Nyma Tang on Filming Her True Match Campaign and the Need for More Representation in the Beauty World

A trailblazing beauty influencer, model and activist, Nyma Tang is an outspoken advocate for more diverse representation and shade ranges in the beauty industry. She got her start on YouTube posting tutorials and refreshingly honest product reviews, including her viral series “The Darkest Shade” in which she would test and review the darkest foundation shade offerings from different brands. Now, over one million subscribers and followers later, Tang continues to speak out about issues like colorism and inclusivity in the makeup world while posting stunning tutorials, informative product reviews and enviable fashion and travel inspo. 

Earlier this year, Tang teamed up with L’Oréal Paris to shoot a campaign for the brand’s True Match Super Blendable Foundation, a major milestone which she calls a “dream come true” and an all-time career high. Ahead, she speaks to Makeup.com about her experience shooting the True Match campaign and the enduring importance of inclusive representation in beauty.

We were really excited at Makeup.com to see your True Match campaign with L’Oréal Paris come out back in February. But before we get into that, can you tell me about when and why you first became interested in beauty?

I actually felt like I started in the beauty world late — I didn't really play with makeup until I was, like, 21. I think the first product that I ever tried was a red lipstick, and after that, I just fell in love. I just practiced and played with makeup for a couple years before I started creating content. I think I had so much going on with my home life that makeup was the last thing that I thought about until I finally felt like I could do other things outside of home.

So, what were you doing before you started creating beauty content for social media?

It's funny: I feel like everything from 21 to now just moved super fast. So, I dropped out of school at 20 or 21. I was in my third year of nursing school, and I just realized that it wasn't for me. Then, I tried to do marketing, but that was really boring for me, so I left that. I wrote my dad a letter and everything because in immigrant households, dropping out of school is forbidden. It was scary for sure. After I wrote him a letter, he understood and he was like, "Well, you're going to have to do something," and I was like, "Just give me a couple years to figure it out.”

I've always loved beauty and fashion, but I didn't really think that I could make it a career, so I think it was when I turned 25, I was like, "This is the last year I'm going to keep trying to do this. If nothing works out, I'm going back to school." And that was the year I started my beauty YouTube channel. After that, it just took off — and now this is what I do.

Starting with your YouTube channel and your series of videos called “The Darkest Shade,” and now with your social media presence in general, you’ve focused on raising awareness about the need for greater representation of deeper skin tones from makeup brands. What inspired you to start speaking out about topics like inclusivity, representation and colorism in the beauty industry?

It was when I started playing with makeup. It was a really disheartening experience when I first started getting interested in makeup, going store to store and the shades [I needed] either not being available or them saying, "Oh, well we have the shades, but they're online.” Just feeling othered at every single beauty counter that I was going to really was what sparked it for me. 

I was just getting so disappointed and disheartened to be in a space that I thought I loved so much, and being constantly told like, "Oh, well, not for you," or, "You don't belong here." It felt like [I was] on the outside looking in, and I think that frustration was really what drove me to create the type of content that I created, specifically The Darkest Shade series.

The Darkest Shade series came about accidentally. People think that it was very calculated. I wish I was that calculated, but I'm not. It was a complete accident. I filmed a foundation video, and at the very last minute when I was finishing my thumbnail, I was like, "I feel like it needs more. I need something." And then I was like, "Oh, I'm the darkest shade," so I just threw it on there — The Darkest Shade — in the thumbnail. It wasn't even supposed to be a series or anything. And then I tested out another foundation. I was like, "Oh, I'm the darkest shade in this one too, and this one, and this one, and this one," and it just became a series on its own.

What was it like shooting the True Match campaign with L'Oréal Paris?

It was literally a dream come true. Honestly, that's the best way I can explain it. It's probably, at this point, one of the top highest career achievements that I've ever had because it's just... There's people that send me the videos [from the campaign] from some countries, half of them I haven't even heard of, and I'm just like, "How?" It's so crazy. It was amazing. I'm just so grateful and so thankful to be in this position to not only have my face out there, but also be that type of representation for people that I didn't have growing up. That's the biggest thing for me.

What were you feeling when you found out that you booked the campaign? 

