“I’ve all the time cherished the concept of make-up, however I didn’t actually put on it till I received to varsity. I went to Southern Connecticut State College, and I began my diploma in biology as a result of I wished to be a doctor’s assistant; I had even taken EMT programs in highschool and volunteered for my native EMT and ambulance group. However actually, I’ve ADHD and the maths was too troublesome for me. I switched to nursing, which wasn’t a lot simpler, after which I landed on enterprise administration and advertising.

My plan was to do one thing inside social media advertising after school. Really, I had a YouTube channel throughout my freshman yr of school—I solely had like 500 followers, however I deleted it when an older man I knew stated it was embarrassing that I used to be filming myself. I do know this now, and I do know it’s simpler stated than finished, however don’t hearken to the unfavourable feedback—for those who’re comfortable doing what you’re doing, then preserve going since you by no means know the place it could go. I’m so fortunate that I received a second probability with TikTok, however what if I didn’t?

CAREER
I began my TikTok account as a pair’s web page with my boyfriend. A few of our movies went viral, and folks began saying they appreciated my make-up and requested if they may see how I did it. My boyfriend was the one who inspired me to do it, and I went full pressure with it.

At first, I simply actually wished to cowl up my freckles. The issue was that my Beautyblender was absorbing loads of my basis. I might use six to 10 pumps and it felt like an enormous waste, and in addition, I used to be a broke school pupil utilizing $55 Becca basis. I bear in mind considering that my palms alone wouldn’t take in the product, and the heat would assist me mix it in additional. That’s why I began making use of basis with my palms. Lots of people had been—and are—like, ‘You undoubtedly wipe all of this off. You simply apply loads of basis to go viral,’ however I wasn’t. I simply wished to cowl up my freckles.

My entire factor was lip-syncing to rap music, like Nicki Minaj’s ‘I’m Legit.’ That’s what made my TikTok take off. This was throughout the summer season of 2020, and I used to be portray my mother’s boyfriend’s home and gardening for cash, however I might get up at 5AM to create the movies. I hit a million followers in December, after which by January of 2021, I hit seven million. I actually gained six million followers in a single month. Up to now, I believe my most considered TikTok is the considered one of me doing my make-up to Doja Cat’s ‘Get Into It (Yuh)’—it has over 137 million views.

BEAUTY
I really feel like I am in my tender woman period. My make-up is rather more pure. It was so enjoyable doing full glam and recreating avatar seems to be after I was dwelling throughout COVID, however now that I’m doing extra style, and I’ve extra conferences and I’m operating round with my canine, it’s actually arduous to do a two hour glam session every single day. A giant piece of my look now is just not utilizing as a lot—or any—basis. Actually, I used to be actually nervous to discover this facet of issues. I believed individuals wouldn’t like my extra pure facet and that my movies wouldn’t carry out properly, however individuals have been leaving feedback saying, ‘We love this facet of Meredith. New character unlocked.’ It’s given me extra confidence to indicate extra of myself—and to embrace my freckles. I’ll all the time love my basis approach—and I’ll nonetheless use it generally—however individuals develop and alter.

SKINCARE
I don’t like to scrub my face within the morning, so on any regular day, I don’t do something to my pores and skin after I get up, until I’m feeling tremendous dry and have to placed on moisturizer. I lean in direction of a easy skincare routine as a result of I’ve delicate pores and skin and eczema—throughout the colder months, I get dry patches on my eyes and my palms will crack and bleed. The one factor that helps is a extremely wealthy moisturizer—I like Tatcha’s Dewy Pores and skin Cream as a result of despite the fact that it has perfume, it doesn’t sensitize my pores and skin—and Aquaphor. I coat my total face with a lightweight layer of it within the winter.

Through the summer season, I all the time begin with sunscreen. I like La Mer’s Broad Spectrum SPF 50, Shiseido’s SPF 50+ Clear Sunscreen Stick, and Supergoop’s! Glowscreen SPF 40. If I’m in a rush to take out my canine within the morning, I’ll use the Shiseido stick, but when I’m placing make-up on after, I seize the La Mer as a result of it feels extra like a serum for pores and skin prep. Supergoop!’s Glowscreen calms down any redness I’ve, so I really feel like I’ve make-up on despite the fact that I don’t. It’s nice for those who’re going to the seashore and also you need to really feel cute however don’t need to put something on. This is likely to be bizarre, however I additionally like these three as a result of loads of different SPFs give me a bizarre sunscreen style in my mouth, and I can not stand it.

