Written by David Roberts
Reviewed by Lucas Walter
Updated
The top makeup influencers in 2026 are NikkieTutorials, molchanovamua, LENA, Kelly and MissDarcei. This list ranks 49 makeup influencers by median views across their recent videos, not by follower count. Each one was found by searching across hundreds of thousands of top performing posts in the makeup niche.
Examples of what you can ask Klint:
Join 1,000+ marketers who use Klint to find creators in their niche. Start free
All 49, in rank order. Select a row to jump to the write-up.
| Rank | Creator | Followers | Median views | Engagement | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NikkieTutorials @nikkietutorials | 15M | 3.2M | 5.1% | One-product first impressions |
| 2 | molchanovamua @molchanovamua | 5.8M | 2.3M | 6.6% | Anime and film character transitions |
| 3 | LENA @lenkalul | 4.7M | 2.3M | 2.5% | Makeup hacks and Halloween looks |
| 4 | Kelly @itsbabykelz | 1.1M | 1.2M | 10.2% | Korean versus western makeovers |
| 5 | MissDarcei @MissDarcei | 4.2M | 1M | 5.6% | Shade tests for deep skin |
| 6 | mimiermakeup @mimiermakeup | 2.3M | 873K | 3.8% | Halloween transitions and reviews |
| 7 | kevikodra @kevikodra | 1.3M | 815K | 5.1% | Base and contour fixes |
| 8 | Arushi Painjane @_notjustarushi | 300K | 716K | 1.5% | Lip and eye looks set to music |
| 9 | Jeffree Star @jeffreestar | 8.3M | 689K | 3.6% | Luxury and drugstore reviews |
| 10 | James Charles @JamesCharles | 24M | 612K | 2.8% | Full faces of new launches |
| 11 | Alxandra @alxandra | 686K | 538K | 2.6% | Placement by face shape |
| 12 | Kayla Ryan @kayla.ryan1 | 1.1M | 526K | 5.4% | Halloween looks and GRWM |
| 13 | Emma Farrell @emmafarrellmakeup | 408K | 523K | 1.5% | Easy Halloween makeup hacks |
| 14 | nataliestrobll @nataliestrobll | 1.2M | 491K | 3.5% | Soft natural makeup routines |
| 15 | Jordan Lipscombe @jordanlipscombe | 2.2M | 472K | 13.1% | New launches and UK drugstore hauls |
| 16 | Trevor Barrett @trevorbarrett | 2.4M | 472K | 6.5% | Do’s and don’ts lessons |
| 17 | Manny Gutierrez @mannymua733 | 3.8M | 453K | – | Full beats and drugstore tests |
| 18 | Logan Nicole @logannicolemua | 834K | 431K | 13.2% | Seasonal full glam |
| 19 | Shelby Ann @shelbyannbell | 2.6M | 419K | 13.6% | Drugstore hauls and bridal glam |
| 20 | Jharna Bhagwani @jharnabhagwani | 13M | 360K | 7.7% | Pop culture character transitions |
| 21 | Aditya Madiraju @AdityaMadiraju | 719K | 356K | 3.8% | Soft glam and concealer fixes |
| 22 | Beth Fournier @whosbeth_ | 2.4M | 356K | 12.7% | Character transformations |
| 23 | Patrick Ta @patrickta | 4.1M | 344K | 2.9% | Celebrity glam and pop-ups |
| 24 | Ella Does Fx @elladoesfx | 4.6M | 313K | 6.5% | Horror and phobia SFX |
| 25 | Danielle Marcan @daniellemarcan | 1.7M | 299K | 4.3% | Editorial looks |
| 26 | Alexandra Claudia Milek @alexandraclaudia | 529K | 253K | 1.6% | Halloween hacks cut to music |
| 27 | Monica Ravi-Conway @monica.raviii | 630K | 252K | 3.4% | Reviews for brown and olive skin |
| 28 | Lyra @lyrayeyeye_ | 199K | 245K | 6.3% | Douyin and K-beauty looks |
| 29 | Rose Siard @roseandben | 2.4M | 240K | 8.5% | Color theory for makeup |
| 30 | demingai @demingai | 3.5M | 222K | 9.9% | Advent calendars and honest reviews |
| 31 | Elena Rachitskaya @elena.rachitskaya | 788K | 202K | 1.9% | Pro eye and lip technique |
| 32 | Katie Jane Hughes @katiejanehughes | 1.1M | 201K | 3.3% | Skin-first makeup technique |
| 33 | Laura Lee @laura88lee | 1.5M | 194K | 9% | Drugstore makeup reviews |
| 34 | Alessandro @mualesandro | 1.1M | 191K | 4.8% | Advent calendar unboxings |
| 35 | Valeriya @valeriya.eros | 583K | 188K | 6.7% | Creature SFX transitions |
| 36 | Spencer Hedges @thespencerhedges | 1.7M | 185K | 3.7% | Quick technique and lash launches |
| 37 | Allie @allierosss | 1M | 163K | 9% | Advent calendar ratings |
| 38 | Atarah Mayhew @atarahmayhew | 2.9M | 159K | 8.6% | Trend recreations and removals |
