It was about damn time we had her as our Influencer of the month and this British Bengali, Content Creator from Manchester, UK is a power house in the industry. May Akhtar has featured in campaigns for Beauty Bay and KVD Beauty and graced the Top 10 in many of our blogs. She has over 111k followers on Instagram, 500k+ on TikTok, including the likes of Tess Holliday and Doja Cat and with a heart of gold and an energy that truly makes you want to be in her gang, we can’t wait to share our interview with the myth, the legend, our girl, @maytahmi.
What do you want the world to know about May?
I’m just a regular girl who adores her family and friends, loves to eat and sleep lol - but, I have serious liner skills and I’m determined to make the beauty industry a better space for black and NBPOC creators!
And what is your star sign?
Taurus and I don’t know much about star signs, but when people have asked me and I say Taurus they look disappointed or alarmed.
You’ve made quite a name for yourself in the industry, when and how did you get started?
Oh thank you!!! I sometimes forget this or don’t really acknowledge it because it feels unbelievable still. I basically got started because I dropped out of my masters course at uni and had almost a year of doing nothing ahead - so I decided to start getting creative with makeup!
We know you draw upon different people and your culture for your looks, can you tell us more about how this inspires you as a Content Creator?
I definitely think growing up I struggled with appreciating my culture at times because of a lot of prejudice that was around at the time! I can’t believe I used to feel embarrassed to wear beautifully embroidered salwar kameez’ out in public (South Asian two piece suit). Adult me however, can now appreciate how beautiful my culture is and draw inspiration from it. I also feel like drawing inspiration from my culture helps me appreciate it more and more!
You’ve been involved in projects with Benefit, KVD Beauty and Eyelure, what is it about working with other brands that you enjoy?
Being a full time Content Creator means you’re stuck indoors filming content a lot of the time. Basically, it can be a bit lonely. The thing I love about working with brands is the relationship you build with them and so many of their lovely team members. It goes from an email to meeting them in real life and even building friendships with them!
You have an upcoming release with Glisten, can you give us a little teaser as to what people can expect?
OMG, I’m so excited!!! I think we all know what to expect because all I ever use are Glisten liners and brushes 👀 … what I will say though is it’s been a long time coming!!!
You are a liner legend. Do you have any tips for those out there aspiring to reach your level of skills?
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE - I can’t suggest anything more! I’ve definitely got better with time and sometimes I notice how hard it is if I haven’t picked up a liner brush in a while!
You’ve been repping Glisten for a while now, is there an OG Glisten Product that you just can't live without?
Oh no you can’t ask me that cos how can I just pick one?! Can I say my upcoming collaboration as a shameless plug?
How about a non-Glisten product?
Hmm, probably SPF!!! I’m really trying to stay looking like I’m still in secondary school!
And finally, what is your go-to pizza topping?
Probs pepperoni; halal of course.
We absolutely adore how down to earth and charming May is despite her notoriety, and we love how she uses her voice and her platform to speak up about issues that truly matter to her. We love this concisous Queen and hope you do too. Make sure you follow May on all of her socials @maytahmi to keep up with her artisty and top makeup trends.
Who else peeped the collab?! We simply cannot wait to tell you more about this upccoming release, so make sure you follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok for regular updates on new products! Plus, don't forget to subscribe below for our newsletter and regular discounts.
By Erin O'Neill
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