At evening, I all the time use Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleaning Balm or Tatcha’s Indigo Cleaning Balm to get all the pieces off. For a double cleanse, I take advantage of Tatcha’s Mild Exfoliating Cleanser religiously as a result of it’s under no circumstances irritating for my pores and skin. I comply with it up with my Dewy Pores and skin Cream and Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Masks. I like the purple one, Gummy Bear, however I additionally like the unique Berry, Vanilla, and Mango.

Lately, I made a decision to dissolve half of my lip fillers. I first received my lips finished throughout my sophomore yr of school as a result of I used to be actually insecure about them. For some time, I might actually get lip filler each week—an excessive amount of. Now, I’m going to Maintenance Med Spa each six to seven months—I used to go extra ceaselessly, however my woman was like, ‘You want to cease or you’ll want to dissolve all the filler and redo it as a result of it’s migrating.’ I really feel like the quantity I’ve proper now doesn’t match my face, and in addition, after I’m placing on lip liner, I can’t really feel the place the pure ridge of my lips is.

However right here’s the factor: If you wish to get filler—or some other beauty therapy—go for it, particularly if it makes you’re feeling happier or extra assured. It’s nobody’s place to speak right down to individuals who get therapies. It’s not their physique. It’s not their face. I really feel the identical means when individuals say, ‘Oh, you’re solely sporting make-up to really feel extra assured.’ So what if I’m?

My one piece of recommendation is to do your analysis. I actually suggest going to a board-certified physician. I imply, I like the woman that I see, however you by no means know with some med spas. I additionally get eye filler, and I’ve heard so many horror tales of individuals’s eyes drooping after. Additionally, my boyfriend’s in dental faculty, and he, in fact, needed to study all the pieces concerning the face. He instructed me, ‘You want to watch out. Any person might hit the flawed nerve or a blood vessel.’

MAKEUP
I all the time have a lip on—that’s my primary factor—however highlighter and blush are the anchors for my tender woman make-up. I’ve actually toned down the contour and the lashes—when I’ve falsies on, I really feel like they put the deal with my eyes, however I need the deal with my cheeks proper now.

I all the time begin my make-up prep with moisturizer—it’s so essential or your make-up’s not going to look good ultimately. Then I take advantage of my Morphe X Meredith Duxbury Foaming Face Primer, which is so enjoyable to make use of, and Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter within the shade 2 Truthful. The Flawless Filter is the important thing to a glowy look as a result of it covers your redness however it’s not basis, so you’ll be able to nonetheless see your freckles and the heat of your pores and skin beneath. For concealer, which I solely do beneath my eyes and a dot in the midst of my brow and possibly my chin, I both use the Kosas Revealer Concealer in 02 W or the Dior Backstage Concealer in 0CR. Armani Magnificence’s Luminous Silk Concealer is sweet, too. I take advantage of each shades 1.5 and a pair of.

Then I’m going in with the Charlotte Tilbury Highlighter and Blush Wands on the excessive factors of my cheekbones as a result of I need to elevate my face. I believe that placement seems to be the very best with my options, however it’s totally different for everyone. I additionally put slightly dot of blush on my nostril to carry the heat collectively, and a dot of the highlighter above my brows and on my chin, however I’ve to watch out as a result of I can go overboard generally. I comply with that up with slightly little bit of powder beneath my eyes. It’s humorous as a result of after I did my full glam seems to be, I might contact throughout my face with my palms to verify there have been no sticky spots, however now, I take advantage of very minimal powder. I then set all the pieces with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. It provides me hydration and makes me even glowier.

I haven’t been utilizing any bronzer recently; I do know it’s so totally different from what I used to do. If I had been to seize some although, my go-to is the LYS No Limits Cream Bronzer and Contour Stick in shade Concord. It’s so buttery and simple to mix.

For my brows, I take advantage of my Morphe X Meredith Duxbury Forehead Sculpting Wax And Brush Duo. I like a feathery cleaning soap look, however I don’t have very coarse brows, so after I attempt to do this, it simply seems to be like I brushed them up, which is okay. I solely fill them in on the tail, possibly barely beneath, and a tiny bit on the entrance as a result of for those who’re filling in your brows a ton however the remainder of your face is tremendous gentle, it’s not going to look nice. Huda Magnificence’s #BombBrows Microshade Forehead Pencil—I take advantage of shade Impartial Blonde—is nice as a result of it’s tremendous, tremendous skinny so you may get a really pure look.

On my eyelids, I’ve been utilizing MAC Cosmetics’ Mineralize Skinfinish Spotlight Face Powder in Comfortable and Mild, a peach bronze shade. I put on it on the excessive factors of my cheekbones, too, however it acts as eyeshadow with out providing you with colour after which making you’re feeling like you’ll want to placed on mascara. You may simply have a glow in your eyes. Dior’s Backstage Glow Face Palettes are good for this, too. I particularly just like the 001 Common model.

