Mikayla Nogueira is a TikTok beauty creator who built one of the most engaged followings in cosmetics from her Massachusetts home during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Born Mikayla Jane Nogueira on June 13, 1998, in East Freetown, Massachusetts, she is 28 years old as of October 2026. Known for her Boston accent, blunt product reviews, and “GRWM” videos, she holds more than 17 million TikTok followers as of mid-2026, launched her own beauty brand Point of View in March 2025, and finalized a high-profile divorce in July 2026 that she discussed openly with her audience.
Forbes estimated her 2025 earnings at $7.8 million, placing her among the highest-paid TikTok beauty creators. She went from working retail at Ulta Beauty to signing deals with Estée Lauder and e.l.f. and founding her own company.
Early Life
Nogueira was born on June 13, 1998, in East Freetown, Massachusetts, to Patrice and Michael Nogueira. Her family is largely of Portuguese descent. She has an older brother and an older sister. Her mother worked as a school counselor, and Nogueira has described her as artistic and deeply supportive of her early interest in beauty.
Her love of makeup started in childhood; she has said she bought Avon products from a friend of her mother. She kept experimenting through her teens while working retail jobs, including a stint at Ulta Beauty. She graduated from Apponequet Regional High School and went on to Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 2020. She has said she interned at a radio station in college, and her Forbes profile lists a Master’s degree from Bryant.
Rise to Fame on TikTok
Nogueira posted her first TikTok video in early 2020, during the first weeks of pandemic lockdowns. She has said she started making videos to help her mother learn how to use the app. Her early clips were makeup tutorials and reviews filmed in her family home, and her direct manner stood out immediately. She told viewers plainly when a product was bad, even when it came from a major brand, and her Boston accent became a signature.
She has said her first video to pass a million views was a concealer tutorial. Within months, her follower count climbed into the millions. By 2021, her audience numbered in the millions, making her one of TikTok’s leading beauty creators, and brands began approaching her for partnerships. She expanded to Instagram under the handle mikaylajmakeup, where she also built a large audience.
What set her apart was the review format: full-face try-ons with unfiltered verdicts, filmed in natural lighting, often while talking through her day. Viewers trusted her because she criticized products freely, and that trust converted into serious commercial value.
Career Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2020 | First TikTok video (early 2020); graduates Bryant University; meets Cody Hawken on Tinder |
| 2021 | TikTok audience climbs into the millions; engaged to Cody Hawken (November) |
| 2022 | Continues brand partnerships; wedding planning |
| 2023 | Marries Cody Hawken (July 1) at Castle Hill Inn, Newport, Rhode Island |
| 2024 | Hawken relapses and enters rehab; Nogueira discusses it publicly in 2025 |
| 2025 | Launches POV Beauty (March) |
| 2026 | Announces divorce (February); goes public with boyfriend Zack Panaggio (April); divorce finalized (July 28); On Purpose podcast interview (October) |
Content Style
Nogueira’s videos follow a recognizable rhythm. She films in her home, often in natural light, and talks viewers through each product as she applies it. Her verdicts are blunt: she names products she hates as readily as ones she loves, and she has called out expensive launches from major houses when they underperformed. That candor is the core of her appeal.
Her “GRWM” (get ready with me) videos double as life updates, which is how her audience learned about the divorce, the brand launch, and her court dates. She used the format for the divorce announcement itself and for the “get ready with me for divorce court” video in July 2026. The approach keeps her personal narrative inside her commercial content, so followers feel they know her beyond the makeup.
She also posts comedy-adjacent clips and trend participation, but beauty remains the anchor. Her Boston accent, which she leans into rather than softening, became one of the most imitated creator traits on TikTok’s beauty side.
Brand Deals and Business
As her audience grew, Nogueira signed partnerships with major cosmetics companies, including deals with Estée Lauder and e.l.f., alongside her ongoing sponsored content. Her rates reflected her engagement: beauty industry watchers noted her sponsored posts commanded premium fees because her followers bought what she recommended.
In March 2025, she launched her own beauty brand, Point of View (POV Beauty), selling moisturizers, lip balms, and serums. The launch marked her move from reviewer to founder, following the path of earlier beauty YouTubers who built companies on their audiences. The brand is the commercial center of her business as of October 2026.
The economics of her influence are straightforward. Beauty brands pay for her reviews because her followers buy what she recommends, and her negative reviews carry weight precisely because she gives them. That dynamic made her one of the most commercially valuable TikTok beauty creators before she ever launched a product of her own. POV Beauty lets her capture the full margin on that trust instead of renting it to other brands post by post.
Personal Life and Marriage
Nogueira met Cody Hawken on Tinder in 2020, during her rise to fame. Hawken’s family owns a fishing supply store. The couple got engaged in November 2021, and married on July 1, 2023, at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island.
