The Freetown makeup artist launched on TikTok two years ago. Now she's in every Sephora.

NEW BEDFORD — When Mikayla Nogueira created her first makeup TikTok video she never would have guessed that two years later she would have 13 million followers, premiere two palette kits and be the face that greets customers in Sephora stores across the country.

"It's just unreal that every day I continue to grow, and I'm really, really grateful about it all the time," said the 23-year-old beauty expert originally from East Freetown.

Since The Standard-Times last checked-in with Nogueira, she got engaged, bought a house, released a line of sunglasses with Dime Optics, hosted a live makeup lesson with L'Oreal in Los Angeles, created a Glow Recipe kit in Sephora and met Rihanna and Selena Gomez.

"I am tired," Nogueira said with a laugh while on a Zoom call on Aug 14. "I would even say I'm on the line of burnt out ... but it's the passion that continues to drive me."

She said her love for beauty and makeup continues to grow and that drives her to create more content on TikTok.

On July 2, Nogueira launched a collaboration with Glamlite that features a 30-color "Mikayla Eyeshadow Palette" with a highlighter, two sets of false lashes and three lip glosses.

"This collaboration is a much larger collaboration than the first one," she said.

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Nogueira said she chose to collaborate with Glamlite because they were the first company to ask her to do a sponsored post about their liquid eyeliner when she first started to trend on TikTok.

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"It was the very first brand deal I ever did. It was on Instagram. It's still there today," she said. "And I just think that's amazing that they wanted to give me a chance, they saw potential in me and they wanted to give me the opportunity to live out my potential."

Glamlite is also a small indie company with only five employees. "I liked that, because that way they tend to give you a little bit more creative freedom," Nogueira added.

The line features several glitters and intense shades, which Nogueira said may not be the current trend, but she said there are still people who are willing to experiment with color and be bold with their looks.

"I've definitely enjoyed seeing people who you want to just have fun with it," she said, adding that many people in the LGBTQ+ community used her palette during Pride month.

Meanwhile, the Apponequet Regional High School graduate said the new line references her Massachusetts pride. "The collection is dedicated to Boston; I have a shade called Fall River," she said, adding other names include Freetown and Rhody.

"It's just very much me."

She visits New Bedford frequently

Her TikTok fame started in March 2020. After Nogueira was sent home from her senior year at Bryant University due to COVID-19, she posted her first 60 second video — a transition from no makeup to a full face of cosmetics.

She went viral within the month.

Since moving to Boston last year, Nogueira said she still visits New Bedford every two weeks or so because her family still lives in the area. She recently attended the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in August.

"New Bedford will always just be home for me, a special place that I will forever love," she said, adding that she has no plans to move to New York or Los Angeles.

"My whole life is here," she added.

Nogueira said she has tried to stay grounded over the last two and half years since she found fame from her TikTok channel.

"I always try to be really grateful. I constantly think about the past. And you know, where my life was, and how far I've come... it's just unreal to me that I am in the position I'm in," she said.

Nogueira also said she only works with a small team and a manager, and never wants to be seen as a corporate puppet to sell and market different labels as she has observed from some of her other influencer friends.

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"My goal is honesty, this is my truth," she said. "When you're a truly creative person, a visionary, it's best to do to work on your own because that way your full creative vision can be brought to life, especially when it comes to makeup."

Launching a new TikTok channel

However, since her first Standard-Times interview, she said it has been harder to go out into public by herself.

"I already had trouble with social anxiety,' she said. "Then you add that additional layer of people coming up to you, it makes it actually pretty challenging."

During a concert at the XFINITY center, she had to be escorted out by security because of the chaos that ensued due to people lining up to meet her. The same thing also happened, in July. at a recent Tate McRae concert at Royale Boston.

"It's something I've had to get used to," she said.

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Recently, Nogueira softly launched a spin-off TikTok account that features her sharing her day-to-day activities in raw, unedited videos shot on her iPhone and content mainly on how she's feeling about her life.

"It's going to be the polar opposite of my current page," she said. "This new page is pretty much entirely vulnerable, what makes me happy and what I think people can do to help with their mental health."

Getting a tip from Lady Gaga

Nogueira, who stated in an Instagram post that she has struggled with an eating disorder, body image issues and was bullied at school, hopes her videos will combat the stigma around talking about mental health.

"It's something people in general should talk more about and feel comfortable talking about with each other," she said.

On Aug. 31, Nogueira shared her thoughts on "self-hatred" were at an all-time high: "I have zero confidence. I hate how I look. I haven't found beautiful in months, and I don't know why this is happening to me... Well, that's a lie. I do [know why]. It's this job."

Pop star Lady Gaga commented, "I have been through this before and still do sometimes and sometimes it's good to take little breaks from the mirror/camera just to calm the mind," she wrote.

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A new business plan in the works

As she plans her upcoming wedding on July 1, 2023 (and no, she isn't doing her own makeup), she next wants to go to esthetician school.

"It always been a dream of mine to get an actual esthetician license," she said. "And my dream, like my ultimate goal is to open a beauty spa."

Noqueira said she would like to open a business in Massachusetts, but she hasn't ruled out the SouthCoast.

"New Bedford is a beautiful place to have businesses," she said. "It's definitely something I'm considering down the line."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: TikTok Mikayla Nogueira discusses growing to 13 million followers