Mikayla Nogueira has been accused of using false eyelashes in advertising

Beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira has been embroiled in yet another TikTok controversy after viewers accused her of using false eyelashes in a video intended to promote a certain mascara.

In a sponsored TikTok post on January 24, 2023, which has now amassed over 15.4 million views, the makeup artist, who recently came under fire for saying her job as an influencer is difficult, has teamed up with L’Oréal, to promote the brand’s telescopic lift Washable Mascara.

“It literally changed my life,” she says, applying a first coat of mascara to one eye. The clip is then cut after she says she’ll be applying a second coat, with the influencer then reappearing with noticeably longer and fuller lashes.

@mikaylanogueira THESE ARE LASHES OF MY DREAMS!! @lorealparisusa never lets me down 😭 #TelescopicLift #LorealParisPartner #LorealParis @zoehonsinger ♬ Original sound – Mikayla Nogueira

Mikayla claims in the clip that this is due to the mascara alone, while gushed, “Look at the length. Do you see that? I’m speechless.” However, TikToker has been inundated with skepticism about the video, with TikTokers questioning their claims with both comments and videos of their own.

Several commenters were upset with the video, claiming that Mikayla had betrayed her trust. “I’m really sad I really trusted you,” one wrote. “I feel really hurt. I’ve been checking out your stuff and I’ve really been Team Mikayla up until now.”

Others appeared to identify the brand of false lashes Mikayla allegedly used, and commenters said they “know Ardell Wisps when they see them”. Another common sentiment in the comments was that viewers said they felt “gaslit,” with one fan writing, “Mikayla we love you but be really damned now.”

In comments below the video, Nogueira doubled down, saying that she didn’t add false lashes in her video and that L’Oréal “would never allow that in an affiliate post.”

At the time of writing, Nogueira has not otherwise responded to claims that she used false lashes, and the TikTok in question remains active. We have contacted Nogueria via the contact email listed in her Instagram bio and L’Oréal via the email and phone contacts listed on their website. Both did not respond in time for the publication of this article.

TikTokers also resurfaced an old clip of Nogueira demonstrating how advertisers can easily trick users by putting on fake lashes and saying, “I just lied straight to your face, and you probably believed it.” Those lashes, totally fake, and that’s what brands do, they lie to you about how things work. Did you know these were false eyelashes? Maybe not.”

@mikaylasreality #mikaylanogueira #falselashes ♬ Original sound – Mikayla

As “Mikayla Nogueira’s lashes” became a trending topic on TikTok, countless creators stitched and dueted the beauty influencer to call her out for appearing to be wearing fake lashes, thereby “misleading” her viewers.

“You’re not going to come on TikTok and insult our intelligence and just think it’s going to fly,” said one TikToker in a video with over 399,000 views.

On January 25, 2023, the controversial influencer Jeffree Star also made one on Twitter tweet, which now has over 2.3 million views, about influencers “lying to their audience” and saying it makes them “SICK”. Users speculated that the creator was referring to Nogueira’s mascara video. A publicist for Jeffree Star said he could not comment on this story, although his tweet was “not aimed at Mikayla.”

In a video by creator Sal Ali (@lifeofsal), which has now racked up over 424,900 views, he speculated that these replies from big-name influencers could be due to the makeup industry being “fueled by drama.” In response to Nogueira’s mascara video, many developers actually bought the mascara to try it out.

“The most financially successful influencers before the pandemic were those who had the most controversy around them. They sold most of the products for brands,” Ali said in his video, “The trend of the beauty industry is the emotionally driven consumption of content and products. I can guarantee a lot of people will buy this mascara because now you want to know if it really lives up to its hype.”

Passionfruit contacted Sal Ali via Instagram message and did not hear back in time for the publication of this article.

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