I think I was like, "Are you sure this is supposed to be sent to me? Why me?" Because everyone else that was on the campaign…They were huge. I was just like, "Why do you all want me?" And it kind of felt like a little bit of imposter syndrome for sure, but I just owned it after a while. I was just like, "You know what? It's me. Why not me?"

What was it like shooting the True Match campaign with L'Oreal Paris?

It was literally a dream come true. Honestly, that's the best way I can explain it. 

It's probably, at this point, one of the top highest career achievements that I've ever had because it's just... There's people that send me the videos [from the campaign] from some countries, half of them I haven't even heard of, and I'm just like, "How?" It's so crazy. It was amazing. I'm just so grateful and so thankful to be in this position to not only have my face out there, but also be that type of representation for people that I didn't have growing up. That's the biggest thing for me.

What were you feeling when you found out that you booked the campaign? 

I think I was like, "Are you sure this is supposed to be sent to me? Why me?" Because everyone else that was on the campaign…They were huge. I was just like, "Why do you all want me?" And it kind of felt like a little bit of imposter syndrome for sure, but I just owned it after a while. I was just like, "You know what? It's me. Why not me?"

Since you’ve been an influencer in the beauty world for a while now, what is your perspective on what representation and inclusivity looks like in the beauty industry now in 2023? In other words, how has it changed since you started and where is there still room for improvement?

There's still so much room for improvement. First of all, I want to say I'm grateful for the change that we've been able to create in the industry. The best way I can quantify it is back when I first started creating content, I had probably five foundations that worked on my skin tone, max, and most of them were prestige brands. Now, I can't even count. It's probably like 20 or 30 now, which is insane. 

It's insane how much growth the industry has had within these last couple of years, but unfortunately, most of those foundations are still in prestige, so the drugstore [category of makeup] is really lacking, and it needs a lot of work. I think that's where we can do better with diversity and inclusion specifically. My first experience always started in the drugstore and looking for affordable products that I could get my hands on as a college student back then, and I still feel like that's still the case. Everyone starts with affordability and accessibility, and I think it's still missing out on a lot of that accessibility.

Are there any makeup trends or looks that you're doing on yourself a lot lately?

I've always loved my natural makeup. Back in 2016 and 2017 when the height of beauty YouTube was there, everyone was doing a full face of everything — you'd be wearing, like, five layers of concealer, five layers of foundation. I don't know what it is, but it just wasn't for me. Of course, you do it because it's what's trending at the moment, but I'm really loving this, I guess, “clean makeup” is what they're calling it now, where it's like a no-makeup makeup look. 

I resonate with that so much more, I think, because I started wearing makeup so late that I've just been so comfortable being bare faced. I think when you start wearing makeup at 21, by that time, you have to be comfortable with your bare face. So, I think that's why I'm just so obsessed with enhancing what you have versus trying to change it into something that it's not.

What are some beauty trends that you’re expecting to see this summer?

I think we're stuck on this no-makeup makeup for a while. I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. I also think [there will be] a lot of experimenting with hair. I feel like I've been experimenting a lot with my hair. I used to wear a lot of wigs, which I still do every now and then, but I've been experimenting with braids and sew-ins — things like that.

Now that you’ve accomplished an incredible career high with your True Match campaign, what are some of your career goals for the future?

I definitely want to do something brand-related for myself, so that's definitely something I'm working on behind the scenes. I want to dive more into making the beauty industry more fully inclusive with nail polishes and things like that. I really want to explore that a little bit more, so I think that's next for me. 

I always do nude nail polish, and I’ve found that there's not a lot of nude polishes for deeper skin tones, and if there are, they're not swatched on deeper skin tones. So even when you're trying to find them, it might look nude on someone that's probably 10 shades lighter than me, but when I go and put it on, it does not look nude on me. So, figuring out a way to put more content out there that's either swatching nail polishes against deeper skin tones, or maybe even doing my own [nail polish line].

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get started in beauty influencing or just try to get their foot in the door in the beauty world in general?

I think there's room for everybody, so I don't like the idea that it's too late or it's past its moment. There's room for everybody. As long as you have an interesting perspective and opinions to share about it, I think everyone should at least give it a try. 

Editors’ Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.