| 39 | Tati Westbrook @glamlifeguru | 2.1M | 151K | 2.3% | Blunt product verdicts |
| 40 | Ruthie @makeuppbyruthie | 5.6M | 142K | 8.8% | Horror film SFX |
| 41 | Cariadryan @cariad_ryan | 1.1M | 141K | 8% | Full-glam GRWM |
| 42 | JaDe Rain @jaderainbeauty | 506K | 138K | 4.6% | Beginner fixes for shade and base |
| 43 | Lisa Eldridge @lisaeldridgemakeup | 2.1M | 135K | 2.5% | Pro technique and makeup history |
| 44 | lana.sweeet @lana.sweeet | 72.6K | 133K | 4.4% | Cinematic SFX transformations |
| 45 | Mary Phillips @maryphillips | 2.3M | 129K | 2% | Underpainting and celebrity looks |
| 46 | Slaybyjess @slaybyjess | 766K | 123K | 4.3% | Beginner tips and product explainers |
| 47 | Daus Mendoza @daus_mendoza | 5.4M | 119K | 15.2% | 31 days of Halloween |
| 48 | Katie Farhood @katiefarhood | 3.8M | 118K | 14% | SFX characters and how they were made |
| 49 | Kaylee Marina @kaylee.marina | 860K | 115K | 10.6% | Halloween looks and chatty GRWM |
The best makeup influencers aren’t simply the accounts with the most followers. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube all show videos to people based on how the video performs individually, not just based on who follows the creator. As a result, a small or mid-sized account can reach more people than one several times its size.
That’s why we rank makeup influencers by median views of their videos (average number of people a typical video reaches). As of October 2026, the five most-watched are NikkieTutorials, molchanovamua, LENA, Kelly and MissDarcei.
Four groups, by what each creator makes: characters and SFX, technique lessons, product reviews, and everyday looks. The number beside each name is the creator’s overall rank.
Faces turned into characters, creatures, and costumes. Several also run paid posts for games and films.
Fast transitions into anime and film characters, built from face paint and fake blood and narrated in English. A handful of posts a month, every one of the last 30 about makeup.
No sponsored posts found in the last 90 days.
Close-up Reels that each show one makeup trick, from a spoon used to paint a skull to a heart drawn with eyeliner. Many captions end with a prompt to save the video and try it later.
20 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in foundation and concealer, eye makeup and skincare.
Halloween transitions and costume looks narrated in English, between product reviews filmed in a home studio. Close to a Reel a day through October.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Daily Shorts of Halloween character looks, from the Joker to a Dune desert face, between get-ready-with-me videos and brand events. The Instagram account leans to fashion; the Shorts are mostly makeup.
4 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare, makeup and streaming.
One Halloween hack per Reel, done with a household object such as a hairbrush or a sponge, plus compilations of several. Most finish as a clown, a skull, or a doll face.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in base makeup, skincare and energy drinks.
Wordless transitions into film, music, and cartoon characters, with English captions. Behind-the-scenes clips in Indonesian fill a few slots a month.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup and skincare.
Transitions from a bare face into a film, game, or anime character, filmed in a home studio and set to music. October is a run of Halloween looks, several made with a brand’s products.
6 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup, video games and film.
Horror and special-effects transformations, including a series that turns a phobia into a face. Posts come every week or two, with game and skincare ads between them.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in video games and skincare.
Quick Halloween hacks cut to music, from a spoon-painted skull to a Spider-Man face, with no voice. Paid demos for drugstore and luxury brands sit between them.
