TIKTOK INSPIRATIONAL BEAUTY TRENDS - February 2023

TikTok analysis allows us to take the pulse of the Beauty consumer, and track their current priorities and motivations, in real time. From the latest Beauty hacks to the most meme’d moment from NYFW, February’s trending TikTok content is united by the themes of reinterpretation, rebellion and resourcefulness.


Read on to discover 4 leading Beauty inspirations from February 2023:

1. ANTI-VALENTINE: THE CREATIVE COUNTER-RESPONSE

Rising Hashtags:

#antivalentinesdaymakeup: 3.6M views

As Valentines Day approached, an international holiday typified by a proliferation of pink and an outpouring of love, a counter-movement emerged on TikTok - one which offered a response to the idealized version of romance. Instead, TikTokers embraced their broken hearts and expressed their lovesickness through darkly artistic looks. 

At a time when consumers are chasing alternative aesthetics and challenging conventional beauty tropes, the post-breakup look and revenge face emerge as new artistic expressions. Rising alongside adjacent trends such as #CryingMakeup, #ColdGirl, #GlamGoth and #WednesdyAddamsMakeup, the Anti-Valentines look is typified by glistening faux tears, tracked mascara, the dominance of the color black, fake piercings and trashy, barbed heart artistry. 

Influencers to follow:

@jennseren, @emilytembymakeu, @elpltt, @trinsmakeups

 
@elpltt_ Lovesick #valentinesmakeup #valentinesday got the idea to do a sickly look from @sophia ♬ Lovefool - Best Love Songs
 

2. BIG RED BOOTS: NYFW’S MOST VIRAL MOMENT

Rising Hashtags:

#bigredboots: 49M views / #mschf: 1.5B views

It was almost impossible to hide from those MSCHF red boots in February, as every social platform was flooded with influencer posts or memes parodying their cartoonish proportions. Beauty TikTokers and Instagrammers were quick to jump on the hype and appropriate their viralability with irreverent reinterpretations of their bold, red, form. With the help of moldings in the shape of the shoe, nail artists were able to reproduce the model perfectly and create micro-versions for the tips of their nails.

The boots arguably stole most of the NYFW headlines, driving plenty of traffic toward their creators, the Brooklyn-based fashion and art collective, MSCHF. Inspired by Astro Boy, the oversize boots were a piece of creative risk-taking - merging gaming nostalgia with the aesthetics of a metaversal x real-world crossover. But a word of warning for brands - in this era of heightened eco-responsibility, consider the environmental impact of short-term gimmicks. Is there life beyond the hype? 

Influencers to follow:

@aminaoui,@nailsbymei,@bellabacademy,@threadbeauty

 

@filtersbyjulia new manicure filter on snap inspired by the big red boots #bigredboots #bigredbootsmschf #mschf #filter #newfilter @filtersbyjulia ♬ Collide (more sped up) - Justine Skye

 

3. PRODUCT DEVIATION: THERE’S ALWAYS A PLAN B

Ever creative, particularly in this tough economic time, TikTokkers are exploring new applications for tried-and-tested products, highlighting new uses that deviate from their primary function or illustrating useful hacks for Beauty emergencies.

  • LIP CRAYON HACK

Imagine a scenario where you’re babysitting before a big night out but you’ve forgotten your makeup kit…Don’t panic! The latest hack to go viral on TikTok shows how a children’s coloring pencil can be used as a lip liner. Just moisten with a touch of water and apply to the lips.

Influencer to follow:

@mimiermakeup

  • CREAM BLUSH HACK

A clever hack that combines convenience and personalization, the idea here is to mix your lipstick (any from your kit) with a liquid foundation to create a unique cream blush color and texture of your liking. 

Influencer to follow:

@beautybaycom

  • PINK UNDEREYES

Rising Hashtags:

#pinkundereyetrend: 59.1M views

Undereye concealer is given added depth and impact by applying pink cream/liquid blush directly on top (before the concealer has been blended) to create a more luminous and fresh finish.

Influencers to follow:

@beautyybylucyy, @jennseren

 
 

4. DIY LIPGLOSS: COST-EFFECTIVE CUSTOMIZATION

Resourcefulness continued to inspire content with the homemade lipgloss trend. Ingenious and inexpensive, TikTokers are creating their own unique shade of lip gloss by mixing transparent gloss with an eyeshadow color of their choice. 

Influencer to follow:

@molchanovamua

 
 

THE CIC TAKE

  • Consumers continue to value creativity, but TikTokers are expanding beyond playful artistry to illustrate new cost-saving and personalization techniques that address current consumer pain points.

