Rocio Soria Manifested Her Rise On TikTok A Decade Ago

In Elite Daily’s series At The Moment, celebs and TikTok stars dish on their current projects, pop culture hot takes, and everything taking over their group chats. Below, influencer Rocio Soria talks about her rise to fame on TikTok, her weirdest ick, and what she wishes more people knew about high-end makeup.

Like millions of people, Rocio Soria downloaded TikTok during the 2020 lockdowns out of boredom, but she was unamused and deleted the app from her phone right away. “I thought it was the silliest app ever,” she tells Elite Daily. “I’m like, ‘This is not for me.’” About a week later, she reconsidered, taking another stab at the popular social media platform.

At the time, Soria had been laid off from her job as a makeup artist at a beauty store, but she still wanted to help women look and feel their best — landing freelance gigs and earning her license for permanent makeup like microblading before turning her focus to TikTok.

“I found a niche of girls who were doing makeup tutorials, and I was like, ‘I’m a makeup artist. … I have so many tips and tricks that I can share. Why not me?’” she says.

A lot of the things that I have accomplished now, I wrote them down back in 2014.

In early 2021, a video testing out L’Oréal’s Infallible Fresh Wear 24-Hour Foundation marked her first to go viral at 8.9 million views, but the 29-year-old TikTok star manifested her rise a decade ago. “Since high school, I would sit in my room and I would just talk to myself in the mirror as if I was one of those YouTube beauty gurus,” she says, adding that she enjoyed watching Jaclyn Hill’s tutorials but would try to find cheap dupes at Dollar Tree.

“I knew I would do something with social media, and when I met my husband back in 2014, he taught me the power of manifestation and frequencies, and writing down your goals, your dreams, your aspirations on pen and paper,” she says. “A lot of the things that I have accomplished now, I wrote them down back in 2014.” One affirmation she jotted down: “I will help thousands of people,” Soria says.

Fast-forward to 2023, and Soria now helps millions of people from the comfort of her home in Washington. Her 2 million followers across TikTok and Instagram are familiar with her three- and four-figure Sephora and Ulta hauls, but she also heavily focuses on achieving a luxe look for less. Sure, that type of content is algorithm-friendly, but Soria’s reason for making it is rooted in the struggles she faced as a first-generation Latina born in Mexico.

“I couldn’t get a real job until I was 19 because I didn’t have DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], which forced me to quit college since I couldn’t get financial aid,” she says over a video call, her eyes growing more serious. “I live in an agricultural state, so I did field work — picking apples, cherries, grapes, onions. Before that, my parents gave me their leftover change, and I’d switch my coins for money at Coinstar.”

Now, 10 years later, the beauty influencer is known as TikTok’s “money-saving bestie.” On her page, you'll see brands like E.l.f. cosmetics and Nars or Maybelline and Pat McGrath go toe to toe with each other, along with videos of Soria doing a full-face using makeup from Walmart. “I still emphasize affordable makeup to help out those stay-at-home moms or single moms or anyone that wants to look good and feel good but just can’t afford it,” she says.

Earlier this year, Soria made her Beautycon debut, hosting a panel about growing a brand as a beauty influencer, but one of her proudest moments was her holiday-themed collaboration with Milani Cosmetics last Christmas. “My mom was a really good student, but she had to drop out of high school when she brought me to the U.S. She earned her GED, but she kind of just cut her dreams short and worked three jobs,” she says, fighting back tears. “I know that seeing her immigrant daughter do this collab made all her sacrifices worth it.”

What I realized from TikTok is that people love you for your unique features. People love you for your authenticity.

The beauty influencer may have been hesitant to join TikTok three years ago, but it’s been well worth it. “What I realized from TikTok is that people love you for your unique features. People love you for your authenticity,” she says. “I live in Walla Walla, Washington. We’re known for our sweet onions, agriculture, and cows everywhere. That’s raw and not like that perfect little lit candle in your background with that perfect intro from YouTube. That’s why I focused on TikTok because I could be 1000% me.”

Below, Soria shares her biggest ick, all-time favorite dupe, and most controversial beauty take.

Elite Daily: First celeb crush?

Rocio Soria: Probably Zac Efron.

ED: What’s your go-to coffee order?

RS: White chocolate mocha with almond milk. Whether it’s a small coffee shop or a big coffee chain, that’s the only thing I get.

ED: When was the last time you laughed so hard that you cried?

RS: Probably yesterday. In my free time, I like watching Turkish soap operas like Evermore, which is super random, but they’re so funny and witty, and I laugh so hard.

ED: Lip gloss or lipstick?

RS: Lip gloss, but you know what? I’m more into lip oils than lip gloss. Lip oils are slicky slick, and they’re just so hydrating. I would say my favorite lip oil at the moment is from Essence.

ED: If you have to be out the door in five minutes, what beauty product are you reaching for?

RS: Tarte has these Maracuja Lip Balms, and I have all of them. I apply it to my cheeks and it just gives this gorgeous flush of rosiness. I put it on my lips, of course, and it’s a done deal. I pride myself in being very religious about my skin care, so even if I have no lashes on or no brow gel, I won’t skip my Tarte Maracuja Lip Balm.

A lot of times, you’re just paying for that heavier packaging that looks pretty on your vanity when you can get the same look, and the same product even, with their sister brand.

ED: Do you have any controversial beauty takes?

RS: There are a lot of big conglomerates, and a lot of their more affordable products are basically copied and pasted from their luxe products just in different packaging. A lot of times, you’re just paying for that heavier packaging that looks pretty on your vanity when you can get the same look, and the same product even, with their sister brand.

ED: What’s your all-time favorite dupe then?

RS: Ooh, that’s hard! Hmm… Milani Fetish Matte Lipstick. I have hundreds of lipsticks — Mac, Nars, Smashbox, Charlotte Tilbury. For any of those brands that have their signature shades, you will find a dupe within the Milani Fetish Matte family of lipsticks. I rarely reach for any other lipstick besides Milani.

ED: Favorite luxe item in your closet?

RS: Oh, my goodness, I love this question! It would be my Prada crystal bag in the mango color.

ED: What’s one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you?

RS: That I’ve been married for six years, and I have two daughters. I don’t share my family on social media. You will not find a trace of my babies on there or my husband. When I did my little pregnancy announcement for baby No. 2, people were like, “I didn’t even know you had a first.” I only announced it because the fat-shaming was just getting to me. I kept my pregnancy hush-hush up until my eighth month, but it’s so hard to hide a bump at eight months.

ED: What’s your biggest ick?

RS: People that yawn around me. I know it’s so weird, but for me, it’s like I’m running on three hours of sleep, and here comes along someone that got their full eight or nine hours, but they’re yawning. I’m like, “Why are you yawning? Get some coffee in your system. Take some vitamin B12, get a Celsius, and let’s go. Let’s get stuff done.”

ED: What is your biggest goal for 2024?

RS: To have another collab with another affordable brand like E.l.f., maybe Milani again, maybe Revlon or Essence. Those are some of my favorite affordable drugstore brands. I would also like to host more panels and do more public speaking.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.