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Alexis Oakley is only 25 years old and she has already “glammed” her favorite social stars, such as Alix Earle and Olivia Jade, plus musicians Avril Lavigne and Tate McRae. She even did legend Kris Jenner’s makeup. But Oakley is also an influencer in her own right, with more than 250,000 TikTok followers watching her life as Los Angeles’ go-to influencer makeup artist.
With a growing social following and even more popular clients, it only makes sense she would ink her big makeup collab, this time with Benefit Cosmetics. The brand announced the partnership on Instagram, writing:
“Introducing Bronze and Glow Like a Pro with celebrity makeup artist, @alexisoakley! We’re so stoked to be on set with her to teach you all her favorite makeup techniques using our iconic Hoola Bronzer, WANDERful World Blushes and Box o’Highlighters. Stay tuned for a series of cheeky tips & tricks and how to score the iconic Alexis Beat!”
It’s safe to say, fans of both Oakley and Benefit were excited. To learn more about the collaboration and figure out how she got to finally glam Alix Earle, we jumped on Zoom to chat all things beauty, and find out what she really thinks about all those TikTok hacks. (Hint: she’s not a fan.)
How She Got Her Start on TikTok
During Covid-19 lockdowns, Oakley was doing TikTok dances just like the rest of us. But then she saw a shift in the type of content followers wanted. “It transitioned into a new YouTube with so much beauty content and tutorials,” she says. “And I feel like I’ve found my niche in that space in the last few years just because I’m one of the few Gen-Z celebrity makeup artists and so I’ve just like been around social media from the get-go. It’s very easy for me to be open online and share product recommendations.”
She also used the platform to tell her audience what it’s really like to be a makeup artist, with early mornings and late-night brush cleaning, long hours, and tons of persistence. “[When] I first started in the industry, there wasn’t a lot of information out there on how to become a celebrity makeup artist because it was very gatekeeping at that time,” she continues. “I was posting like, ‘Here’s how I started assisting,’ ‘This is the email that I sent to get my first position,’ everything like that, and that’s when it started taking off for me.”
How She Became the Influencer’s Makeup Artist
Although she calls herself a celebrity makeup artist, the celebrities she “glams” are social starts like Alix Earle, Tabitha Swatosh, Ellie Thumann, and Trisha Paytas. This was purposeful. “That was the goal from the get-go,” she says. “I never really had much of a desire to do actresses or anything like that. I wanted pop stars and influencers and so it went the way that I want it to, which is great.”
But that doesn’t mean it came easily. Being persistent paid off. Oakley wanted to do Earle’s makeup, so she slid into her DMs and offered her services whenever the budding influencer was in Los Angeles. “I’m not even joking, I think I messaged her nine times before she finally saw it,” Oakley says. “It was just timing. I glammed her the first day. And then as soon as she looked at it in the mirror, she’s like, ‘Are you free tomorrow, too.’ And then came back the next day.”
A few years ago, she worked with a dream client, Call Her Daddy‘s Alex Cooper, and she knew she was on the right path. Her “full circle moment,” though, was “doing Blair Fowler and Bethany Mota because they’re how I learned how to do eyeliner in the beginning.”
Her Signature Alexis Oakley Look
Oakley is open to any makeup look her client requests but when they let her do her “simple look,” she goes for her signature eye look with the rest of the face more paired down. “I love a very snatch look, especially on the eyes, so I love winged eyeliner,” she says. “Matte brown tones on the eyes or a smoky eye I feel like I’ve kind of become known for in the last few years.”
Her Go-To Benefit Cosmetics Products
To create that bronzy look on her clients, Oakley’s go-to has always been Benefit’s Hoola Matte Powder Bronzer ($35 at Ulta Beauty), with the Tickle Golden Pink Powder Highlighter ($35 at Ulta Beauty) on top. For the brows, she swears by the 24-HR Brow Setter Clear Eyebrow Gel ($26 at Ulta Beauty). “It’s the best product to hold up the brows and it’s almost giving her a facelift because it just keeps them in place all day long.”
And of course, we can’t skip blush. Oakley loves the iconic Benetint Liquid Lip Blush & Cheek Tint ($21 at Ulta Beauty). “That’s such a great, easy product for anyone to use, she says. “Whether you’re super into makeup or not, because it’s like, even when I’m not wearing makeup, sometimes I’ll just throw it on my cheeks, throw it on my lips, and call it a day.”
She Thinks Makeup Hacks Are Usually a Waste of Time
You’ve seen all the creative beauty hacks on TikTok, such as using the heel of your stiletto to create a winged eyeliner. Oakley, like many legit makeup artists, isn’t much of a fan. “Sometimes they’re helpful, but I think the majority of the time they’re just like clickbait vibes,” she says. Instead, maybe listen to the artists on the app who share their secrets. “I love that like people are sharing those celebrity secrets like the underpainting technique, doing the contour and concealer before foundation, and those little tricks,” she says. “Especially all of the blush placement techniques.”
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