Hayley Bui Reveals What Makes Her Tik (Tok)

Based in Germany and of Vietnamese descent, Hayley often includes our Wonder Blading Peel & Reveal Lip Stain in her striking makeup looks, so we tapped her for our very first product collaboration: co-creating the Wonder Blading Lip shade of her dreams. Hayley—a rich, true classic red—dropped earlier this month to instant sellout status. We sat down with this young luminary to find out how she became a beauty powerhouse, who inspires her, and how she manifested her ideal lip shade.

What first got you interested in posting about your makeup looks?

I started out doing fashion content, even though makeup has always been my passion. I noticed that people would often comment on my fashion posts asking how I did my eyebrows or what brand of false lashes I was wearing, so they just seemed more interested in my makeup than my clothes. Around 2016, I began posting selfies of different makeup looks, and those garnered a lot more engagement than my outfit posts. I began getting more creative with my makeup looks and started doing video tutorials, and eventually I abandoned the fashion part to focus on beauty—though I still like to do an outfit post every now and then.

What was your first beauty post that went viral?

It was an Instagram video in 2017 of my eyebrow makeup tutorial. Looking back, everything about it was bad! The lighting, the video quality, the camera angle—you couldn’t even really see what I was doing. Despite that, the video did very well and my followers encouraged me to do more tutorials, so I started a YouTube channel.

What first got you interested in posting about your makeup looks?

I started out doing fashion content, even though makeup has always been my passion. I noticed that people would often comment on my fashion posts asking how I did my eyebrows or what brand of false lashes I was wearing, so they just seemed more interested in my makeup than my clothes. Around 2016, I began posting selfies of different makeup looks, and those garnered a lot more engagement than my outfit posts. I began getting more creative with my makeup looks and started doing video tutorials, and eventually I abandoned the fashion part to focus on beauty—though I still like to do an outfit post every now and then.

What was your first beauty post that went viral?

It was an Instagram video in 2017 of my eyebrow makeup tutorial. Looking back, everything about it was bad! The lighting, the video quality, the camera angle—you couldn’t even really see what I was doing. Despite that, the video did very well and my followers encouraged me to do more tutorials, so I started a YouTube channel.

Why do you think your brow tutorial was so popular, even though it was kind of scrappy?

Maybe people could just tell how passionate I am about makeup. I love transforming into a different person for a bit, until I wipe off the makeup. And I enjoy watching others transform this way—makeup can help people unleash the best version of themselves.

What was the first makeup product you fell in love with?

When I was 12, I discovered my mom's makeup box and found this really cool gel black eyeliner inside. I’d sneak in and grab the liner while she was at work and draw smoky eyes on myself. I have no idea what brand it was because the name had worn off the label, but it started my love of smoky eyes.

Name three makeup products—other than the Wonder Blading Lip Stain, of course—that you can’t live without.

Pink powder blush because it gives me a healthy glow, false eyelashes—I feel naked without them!—and lip oil, which makes my lips look nice and plump.

What’s a makeup trend that you’re loving right now?

I love the siren eyes look. It’s so sharp and dramatic, and I feel like it enhances all eye shapes. Whereas the doe eyes trend is more innocent, siren eyes have that sultry edge.

What’s one makeup trend that you wish would go away?

That’s hard to say, because every trend is fun to try at least once. Certain looks may not work on me, but there will be other people who can relate to them and learn from them, so there’s nothing that I wish would just end. Makeup is meant to be fun, and it’s cool to watch so many creators coming up with new trends.

What’s your go-to makeup look for everyday?

I either do a full face of glam or I don't wear any makeup at all. There is no in-between. I'm not someone who throws on a little mascara and blush and keeps everything else bare—I’m all in or all out with makeup!

So would you describe your beauty aesthetic as glamorous?

I’d say my aesthetic is feminine, experimental, and, yes, glamorous. I’ll do a full face of glam just to go grocery shopping. I think it's good to feel glamorous every day—it shouldn't be reserved only for parties and special occasions.

Which beauty influencers inspire you?

There are so many creators who inspire me. Nikkie Tutorials and Glamzilla are both amazing, and I like a lot of the Chinese TikTok makeup videos. What’s great about TikTok is that it’s really a community rather than being about just a few major stars. We may not all know each other by name, but we know each other's faces and content. I’ll recreate one person’s trend, then that person will recreate one of my trends, and it builds this really nice, supportive community where we all find inspiration from one another.

If you hadn’t become a social media figure, what kind of work would you be doing?

Well I have a bachelor’s degree in economics, but I don’t think I’d be in that industry regardless. I love the creative side of makeup so much that I’d probably be a bridal makeup artist or a nail artist. Not simply painting nails, but someone who does super intricate nail designs and crazy artwork. I feel like that would be a lot of fun.

What is the best beauty advice you ever received?

Wear sunscreen every single day year-round on both your face and your neck—it’s so easy to forget your neck but it’s equally important to protect. Your skin will thank you when you’re older! The best makeup tip I learned is that if you dust powder blush on top of liquid blush, it sets the color. Liquid blush never used to last on me because I have such oily skin, so the powder-blush-on-top has been a game changer.

How did you first discover the Wonder Blading Lip Stain?

I saw some of my TikTok friends posting about it. I’d tried other peel-off lip stains before and found them to be messy or they stained my teeth—but Wonder Blading looked so pigmented and clean to apply, so I was intrigued. Once I tried it, I was hooked. What makes Wonder Blading so much better is the peel-off experience and how the color stays so vibrant the entire time you have it on. It's honestly one of the best lip stains I've ever used, and I’ve tried them all.

How did you end up collaborating on a Wonder Blading Lip color?

I’d done a couple of videos about Wonder Blading in partnership with the brand that did well, so they invited me to co-create a shade, which is such an honor! They sent me an assortment of colors to test, and while they were all beautiful, the dark red was something really special.

What makes this red so special?

I used to hate red lip color on me. No matter what I tried, the undertones were never flattering with my skin color. Originally, I planned to do a pink or nude color for the Wonder Blading collab, but when I put on the shade that became Hayley, I was like, wait! Maybe red does look good on me! It’s a rich, classic true red that’s not too cool or too warm, so it really complements my skin and just about everyone else’s skin, too. And with my hair being red right now, it just felt right.

Do you have any other favorite Wonderskin products?

I'm obsessed with the Power'Full Lash & Brow Enhancing Serum, and the Wonder Blading 3-in-1 Lip Scrub is the must-have prep before applying any Wonder Blading Lip Stain to get your lips nice and smooth so the color goes on perfectly even.

What would you love to see Wonderskin create next?

A peel-and-reveal eye liner would be cool—one that creates a super crisp line and the color lasts for a day or so. Then you could put on your Wonder Blading Lip Stain, your Wonder Blading Brow Color, and your peel-off eyeliner and wake up the next morning still looking incredible. How fabulous would that be?