15 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in face makeup, eye makeup and skincare.
Mirror transitions from a bare face to a creature, set to music with no voice: a moth, a fish, a Teletubby. Thirty-one days of Halloween looks run through October.
No sponsored posts found in the last 90 days.
Creative and trend looks, from a glitch face to a tiger, plus a running series of makeup removals. The same creator has 8M subscribers on YouTube, where the reach is a little lower.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Horror and game characters built on the face from a makeup chair, set to music with text on screen. Removals done in one take close some of the looks.
2 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in video games and film.
Cinematic transformations into sirens, superheroes, and zombies, edited with green screen and set to music. The account also sells its own video-editing course.
No sponsored posts found in the last 90 days.
A daily run of Halloween characters through October, from Coraline to Chucky’s bride, some narrated as tutorials and some set to music. A podcast host who also founded a shapewear label.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in makeup.
Special-effects characters from Venom to a snake, each followed by a behind-the-scenes video that answers a comment. A working makeup artist in Los Angeles; removals get videos of their own.
8 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare, energy drinks and makeup.
Halloween and film-character tutorials such as Katherine Pierce and a bedazzled skeleton, voiced to camera at home. Weekly get-ready-with-me videos are filmed as a FaceTime catch-up.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare and setting spray.
Working artists and teachers who show technique on camera: placement, shade matching, brushes, and color theory.
Fast talking-head lessons on concealer, blush, and bronzer, most built as a mistake to stop and the fix to use instead. A working makeup artist, filmed at a bathroom mirror or a home studio.
7 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare and makeup.
Step-by-step eye and lip looks set to music, with English captions and no voiceover. Festival looks and cartoon themes sit beside everyday tutorials.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare and lip products.
A do’s and don’ts series on brushes, eyeliner for hooded eyes, and face paint, taught to camera in a home studio. The bio calls the account a makeup teacher.
8 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in base makeup, lip products and skincare.
Drugstore full faces, dupe hunts, and makeup restocks at Walmart, TJ Maxx, and Ulta, between days on bridal clients. A working bridal makeup artist who posts more than once a day.
7 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup, skincare and makeup retailers.
Shorts on concealer, brows, and lipstick, plus soft-glam makeovers on friends and fashion-week work backstage. A certified makeup artist who also posts fashion and luxury finds.
2 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in base makeup and drugstore makeup.
Celebrity glam and get-ready-with-me Reels with the artist working on clients, between launches and pop-ups for the artist’s own brand. October brought pop-ups in Bangkok with local stars.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Editorial looks with bleached brows and bold eyes, most set to music with no voice. Campaign work for fashion houses and beauty brands appears on the feed.
8 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup, haircare and footwear.
Color-theory lessons in a home studio: mixing a custom foundation shade, correcting a tone, layering a pigment. Many answer a follower’s comment on camera.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in color correctors and eye makeup.
Eye and lip technique from a working makeup artist and hairstylist, often set to music with a tip in the caption. Longer lessons go to YouTube.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in eye makeup.
Close-up technique Reels in a lit studio, one product and one placement at a time. A working makeup artist whose looks start from glowing skin.
2 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in foundation and makeup sticks.
Quick technique Reels on lip lines, concealer, and setting spray, each done on the creator’s own face. September was the launch of a lash collection made with Velour.
2 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Shorts that correct one common mistake at a time: undertone, foundation shade, concealer. Presented by an artist with 18 years of experience, for beginners.
No sponsored posts found in the last 90 days.
Professional application on models, short lessons such as a smoky eye in three steps, and red-carpet work. A former creative director at Lancôme, now the founder of a namesake brand.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in advent calendars.
Voiced tutorials on the underpainting technique, lip combinations, and the looks behind celebrity clients. A working celebrity makeup artist who founded a makeup brand.
6 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare and beauty retailers.
Creators who buy, test, and rate products on camera, from new launches to every advent calendar.
Short first-impression tests, each built around one new product tried on the face in close-up. The channel that made full-face tutorials famous now posts a few Shorts a month.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Shorts that test the darkest shade of a foundation, a lip tint, or a blush on deep skin, many of them from Korean brands. Each title asks whether the product works and answers on camera.
No sponsored posts found in the last 90 days.
