A creative in his own right, Milan has built up a community across multiple platforms and has a deep understanding of the influencer marketing space

We sat down with Milan to discuss his career and the important factors he considers when pursuing a brand partnership.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started and how you found your own voice in the space?

I started makeup around seven years ago, testing it out for fun in my bedroom secretly, but it wasn’t until the past three years that I had really taken it seriously and decided that I wanted to explore this genre more.

I started with uploading quite basic makeup selfies to Instagram expecting the worst backlash and comments but quickly came to realise everyone was more than supportive towards me. I began experimenting and testing new products, styles and techniques keeping my audience engaged and updated every step of the way.

This really just led to me building a strong relationship and trust with my audience that continues to grow more and more every day, hate and backlash has started seeping in recently as I grow but the love and support from my followers always overshadows it.

What is most important to you when pursuing brand partnerships?

I always look to work with brands that I have admired or used consistently for years and who I know are accepting of all communities and lifestyles and are reliable. I do prefer when a brand is more open to the creative side of makeup and transformations but I’m always open to creating more wearable and toned down glam.

I respect brands more when they give more creative freedom to the content creator and allow them to speak their mind on what they know would perform well with their audience; as I know sometimes brands have one idea and that’s all they want. It is very important for me to have open communication with them and have access to bring up any concerns or new concepts and ideas.

Which key metrics do you think brands should focus on when sourcing influencers for campaigns?

I think brands focus largely too much on the following count and numbers whereas I feel they should be engaging more with the impressions and reach of the creator, I know from personal experience that my weekly impressions are 10x more than my actual following and that I am reaching new accounts every day.

I think brands also focus more on the status of the creator more than the actual quality that they provide, times are changing and micro-influencers are putting out content that is so overlooked and in some cases even better quality than some of the bigger names in the industry. Take a chance on smaller influencers, they have a lot to offer!

How did you get started in makeup?

I got started in makeup when I was around 14 messing around with a friend, she let me do her makeup and I took to it immediately! I brought it up to my family and my sister showed me her products and what is used for what. I slowly built up my own kit and would take it to school to do my friends makeup during breaks, this hobby grew and grew until I was about 18 and decided to upload my very first makeup selfie to Instagram, before this I had only done friends makeup and not really shown anyone myself in makeup.

The comments from my first post were so positive and my family were extremely accepting also, so I kept going and developing my skills and that’s when I started to really experiment and find my own style and niche. Almost 3 years later and I have built a strong following across all platforms and created contacts with some of the biggest names in the industry, I can’t see myself doing anything else now!

What are the best tools out there for creators?

Social media has grown and expanded so much and so quickly that almost every platform has the potential for you to go viral, I would say to other creators to make sure that you are utilising every platform and subplatform i.e. Instagram, IGTV, Reels, Live Stream etc.

The more consistent and active you are across the entire app the more you will be seen and pushed forward by the algorithm.

As creators we need to be versatile with our content and easily adapt to new changes within the apps and industry, make sure you are actively checking new trends, what people are into, new launches as this will show your audience that you are an active and reliable source for new content.

If you would like to find out more about how you can work with TAKUMI X, please visit www.takumi.com/takumi-x and get in touch!

“,