Model Emira D'Spain Loves a Full-Glam Look—This $11 Blush Is Her Secret Weapon

Meet Victoria's Secret model and content creator Emira D'Spain—whose visibility and openness through her relatable personality have paved the way for an entirely new generation of beauty enthusiasts to express themselves. In February 2021, the news of D'Spain's collaboration with Victoria's Secret became international news, sparking much-needed dialogue about representation and inclusion on and off the runway. D'Spain's influence reaches far beyond the iconic pink, black, and white striped walls of Victoria's Secret, as she's a beauty and lifestyle TikTok content creator with a mind-blowing audience of over one million followers on the platform.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the woman who continuously breaks boundaries with flawlessly executed makeup (we're talking about a fully beat face), immaculate style, and enthusiastic supporters cheering her on one TikTok video and glamorous photo shoot at a time.

Hi, Emira! Did you always want to become a Victoria's Secret model?

When I was younger, I always looked up to Victoria's Secret models. I thought it was such a cool and crazy thing. It's definitely always been on my radar to be in the spotlight. Ever since I was young, I knew what I wanted to do.

What was the process like to become a Victoria's Secret model? I've never known much about what it's like behind the scenes.

Honestly, we didn't think it was going to blow up the way it has! I had a few friends that worked there, and one of my good friends introduced me to her friend who worked there. [Victoria's Secret] had been talking about it for a long time, even before I knew they were in conversations about me before my involvement, which was cool to find out. They started talking to my team, and it just went from there. When it hit the press, it was a crazy moment! It blew up everywhere. We definitely did not expect it to go as hard as it did.

That's honestly so exciting! I'm really excited to hear more about the beauty tips you learned while with Victoria's Secret. Are there any you still embrace today? I know that you've developed a huge following sharing beauty tips in your "get ready with me" videos, but are there any you still carry with you?

With Victoria's Secret, we partnered in February two years ago. Ever since then, I feel like, beauty-wise, I now have so many different tips and tricks that I learned for red carpet makeup. But I do my own glam for everything unless I really have to let someone else do my glam. But I'm really good at makeup, so I love doing it. It's kind of relaxing.

When it comes to specific tips or tricks, I always wear sunscreen, obviously. That's a given. … Using a bullet brush to set powder loosely before you go over it with a powder puff is generally a pretty big game changer. It helps with getting the face to not be as wet, then you can go in with a puff and powder.

What about products? Are there any you've been obsessed with using lately?

Oh, the new Armani blushes are really, really good. I'm obsessed, and they just came out. Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin Foundation isn't new, but I recently started using it again because sometimes I rotate out products to try new things that I already have in my collection. It's so good for every day! And I feel like literally anything Nars is my favorite. I love Nars!

Where do you find inspiration for your beauty content on TikTok? There's so much out there, and everyone is always coming up with all these different aesthetics. I feel like your videos are always very straight to the point and not leaning too hard into niche content. How did you navigate that as a creator?

I feel like I'm definitely in my own lane. I don't fit into an aesthetic since I'm just me. I don't know how to explain it! It's so unique to me. Even my style of makeup and beauty is very feminine with coquette kind of vibes but still has a little bit of bad bitch in there. It's not falling into a specific category, and that's intentional.

I never wanted to pigeonhole or box myself in because the tips, no matter what your personal aesthetic is, still apply. You can always use recommendations. Even with lifestyle content, I get DMs saying, "I'm so the opposite of you, but you're still entertaining to watch" because it's cool to see a different side of life.

You've also never shied away from speaking about topics that matter to you, especially as we're heading into Pride Month! How do you use your social media platform to take a stand, and what do you hope to share with your audience?

This is actually really interesting because I've been thinking about this a lot as Pride Month has been coming up. For my online platform, I've never [focused] too heavily on activism or talking about injustices because I know that the people who do that are so much better at choosing their words, getting people to join in the movement, and being advocates for the community.

In my mind, I think my role during Pride is to just exist on the internet and show my life! I want to bring people into my world and let people know that, yes, this is what a trans person living in New York can look like, you know?

Representation matters no matter how outspoken you are. For all the people looking up to you, you're taking a stand in your way! Are there any future projects from you we should be on the lookout for?

I've got a few really cool Pride partnerships coming up that are amazing and … maybe some TV moments, so stay tuned!

So exciting! I know we already touched on this, but what would you say is the biggest overall message that you'd like to share with your audience?

I think it's confidence! I've really tried to get people to feel empowered to live in their truth—to find the beauty inside of you and use beauty (with a capital B) to reflect that from the inside out. 

Who would you say is your biggest inspiration when it comes to all things beauty?

Ooh, just one person?!

I know it's such a broad question! To clarify, I think taking inspiration from someone's looks is a big thing, but also, there are those people who are beautiful inside and out as another thing.

Right! I think that, in terms of actual beauty alone, I look to a lot of celebrity makeup artists. That's where I feel like I get a lot of my inspiration from, like Patrick Ta, Makeup by Mario, and Mary Phillips. I look to the OG celebrity makeup artists as inspiration for glam always. And of course, I also take inspiration from a few other of my creator peers. In general, Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga are the two women I look up to the most!

Up next, Model Marie von Behrens-Felipe's Simple Skincare Line Is Inspired by Slow Living