First-person reviews that ask whether a product is worth the money, from Dior and Chanel to a dollar store. Launches from the reviewer’s own cosmetics brand and the Wyoming ranch fill the gaps.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in eyeshadow.
Long videos that do a full face from one store or one wave of launches, with Shorts on single products between them. The creator’s own brand, Painted, appears in most descriptions.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Reviews and hauls of new launches, from Primark and Boots to Huda and Marc Jacobs, filmed in a bedroom mirror. Advent calendar season brings full unboxings with timestamps for each product.
4 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup, advent calendars and skincare.
Product tests and color theory for brown and olive skin, with wear tests filmed close enough to show texture. Fashion and Halloween costume Reels ran through October.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in sunscreen.
Talking-head reviews that promise to skip the hype, from new launches to every beauty advent calendar of the season. A former creative director, filming at home most days.
3 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in setting spray, beauty boxes and makeup.
Drugstore reviews and rankings, from the best foundations to new launches worth the money, filmed to camera. Trend tests and lifestyle clips fill the rest.
2 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in beauty retailers and concealer.
Makeup reviews and, every autumn, unboxings of beauty advent calendars from YSL to NYX, each opened on camera. A working artist who books glam clients in South Florida.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in skincare.
Every beauty advent calendar of the season opened and rated to camera, from a $20 Target box to KIKO and Dior. Sephora and Ulta hauls fill the rest of the year.
8 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare, haircare and makeup.
Buy-and-tell reviews that open on the verdict: wear tests, new launches, and drugstore against luxury. The founder of a brush brand who signs off as the “Mother of Makeup”.
2 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare and foundation.
Wearable full looks, get-ready-with-me videos, and trend tests such as makeup by star sign.
Talking-head makeovers filmed at a mirror at home, often one face done two ways, Korean and western, or by star sign. Drugstore and new-launch products sit side by side.
15 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare, makeup and oral care.
Quick placement tips for contour, blush, and concealer by face shape, talked through at home or in the car. Hair tutorials take up most of the rest.
7 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare, lip products and haircare.
Short natural-makeup routines in sunny travel settings: sheer base, cream blush, freckles, a lip tint. Each Reel ends on the product list.
4 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup, skincare and haircare.
Full-beat makeup and drugstore product tests, many of them paid, between comedy and dating clips. The founder of Lunar Beauty, best known as Manny MUA.
9 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in face makeup, makeup retailers and skincare.
Do-my-makeup-with-me videos filmed at home, each a full glam with the products listed in the caption. Character looks and glam on friends credited as muses fill in between.
5 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in eye makeup and face makeup.
Full looks applied to music at home, from Douyin and K-beauty styles to horror characters such as Tomie. Tutorials add a short voiceover and a list of products.
5 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in skincare and makeup.
Full-glam get-ready-with-me videos and lip-sync transitions, voiced over with every product named. A podcast host whose dating diaries run between the looks.
13 sponsored posts in the last 90 days, in makeup.
Shorts that explain one thing a beginner gets wrong, such as setting spray against fixing spray, plus technique tests. Couple comedy and lifestyle Shorts fill about a third of the feed.
1 sponsored post in the last 90 days, in mascara.
We analyzed the 949 posts these 49 creators published on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in the last 30 days. Of those, 154 beat their creator’s usual views by 3× or more.
Here are the hooks that are working, read from each post’s caption, title, or on-screen text.
“Day 9 coraline💙🤭”
33 breakout posts name, in the first line of the caption, who the creator turns into: Coraline, Venom, a vampire, a K-pop star. The name works like a title card, and the video is the transformation.
Daus Mendoza 2.6M views · 21.9× their usualThey come from 14 creators, and some run as a series: a character a day through October, numbered in the caption. A face-paint or setting-spray brand can sit inside the look without changing the format.
“LET’S UNBOX THE $450 YSL ADVENT CALENDAR FOR 2026👀”
21 breakout posts unbox a beauty advent calendar or holiday set, and many put the price in capitals before anything else, from a $15 box to a $900 one.
Alessandro 3.6M views · 18.8× their usualFive creators made all of them, and each new calendar that ships gets its own video. For a brand with a calendar or a holiday set, these accounts are the seeding list for September and October.
“High-shine sparkle finish in ONE swipe?! Let’s see if the @Time Phoria Global Illumina Jelly Eyeshadow Stick passes the test… is it Jeffree Star Approved?”
