As a beauty influencer, Sabrina Hassan is no stranger to creating viral makeup videos on TikTok. But one video that’s taking off is more than just a beauty tutorial.
The clip, watched over 7 million times, shows Hassan giving a spontaneous makeover to Linda, an older woman she just met on their shared flight via American Airlines. It’s an interaction full of smiles, warmth, laughter, connection…all the feels promised by a makeover scene in a movie, really.
“She’s an Instagram make-up artist, so I made her do my make-up!” Linda says with a chuckle to the flight attendant as Hassan dabs her cheeks with blush and paints her lips with a sheer rosy tinted gloss.
Those who watched the clip couldn’t help but be moved by how these two women from completely different walks of life were able to effortlessly bond over the simple joys of beautification.
“Moments like this make me love being a girl,” one person wrote.
Another seconded, “Glad we have phones to capture moments like these.”
Watch below. The moment Linda gets oh so excited with the spray makeup is the epitome of wholesome.
@sabrinaahassann The nicest lady ever we bonded the whole plane ride 🫶🏽🩷🤍😭
The sweet interaction turned out to be healing for both Linda and Hassan.
In an interview with Insider, Linda, 56, shared that she had recently been undergoing chemotherapy due to stage 4 colon cancer, and because of that hasn’t been able to wear much makeup, which has taken a toll on her self-esteem.
“I’ve lost my eyebrows, I’ve lost my eyelashes, and I can’t really wear mascara. My skin looks like I have a sunburn all the time. I don’t look like my former self. But that day on the plane, Sabrina made me feel like I was that woman again,” she recalled.
At the same time, Hassan told Insider that she was dealing with her own self-worth issues during their flight.
The 23-year-old was flying into California, where she would be doing makeup in front of other people—including other influencers. She revealed to Linda that the upcoming event was making her nervous. But after receiving such a hype up from her seat mate, those feelings of doubt soon dissipated to uncover a new sense of purpose.
“My favorite part of this was being able to help let Linda know that she is beautiful,” Hassan told Insider. “I had no idea I could change her life the way she changed mine. I wish everybody could meet her.”
And thus, the two women reclaimed their confidence, thanks to a totally impromptu moment. The unlikely friends hope to reconnect again in the near future and hope their story inspires others to simply spread kindness.
@sabrinaahassann Found this and smiled 🩷🥹🥲
As Linda said to Insider: “Everybody is fighting some kind of battle that you can’t see. My battle is a little bit more apparent. Sometimes I use a walker. I’ve gained almost 70 pounds since I started treatment. It’s been extremely traumatic. But then there’s Sabrina, who on the outside looks like she has everything. She’s young, she’s beautiful—so it’s shocking that she was feeling nervous and insecure.”
In a time when headlines of unsavory airplane etiquette run rampant on the internet, refreshing anecdotes like these are a lovely reminder that the friendly skies do still exist. The stresses of traveling can certainly bring out the worst in all of us, but at the end of the day, I think it’s safe to say we would prefer to create endearing memories just like Hassan and Linda. Perhaps all that takes is a little kindness…and a great contour.