TikTok Icon Katie Fang Is the Ultimate Gen Z Influencer
The beauty content creator on going viral, how to shoot a successful "get ready with me" video and current makeup favourites.
Of all the crazes that have circulated TikTok in recent years, few are as alluring — and as evergreen — as the “get ready with me” trend. In a few minutes or less, these viral videos give viewers a glimpse into the lives of popular creators and strangers alike, as they detail the beauty products they use to get glammed up while simultaneously babbling on about life updates (get ready with me to break up with my boyfriend!) and other attention-grabbing tales (get ready with me to quit my corporate job!) that keep us watching.
From tweens experimenting with Drunk Elephant skincare to celebrities like Hailey Bieber talking us through their makeup routines, the clock app is overflowing with beauty-focused #GRWM-style videos that we just can’t seem to scroll past. Among this flood of GRWM content, one particular Gen Z creator’s posts have garnered her millions of followers — five million to be precise — and even more video views. We’re talking about Katie Fang, of course.
In fact, it was one fortuitous GRWM video posted in early 2023 that skyrocketed 18-year-old Fang to instant TikTok fame.
@katiefanggg This is so sad
“POV: I got called into work,” Fang titled the video, which went viral within hours, and has now been viewed over 40 million times. For two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, the then-17-year-old pushes through tears to apply notably trendy beauty products like Rare Beauty blush, Benefit Cosmetics bronzer and Charlotte Tilbury setting spray. Feeling down, but still dolled up!
“This is so real,” writes one user in the comments.
“Scared was definitely the first emotion I felt [when I realized I went viral] because I’ve never had a video blow up that big,” Fang tells me over Zoom. “But at the same time, it was so thrilling and fun.” At the time, Taiwan-born Fang was a senior in high school in Vancouver, B.C. and had never considered a career in content creation before. “I would scroll on TikTok and see a bunch of creators, but it never crossed my mind once that I wanted to be a content creator or an influencer or something like that.” Now, a master of the #GRWM, Fang says it all comes down to great lighting and having something “intriguing” to say within the first five seconds of the post, in order to keep viewers hooked.
Or, in the case of Fang’s original viral post, something incredibly relatable.
Though millions look to Fang for what’s currently trending in beauty (blush blindness, where? at the moment, she’s obsessed with overdoing blush) and what to buy next, the #BeautyTok creator tells me that growing up, her mother was strict about her technology and social media usage. Meaning, she didn’t consume any beauty content at all. “Before all this, I wanted to be a journalist,” Fang laughs. In a sense, she is a storyteller in her own right, documenting everything from her day-to-day life to beauty tips while influencing the masses along the way, I think to myself.
“It wasn’t until early last year when I got really got into TikTok and seriously started making videos where I was like, ‘Okay, I love the beauty industry.’” By December of 2023, she was smashing a life-size Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb cake in celebration of her 18th birthday and had become a fully-fledged beauty content creator.
@katiefanggg @Fenty Beauty 🎂🎂
With so many young eyes on her, being an influencer in a space where beauty standards are so often unrealistic and unattainable is not a responsibility Fang takes lightly. “I always make sure that I’m as authentic as I can be. Not just for my audience, but for myself too, because I feel like authenticity is key,” she shares. “I never want someone to watch one of my videos or my content and feel insecure or uninspired. I want them to watch me, especially my younger audience, and feel confident, uplifted and inspired.”
In the whirlwind of brand partnerships that have come since Fang’s meteoric rise to social media stardom last year, you’ve likely spotted her, well, everywhere. On a billboard in Times Square wearing Kosas’ DreamBeam Sunlit Sunscreen. Elsewhere on the New York City streets, where she’s just moved and purchased her first “big girl” apartment. On Sephora shelves, where her Get Glowing With Me collaboration kit with Glow Recipe lives. On Cetaphil’s Instagram page, where she has just been announced as the new face of the brand’s new Gentle Exfoliating range. And, most of all, always trending on TikTok.
Ahead, shop Katie Fang’s current favourite beauty essentials.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
Want to achieve Fang’s signature glow? Opt for this blurring complexion booster from Charlotte Tilbury.
Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer
“Recently I’ve been obsessed with Haus Labs. I just recently tried it, and the concealer is insane,” says Fang.
Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
Contributing to Fang’s love for blush, Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick is one of the influencer’s current favourites.
Kosas Brow Pop Dual-Action Brow Pencil
Is it even a Katie Fang #GRWM if she isn’t using Kosas on her brows? She adores the brand’s brow pencils and brow gels.
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
“If I had to ditch everything else and keep one thing, it would be Shiseido’s Eyelash Curler. It’s the only one that works for me!” shares Fang.
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