TikTok has cemented its place in the social sphere as an arena where trends are created and riffed upon. From fresh music to fast-food hacks, the app is where you go to keep current. But, if history has taught us nothing else, we know from experience that not all TikTok trends will stand the test of time. Remember the jet-black “scene” hair and Hot Topic couture you rocked in 2005, thinking you were on the cutting edge of cool? MySpace probably remembers. Or those mortifying prints at your mom’s house of the senior prom? It’s safe to say that some of the edgiest content on your TikTok FYP (for you page) probably won’t be looked back upon so fondly after a decade of seasoning—but that doesn’t mean we’re not absolutely loving them now. These current beauty TikTok trends are so extra—and we secretly love them.
9 TikTok Beauty Trends
Two-tone hair
Artists like Dua Lipa have rocked this of-the-moment dye job, where one layer or half of the head is bleached or dyed a different shade than the other. The popularity of Cruellahas boosted the profile of this fun and offbeat look, but before too long, it’s going to scream “early 2020s" so try it now.
Hair horns
This devilish TikTok hair trend is a favorite with e-girls, the Twenties’ permutation of those goth chicks in high school that transcribed My Chemical Romance lyrics on their Converse. This hairstyle consists of spiky chunks cut into the layers of hair atop the head. These short bits are then gelled, teased, straightened, and/or curled into mischievous shapes, like horns or cat ears.
Hair feathers
Some things—like whale tails, capri pants and your frat-boy ex—are regrettable talismans of the early Aughts. Hair feathers, which are riding a wave of fresh Y2K nostalgia, belong on the same list. The very best case scenario? You look like you had a close encounter with a bird’s nest. At its worst, it skirts the line of cultural appropriation.
Mega eyebrows
Beauty TikTok can be a magical place if you want to improve your makeup game or find the perfect skincare regime. However, it’s given us some “iconic” looks that will inevitably define this era, one of which is the mega eyebrow. You know the one I mean—every Kardashian and Jenner sister wears them, dark and aggressive marvels that are plucked, redrawn and microbladed into sharp curves and swerves. The perpetually surprised expression these brows impart is sure to go down in the annals of headscratching rivaling ’90s baby brows.
Technicolor lashes
This TikTok trend goes hand-in-hand with fake eyelashes. If wearing spiderwebs on your lids wasn’t suspect enough, the femmes on TikTok are now using concealer and loose pigment to tint their falsies vibrant hues like magenta, neon purple and red.
Contour mapping
Plotting out your makeup like a Mondrian print may look fabulous in a reel, but is there any actual purpose? This is one TikTok trend that may not cause cringe, but always has us wondering whether it was truly necessary once beauty blenders do their job.
Faux freckles
Freckles, which a mere generation ago were the stuff of schoolyard taunts, are now super cool. So much so, in fact, that there is a whole fad dedicated to creating freckles on faces where they don’t exist. Faux freckles were born on TikTok and thrived to the extent that now many fashionistas keep a dedicated freckle pen in their makeup bag. Some even go permanent with the dots in tattoo form. It is exceedingly hard to make this ruse look natural, however.
Kylie lips
TikTok christens these oh-so-desirable facial features “Kylie lips,” after the labially-well-endowed social media queen Kylie Jenner. TikTok beauty hacks to plump one’s own pout include holding shot glasses or medicine bottles to the lips and sucking the air out to create a vacuum. This trick is actually just as likely to result in facial bruising, unwanted swelling and even permanent disfigurement.
DIY tooth-filing
Okay, this one we’re calling an immediate no. Do not try to file your own teeth. Our enamel is receding in fright just from the mental picture. Orthodontists and dentists have spoken out on their shock and horror of the trend, which can do irreparable damage to teeth. Next up, find out how regular people make serious money on TikTok!
