You’ve probably seen her face covered in what looks like half a bottle of foundation. Or maybe you caught one of her videos where she applies makeup with just her hands. If you’re curious about who is Meredith Duxbury is and why everyone’s talking about her, you’re in the right place.
Meredith is the content creator who turned a college dorm room experiment into a 20 million follower empire. She didn’t follow the beauty influencer playbook. She rewrote it. And honestly? That’s what makes her story worth knowing.
From Connecticut Student to Social Media Powerhouse
If you’re still asking who is Meredith Duxbury is, her journey started in Hadlyme, a quiet neighborhood in Lyme, Connecticut. Born in England, she moved to the U.S. and eventually landed at Southern Connecticut State University. Her original plan? Becoming a physician’s assistant.
She even took EMT courses in high school and volunteered with her local ambulance group. But life had different plans. Meredith has ADHD, and the math required for pre-med wasn’t clicking. She switched to nursing, which didn’t get easier.
Finally, she settled on business administration and marketing. Looking back, that pivot was the best thing that could’ve happened to her career. During her freshman year, she started a YouTube channel with about 500 followers.
Then an older guy told her filming herself was embarrassing. She deleted everything. That moment could’ve ended her content creation dreams. Instead, it taught her a valuable lesson about ignoring haters.
The 10 Pump Foundation Challenge That Broke the Internet
Fast forward to summer 2020. Meredith started a TikTok account as a couple’s page with her boyfriend. Some videos went viral, and people kept asking about her makeup. Her boyfriend encouraged her to show her technique. She went all in.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Meredith wanted to cover her freckles, but her Beautyblender kept absorbing her foundation. She was using six to ten pumps of $55 Becca foundation as a broke college student. The waste was killing her budget. So she started applying foundation with her hands instead.
The warmth from her hands helped blend the product better. No absorption, no waste. Critics said she must wipe it all off for views. She didn’t. This was her real routine. The 10 pump foundation challenge became her signature move.
Her content strategy was genius. She lip-synced to rap music, especially Nicki Minaj’s “I’m Legit,” while doing full glam. This was during lockdown, when everyone was stuck at hom,e craving entertainment. She’d wake up at 5 AM to film before painting houses and gardening for money.
The numbers are wild. She hit one million followers in December 2020. By January 2021? Seven million. That’s six million followers in one month. Her most viewed TikTok shows her doing makeup to Doja Cat’s “Get Into It (Yuh)” with over 137 million views.
Forbes 30 Under 30 Recognition and Brand Deals
At just 25 years old, Meredith Duxbury landed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social media. She joined other New Englanders like Noah Kahan, Ilona Maher, and Clairo. That recognition opened doors to major partnerships.
Her brand collaborations read like a who’s who of luxury beauty. She’s worked as a model and ambassador for Tory Burch, Charlotte Tilbury, Prada Beauty, BOSS, L’Oréal, and YSL Beauty. Each partnership makes sense because she genuinely uses these products.
In 2023, Meredith launched a global makeup line with Morphe Cosmetics. Forbes also named her to their Top Creators in Fashion list. Not bad for someone who almost became a nurse.
The Shift to Soft Girl Makeup Era
If you follow Meredith now, you’ll notice something different. Her makeup looks more natural. She’s in what she calls her “soft girl era.” The full glam and avatar recreations from COVID? Still fun, but not daily life anymore.
Running to meetings and walking her two golden retrievers, Crumpet and Pancake, doesn’t leave time for two-hour glam sessions. She worried people wouldn’t like this softer side. The opposite happened. Comments poured in saying they loved seeing this version of her.
She’s embracing her freckles now, the same ones she used to cover with all that foundation. Growth, right? She still busts out the 10 pump technique sometimes, but it’s not her whole identity anymore. People grow and change.
Current Makeup Routine and Product Favorites
These days, Meredith keeps it simple. She starts with moisturizer because your makeup won’t look good without proper skin prep. Then she uses her Morphe Foaming Face Primer and Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter in shade 2 Fair.
The Flawless Filter is her secret weapon. It covers redness without being foundation, so your freckles show through. For concealer, she dabs Kosas Revealer Concealer in 02 W under her eyes, forehead, and chin. Dior Backstage Concealer in 0CR works too.
Highlighter and blush anchor her whole look now. She applies Charlotte Tilbury Highlighter and Blush Wands on her cheekbones to lift her face. A dot of blush on her nose brings warmth together.
She uses minimal powder now, which is wild compared to her full glam days. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray finishes everything. If she could only use three products forever, it’d be that spray, the Flawless Filter, and Huda Beauty Setting Powder.
Skincare Routine and Beauty Philosophy
Meredith doesn’t wash her face in the morning unless she’s super dry. She has sensitive skin and eczema that gets worse in winter. Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream is her holy grail despite having fragrance. She coats her face with Aquaphor in winter for extra protection.
For summer, sunscreen is non-negotiable. She rotates between La Mer Broad Spectrum SPF 50, Shiseido SPF 50+ Clear Sunscreen Stick, and Supergoop Glowscreen SPF 40. Each one serves a different purpose depending on her plans.
At night, she removes makeup with Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm or Tatcha Indigo Cleansing Balm. For double cleansing, Tatcha Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser is her ride-or-die. She follows with Dewy Skin Cream and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.
She recently dissolved half her lip fillers after getting them in her sophomore year because of insecurity. Her advice on cosmetic treatments? Do what makes you happy. Research everything and go to board-certified doctors, not just any med spa.
Why Meredith Duxbury Matters in Beauty Culture
Understanding who is Meredith Duxbury is means recognizing her impact beyond follower counts and brand deals. She proved that breaking beauty rules can build a career. Using your hands instead of tools? Revolutionary. Applying way more foundation than “experts” recommend? Her signature move.
She wants people to stop thinking makeup has to be perfect. Smudged red lipstick outside your natural lip line? Cool. Wiping mascara down with your fingers? Also cool. The “right” way doesn’t exist.
Her foundation technique was so disruptive that it changed how people think about makeup application. She carries that philosophy into everything she does. Makeup can be weird, twisted, and fun.
The Bottom Line
When people search who is Meredith Duxbury is, they discover more than just a beauty influencer. She’s the girl who turned covering her freckles into a global beauty brand. The content creator who gained six million followers in 30 days. The Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who works with every major luxury brand.
But more than that, she’s proof that being yourself, even when people call it wrong or weird, can lead to something bigger. She deleted her first YouTube channel because one person said it was embarrassing. Now she has 20 million people watching her every move.
Whether you love the 10 pump technique or prefer her current soft girl era, Meredith’s influence on beauty culture is undeniable. She made makeup fun again. And in a world of perfectly blended Instagram filters, that’s exactly what we needed.