Hawken has struggled with addiction, and Nogueira spoke about it publicly more than once. In 2025, she revealed in a video that Hawken had relapsed in 2024 and entered rehab. She praised his efforts to seek treatment and told followers that relapse is part of recovery, not a failure.
On February 12, 2026, Nogueira posted a TikTok video announcing that she and Hawken were divorcing. She said they had split in 2025 and remained close, adding that Hawken deserved happiness. She asked followers to keep his addiction history out of the conversation about the divorce, calling them two separate things.
The divorce was finalized on July 28, 2026. Nogueira marked the day with a TikTok video of herself running down courthouse steps wearing a shirt that read “Just Divorced,” writing in the caption that she was happier than words could express. In October 2026, she appeared on the On Purpose podcast and discussed the marriage in detail, saying Hawken’s near-fatal overdose and repeated relapses had traumatized her and that by the last year of the marriage she felt she no longer knew who he was. She said she believed she failed as a partner and he failed her too, and that they were both too young, she for marriage and he for the sobriety journey, when they wed.
In March 2026, Nogueira said she was dating again, and went public with Zack Panaggio, a former high-school boyfriend, around April 2026. In July 2026 interviews she said she would marry again.
Controversies
Nogueira’s career has included several smaller controversies typical of large beauty creators. She faced criticism over sponsored content disclosures and over the authenticity of some “unfiltered” reviews. In 2022, viewers questioned whether her eyelashes looked different across videos, sparking a round of speculation she addressed on camera.
The most sustained criticism has centered on her openness about her marriage: some followers felt she shared too much about Hawken’s addiction, while others praised her honesty. Her February 2026 divorce announcement video drew both sympathy and mockery, with its dramatic delivery widely discussed online. She has continued posting through the commentary, keeping her audience updated on her personal life in the same direct style as her product reviews.
She has also faced the standard scrutiny that follows large creators: questions about undisclosed sponsorships, debates over before-and-after editing, and arguments in her comments about whether her reviews are truly independent now that she sells her own products. She addresses these head-on in videos rather than ignoring them, which has generally kept the criticism from sticking.
Follower Counts (as of 2026)
| Platform | Followers | Date of figure |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | over 17 million | mid-2026 |
| Growing audience under @mikaylajmakeup | 2026 |
Nogueira represents the TikTok-native generation of beauty fame, distinct from the YouTube era of creators like James Charles. Her path also differs from reality-TV-driven influencer fame: personalities such as Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt, and Mayci Neeley built their followings through Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, while Nogueira’s audience came purely from short-form beauty content.
2024 to 2026 Developments
2024 brought Hawken’s relapse and rehab stay, which Nogueira discussed publicly in 2025 videos. Her content output stayed consistent through the period, with GRWM videos and product reviews continuing on schedule.
2026 was her biggest year of change. She announced the divorce in February, finalized it in July, went public with her new relationship with Zack Panaggio around April, and gave the detailed On Purpose podcast interview in October. Through it all, her TikTok audience held above 17 million, and the brand launch gave her a business beyond sponsored posts.
Her earnings reflect that trajectory. Forbes estimated her 2025 earnings at $7.8 million, placing her among the highest-paid TikTok beauty creators. Net worth trackers give varying figures, but all agree her earnings put her near the top of the TikTok beauty tier.
Looking ahead, her business now rests on two pillars: the content that built her audience and the brand that monetizes it. If POV Beauty scales, her wealth could move well past current estimates. Her audience has shown it will follow her through personal upheaval, and that loyalty is the asset every beauty brand wants to buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Mikayla Nogueira?
She was born on June 13, 1998, in East Freetown, Massachusetts. She is 28 years old as of October 2026.
What is Mikayla Nogueira’s net worth?
Forbes estimated her 2025 earnings at $7.8 million. Net worth trackers give varying figures, but all place her among the top-earning TikTok beauty creators.
Are Mikayla Nogueira and Cody Hawken still together?
No. Nogueira announced their divorce in a TikTok video on February 12, 2026, and the divorce was finalized on July 28, 2026. They married on July 1, 2023, after meeting on Tinder in 2020. In March 2026, she said she was dating again, and went public with Zack Panaggio around April 2026.
What is POV Beauty?
Point of View, or POV Beauty, is Mikayla Nogueira’s own cosmetics brand, launched in March 2025. It sells moisturizers, lip balms, and serums, marking her move from product reviewer to brand founder.
How did Mikayla Nogueira become famous?
She started posting TikTok videos in March 2020 during the pandemic lockdowns, initially to help her mother learn the app. Her honest makeup reviews and tutorials, delivered with her Boston accent, went viral, and her audience grew to more than 17 million followers.
Where did Mikayla Nogueira go to college?
She graduated from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 2020, and her Forbes profile lists a Master’s degree from Bryant.
Does Mikayla Nogueira have kids?
No. She has no children. She shares dogs with her ex-husband Cody Hawken, and they remained in contact about the animals after the split.