17 breakout posts put a named product on trial in the caption’s first line: will it pass, why it sold out, which holiday sets not to buy.
Jeffree Star 5.6M views · 8.1× their usualTwo of the three biggest were paid posts for the same setting spray, by two different creators. A paid post can keep the verdict format, as long as the verdict is still there.
Lyra’s video reached 13M views, 52.9× their usual.
Alexandra Claudia Milek: “which one is your favorite?👻🎃🩸🕸️” reached 11M views, 45.2× their usual.
Kaylee Marina: “don’t forget to add the @loréal paris usa Infallible Setting Spray XL to your cart for @Amazon Prime Day ✨” reached 4.8M views, 41.3× their usual.
What the makeup accounts on this list do at each size on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Use it to judge whether a creator’s numbers are strong for their tier.
| Tier | Followers | Median views | Engagement | Posts a week | Sponsored posts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid | Under 500K | 384K | 3% | 3.4 | 9% |
| Macro | 500K to 2M | 202K | 4.6% | 4.2 | 13% |
| Mega | Over 2M | 358K | 6.5% | 3.7 | 12% |
Medians across these 49 accounts, from each account’s recent videos. “Sponsored posts” is the share of posts in the 90 days to Oct 19, 2026 that carry a paid-partnership or paid-promotion label or a stated sponsor, or are part of a brand campaign.
A makeup brand choosing creators for a launch or a seeding list needs reach that is current, a format that shows the product, and a verdict the audience believes.
Several of the best-known names in makeup now post mostly vlogs, brand launches, or podcast clips. Before you book, scroll the last 30 posts and count the ones that show makeup going on a face. An audience follows the feed it gets.
A foundation needs a shade test on more than one skin tone; a palette needs a full look; a setting spray needs a wear test. Choose creators whose usual format already shows what the product does, and do not ask a character artist for a review.
From late September, character and Halloween looks and advent calendar unboxings made up nearly half of the breakout posts. A launch that is neither competes with them for attention. A brand that sells face paint, setting spray, or a calendar can ride them instead.
Most of these creators also run sponsored posts for skincare, and several sell a makeup line or tools of their own. Ask for the last quarter’s partners before you agree to any exclusivity.
TikTok’s “Promotional content” and “Creator earns commission” marks are not a paid-partnership label, and the FTC tells creators not to rely on a platform’s disclosure tool alone. Write the exact disclosure each paid post will carry into the contract.
We identified and ranked these creators by searching hundreds of thousands of top performing makeup posts across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube with Klint.
We rank by median views across each creator’s recent videos, so one viral post can’t lift an account up the list. Creators from any country qualify if they post in English or with no words and at least half of their last 30 posts are makeup.
To get this list or a similar one for yourself, describe the creators you’re looking for in the Klint web app, or paste this prompt into any AI agent connected to Klint:
Find the top 49 makeup influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, ranked by median views across their last 30 videos or their last 90 days, whichever is lower. Only creators whose recent posts are mostly makeup.
Klint is trusted by 1,000+ marketers for AI-native influencer marketing.
As of October 2026 the top five makeup influencers by median views are NikkieTutorials, molchanovamua, LENA, Kelly and MissDarcei.
James Charles leads this list by following, with 24M YouTube subscribers. NikkieTutorials leads by reach, with 3.2M median views on Shorts.
All three. Each creator is listed on the platform where a typical post reaches the most people: 23 on TikTok, 19 on Instagram, and 7 on YouTube.
Of the 49, 15 work as makeup artists with clients, brides, shoots, or classes. The most watched of them are kevikodra, Arushi Painjane, Trevor Barrett, Shelby Ann and Aditya Madiraju.
By hand, search each platform for the product and a technique, such as “foundation for deep skin” or “hooded eye liner”, then open each account and count how many recent posts show makeup. Klint is the faster route: ask for “makeup artists under 500K followers who review drugstore foundation” and get them ranked by median views.
Makeup deals are usually a fee per video, with the product sent for the creator to use on camera. The fee rises with the views a typical post gets, the usage rights you want, and whether the product gets the whole video or a slot in a get-ready-with-me.
Yes. Any creator can ask to be taken off Klint’s lists, and the request applies to every page they would otherwise appear on.
On this list and would rather not be? Write to privacy@tryklint.ai and Klint will take you off.
