I’ve never thought that I was particularly good at doing my makeup. I’ve been putting it on almost every day since freshman year of high school, but I always kept it very minimal and I never really took the time to learn how to do it properly. Well, this year I decided that I wanted that to change. And TikTok helped me make it happen.
I’ve spent the last two months learning everything that I can about how to improve my makeup game. When I began this journey, I had two objectives. First, I wanted to find products that worked best with my skin type and shade. And second, I wanted to develop a makeup routine that went beyond simply applying a little foundation, concealer and mascara. With these goals in mind, I turned to TikTok for advice on where to begin.
Two TikTokers helped me the most: Mary Skinner and Mikayla Nogueira. Mary went on her own “makeup journey” earlier this year in an effort to improve her routine, and she shared tons of tips that she picked up along the way. And Mikayla is one of the most popular makeup artists on TikTok, with over 11 million followers. Her channel is full of reviews and how-tos that taught me so much about makeup.
With these ladies’ assistance, I learned about things like the difference between contour and bronzer, how to use different makeup brushes and how to take care of my skin so that my makeup sits nicely on my face. Yes, it’s pretty basic stuff. But I honestly didn’t know any of it before, so I appreciate that Mary and Mikayla’s tutorials are super accessible for beginners. I also love that all of their TikToks are quick and to the point; unlike YouTube videos, I don’t have to sit through a long video just to figure out whether a product is worth trying or not.
But even with Mikayla and Mary’s guidance, it took a bit of trial and error to figure out what worked for me. I definitely took advantage of Sephora’s liberal return policy as I tried out different products. At first, I was a little intimidated by the huge variety of options available for purchase—I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. But eventually, I found that I could recognize various brands and product names from TikToks I had seen, and that helped me feel more confident while shopping.
Before starting this process, I was totally ignorant about things like my skin type and undertones or how those things affect what type of makeup I should be using. I didn’t know about everything that went into putting on a full face of makeup. But TikTok proved to be a valuable tool that allowed me to learn all of these things at my own pace and without judgment from anyone.
The makeup community on TikTok is generally a lovely and supportive place. So if you have any desire to learn about different products or techniques, I highly recommend taking advantage of the creators’ knowledge. TikTok has definitely changed the way that I think about and apply makeup, and it could do the same for you.