TikTok falls in love with 103-year-old care home resident’s beauty wisdom

A 103-year-old woman from Worcestershire has become an unexpected TikTok sensation after a video of her applying makeup attracted nearly 200,000 views.

Joan Partridge, the eldest resident at Millcroft care home in Redditch, has been offering beauty tips to fellow residents after her makeup video went viral. Known for her daily makeup routine, Partridge believes it plays a key role in maintaining self-confidence. “I do my makeup every day, every morning. I think it is your confidence,” she said.

The short clip, which was posted on TikTok by the care home’s lifestyle manager Sophie Childs, showed Partridge applying blush and sharing advice based on her decades of experience. Her straightforward tips and elegant application impressed viewers, prompting a wave of positive reactions and media attention.

Following the video’s success, cosmetics brand Collection Cosmetics reached out to collaborate with Partridge. The company sent her a selection of makeup products, which she has since shared with other residents at the home. Partridge, who began experimenting with makeup at the age of 13, now regularly offers beauty advice to others in the home.

“Put it on, take it off, sort of thing. Just do it gently,” she said. Instead of rubbing blush into the skin, she recommends lightly sweeping it across the face for a softer finish.

Despite her age, Partridge remains active and independent. She only moved into Millcroft in 2024 at the age of 102, after previously living on her own in Birmingham. Now a great-grandmother, she continues to take an interest in beauty and self-care, rejecting the idea that age should dictate one’s lifestyle. “You’re as young as you feel, and I only feel that’s a number,” she said. “It’s nothing else, it’s a number. And so I never worry about it.”

Collection Cosmetics marketing director Annie Anstey said the brand was eager to support Partridge’s positivity and experience. “We had to get in touch and gift her a range of our products so she could continue to share her inspirational beauty tips,” Anstey said. “We hope this collaboration inspires others – no matter their age, gender, sexuality, race or size – and shows that makeup and beauty looks different for everyone. Joan is the summer beauty icon we all need in our life.”

Childs, 23, who filmed the video, said the idea came about when Partridge suggested she wear more rouge. “I went, what’s rouge? And she went, blush, and she showed me how to put it on,” she recalled. She believes Partridge’s knowledge and warmth are what made the video resonate. “She knows best – she’s 103.”

Childs said the video has not only brought joy to Partridge but also strengthened bonds within the care home. “It brings women together as one, I think. We all like makeup.”

Childs, who is preparing to get married this summer, has even asked Partridge to be a flower girl at her wedding – a role Partridge has gladly accepted.

As for their new social media fame, Childs said both she and the care home are still adjusting. “We just can’t believe it. It’s just one thing after the other. We’re just taking it all in. It’s amazing. We never thought it would take off like that.”