In a viral TikTok video with over 26 million views, Darcei Giles, a Korean beauty makeup enthusiast and award-winning digital storyteller, tries the TIRTIR cushion collection foundation, illustrating the brand’s lack of inclusive shades. “If TIRTIR wants to expand more and make a shade for me, and even darker, I will support you. Call me,” she says at the end of the video.
They did. Since then, with Giles’ product development consulting and several trips to South Korea, TIRTIR has grown from three shades to 40 in the U.S. and Canada.
Giles is just getting started as she branches out, serving as an in-demand consultant for Korean beauty brands.
The Foundation Shade Gap for Darker Skin Tones
Giles is a popular beauty creator and the voice behind the TikTok series “Black Girl Tries,” in which she tests popular products, styles and techniques on a darker skin tone. Giles’ longtime love and appreciation for Korean culture and beauty dates back to her childhood.
“I used to watch a lot of Korean beauty gurus on YouTube,” she says. “And I would watch their tutorials, and I’d be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so pretty. But that would never work on me.'”
However, it didn’t deter her love for the products. She started trying them out and, to her surprise, some of them worked for her—which she couldn’t say for many products she had tried growing up.
Reflecting on her experiences as a dark-skinned young girl in Canada, Giles admits that during her makeup shopping trips, she would bypass testing foundation shades, gravitating toward the end of the aisle, selecting the darkest shade.
“I think that those experiences in my life kind of shaped who I am within the beauty space and being very aware of what is for me and what isn’t for me,” she says.
The experience is one shared by many darker-skinned individuals seeking representation in makeup.
Giles traces her initial interest back to her dancing days, when makeup was required for performance attire, but she never had many options to choose from. She also notes that the gap extends further than foundation shades. Other makeup products—lipsticks, contours, bronzers—are easily pushed to the side, but they require just as much thought and knowledge during formulation.
How TIRTIR Went From 3 to 40 Cushion Foundation Shades
When the opportunity came to assist TIRTIR in product formulation, Giles used her experience of documenting several foundation shades and undertones to help create products that work well on darker skin.
“I found that Korean brands are really used to making their standard three to five shades, and then when they try to make darker shades, they kind of just make it darker,” Giles says. “But they don’t understand that the undertones need to be different. There’s more nuance to it than simply making the shades that they already have darker.”
Now, with just two years in the field, Giles’ experience shows that learning while creating change is another proven route in advocacy. Her authenticity comes through in “organic” content that prioritizes true visibility over scripted messaging.
Giles shares how inclusivity can be encouraged more in beauty.
Diverse Mindset: The leadership teams behind brands are the creators of products. It’s harder to have a voice if the company itself doesn’t believe in the need for inclusivity. “Because if you only have a certain type of person working at the company, then they’re only going to have the views of that certain type of person, right?” Giles says.
Beyond Dark Shades: Understanding skin tones, undertones and coloring to refine the product is a necessary stage in formulation. Multiple tests, discussions and testing follow. And not just for foundation. Other beauty products such as contours, bronzers, lip liners and more require the same. “A lot of companies are really focused on getting that standard 40 shades. But what about things like lip liners, or contour sticks, bronzers—those things kind of fall to the wayside,” she says.
Be Receptive to Feedback: Growth is part of the process, and listening to feedback from testers is how the brand grows and makes an impact. “I feel like Korean brands are really open to feedback and to change, and they really want to explore this side of beauty, and so it’s always really encouraging,” Giles says.
Avoiding Burnout as a TikTok Beauty Creator
Creative wells are important to nourish and nurture, and Giles knows her best work comes from being structured and prioritizing content that she genuinely wants to discuss on her platforms. She says it was difficult in the past to balance creativity and the administrative side. Recognizing that, she implemented strict boundaries so her content stays fresh and centered.
“I find that making boundaries around my workload, how many projects I’m taking on, how much travel I’m taking on [helps me]. I have a team that helps me manage everything,” Giles says.
Giles is fueled by hearing women say they’ve finally found products that work for them, and it’s their favorite. She takes these big wins to heart. “I feel like the accessibility that I managed to create with that was just amazing…. Stories like that all the time or people who were afraid to try a certain style of makeup, and so they saw me try it, those are the best,” she says.
Working in tandem with TIRTIR, Giles has also collaborated with Parnell, another K-beauty brand, to accelerate new shades and products. Looking ahead, Giles says she’s focused on building her own beauty brand, for which she has so many ideas.
Image courtesy of ©Ssam Kim
This article was first published in the September/October 2026 issue of SUCCESS Magazine. Get your copy here.
