An influencer spontaneously did a woman's makeup on a flight, and quickly realized their connection went beyond blush and lip gloss

• A TikTok video showing an influencer doing a woman's makeup on a flight recently went viral.
• Speaking with Insider, the two travelers shared how their interaction came about.

When 23-year-old Sabrina Hassan boarded an American Airlines flight on June 22, she felt one thing: nerves.

The beauty content creator from Arizona had been invited to a TikTok event in California and was anxious about doing makeup in front of crowds and other influencers, as she told Insider.

But as she stepped into the plane with her sister and looked for her seat, she was stopped by another passenger.

"This woman was like, 'You look so beautiful!' and I said, 'Oh my God, thank you! You're so sweet,'" Hassan said. "She was hyping me up and the whole row could hear it — and then I ended up sitting next to her."

That woman was Linda Harrison, a 56-year-old California native who was traveling home after visiting her sister in Utah.

"Sabrina and her sister were both absolutely gorgeous. Their skin looks like it belongs in Dove commercials," Linda told Insider. "Her sister was in the aisle across and Sabrina was next to me."

Harrison asked if they wanted to sit next to each other, but the sisters declined — leading Hassan to strike up a conversation with her new seatmate. It was then that she explained her job to Harrison and revealed that she was both excited and anxious to visit Anaheim.

While Harrison admitted that she knew nothing about TikTok at the time, she could see that Hassan was skilled in makeup.

"She said she was so nervous, so I asked, 'Do you wanna practice on me?'" Harrison recalled.

And as it turns out, the influencer did.

"When she first asked me to do her makeup, I thought she meant come back to California one day and do it. But then she pulled out her makeup and I was like: 'Oh my God! OK, I'll do it!'"

Hassan asked her seatmate if she could record their interaction, to which Harrison said yes, and then they began their glam.

"I'm an '80s girl," Harrison said. "I don't use sponges or anything. I just put makeup on with my fingers and smother it around. So when Sabrina used a makeup brush, I immediately started feeling fancy."

Hassan noticed other passengers smiling at them, and flight attendants began complimenting the interaction.

"We were on an airplane with a bunch of strangers, but it felt like I was at a girls' party getting pampered," Harrison said.

But as the two women continued talking, they realized their interaction went deeper than blush and lip gloss.

"Linda told me that she's going through chemotherapy right now and hasn't been feeling beautiful lately," Hassan said. "Here she was being so positive and such a light on this plane ride. You would never think she's going through something so big."

Harrison noted that she doesn't typically wear much makeup, largely as a result of the treatment she's receiving for stage 4 colon cancer.

"I've lost my eyebrows, I've lost my eyelashes, and I can't really wear mascara," she said. "My skin looks like I have a sunburn all the time. I don't look like my former self. But that day on the plane, Sabrina made me feel like I was that woman again."

Beyond the makeup, Harrison said she's especially grateful that Hassan has now become a friend to her daughters. Both are starting careers, the mom of two noted, with her youngest being a nurse in another state.

Due to the nature of her job and the health risks involved, they don't often get to see each other, she said.

"When I was at the airport, I Googled the hospital that my daughter was working at that day," Harrison said. "She was 5.6 miles from me and we couldn't see each other. It was hard."

"My daughters — they're 28 and 30 — saw the TikTok first, and they both reached out to Sabrina," Harrison added. "They've been chatting, and it's been so comforting for my girls to know somebody was taking care of their mom and making her feel special when they weren't there."

And as Hassan noted, the experience was equally meaningful to her. Not only did Harrison's positivity and kindness push her through a moment of anxiety, but their interaction also led her to understand how she can help others through her craft.

"My favorite part of this was being able to help let Linda know that she is beautiful," Hassan said. "I had no idea I could change her life the way she changed mine. I wish everybody could meet her."

Harrison and Hassan both say they remain changed for the better by their interaction, and they are trying to find a way to see each other again in the near future.

But for now, both are hoping that their story can help others learn the power of kindness and asking questions.

"Everybody is fighting some kind of battle that you can't see," Harrison said. "My battle is a little bit more apparent. Sometimes I use a walker. I've gained almost 70 pounds since I started treatment. It's been extremely traumatic. But then there's Sabrina, who on the outside looks like she has everything. She's young, she's beautiful — so it's shocking that she was feeling nervous and insecure."

"I'm the one who needed the makeup, but she's the one that got the real boost out of this, and that's what's so special," she continued. "I'm a huge believer in asking for what you want with a smile on your face and good intent. You never know what the answer will be."