Nykita Joy

GRWM vids are like social media stress relievers, and no one does them better than model and content creator Nykita Joy (she/her). The beauty aficionado has convinced us to buy more products than we can count, simply because of how much of an expert she is (and how much charisma she has). But her content isn’t all hair and makeup; Nykita’s TikToks and IG stories often highlight her personal and community struggles as a trans woman, and we’re here for it all. Read on if you want to get to know Nykita—and read her amazing recs for a last-minute makeup look.

What’s it like cultivating your online community?
Social media wasn’t something I aspired to have a stake in. My initial following came from losing access to a gender-affirming surgery due to the holes in healthcare for trans people. In a moment of desperation to come up with thousands of dollars on short notice, I advertised tarot readings that became incredibly popular. It started with posting daily affirmations, but as I grew more confident on the platform, I expanded my videos to include beauty, too.

Having already sold beauty products for years—along with beating about 8k+ faces—I filmed a particular video entitled, “GRWM to Take My Key Back and Dump This Cheating MFer.” As this went viral, “Get Ready With Me” videos became the root of my current content on TikTok, where recording my glam sessions allows me to share my love for everything beauty with anyone who’ll listen. Being genuine is so easy for me because I get to talk in my favorite language all day everyday.

How is being so visible on social media challenging?
The challenges in this industry come with the little flag in my social media bios, which is a call to action for awful people to be, well, extra awful. It feels like a target, and frankly, a waste of their time. I am authentically myself at all times; being trans is a part of me, not all of me. I want my legacy on TikTok to be more about my talents and my realness—not which bathroom haters think I should use.

Little infuriates me more than the ease with which a cis man of influence will crawl into my DMs with his little blue check and beg for sex and attention from a woman he would never defend in the streets. Men are comfortable pursuing me and my sisters in secret, but recoil at the possibility of being with us in the public sphere. This pursuit of a life of convenience is ultimately the pervasive venom in our system that trickles down and ultimately leads to TERFs calling me a man in my comments… and frequently results in men killing predominantly Black and Brown trans women in cold blood.

What advice do you have for others in visible spaces with marginalized identities?
My advice is to continue being authentic. Dig into it. My authenticity has allowed for my success. Being completely yourself is the key to self-awareness and confidence. Even in tough spaces, bravery is in the being of being yourself. Any perceived grace is really my understanding of how precious my platform is; my voice has the ability to be heard, which is not the case for most trans women. My experience is unique. An opportunity this precious cannot be wasted. I exist and people will listen. To amplify the existence of trans women is my prerogative.

How can cis folks show up for trans folks all the time?
Pop culture amplifies the voices of some trans women who are incredibly successful. These women have followers who are dedicated to defending them, but when asked to apply the same activism to everyday trans women, cis people lose steam. They do not show up with the same enthusiasm for your everyday trans woman who’s serving looks on 9th Ave. My suggestion is to just let us exist, just because we exist—not in a skewed perception of existence, but in the plain reality that we are just as valid as our non-trans peers. We walk the same world as you do (but often in shoes much cuter).

Okay, please give us your sage wisdom about how to get ready with very limited time/ products!
Picture this (this actually happened to me): You’re at work (I was at a casting) with no makeup on. But you’re, ofc, invited out that night last minute by friends because you’re a joy to be around. Now, here we are—doing our makeup in the back of a cab with only what is in the bottom of our purse.

Monochromatic makeup is one of my favorite ways to give the appearance of maximum effort with minimal investment (but that’s really our little secret).

Follow the steps below and by the time the cab pulls up, you are climbing out with a professional, backseat make-up application. Let the compliments ensue.

• Ideally you’re starting with skin that’s juicy from a deliciously simple moisturizer with ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and yes, some form of oil (my skin really likes squalane).
• Finding a lash curler that fits the shape of your eye is a game changer. Not all eye shapes are automatically besties with all lash curlers. My top recommendations are the Shu Uemura S Curler and the Shiseido Eyelash Curler.
• I follow with my ride-or-die mascara for nearly a decade: L’Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara. Don’t be afraid to wipe off when you start using a fresh bottle so your lashes stay separated—unless clumpy is the look we’re going for, which if it is… I live. I’d also like to settle the debate of drugstore vs. prestige mascaras—sometimes (read: often) the inexpensive option is the better one.
• Next, use something like the Kosas Revealer Concealer or Elf Hydrating Camo Concealer which are favs of mine bc you can use as little as you want for under the eyes, or as much as you want all over as a buildable base.
• Lipstick is ironically everyone’s secret weapon. The secret? A lip, cheek, and eye color all in one convenient little bullet—and all you need is your fingers using light taps to complete the perfect, subtle, monochromatic blend. I always say to find a formula that feels delicious to you and the perfect color will magically find you. I love the Charlotte Tilbury, Pat McGrath MatteTrance, Maybelline Color Sensational, and Revlon Super Lustrous formulas.