Bailey Sarian is one of the rare creators who turned a “weird combo that shouldn’t work” into a full-on media brand. She started as a working makeup artist, built a beauty audience on YouTube, then hit escape velocity with Murder, Mystery & Makeup, her true-crime storytelling series filmed while she does her makeup.
Currently, Bailey Sarian has a net worth of $10 million. This figure reflects a creator business spread across YouTube, podcasting, brand deals, and commercial partnerships, not just ad revenue from one platform.
Early Years That Shaped Her Style
Bailey Brooke Sarian was born on November 26, 1988, in California. She has spoken publicly about her mother’s work as a 911 dispatcher, an influence she has linked to her early interest in crime stories and how investigations unfold.
Before YouTube, she worked as a makeup artist for IPSY, a cosmetics subscription-based service. There, she did makeup for weddings, advertisements, and music videos. She has also worked for major beauty brands like Sephora and Urban Decay.
Rise to Fame
On January 23, 2013, Bailey Sarian launched her YouTube channel, sharing cosmetic advice, recommendations, and reviews of beauty products.
She debuted the first episode of Murder, Mystery & Makeup in January 2019, where she discusses true crime cases. The Watts family murder case was the start of her success and Sarian was named one of YouTube’s top breakout creators of 2020.
NikkieTutorials gave her a Creator Honor Award at the 10th Streamy Awards and Murder, Mystery & Makeup has featured in The Guardian’s best podcasts of the week. Now, Sarian’s channel has 7.8 million subscribers.
Podcast
Bailey Sarian launched her AudioBoom podcast Dark History in June 2021, with an episode about the DuPont chemical controversy. Like her YouTube series, it also gained a lot of recognition.
Several media outlets named Dark History as one of the best original podcasts of 2021 and it was Apple Podcasts’ 9th most popular new show of the year. At the 11th Streamy Awards, it was also named Podcast of the Year.
How Bailey Sarian Makes Money
Bailey Sarian’s income comes from several overlapping streams rather than a single dominant source.
YouTube advertising
Her long-form videos generate consistent ad revenue driven by high watch time and repeat viewers. Ad rates fluctuate based on seasonality, geography, and advertiser demand, so earnings vary month to month. YouTube ads provide a stable baseline rather than the bulk of her income.
Based on around 10 million views every month, Sarian makes an estimated $50,000 from YouTube ads. Annually, she makes around $600,000. Including other sources, Bailey earns over $1 million per year.
Sponsorships & brand deals
Sarian regularly works with sponsors integrated directly into her videos. For creators at her scale, brand deals often exceed ad revenue on a per-video basis, especially in long-form content where trust and engagement are high.
Rather than relying solely on affiliate links, Sarian has partnered directly with brands on limited-edition products. Notable collaborations include releases with ESTATE Cosmetics, Melt Cosmetics, LOUD Lacquer, and Etah Love. These deals often involve upfront payments, revenue sharing, or both.
Podcast monetisation
Dark History earns through host-read ads and sponsorship packages. Podcast advertising typically commands higher rates than standard display ads, particularly for shows with loyal audiences and consistent download numbers.
Merchandise
In addition, she makes extra money from selling merch. Sarian has an online store where fans can purchase products related to her content such as shirts and makeup items.
The Breakup That Triggered A Reset
Bailey married Fernando Valdez, a graffiti and tattoo artist from Southern California. They met in 2013 but only started dating in 2017. In the same year, they got engaged. Sadly the couple split up in January 2022. Fans noticed something was up as Bailey stopped posting on social media as she needed time to get over the break up.
