It’s still January, but somehow it feels like there are already thousands of new beauty trends — all born from TikTok. Every day, people discover new must-haves, rediscover old favorites, or better yet, discover new skincare trends that will transform your skin. It’s a wild world out there, but we’re here to cut through the noise. Without further ado, here are the top five beauty trends trending on TikTok right now.
Skin cycling
No, you won’t have to get on an exercise bike. The skin cycle is actually all about rest. Coined by New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe, the hashtag alone has racked up 3.5 billion views — and for good reason. The practice requires you to rotate your active ingredients every four nights to prevent damage to the skin barrier and help you achieve your goals in the most effective and safe way.
Instead of layering chemical exfoliants and rejuvenating retinols, Dr. Bowe’s skin-cycle trend encourages you to take rest days in between. The first night is for exfoliation – here you can use your AHA/BHA cleansers or toners in moderation as you prepare for night two: retinol. If you take retinol by prescription or use a serum with a percentage of retinol, this is the night to properly apply retinol to your dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
On days when you don’t use products with active ingredients, choose gentle cleansers and deep moisturizers to protect skin from hypersensitivity.
The third and fourth nights are reserved for “recovery”, so the focus should be on hydration and repair with an ingredient like hyaluronic acid.
Brown lip gloss from the 90s
The Y2k revival took over beauty, fashion, and music, so it was only a matter of time before the 90s came back into the spotlight. In the second half of 2022, everyone had a brown lip gloss in their beauty arsenal. Why? Depending on who you ask, the answers could point to Hailey Bieber, who called the look “glazed brownie lips” in a video posted in August, or Fenty Beauty, which released its OG shade Hot Chocolit in a solid formula in October. However, brown lip gloss has been a mainstay in black culture since the 90s. Look at a few images or music videos from the era and you’ll see stars like Aaliyah or Naomi Campbell rocking brown lips. The look can be achieved by lining your lips with a taupe lip liner and applying a clear gloss on top or simply buy a lip gloss in the lovely shade.
Redness all over
Is makeup really complete without excessive dabbing of blush all over your face? If you thought blush was only reserved for your cheeks, let all 3.8 million views of the popular TikTok makeup trend show you plenty of other ways to use your blush.
The W blush trend encourages you to tap your brush into your desired blush and swipe it across your face in a W shape, or use your liquid blush wand to create the shape. This method of applying your blush creates a sun-kissed shade of color all over your face, perfect for those who like a quick beat or a no-makeup look.
In winter, the W-blush trick has become the “I’m cold” trend. The blush is placed in the same area as its W-shaped predecessor, but with added shimmer. Using a healthy dose of makeup, create a healthy flush on your face, focusing mainly on the areas that would normally turn red if you were really cold – cheeks, nose and lips. To accentuate the look, add a bright white sparkle to the inner corners of your lids, or wash your entire lid with glitter for a winter wonderland-style glow.
Clean makeup for a girl
Welcome in something else a side of #makeupTok where Euphoria eyes and heavy glitter don’t exist. On the “clean” side of TikTok beauty, minimalism reigns supreme; full coverage foundation formulas are traded in for lighter tinted moisturizers. If you don’t like foundation or tinted moisturisers, using a full coverage concealer can help you get the simple look that comes first.
Each product should be light and breathable to ensure your skin looks natural and glowing. Once you’ve created a light, minimal base, it’s time to apply blush (lightly), line your eyes gently with a pencil, brush your lashes with mascara, and apply gloss or muted lipstick. Viola!
Glazed donut nails
Hailey Bieber is responsible for making many things popular, especially the OPI Funny Bunny shade. It all started with a last-minute manicure for the Met Gala. The “glazed donut nails” trend actually creates a bare, iridescent look on your nails similar to the glazed effect of your favorite donut.
Celebrity manicurist and Bieber’s nail artist Zola Ganzorigt used a thin layer of the OPI shade on each nail and then applied a layer of chrome powder. The look has become popular on TikTok with more than 174.7 million video views (and growing) as viewers show off their own iteration of the nail look. Of course, the nail design looks great on your natural nails, but if you really want it pop, choose gel extensions.
Beauty Commerce Writer
Tatiana Freund is the author of Beauty Commerce, which covers makeup, skin care and hair products and trends. She’s a fan of vodka tonics and creepy Wikipedia pages.
Editor of Beauty Commerce
Nerisha is the beauty trade editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty (both fashion and music). She has a penchant for sneakers and nude lip glosses and spends too much time watching 90s series.