How Glamzilla built a beauty empire by staying true to her formula

Stephanie Valentine, also known as Glamzilla on the internet, is obsessed with beauty. He loves finding a formula that works and figuring out why it does what it does. He loves hunting for new products, giving his audience his first impression, and going into detail.

Makeup artist and promoter is over 1 million subscribers on YouTube again Instagrambut it’s on TikTok where his content really shines. With 2.7 million followers on the appno wonder she was nominated for the Okay Slay award for fashion and beauty at the 2025 TikTok Awards alongside Katie Fang (@katiefanggg), Meredith Duxbury (@meredithduxbury), Darcei Giles (@missdarcei), and Wisdom Kaye (@wisdm8).

We caught up with the creator ahead of the awards ceremony to talk about where she finds inspiration, for the first time, and what she loves most about the online beauty community.

How do you get inspiration and ideas for your videos and your work?

I find inspiration in different ways. Is it watching a video? Is it print inspired? Is it just to find the latest and greatest? When we look at innovations in different products, we are inspired by what the future holds for beauty, and what are the possibilities? How could the formulas be better? What do I want in formulas? What does my audience want to see? What would I want to see as an adult? What new do I want to see?

It keeps coming up. I’m inspired by many different things because, if you look at things through the lens of beauty, and you look at everything as beautiful, that’s all you can get, right? Beauty.

If you don’t feel inspired or motivated, what drives you?

This is actually a struggle for me. I am a beauty fanatic. I would like to test the new formula. I need to want to be happy with things. And that’s why many of my videos go viral. Because when I find an amazing beauty formula and something I’ve never seen before, I post about it online. And sometimes that video just took 10 seconds to make, right? But I’m sitting here, and I’m trying hundreds of formulas. Testing all different types of liners, all different types of lipsticks [and] the basics. And if something makes me feel, “Wow,” it’s out of control. However, if something doesn’t evoke any emotion in me, my life becomes boring. And the only thing I pick up is eating really good food, reading a book, [and] I live with my family.

Do you remember your first viral post? What was it? How has your approach to content creation changed?

My first viral post was in 2016. I saw MAC on the runway, and there were freckles. So I took it [Anastasia Beverly Hills] brow pencil, and I rebelled on Instagram, and that increased.

At that time, I only had about 3,000 followers. That boosted me to 25,000 followers overnight. That was a big moment for me. That was my first viral moment. And after that, everyone used freckles.

My first viral TikTok video was a lip swatch video because I fell in love with this NYX Shine Loud Liquid Lipstick. It brought back the old trend where lipstick didn’t transfer, wore off for a long time, then added a gloss on top, making it transferable. And I showed you that on camera, and TikTok went crazy. The product is sold out. It was sold all over the world. And that was my first real TikTok video. But I was doing one-minute reviews for years on other platforms. TikTok was the perfect platform for me.

How did that one great video change the way you approach content creation?

I pioneered the one-minute review, and I do it on other platforms. My content has not changed. If you look at my old videos on other platforms, you will see that everything is exactly the same. I haven’t changed the formula; just the light has improved, my hair has grown, and that’s it. I never change the format of my videos, because that’s what I like and that’s what I like.

It’s been forever.

What does TikTok do that these other platforms don’t?

It allows me the freedom to be myself and build my community, and it allows people to find me and my content without me trying to push it. At the end of the day, my content is just me trying to connect with other beauty lovers around the world. If you love lipstick as much as I do, that this transfer proof says “wow” to you, you get it. You are my people. And that can be anyone from all over the world. And that’s a beautiful thing. I’ve become best friends online with strangers because we love lipstick. And that’s what TikTok does.

Your comments on TikTok are filled with followers who feel more connected to you. How does it feel to be on this side of a parasocial relationship?

This is how I felt when I looked at beauty influencers [before I became an influencer myself]. And I contacted them because we like the same thing. And while I was living my normal life, day after day, the only thing that could make me happy was lipstick and foundation. And if someone else on the internet loved it as much as I did, that was amazing. And the funny thing about it is that my best friends and co-workers all started as my fans.

I answer every DM individually. Every comment you see online is mine. We really prioritize that. And it’s important because that’s how I started my career. Community is everything to me. And no matter how big I get or how the video goes, the beauty community is everything because it saved my life and helped me grow.

Can you walk me through your workflow?

Every day, I open all the applications. I look at Sephora, Ulta, the drugstore, Target, Walmart… I look at everything, and see what’s launched and what’s new. If I need to drive to [U.S.-Canada] border and pick it up at Ulta, I will. I proudly do not accept PR, because I want to be able to buy a product and understand its value, and what it means to the average consumer.

I record about 10 videos a day of testing formulas, and sometimes you won’t see them at all because they’re wrong. And when I post a review, it’s a first impression. It’s really a first impression.

And the videos go viral because I know how to use the formula, and I know how to use it.

Are you recording all of this on your iPhone?

Yes. At least 10 videos a day.

How do you not run out of storage?

I have three iPhones, and if I’m not interested in them, they get deleted right away. And I record with the TikTok app. So, in every single video, it’s just me going “beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.” That’s all. I record directly on TikTok. My favorite.

How many documents do you have?

There is a lot.

I bet. How long does the test take?

It depends on my mood. Am I really happy? Am I happy? Am I happy doing this? What do I want? It really depends on the vibe that day, because one day I might want to wear a teacher’s hat and teach as a makeup artist, or I want to find the next product, or I want to be silly. It really depends. And that’s the power of social media.

TikTok gives me the power to be me and share all different versions of me. If I want to make a cooking video, I will find people who cook. If I want to talk about my weight loss journey, I will find people who can relate to that. And if I want to talk about lipstick, I’m at home.

Who were the creatives that really inspired you before you entered the creative industry?

Patrick Starr. Michelle Phan. Jackie Aina. NikkieTutorials. Makeup by Mario. I love everyone who has contributed to our beauty space. That’s what inspires me the most.

And I took bits and pieces of them that I loved, and made them my own. And I wouldn’t be here without any of them. And I told them all this.

What advice would you give to an aspiring content creator in the beauty industry?

We are all creators. Even if your video doesn’t work, as long as you share and are open, honest, and passionate about beauty or any other topic you want to discuss, you are a creator. You don’t need numbers. And that’s the beauty of communication. You will always find your community, and you will always find a home because it is magic you.

How do you feel about how the beauty community has changed?

I miss the old beauty community. I think we’re at a stage right now where, four years ago, everything is about being viral. And that’s good. And that really increased our beauty spot. It has created a space for many new creators [and] a collection of products.

However, the truth of the matter is that we have lost the definition of beauty because we are so focused on products. Now is the time to really get involved in our communities and be a part of them. And I think that’s the most important thing, that’s why I’m changing my content a little bit from being a viral content creator, from selling so many different SKUs. [and making] various viral videos. I have realized that education and social skills are the first priority. And that forever.