Monet McMichael is a Rutgers nursing graduate turned beauty influencer. Her journey started when she began posting random videos while still in school. It started as a hobby, she told Forbes, and when her content began going viral, she turned it into her main hustle.
“It’s definitely a dream,” she told Forbes about becoming a social media star. “It was nothing I ever thought would ever be my life. So it was definitely a hobby at first and I never thought I could come as far. So, I am just shocked. I have been saying to myself, it happened so fast. A year ago, I was in nursing school.”
Touching on balancing schooling and her creative career, McMichael said she had a routine that guided her, in terms of when to study and create her content.
“It was really a passion I feel I didn’t have inside and for nursing school too, it was such a big passion. But I feel like I always made time. I have really been on a routine. Like Monday to Friday, clogging into my classes, putting that time for studies so I did have that free time where I could do whatever I wanted.
“I also felt like in nursing school people had that mindset where they were like ‘I have no life, I can’t do anything.’ It is like, just, cross your Ts and dot your Is and have your Saturday and Sunday.”
McMichael became a professional content creator in February 2022 when she got a gig from a haircare brand. “I was super excited,” she said about the deal. “I remember I told my mom about it.”
McMichael also makes money from TikTok’s paid partnership. Through the brand, she has worked with brands like Dior, Fenty Beauty, Lancôme, Nars, MAC, Tory Burch, Armani Beauty, Lululemon, and Estee Lauder, among others. In March this year, she got signed by Range Media Partners.
McMichael boasts of $5 million followers across multiple platforms. On TikTok alone, she has over 2.9 million followers and over 134 million likes, with a total social reach of 3.6 million across that platform and others like Instagram and YouTube. Also, she is featured on Forbes’ 2023 Top Creators list, with an overall ranking of 47.
“The beauty baron and Rutgers Nursing School grad has the prescription for building a loyal fan base. In a business where 2% engagement is impressive, McMichael, a makeup and beauty influencer, regularly interacts with 13% of her more than 5 million followers. She has used her powers of attraction to score deals with MAC Cosmetics, Fresh Beauty and Bumble,” Forbes said about her.
