I flew from Boston to LA to film 2 TikTok videos with Rihanna and it was the highlight of my career

• Mikayla Nogueira has 11.4 million TikTok followers and is a well-known beauty influencer.
• She attended an event where she filmed a TikTok with Rihanna. It was the highlight of her career.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mikayla Nogueira, and it has been edited for length and clarity.

As a TikTok beauty influencer living in Boston, I get invited to quite a few make-up launch events, but often they're in Los Angeles and I'm not always able to go as it involves a lot of traveling.

But in March, when I was invited to attend an event for Rihanna's make-up brand Fenty Beauty, I knew I had to fly out there. I've been a fan of Rihanna's since I was a kid and used to play "Unfaithful" on repeat which annoyed my parents endlessly.

Not only was I attending the event, but I was offered the opportunity to meet and interview Rihanna on TikTok, and it was an absolute highlight of my career so far.

@mikaylanogueira Rihanna #rihanna #fentybeauty #ulta ♬ Roxanne - Instrumental - Califa Azul

The TikToks I filmed with Rihanna are my most popular videos to date

The event, which took place on March 12, was a celebration of Fenty Beauty's collaboration with Ulta Beauty, a company I used to work for as a beauty advisor.

I expected them to go all out with the event and they absolutely did. There was a decked-out Fenty Beauty car, a machine that was making personalized lipsticks for all the guests, and a life-size maze you could go through to win products and prizes.

When I met Rihanna, who looked incredible and wore six-inch heels while heavily pregnant, she was so down-to-earth and easy to talk to, and she even laughed at all my jokes.

I posted two videos from my interview with her, and since I'm a big Fenty Beauty fan, I made sure to ask about her upcoming products. She wasn't able to reveal much, but the videos became my most viewed videos of all time, with more than 110 million views in total.

So many people in the comments mentioned they thought we had a good connection on camera, and said we looked like we could even be close friends, which made me really happy.

@mikaylanogueira Her skin is perfect @Rihanna #rihanna #fentybeauty #ulta ♬ Love Nwantiti(Dance Ver) - FYP

The opportunity opened me up to a whole new audience of Rihanna fans who saw my TikToks, and I managed to gain about 100,000 followers after posting the videos.

I also filmed two other videos showing my trip to LA and what the event looked like.

@mikaylanogueira WHEN IS THE ALBUM QUEEN #rihanna #makeup #beauty #fentybeauty ♬ original sound - Mikayla Nogueira

My career on TikTok almost never happened

Growing up, I was never encouraged to pursue a career in the beauty industry. I'm from Boston, Massachusetts, and the makeup I love wearing, with big lashes and glitter, just isn't as common here as it is in New York or LA.

I've been posting beauty content on social media for over a decade, on Tumblr and YouTube, but it was just something I did for fun. I had a lot of family members who didn't understand the industry and I felt discouraged about pursuing it as a career.

I signed up to TikTok in March 2020, and started posting beauty content. Uploading during the pandemic led me to the realization that I would be extremely unhappy if I didn't attempt a career in make-up, knowing it was my passion.

@mikaylanogueira Definitely don’t go swimming with me on the first date #fyp #foryoupage #makeup #beautyguru #oops #foryou #beforeandafter #coronavirus #quarantine ♬ My Heart Went Oops - Tiagz

I eventually decided to pursue TikTok full-time in October 2020, and very quickly, my beauty hack and make-up challenge videos went viral. I now have 11.4 million followers on the app.

I initially posted transition videos, which involve showcasing a makeup transformation with a trending audio in the background, and found that making short, quick content came naturally to me.

A post shared by Beauty by Mikayla Jane (@mikaylajmakeup)

Eventually, as my following grew, I was offered more opportunities to expand my platform. I launched product collaborations with some makeup brands that I've always admired, and I was given the chance to meet Selena Gomez in January 2021 to promote her beauty brand. The journey I've been on has been really mind-blowing, but I never thought I'd have the opportunity to meet Rihanna.

Ultimately, I hope to have my own line of products, and to continue to share my love for beauty every day on social media.

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