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In recent years, TikTok seems to be the epicenter of the hottest, and weirdest, makeup trends. From e-girls to “I’m Cold” makeup looks to cat girl makeup (yes, it’s a thing), the variety of makeup concepts you can try out are endless. While all of these looks give off a different energy, there does seem to be a common denominator amongst them, blush. Or more accurately, a liberal application of blush.
TikTok Blush Trends
The popularity of heavily flushed cheeks over the course of the beauty industry has been cyclical. Like most trends, one minute it’s all the rage, and the next many of us have forgotten about it. Blush heavy looks dominated in decades like the 1920s, 1980s, and now again in the 2020s. At the time this article was written, the #blush hashtag has garnered over 3.3 billion views on TikTok.
Let’s explore a few of the blush-obsessed looks that are dominating the social media platform right now and how you can achieve them.
The “I’m Cold” Makeup Look
The “I’m Cold” makeup look is a mix of several details, like inner eye corner glitter and brushed-up brows, to mimic the flushed face you get after fun winter activities like a snowball fight. The most essential element of this look is a liberal application of baby-pink or reddish-colored blush, like Joah Beauty’s Air Light Soft Powder Blush ($6.99) in “Pink Dahlia” or “Bright Peony” on the apples of your cheeks and on the very tip and bridge of the nose. This helps replicate the look of blood rushing to the face after walking around in a frosty environment for a few hours. Try to avoid connecting the blush placed on the cheeks and the nose, or you might end up with more of an “e-girl”-inspired look
@sacheu doja was right this is sexy 🫣💗❄️ #makeup #imcoldmakeup #makeuptutorial ♬ original sound - ci
The “E-girl” Look
The “e” in “e-girl”, or “e-boy”, stands for “electronic”, and the makeup look is inspired by a number of elements including skate, goth, K-Pop, and cosplay culture. Some of the common details of an “e-girl” look include a large scattering of freckles (especially on the nose), little hearts drawn or stamped with an eyeliner stamp under the enter of the eye, thick winged eyeliner, and, of course, a liberal application of blush on the nose, cheeks, and cupid’s bow. You can also apply the blush where you would normally apply your bronzer on the top and sides of your forehead.
The application of blush with the “e-girl” look varies from the “I’m Cold” Look in two major ways.
One, unlike the “I’m Cold” look, you’re not necessarily trying to mimic the natural appearance of your cheeks when they are flushed from the cold. You can just as easily, go with a more natural blush color like pink or a soft red, as you could with a bolder color choice like purple. Like the Cheek Freak Blush Balm in “Pinky Lilac” ($18) from about-face.
Two, the point of the “e-girl” look is to look like a cartoon/cosplay character, so there is no need to worry about using “too-much” blush or avoid connecting the blush on your cheeks to the makeup on your nose.
@milklard I luv i luv i luv !! ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ #makeup #makeuptutorial #egirl ♬ original sound - Sir
The “Cat-Girl” Look
This one may be one of the more…unique looks to pop out of the TikTok space, but also one of the most fun ones to play with.
The “cat-girl” look is heavily inspired by cutesy, cat-like anime characters like Ichigo Momomiya from the manga and anime series Tokyo Mew Mew. Unlike other feline-inspired characters like Catwoman, the “catgirls” featured in animation are more cutesy than sexy and often feature, but not always, have a more pink-centered color palette.
There is more to the “cat-girl” look than simply perfecting a cat-eye wing. In addition to the feline-inspired wing, you need to take your eyeliner, preferably a liquid-type like the Joah Beauty Line Up Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner ($9.99) for a more defined line, and extend it to the innermost corner of your eye on the top and bottom lid and connect to a tip. This helps give your eyes an overall more “cat-girl” appearance.
One of the most important aspects of the “cat-girl” look is the application of blush over the cheeks and nose. Much like the “e-girl” look, there is no such thing as too much blush. But like the “I’m Cold” look, “cat-girl” makeup tends to feature pinker, rosier tones, even going for a white-based pink tone than a blue-based tone. An example of a white-based pink blush would include the Sephora Colorful Face Powder in “Over The Moon” ($14).
Once the blush is on, take a white eyeliner pencil, like the about-face Line Artist Longwear Gel Eyeliner in “High Altitude” ($13), and draw three small lines over the center of each cheek to mimic anime-inspired whiskers.
What Blush-Focused Trends Can We Expect To See Next?
I reached out to Kim Roxie, makeup artist slash beauty brand founder of LAMIK Beauty, to gather her thoughts on what blush-centered trends can we expect to see next in the industry.
Roxie stated, “The trend of placing blush on the high point of the cheekbone into the temple and above the corner of the eyelid is my jam! That’s the blush trend I’m betting on! TikTok blush trends that are interesting to me are “W” blush placement and placing blush underneath your eyes (same placement as concealer).”
MEET THE EXPERT
After working in the beauty industry for several decades as a makeup artist slash beauty shop owner and constantly coming across issues finding clean makeup options for women of color, Kim Roxie decided to take the matter into her own hands. Kim Roxie is the founder and CEO of LAMIK Beauty, a vegan makeup line made with natural and organic ingredients for multicultural women. “LAMIK” stands for “Love and Makeup in Kindness”, a philosophy that Roxie carries out in both her professional career and personal endeavors.
