Latest news with #HayleeCulpepper
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We were strangers when we sat next to each other on an airplane — this annoying in-flight habit made us friends for life
This friendly meet-cute is plane adorable. Two women flying to the Dominican Republic with a tight layover and a shared love of beauty products turned a routine flight into a viral celebration of girlhood. Sydney Hogerheide, traveling from Traverse City with a connection in Charlotte, was prepared for chaos. A three-hour delay left her just 30 minutes to make her international flight to Punta Cana. '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,' she recalled to People. 'They were holding the door for us.' Still breathless as she boarded, Hogerheide slipped into a basic economy seat beside Haylee Culpepper, who was flying solo after her boyfriend scored a last-minute upgrade to first class. What could've been an awkward shuffle before a silent ride turned into something much more. 'I was by myself in basic economy because my boyfriend got the upgrade,' Culpepper said. 'Then Sydney came running in, panting and sat next to me — and it was immediately, like, 'Girl, it's okay.'' What followed was a spontaneous beauty session that transformed row 28 into a mini makeup bar. The two swapped bronzers, mixed foundations and shared mirrors, bonding over their love of cosmetics and candid conversation. For both women, it was more than glam — it was a beautiful connection. 'I always like to land with a full beat,' Hogerheide admitted. 'I'm like, we should do a full beat in basic economy.' So the girls unloaded their makeup bags and got to work side by side. 'She forgot her dark summer shade. She only had her winter shade, and I had both. So we were mixing,' Hogerheide said. Culpepper remembers being touched by the small gestures. '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,'' she remembered. The pair talked about everything from careers to big dreams as they powdered their faces and swiped on their lip gloss. Culpepper, who works in sales, shared her tips with Hogerheide, a nurse exploring new paths. 'We were just chit-chatting and yapping about sales,' Culpepper said. '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.' ' By the time the plane touched down, their in-flight glam session had created a bond neither of them expected. And fortunately, their time together wasn't over yet. As they began to say their goodbyes, the women discovered they were staying at the same resort. That night, they reunited by the pool, and Hogerheide snapped photos for Culpepper and her friends, cementing the start of a unique friendship. Later, Hogerheide shared a video of their airborne makeover on TikTok and it immediately went viral. 'My friends are the TikTok girls. I'm new to the TikTok block, so I'm learning the ropes,' Culpepper shared. 'And I'm like, 'Wait…this is a lot of likes, right?'' The video quickly racked up over six million views and more than a million likes. She captioned the video: '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.' The internet agreed. Suddenly, their DMs were flooded. Beauty brands reached out with offers and PR packages. But what mattered most wasn't the internet fame. 'For me, I think it was the perfect epitome of girlhood,' Hogerheide explained. '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 said. 'Like, that's girlhood.' Culpepper echoed the sentiment. '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 noted. 'But I think it's also about not gatekeeping, like sharing all the secrets, like the best products and things like that,' Culpepper continued. '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.' Since returning home, the two have kept in touch, making a pact to stay in each other's lives. '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 noted. 'We literally said, just because of this and because we actually immediately hit it off, we're gonna continue the friendship.' Their sweet story has resonated across social media as a reminder that genuine human connection still exists, even in the most unexpected places. 'Always be open to new friendships,' Culpepper said. 'You never know who could be there to make an impact on your life, if you don't just, like, open your eyes.'
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two Strangers Met on a Plane — and Their In-Flight Glam Session Sparked a Viral Friendship (Exclusive)
After nearly missing her flight, Sydney Hogerheide ended up seated next to Haylee Culpepper, who was flying solo in basic economy after her boyfriend got upgraded The two women shared makeup tips, swapped stories, and filmed a full-beat makeover during the flight, which later went viral on TikTok Their connection didn't end at landing, as the pair discovered they were staying at the same resort, and a real friendship was bornSometimes 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.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 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.' Read the original article on People