I’m so used to doing a really nude lip, {that a} dark-ish liner and a few gloss is my model of daring. If I desire a extra impartial, lighter colour, I seize the Morphe Soulmatte Filling Gel Lip Liner in Groove from my Lip Liner Glaze Duo. I high off the liner with Ole Henriksen’s Pout Protect Peptide Lip Therapy—it form of seems to be like lip gloss however it’s not sticky—or my Morphe Lip Glaze in Groove, a impartial beige tone. If I’m going for a pink lip—I like Dolce & Gabbana’s Devotion Liquid Lipstick in Devozione and Audacia—I’ll all the time seize a matte shade even when the remainder of my make-up is tremendous glowy. I don’t need lipstick on my tooth, so I simply play it protected as a result of I do know {that a} matte colour will keep all day.

If I do need to do extra of a full glam pure look, I like Glossier’s Stretch basis—it has good nourishing elements in it and is like your pores and skin, however higher. Or I’ll use the Patrick Ta Crème Basis and Ending Powder Duo in Mild 1. What’s good about this product is that you may construct it up as a lot—or as little—as you need. I apply it with a Beautyblender, however persons are all the time asking why I don’t apply it with my palms like I did with my liquid basis. I don’t need to dig my nails into the compact, but additionally, there are totally different strategies for various merchandise. I do know that everyone knew me as the muse woman, and it was so enjoyable and it’s what introduced me thus far, however I need to remind everybody: It’s OK to attempt one thing new, whether or not that’s with make-up or one thing else.

HAIR
My hair is of course darkish blonde and I dyed it bleach blonde for years, however I had a lot bother with it in latest months. It stored breaking, and the ends had been so cut up as a result of I used to be getting it finished a lot for occasions. So I made a decision to cut it, which is a dedication as a result of it takes some time to your hair to develop again, but additionally, you solely dwell as soon as. Hair grows again, so why not?

I began taking the Vegamour GRO Biotin Gummies, they usually’ve truly helped my hair develop a lot since then. My boyfriend even requested if I received extensions. Vegamour has a shampoo and conditioner that I like, too—my hair feels more healthy after I use them.

So far as hairstylists, Dimitris Giannetos is the very best, and I belief him with my life. He dyed my hair pink in September. My crew and I wished to do one thing enjoyable and new, and we determined to go full steam forward and make an announcement. I’ll say, I’ve to be much more cautious about discovering merchandise to make use of now. Despite the fact that I used to be already utilizing merchandise for color-treated hair, it’s so totally different. I went from washing my hair every single day to as soon as per week as a result of the colour rinses out so rapidly. I used to be solely going to maintain it for Trend Week—I used to be fortunate sufficient to stroll Christian Cowan’s Spring 2024 present throughout Paris Trend Week, and it was so cool seeing my pink hair on the runway—however I’m so obsessive about it, so it’s staying pink. I truly suppose the colour seems to be very pure on me as a result of it really works with my freckles; my sister has freckles and strawberry hair, and my cousin’s a ginger, too. That is how I ought to’ve been born. [Laughs]

FRAGRANCE
I actually like heat scents. I’m not a lot of a floral woman. I imply, I’ll put on floral scents, however the very first thing I often seize is vanilla-forward fragrances. My primary fragrance in highschool was Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium, however I’ve since found Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy. This sounds creepy, however after I stroll by individuals on the street, I instantly know if somebody is sporting it. It smells like sweet, and it’s not for everybody as a result of it’s so candy, however it’s my primary.

I not too long ago found Parfums De Marly’s Delina Exclusif. It’s arduous to explain as a result of it’s candy however contemporary and slightly powdery, however probably not floral. I don’t know what it’s, however I like it. I additionally not too long ago found Tutti Twilly d’Hermès, which is a extra fruity sort of candy but additionally wealthy.

And I all the time want a scent in my home—truly, Anthropologie has such good candles. My sister launched me to the Capri Blue Volcano candle, and I believe I overdid it as a result of I burned it a lot. Actually although, I often get all of my candles on Amazon as a result of it’s straightforward, however I’m cautious to order solely soy candles. I imply, I like Diptyque, however their candles are so costly, and I burn my candles all day. I as soon as purchased the candle model of a fragrance I cherished, however it was gone in two days. By no means once more.”

— As instructed to Daise Bedolla

Photographed by Alexandra Genova in New York on October 10, 2023.