TikTok Star Sienna Mae Gomez on Confidence and Fake Freckle Hacks [Exclusive]

Sienna Mae Gomez is, for all intents and purposes, the quintessential girl next door. She's undeniably gorgeous, of course. She's athletic, as her years on competitive dance teams easily demonstrate. She has that sisterly tone and optimistic outlook of someone you'd actually want to run into while crying the bathroom—the kind of girl who'd offer a hug and a tissue and some reassuring words. But unlike the 16-year-olds who actually live next door, Sienna has a little more on her plate than your average high school student. Wait, make that more than your average high school student and full-grown adult.

A then-casual but dedicated TikTok user, Gomez's life changed when her free-spirited dance clips went massively viral on the video-sharing platform. One video in particular, featuring a carefree Gomez dancing with her belly out after eating, caught the attention of millions, including more than a few celebs. Lizzo even uploaded a duet video, a moment Gomez says was pivotal for her career. From there, Gomez quickly amassed scores of fans, many of them teenagers who both identified with her and wanted to capture some of that confidence for themselves. Now, several months and several million followers later, Gomez has turned her unique brand of self-love into an actual brand. Her merch line, Confident Is Cute, is a runaway hit. With its trendy pastel colors and artwork interspersed with uplifting messages like, "Every body is beautiful," it's not difficult to see why Gen Z has taken notice. Couple that with her new Maybelline contract and we have ourselves a certifiable star, with Gomez herself now the celebrity in this equation.

Here, we caught up with the ever-bubbly Sienna Mae Gomez to get her take on everything from favorite beauty products to her secret to confidence:

Can you tell me a bit about your background in dance? What do you love about it?

I danced competitively for I think seven years, since 2013 and then I stopped around 2020. I really liked it, it was a lot of fun. It taught me a lot of moral values, a lot of things that are hard to learn and it definitely made me a tougher person with tougher skin. I really love dance, I think it's a really good way to express yourself. It's a hard industry and I think it taught me a lot of lessons I otherwise wouldn't have learned until I was an adult.

I feel like competitive sports has a way of doing that. You mentioned it made you develop a thicker skin, did you ever feel pressure to conform to certain beauty standards while competing?

Oh, definitely. Ballet in particular, I was told by one of my teachers that I didn't have a "ballet body" and wouldn't be successful in the industry because of it. Hearing that as a young girl hurt but also, y'know, I just decided, how lucky am I to be muscularly built? I tried to look at the positivities of it instead. It definitely was hurtful but I think I tried to be thankful for being different instead of feeling sorry for myself. I didn't look like all the other girls and I looked at that as a blessing instead of a curse.

I know you've had TikTok for a while but tell me about that hugely viral day in August when it blew up? What was that like?

That exact day with Lizzo, I was out at the beach with friends. My mom kept calling me, and I was like, "Mom, I'm out right now, I can't talk, give me a second." [LAUGHS] And she was like, "Sienna, answer your phone now!" I was like, oh my goodness, I thought somebody died or something happened! She was like, "Lizzo dueted you!" or something. I was like, oh my gosh, this is so crazy! That was the first big celebrity that I had contact with and so that was really, really cool. It showed me that I was really starting to get out there and things were starting to happen in my life.

What has life been like since then? It seems like things have really exploded.

It's honestly super busy. I am traveling constantly back and forth to LA for work, and it's just been very different from how my old life used to be. I'm very grateful for it but it gets a little overwhelming at times so I'm just trying to really focus on self-care and taking care of my mental and physical health.

That's really good! How do you like to do that self-care, like what does a chill day look like for you?

I have a skincare routine I like to follow so I do my skincare routine but I will also try to do a face masque here and there just to take care of my skin. And recently, because of the weather, my skin has been super dry so I've been trying to take care of my physical appearance and my body. For the mental side, I'll literally just watch TV or do the most random things, drink coffee and eat ice cream—I don't even know, there are just so many little random things! I relax and journal and just be a kid.

Like little indulgences, I love that. And speaking of bodies and dance, I'd love to know your thoughts about the body positivity movement in dance and where you see room for improvement?

I think that honestly, just being in the dance community for years now, I definitely have seen change with the types of people involved in the community. It's a lot more accepting now than it used to be which is good, we're trying to create an inclusive world! I think it's a work in progress. I don't think there's anything instant that can be done, I think it's over time being more accepting and showing kids and future generations that anyone and everyone can dance. I don't think there's necessarily a solution, I think it's an over time kind of process.

I've seen your massive Instagram and how you play around with makeup, and now you have this huge Maybelline partnership, too. Are there any products you're super into right now?

Obviously, I love Maybelline, they're my people! I would have to say the Maybelline brow pencil ($9), I literally have it right here. I use the shade soft brown, and I use it for my freckles! I also use the darker shade for my eyebrows. For me, my eyebrows are like, huge so I like to do them every day even if it's just a brush-through. That's a necessity for me. Also, the Maybelline Sky High mascara ($11)—it's been out of stock for a while now but I finally got some and it actually works so well. I've had trouble finding a mascara that I like but this one seriously lives up to the hype. Also, I love getting my Ipsy bag, and I love Item Beauty.

Maybelline TattooStudio Tattoo Brow 36HR Pigment Brow Pencil $9.00

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The eyebrow pencil for freckles is genius, I'm literally going to try it today.

It's so fun, I love it. My freckles are my favorite part of the day.

If you could give middle school Sienna anything in your current makeup collection and be like, "Trust me, you want this", what would it be?

Something that's a necessity, like if I could only use one thing, it would definitely be blush. I've always been super scared of blush but I finally recently learned how to use it and I think it makes such a difference! It creates like a natural, kind of burnt look. I like the natural, sunburnt, beachy vibe kind of thing. So if I could give middle school Sienna anything, it would be a nice blush.

Patrick Ta Monochrome Moment - Velvet Blush $32.00

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So much of your brand (and your merch line) is based around cultivating confidence. Any tips for readers or friends who are trying to build theirs up?

I think something I constantly say is there's only one of you. There's only one of me in the world so why not focus on being the best version of me instead of trying to be like you or be like anyone else? I try to focus on the strengths that I carry and work on my flaws in silence. Self-love is such a difficult thing but when you come to terms with being okay with yourself and understanding that you have you more than anyone else does, life becomes a lot easier.