This 12-Year-Old’s Handmade Beauty Journal Is Giving Every Millennial the Most Wholesome Flashback
If you ever spent a sleepover swatching drugstore lip gloss on the back of your hand, carefully cut photos out of magazines for a scrapbook, or ranked your favorite nail polishes in a notebook — you need to meet Addison.
The 12-year-old has gone viral for doing something beautifully analog in a digital-first world: keeping a handmade beauty review journal instead of posting on social media. And the internet — especially the millennial corner of it — is absolutely eating it up.
The Journal That Launched a Million Views
A TikTok posted earlier this month by Rhionna, a friend of Addison’s mother, introduced the world to the preteen’s scrapbook-style project. The video shows a beauty journal filled with product cutouts and handwritten reviews — and it has racked up over 1.5 million views.
“My friends daughter is a preteen that doesn’t have social media, so she does make up reviews in her beauty journal,” Rhionna shared in the TikTok.
A separate post dives deeper into the pages themselves, and this is where the nostalgia truly hits. Think drawn hands on paper with labeled nail polish shades — like a DIY version of those displays at the nail salon. The journal includes reviews of specific products like Hard Candy eyeshadow marker and Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Kiss lip balm.
The Sweetest Origin Story
The inspiration behind the journal is just as charming as the pages themselves. Addison told People on March 24 that the idea grew out of summers spent with her great-grandmother.
“She loves when I paint her nails, so instead of me bringing all my nail polishes back and forth, I decided to put them in a book for her to choose from like at the nail salon,” Addison said.
“Then I decided to add makeup that I tried with reviews.”
What started as a practical solution became a full-blown creative project — one that captures the joy of beauty discovery in its purest, most personal form.
The Internet Aunties Showed Up
The comment section response has been overwhelming, with viewers calling the project “nostalgic” and drawing comparisons to scrapbooking. It’s the kind of reaction that makes your heart squeeze a little.
Rhionna told People: “She captures that preteen spirit so perfectly.”
“It reminded me that we all still have that little girl inside us, and I felt inspired to start filming because I just knew the TikTok girlies would love it. And they did—the internet aunties really showed up, and the love she’s received on that video has been incredible.”
Addison’s mom Melissa echoed that sentiment: “It’s been really exciting but also a little surreal.”
“She created the journal simply because she loves beauty and expressing herself, so seeing it resonate with so many people has been incredible, and the comments have been genuinely kind,” Melissa told People.
“So many people saying that it brought back memories of their own childhood and how refreshing it was to see a preteen enjoying something creative and positive.”
Her Favorites — And Yes, They Include Drugstore Gems
For anyone curious about Addison’s top picks from the journal, her favorites include Glow Recipe blueberry cleanser, wet n wild lip liner in “I’m Blushing,” and Hard Candy eyeshadow stick in “Dreamhouse.” The mix of cult-favorite skincare and accessible drugstore staples feels incredibly on-point.
Beauty Brands Are Taking Notice
The viral moment hasn’t gone unnoticed by the industry. Brands including Bubble Skincare, OPI and e.l.f. Cosmetics have been inquiring about sending Addison PR packages.
Not bad for a beauty editor whose platform is a notebook and a set of colored pencils.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
