist Aidan Keogh pairs Kendall Jenner’s sleek up do with luminous skin and a bold, red lip.
Long time hair stylist to Khloe Kardashian, hairstylist Justine Marjan poses with makeup artist Joyce Bonelli.
Makeup artist Ariel Tejada who works closely with Kylie Jenner, is also a regular amongst all sisters.
Longtime fitness trainer to the Kardashian sisters, Gunnar Peterson helps to train Khloe Kardashian.
Jen Atkin, most well known as the hair guru of the Kardashian sister and founder of Ouai, poses with Kim and makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic.
Makeup artist Mary Phillips transforms sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner as they radiate with luminous skin and “barely there” makeup.
Hairstylist Tokyo Stylez styles sisters Kim and Kylie long, sleek locks for their new cosmetics campaign.
Yet, while it seems winding up anywhere in the Kardashian orbit can be a career and popularity launching pad (in addition to the new job, Shepherd has over 682,000 Instagram followers of her own), it’s not glamour and glory. There is an empire to keep running. It doesn’t all actually magically happen.
“I think everyone thinks this job is super glamorous — and I can’t lie, it is. Truly, this family is so much fun, and we go to some amazing places and do some incredible things. But don’t forget that when you’re an assistant, with all of that glamour comes schlepping the bags and the suitcases and taking the fall when the car doesn’t show up or the flight is delayed or something goes wrong,” she said. “I’ve f—– up a lot. I’m only human.”
Related: Kylie Jenner, Non-Professional Athlete, Dared to Be Photographed in Fitness Attire
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Kylie Jenner, the Youngest Kardashian, Has Undergone the Most Complete Style Transformation
Kylie Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner), Kendall Jenner, and Kris Jenner at the world premiere of The Emperor’s New Groove in Hollywood, California, December 2000.
Kylie Jenner at the Matrix at A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival Benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Los Angeles, June 2008.
Kendall, Kris, and Kylie Jenner at the 102.7 KIIS-FM’s Wango Tango in Irvine, California, May 2009.
Kylie Jenner at the release party for Selena Gomez’s Kiss and Tell in Hollywood, September 2009.
Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner at the Teen Choice Awards in Universal City, California, August 2010.
Kendall and Kylie Jenner at the premiere of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never in Los Angeles, February 2011.
Kendall and Kylie prove their twinning days aren’t behind them at the premiere of Prom in Hollywood, April 2011.
Kylie Jenner at the Race to Erase MS in Century City, California, May 2012.
Kylie Jenner at Fashion’s Night Out in Los Angeles, California, September 2012.
Kendall and Kylie Jenner, honing their fashion consultant chops, go on Good Morning America to discuss spring trends, February 2013.
Kylie Jenner wore a dress by Msfts, the label by then-reported boyfriend Jaden Smith, to the Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles, March 2013.
Kylie Jenner opted for white and nude, a palette she’d come to favor down the line much like sister Kim Kardashian, at the MTV Movie Awards in Culver City, California, April 2013.
Kylie Jenner opted for a sleek black two-piece look to attend the premiere of After Earth (the movie fronted by rumored boyfriend Jaden Smith) in New York, May 2013.
Jenner opted for a tonally appropriate graphic tee to walk the red carpet with Jaden Smith at the premiere of Ender’s Game in Hollywood, October 2013.
Kylie Jenner, in Maiyet and Giambattista Valli, debuted a new hair style when she walked the red carpet with sister Kendall at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, November 2013.
Kylie Jenner in Alex Perry with Louboutin heels at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2014.
Jenner opted for an orange Nicolas Jebran minidress, contrasting with her sister’s Fausto Puglisi, at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Canada, June 2014.
Kylie Jenner in Alexandre Vauthier with Gucci heels at the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, California, August 2014.
Jenner opted once again for Alexandre Vauthier, this time in burgundy, for the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, November 2014.
Kylie Jenner in Steven Khalil at the GQ Grammys afterparty in Hollywood, California, February 2015.
Kylie Jenner appeared front row at the 3.1 Phillip Lim show — wearing Phillip Lim, naturally — during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 in New York, New York, February 2015.
Completing the arc that brought her into Olivier Rousteing’s fold, Kylie Jenner wears Balmain at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2015.
Kylie once told us her mom is her style icon — so it makes sense they would pair up on the red carpet, too. Here, Kylie Jenner wears a Cushnie et Ochs top with Alaïa leggins and a Kimora Lee Simmons coat for the premiere of The Gallows in Los Angeles, California, July 2015.
Kylie Jenner in Shady Zeineldine at the ESPYs in Los Angeles, California, July 2015.
Jenner steps out with a bleached ‘do and a new pantsuited look, sitting front row at the Prabal Gurung show during New York Fashion Week Spring 2016 in New York, New York, September 2015.
Wearing Balmain x H&M, Jenner appeared at the launch of the capsule collection in New York, New York, October 2015.
A regular at the American Music Awards, Jenner went custom for the 2015 edition in Bryan Hearns in Los Angeles, California, November 2015.
Also a regular at Vera Wang, though perhaps an unexpected one, Jenner went full-on Kylie Minogue during the Fall 2016 season at New York Fashion Week in New York, New York, February 2016.
Jenner called on Olivier Rousteing to outfit her for last year’s Met Gala, wearing custom Balmain to the Costume Institute gala for Manus x Machina in New York, New York, May 2016.
Jenner sat front-row at Jonathan Simkhai in a denim ensemble with a skull cap during New York Fashion Week Spring 2017 in New York, New York, September 2016.
