Meet Maya Nilsen, a rising creative who is making her own name in global fashion and content creation
The influence of a lookbook is beyond recognizable. In the early tens, the category ushered in platforms like Lookbook.nu while in 2016, it earned its cult-favorite status as YouTube, Tumblr, and Instagram took over. It became a signature for most content creators, including TheLineUp who fronted the scene. “It helped me grow so much as a person. I used to be so shy and quiet but after a few years on YouTube, I started coming out of my shell,” Maya Nilsen candidly shared when asked about her previous channel with Julia Dang.
As mentioned previously, everybody has a beauty story to tell—let’s turn it into an open conversation. For today’s beauty profile, we caught up with Maya Nilsen, a true creative chameleon who made a name for herself when it comes to style and content creation. We sat down and explored her definition of beauty, her best-kept beauty philosophy, and her growth as a creative.
Meet Maya
“It started almost 10 years ago. I met Julia at a K-Pop dance cover group,” she looked back when asked about TheLineUp. “It had only been a few years after I moved to Sweden so I wanted to make friends with people that had the same interests as me. We quickly became friends and noticed that we both loved fashion and YouTube, so a lot of our friends kept on telling us to start a blog or something. That’s when we decided to start a YouTube channel.”
It has been six years since Maya Nilsen parted ways with the channel, and now, she is making her own name as a rising multi-hyphenate creative. “I always find it hard to explain what I do, because I do a little bit of everything,” she shared. ”For the last two years, I’ve been making content for other brands and working with my social media. I do some styling on the side, like for campaigns and editorials. I’ve also managed social media accounts for other companies.” A look into her feed showcases her creative eye for fashion and content. Her work also garnered the attention of brands like Calvin Klein and H&M.
Maya also honors the importance of having a hobby outside of work. “I love doing DIY projects like reworking clothing & furniture.” She was also enthusiastic to share her love for music, saying, “I’ve also just started to DJ again, I used to do it a lot when I was younger, but I stopped during the pandemic. I do it at home, just for myself right now.”
On her beauty awakening
It’s undeniable that beauty origins are the best story to tell. Maya, for one, shared her early memories with beauty, “I think it started in seventh grade, that’s when I started to wear eyeliner and blush!” she laughs. “I obviously did not know how to do eyeliner for my eye shade then but I went with it.” However, the creative also became candid about her struggle with beauty. “I’ve only recently started to become more interested in beauty—I’ve always thought it was very intimidating, especially since I struggled with acne just until a year ago, so no matter how much makeup I wore, I still didn’t feel like it looked good since it wouldn’t cover my texture. But that has cleared up now, and I’m trying new products and new eye makeup looks!”
On her relationship with beauty
It is always beguiling to know when someone feels the most beautiful. It’s always different for everyone, but at the same time, it’s a shared concept of feeling good inside and out. “When I’m having a great skin day, [with my] hair in a sleek bun, and [with] newly threaded eyebrows” Maya immediately answered when asked when she feels the most beautiful. It’s also her beauty signature that is hard to miss.
However, the creative also unveiled her love-hate relationship with beauty. She shared, “I would love to be that person that can do the hottest eye makeup look in five minutes, but that really does take practice. Makeup really is a skill that I want to master, but don’t want to put in the effort. I love beauty and really think it’s an art form!” She also nodded to her friends as her beauty inspirations. “When I see them with a new eyeliner look or a new eyeshadow, it makes me want to try it! It also makes makeup feel more doable and less intimidating when I see people I know kill it.”
On her beauty routine
Skin health is central to Maya’s beauty routine. “In the morning, I just wash my face with water, I don’t use a cleanser in the morning unless I need to. Then I go in with my Klairs toner and Klairs serum. I use the Kiehl’s ultra moisturizing face cream for both day and night—I’ve used this one for years.” The creative also emphasized a non-negotiable step in her beauty ritual: “I always use SPF. My favorite one is from Dr. Ceuracle Hyal Reyouth 50+ SPF.”
The creative also gave us a look into her makeup rotation, which consists of Milk Makeup’s Hydro Set + Refresh Setting Spray, Nars Creamy Concealer, and a product she can’t live without—blush. “It just adds so much life to your face!” she raved. “My favorites are the MAC Glow Play blushes in Blush Please and the Sunnies Face Airblush in Peached and Razz.”
Meanwhile, Maya shared how she simplifies her night routine. “At night, I use the Paula’s Choice cleansing balm first to remove my makeup, and SPF. I also like the Banilla Co one,” she mentioned. “Then I cleanse my face with The Body Shop vitamin E cleanser.” The creative admits that she is not picky with cleansers and is open to trying a new one every time.“I always use a cream or gel cleanser. I personally I am not a fan of foam cleansers.” Maya rounds out her routine with Paula’s Choice BHA. “I use it two to three times a week, depending on the condition of my skin. If I’m feeling extra dry, then I go in with the Laneige sleep mask on top.”
On her beauty philosophy
As we closed our chat, Maya shared her take on beauty, saying, “Beauty for me has always been about feeling and looking healthy. Not so much about how good I feel with makeup on, but how I feel without any makeup.” The creative also rendered a timeless piece of advice: “Focus on skin.”
