MissDarcei
MissDarcei | |
|---|---|
| Born | Darcei Giles November 12, 1991 Toronto, Ontario |
| Education | York University |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Instagram information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 1 million |
| TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 2.5 million |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Genre |
|
| Subscribers | 4.11 million |
| Views | 2.36 billion |
| Last updated: July 21, 2026 | |
Darcei Giles (born November 12, 1991), also known as MissDarcei, is a Canadian beauty YouTuber and social media influencer. She uses her platform to advocate for inclusivity in the beauty industry, especially between the K-beauty community and Black women.
Early life
[edit]Darcei Giles was born on Novemer 12, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario and grew up as an only child in a single-parent household. As a child, she was into Korean culture; she was only into K-pop and Korean dramas.[1] Giles was also a competitive dancer and was into theater.[2] She attended York University. Before creating her channel, she worked part time at Sephora and Starbucks; her first job was at a movie theater.[3]
Career
[edit]Giles created her channel in 2010, originally just as a hobby to share her makeup hauls and hairstyles. She was not aware that it could become a job at the time.[3] Her first viral video was in 2018, when she uploaded "Black Girl Tries Following A Korean Makeup Tutorial." She continued uploading video in the "Black Girl Tries" series, trying other makeup styles that are not commonly associated with Black women,[4] which helped her launch YouTube as a career. In 2020, Giles quit her part-time job and became a full-time content creator, later gaining increased popularity in 2022 through YouTube Shorts.[3] She had also created a TikTok account in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In 2022, Giles became the first Black creator to win the Streamy Award for Beauty.[6]
In March 2024, Giles made a TikTok calling out K-beauty brand TirTir after she was gifted a foundation set at a store event. She liked the coverage and finish of the foundation, but the brand did not make a shade for her skin color. The video went viral and the brand later contacted her to partner with them on the launch of a new product that included twenty more shades, including her shade. In a year, TirTir went from nine to forty foundation shades.[1][7] Giles claimed that the event was the first time a brand had answered a call for inclusion.[8][9] In April, she also made a video asking Parnell to expand their shades, leading to her working with the brand to create a forty-shade range foundation set.[1][2][6]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Streamy Awards | Beauty | Nominated | [10] |
| 2022 | Won | [11] | ||
| 2023 | Nominated | [12] | ||
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Blackett, L'Oréal (June 19, 2025). "Meet The Influencer Helping K-Beauty Brands Cater To Dark Skin Tones". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Neal, Angel (July 28, 2025). "Miss Darcei Is Disrupting K-Beauty—One Viral Video (and Shade Range) at a Time". Disrupshion. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hale, James (August 5, 2022). "YouTube Millionaires: MissDarcei's viral "Black Girl Tries" videos helped make YouTube her full-time job". Tubefilter. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Letonja, Jana (June 12, 2026). "In Conversation With MissDarcei". Numéro Netherlands. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "TikTok Celebrates Black History Month With Darcei Giles". VITA Daily. February 5, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Vaughns Jr., Victor Qunnuell (June 5, 2025). "MissDarcei's K-Beauty Takeover". EBONY. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Ko, Dong-hwan (April 2, 2026). "[INTERVIEW] Canadian K-beauty explorer challenges brands to strive for inclusivity - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Wasilak, Sarah (October 1, 2024). "MissDarcei's Go-To Makeup, From a Drugstore Mascara to That Viral Foundation". Popsugar. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Lee, Hyun-soo (March 4, 2025). "TIRTIR'S Diversity Makeover". The Granite Tower (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "11th Annual Streamy Nominees & Winners". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ↑ "12th Annual Streamy Nominees & Winners". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ↑ "13th Annual Streamy Nominees & Winners". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved September 30, 2024.