Joining a video call with Golloria George means two things. First, you’ll need to turn down the brightness on your screen—the beauty creator’s complexion is just that radiant (today it’s courtesy of the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder). Second, you’ll fall into the type of rapid fire banter you typically reserve for a night out with your closest girlfriends (“Girl! Love! Period!”) within a few minutes. It’s an occupational hazard for anyone who loves to talk beauty, as we both do, and whose average workday means sharing makeup hot takes with the world.
As a beauty influencer, George’s world—largely populated by over three million followers on TikTok—is facing an uncertain future when we speak in December. News of a TikTok shutdown had been looming for months. A few weeks later, in mid-January, the app was eventually banned; offline for about 12 hours before being reinstated. Still, the potential for a future shutdown has forced many creators to look elsewhere for their social media livelihood. George, though, remains unfazed. “I’ve been blessed to build on multiple platforms, and while TikTok was my start, I know it won’t be the end,” she tells me.
