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He may still be able to order from the kids’ menu at most restaurants, but 13-year-old beauty blogger Harrison Schwartz’s 1.1 million followers on Instagram (@harrison.s._) show that creativity and tenacity speak louder than age. Glossy talked to Schwartz ahead of his second photoshoot with Petite ‘n Pretty, a tween and teen makeup brand that he has worked with for almost three years.
Below, his journey to becoming a male beauty influencer, his favorite makeup looks and his response to negative comments on social media.
When did you first get into makeup?
“I was about 9 years old. I was at a sleepaway camp in the summer and I put on makeup with some girls I was friends with. At first, it was kind of a joke. But then I got home and I started watching a lot of makeup tutorials online, and my mom let me start using some of her makeup. And then [my parents] eventually bought me my own makeup, and I kept practicing. And then I started my own Instagram account. After posting a few videos, my account started to grow pretty quickly. I’ve been going for two or three years now, and having fun with it.”
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When you started to get followers on Instagram and YouTube, was it a surprise?
“I remember that I was at my grandparents’ house and I posted my second makeup video [to Instagram]. It was at, like, 2,000 views, and it just kept getting more. I was freaking out because it was on the Explore page, and I was getting so many likes and comments. The next morning, I woke up and it had over 100,000 views, with people being like, ‘Oh my God, look at this cute little kid that’s doing makeup.’ I wasn’t very good — this was a while ago, [in 2017]. But then I kept posting. I wasn’t expecting [the attention], but I was excited.”
What challenges have you faced on social media as your audience has grown?
“I pretty much just do my own thing. I don’t focus on the followers or other people telling me certain things I should do with my Instagram. I’m trying to just keep posting my videos and focus on what I want to do I’m grateful that I have parents who respect that and are supportive of me. I have faced some challenges, like [mean] comments, but I never really let them get to me. I knew that I was always going to be the bigger person. [Those people] are just sitting behind the screen.”
Speaking of social media, how are you approaching TikTok?
“I’m not as active on TikTok, but every once in a while, I’ll post a makeup video on there. I have about 12,000 followers. I don’t [promote] it on my Instagram that much, but I have some makeup TikToks and some TikToks I’ve made with my friends. TikTok is just for fun.”
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Why did you choose to work with Petite ‘n Pretty?
“One of the things I like about Petite ‘n Pretty is that their products are high quality, and I liked how they’re made for teens. They don’t use that as an excuse to cut corners because some people are like, ‘Oh, it’s just kids. They won’t know.’ They show a lot of respect for teenagers by making beautiful makeup. Me and my mom are really big fans of their mascara. I actually went to L.A. for a different photoshoot with them in 2019, and I have gotten [sent] a lot of their products [through PR for content creation]. I still have so much.”
How did you style your looks for the shoot?
“They would tell me a makeup look or theme, and then I would do what I wanted to.”
On your Instagram, you have tons of cool, colorful looks. Do you have a different everyday look?
“I do not normally wear makeup outside of the house, unless it’s a special occasion. I love doing the makeup, I just sometimes feel uncomfortable wearing makeup, because I’ll want to rub my eyes or I want to itch my face. But if I do it’s definitely a more natural look.”
How did you gain your confidence with makeup?
“I don’t care what other people think. I also really like to incorporate bold colors in the makeup looks. I love inspiring people to not care what other people think.”
What’s your favorite makeup look you’ve done?
“[It was] probably after I got back from my first time going to the Morphe store [in 2019]. I got so much new makeup. They gave me a basket and said, ‘You can take as much as you can fill up.’ So I was so excited. When I got home, I did a really fun makeup look and I love how it turned out — it’s still on my page today.”
Are you also a big skin-care fan?
“When I first started doing makeup, I was not into it. And I wasn’t very good at taking off my makeup, which was horrible for my skin. As I got older, I realized how important skin care is. I started a whole routine with my makeup remover, my cleanser — the Petite ‘n Pretty cleanser is definitely one of my favorites.”
Where would you like your beauty career to go?
“When I’m older, I think a really fun job would be to be a celebrity makeup artist. One of my good friends, Scott Barnes, is Jennifer Lopez’s makeup artist. I definitely want to do something like he did. I also [want to] make sure to follow my passion, have fun and be myself.”
