When Tiffany Mitchell preps her face with makeup, she can almost hear Erica Taylor’s signature Queens accent echoing in her mind, guiding her through each step with unforgettable catchphrases.
These aren’t just any phrases; they’re ingenious mnemonics designed to simplify mature makeup application. Think ‘Uncomfortably high to lift your eye’ for eyeshadow placement near the brow bone, or ‘Over the river and through the hood’ for expertly extending liner beyond a hooded lid. And when she says ‘The apple fell from the tree,’ it’s a reminder to place blush higher on the cheek, while ‘Let’s go!’ is simply an enthusiastic call to action.
‘This woman genuinely understands my face,’ exclaims Tiffany Mitchell, 45, a Detroit-based entrepreneur and reality TV veteran known for her appearances on ‘Big Brother’ and ‘The Challenge,’ and soon to be seen on ‘The Traitors.’
With a massive following of 2.2 million on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram, 49-year-old Erica Taylor has carved out a unique space. She caters primarily to an over-40 demographic, offering engaging tutorials that blend humor, relatable advice, and those memorable mnemonics, all tailored for facial features that have naturally evolved over time.
Her most viral video, boasting nearly 10 million views on TikTok, is a must-watch titled ‘Common Mistakes That Age Our Face.’ This video effectively showcases her signature ‘split-face’ style, where one side demonstrates outdated techniques and the other reveals her transformative approach.
Erica Taylor’s viral TikTok video: Common Mistakes that Age the face #makeupover40 #makeupmistakes #maturemakeup #makeupover40tips #over40makeuptips #dosanddonts #makeupmom #fyp #fypシ
In this engaging format, one side of her face exemplifies outdated techniques – think low, harsh blush and thick eyeliner. Then, with a dramatic reveal, she uncovers the ‘after’ side, showcasing an astonishing transformation achieved with just a few subtle, lifting tweaks to her cheeks, lips, and eyes.
‘It’s all about rerouting traffic,’ Ms. Taylor explains with the same vibrant energy seen in her videos. ‘Things tend to go south as we age, so we’re simply pushing them back up to create a more lifted appearance.’
A Queens native now residing on Long Island, Ms. Taylor initially trained as an art teacher, with a passion for portraiture. Her journey into makeup began at age 19, leading to 27 years as a professional makeup artist and corporate trainer for various cosmetic brands. This extensive experience, particularly her tenure with Trish McEvoy (a brand favored by an older demographic), truly refined her expertise in mature skin.
Her viral liquid eyeliner tips in 2022 – a simple yet revolutionary ‘Press it, don’t pull it’ technique – garnered so much online attention that she eventually left her corporate job. She filmed that initial breakout video in her own bedroom, complete with an unmade bed in the background.
Erica Taylor’s TikTok video: Fun cat eye look for “maturing” eyes #cateyetutorial #over40eyelining #tutorial #over40makeuptips #makeupmom #funnymom #makeupmomma #makeuptips #bossmom #momof3 #fyp #fypシ
Today, she films in a dedicated beauty room, often weaving in witty remarks about wine or relatable anecdotes like ‘I was in Sephora, and I looked like I was a hundred and four-a.’
‘She sounds just like one of my girlfriends,’ Tiffany Mitchell affirms.
We Have Money
While TikTok might seem like a playground for Generation Z and the ‘Sephora teens,’ Erica Taylor’s immense popularity among older women on the platform is a delightful surprise to many.
‘There’s a common misconception that older demographics aren’t active on TikTok, but they absolutely are,’ states Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of the consumer data firm Spate.
In fact, hashtags like #over40makeup and #matureskin are seeing engagement levels comparable to Gen Z content, according to Horwitz, with Ms. Taylor leading the pack as the top creator in this flourishing niche.
Taylor’s rising star coincides with a broader cultural moment where middle-aged women are becoming increasingly visible and vocal. Generation X women are openly discussing topics from menopause to experiencing their best sex, and media is finally celebrating older women in TV and film. They are fearlessly addressing realities like under-eye bags and thinning lips.
For years, Karen Holman, a 56-year-old nurse anesthetist from Howell, Michigan, had largely abandoned makeup. She even shared her struggles with eyeshadow application in a candid TikTok post.
‘I nearly had a heart attack,’ she recalls. ‘My once beautiful eyelids were just… hanging.’
But after trying Taylor’s specific lid technique, Holman found success. ‘It actually worked!’ she exclaimed.
Despite her newfound success with makeup, Holman still feels brands overlook her demographic. ‘The focus is clearly on younger consumers,’ she notes, ‘but there are so many of us, and we have significant purchasing power.’
Indeed, Generation X consumers in the U.S. are projected to spend a staggering $86 billion on beauty products this year alone, according to Juan Caballero, head of insights and analytics at World Data Lab, referencing a recent report on global Gen X spending released with NielsenIQ.
Early in her social media career, Taylor observed brands showering younger, less-followed influencers with PR packages, while she consistently received anti-wrinkle products. However, the beauty industry’s long-standing obsession with youth is finally beginning to shift.
Today, new beauty lines specifically created for and by mature skin advocates, like Sarah Creal Beauty and Molly Sims’ YSE Beauty, are gracing the shelves of major retailers like Sephora. Even established giants like L’Oréal Paris and Laura Geller Beauty are actively engaging this demographic on TikTok, as noted by Ms. Horwitz. Erica Taylor herself has collaborated with many of these brands, alongside those traditionally targeting younger audiences, such as Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Makeup by Mario.
Dos and Don’ts
Ms. Taylor’s teaching style revives a classic journalistic approach: the ‘dos and don’ts’ format, familiar to anyone who once devoured women’s magazines.
‘I am literally every ‘don’t’,’ one TikTok user confessed on a recent eyeshadow post. It’s clear from the comments that many of Ms. Taylor’s followers genuinely value her straightforward guidelines.
Naturally, not everyone embraces her prescriptive approach. Some critics, resistant to being told what to do, have accused her of using filters, undergoing cosmetic procedures, or even simply wearing too much makeup.
Ms. Taylor, however, remains unfazed. ‘You’re free to do whatever you like,’ she retorts, ‘just don’t expect the same results.’ In person, she’s far from a drill sergeant, embodying more of an empathetic older sister. She even candidly admits that, in her early days at makeup counters, she might have inadvertently taught some customers the ‘wrong’ way to apply makeup.
While she occasionally uses filters, Ms. Taylor assures her audience they are never present during product demonstrations. She is transparent about her own laser treatments and Botox, yet her core philosophy champions the incredible, transformative power of makeup. Next spring, she plans to share her wisdom in a new book, ‘The Magic of Makeup: Your Handbook for a Youthful, Radiant Look.’
“My followers constantly tell me, ‘You’ve made makeup fun again! I feel pretty again,’” she shares. “It’s like slipping into a perfect pair of pants or having an amazing hair day. It’s not about mere vanity; makeup is so much more. When you feel good about yourself, you approach your entire day with a different kind of confidence.”