Strangers Went Viral for a Makeup Moment on a Plane — Now, They’re Besties (Exclusive)

Sometimes friendships can blossom when you least expect them. This one started at 30,000 feet, with two strangers, a nearly missed flight, and a viral TikTok video.

Sydney Hogerheide wasn’t even supposed to make the plane. “We were coming from Traverse City, and we had a layover in Charlotte,” she tells PEOPLE. “Our original flight was delayed by three hours, and we had a 30-minute layover.”

“So our doors for our international flight to Punta Cana were supposed to close at 11 a.m., and we showed up at 11:02 and they were holding the door for us,” she continues, still catching her breath at the memory. What waited for her inside the cabin wasn’t just an empty seat.

As she slid into the open spot in basic economy, she barely registered the girl sitting beside her. That was Haylee Culpepper, left flying solo after her boyfriend received a first-class upgrade.

“I was by myself in basic economy because my boyfriend got the upgrade,” Culpepper tells PEOPLE. “Then Sydney came running in, panting, and sat next to me—and it was immediately, like, ‘Girl, it’s okay.’ ”

“She kept apologizing, and I’m like, ‘Girl, this is literally me,’” she continues. “My boyfriend, who was in first class, texted me saying, ‘this is always us,’ as he watched Sydney and her boyfriend run in, but it was immediately girl-coded.”

Somewhere between takeoff and touchdown, the chaos turned to connection. A shared love of beauty set the tone for something unforgettable.

“I always like to land with a full beat,” Hogerheide says, grinning. “I’m like, we should do a full beat in basic economy.”

Culpepper didn’t hesitate. “My makeup bag is literally in that book bag under the seat right here,” she says. “I always carry a full makeup bag on me — that is something I do not put in my check bag. So full beat, say less.”

Brushes came out, palettes opened, and row 28 became their own mini beauty bar. “We were mixing our Elf Halo Glows,” Hogerheide says. “She forgot her dark summer shade. She only had her winter shade, and I had both. So we were mixing.”

Culpepper jumps in with a laugh. “She’s like, ‘Do you have powder bronzer?’ I’m like, ‘Yep, I got you, girl, here you go.’ Then I would literally be over here, clearly needing the light, and she’s just handing me the light mirror. She’s like, ‘I got it. You need it.’ ”

As they blended concealer and swapped setting spray, conversation flowed. They talked about sales, careers, and the kind of big dreams you only say out loud when you know someone’s really listening.

“We were just chit-chatting and yapping about sales,” Culpepper says. “That was a big topic of convo. She was like, ‘Teach me the sales ways,’ because she’s in nursing, and she’s like, ‘I know I can do this.’ ”

When the plane touched down in the Dominican Republic, it should’ve been the end of the story. But the universe had other plans.

By pure coincidence, they discovered they were booked at the same resort. “The girls’ girls story continued, didn’t it?” Hogerheide says.

“We both had plans at the resort, but we were like, we have to exchange numbers and we gotta cross at some point,” Culpepper says. “Obviously, we’re in the same place.”

That evening by the pool, Culpepper was with her friends when she spotted Hogerheide — this time, holding a camera. “She starts taking photos,” Culpepper says. “She’s like, ‘Oh, girl,’ and whips out a super nice camera out of her bag and starts snapping photos for us, and then sends them to me.”

The next day, Hogerheide sent Culpepper a message and the raw video of their in-flight glam session. “Iconic moment I’ll never forget,” it read.

Then Hogerheide posted the video to TikTok. Neither of them expected what happened next. “My friends are the TikTok girls. I’m new to the TikTok block, so I’m learning the ropes,” Culpepper says. “And I’m like, ‘Wait…this is a lot of likes, right?’” Sydney recalls, “Six million views and, like, over a million likes.”

The video’s text overlay read: “Met this stranger on the way to Punta Cana. She had a rehearsal dinner and I had a dinner reservation, so we did a full beat in basic economy. We shared all our makeup products and ordered champagne. This is girlhood. Men will never understand.”

“For me, I think it was the perfect epitome of girlhood,” Hogerheide tells PEOPLE. “It was the first thing that came to mind.”

“Girlhood is getting ready in your robes in a hotel room with music blasting, and you’re able to talk for four hours without stopping and without getting tired,” she says. “Like, that’s girlhood.”

Culpepper completely agrees. “I feel like girlhood is just uplifting others, coming together over shared experiences that we have because we are women, things that guys will never understand,” she says.

“But I think it’s also about not gatekeeping, like sharing all the secrets, like the best products and things like that,” Culpepper continues. “Telling each other everything, whether it’s about sales or TikTok — sharing how to make it. There’s room for all of us in this space.”

The internet responded with enthusiasm, and the DMs poured in. “Actually it was overwhelming, and the amount of brands that reached out to… I think there’s like five or six PR packages being sent to my house just from [makeup] brands,” Hogerheide says.

Culpepper’s favorite moment came closer to home. “The moment my dad texted, ‘You’re TikTok famous,’ that was wild,” she says. But what mattered most wasn’t the views. It was their newfound friendship.

“All my layovers are always in Charlotte, so obviously I have a place to go if I ever do end up getting stuck in Charlotte,” Hogerheide says. “We literally said, just because of this and because we actually immediately hit it off, we’re gonna continue the friendship.”

The pact was simple. Stay in each other’s lives. “We’re making a pact now, like, we have to be friends forever,” Culpepper says. “So when the time comes, in the coming years, we’re both on each other’s guest list.”

What started with a missed upgrade and a borrowed mirror became a story about timing, trust, and showing up. “Always be open to new friendships,” Culpepper says. “You never know who could be there to make an impact on your life, if you don’t just, like, open your eyes.”

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Hogerheide nods, reflecting on the moment she almost missed. “If you don’t like your life, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit,” she says. “If you’re looking for the love of your life, stop — like, it’s going to be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.”

For two women on a plane who didn’t know each other’s names, that seat assignment was anything but random. It was proof that magic can happen at cruising altitude.

“There is space for everyone,” Culpepper says. “People love you for who you are.” Hogerheide adds, “Be kind. Be real. Be raw. That’s what people connect to.”