  • Experimental riffs on emotional makeup looks should encourage brands to take risks, and use more subversive messaging and visuals that tap into the growing appetite for the unconventional.

Brands must keep TikTok at the forefront in order to keep pace with the expectations of Gen Z consumers. Our latest Inspiration Book: Makeup Inspiration from the US, decodes the latest must-know TikTok trends, providing insight and analysis on how these influences should shape your future product development. Contact us today for your report teaser!

(Sources figures: TikTok February 2023)

PARIS HAUTE COUTURE SS23: BEAUTY FOCUS 

At the recent Paris Couture shows, trending hair and makeup looks were given sophisticated status. From grown-up Gothic Allure to a sumptuous twist on Clean Girl, discover Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation’s edit of the 5 key hair and beauty trends to watch:

#1 - Vanilla Girl 

Clean Girl continues to evolve into new territories of minimalism, and Couture week introduced the latest interpretation of the trend: Meet, Vanilla Girl. 

Source: Schiaparelli - Vogue Runway

The warmer, cosier sister of Clean Girl has been gaining momentum on TikTok, where #vanillagirlmakeup currently has 20.7M views.  As the name suggests, this is a more comfortable aesthetic, characterized by soft, buttery textures and neutral colours such as off-white, beige and cream. In Paris, Schiaparelli MUA Pat McGrath referenced the trend through candlelit skin, achieved using a soft matte base accented with a subtle rosy blush applied to the apples and up to the cheekbones. For the lips, a dewy pink balm completed the look. 

#2 - The Return of The Side Fringe 

In recent trend reports, CIC has tracked the growing influence of Kidult Beauty, as creators and consumers play with child-like aesthetics and references to create grown-up looks. This sense of childhood experimentalism seeped into Couture this season, where ultra-short and side-swept fringes evoked memories of self-inflicted home haircuts and early Noughties teen idols. 

Source visual: Armani Privé - Vogue Runway

At Viktor & Rolf, super-short fringes echoed the collection’s overarching Surrealist theme. Hair stylist Olivier Schawalder played with proportion with styles that featured short and blunt fringes paired with sleek, slightly bouffant ponytails.  On the front row at Schiaparelli, Kylie Jenner wore her bangs swept to the side and curved over one eye. 

#3 - Gothic Allure

The influence of Wednesday Addams is far-reaching and for Couture, MUAs put a sophisticated spin on the glam-goth aesthetic, demonstrating its potential to appeal beyond Wednesday’s core Gen Z audience. 

Source visual: Valentino - Julien Da Costa for Le Figaro

At Ronald van der Kemp, Marcello Costa referenced the classic goth aesthetic of matte white base and black lips but contemporized the look with bleached brows and a dramatic, smokey eye with shimmery red undertones. For Valentino, Pat McGrath looked to 80s Club Kids for inspiration with makeup looks that accentuated each model's individuality while playing to sub-culture themes. Many sported matte berry or black vinyl lips, heavily-lined eyes and a dramatic veil blush. 

#4 - ‘20s Redux

Source visual: Dior - ELLE

Serving up references to the iconic women of the 1920s, Dior’s show was rich with sophisticated hair and beauty notes. Guido Palau created hairstyles from the Joséphine Baker school of kiss curl artistry, creating immaculately sculpted looks with not a hair out of place. Short styles were centre-parted and sleeked down, or hair was braided and pulled back into low buns. Even baby hairs were neatly incorporated into each style.  

#5 - All that Brows 

Source visual: Mugler - Vogue Runway

Special attention was given to brows and lashes, as MUAs distorted conventions to play with colour and textural expectations. Echoing the social media trend for “Anti-It Girl” aesthetics, disappearing or bleached brows continue to trend strongly and were spotted at  Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexandre Vauthier and Valentino, among many others.  The blanked-out brow was often offset by juxtaposing, lash and eye looks. At Mugler, neon liner hovered just above the brow and was colour-matched with extra-long lashes. 

The CIC Take

TikTok’s influence is even being felt at Couture level. Key trends that have been buzzing on the platform are being reinterpreted with a luxury focus - from baby hair artistry to soft goth sophistication. Our latest trend report, Makeup Inspiration from the US: Beauty’s New Manifesto explores how TikTok is helping to change global beauty expectations. Discover the trends worth leaning into and the new territories to explore, by ordering your copy today.

TIKTOK INSPIRATIONaL trends BEAUTY TRENDS - # january23

@hayley_bui /@garabceluru/ @zoekimkenealy - TikTok

No social platform has impacted Beauty quite in the way that TikTok has. The platform’s unique algorithm allows for any creator (be it a big brand or unique user) to go viral, propelling the site’s reputation as a space for discovery.

TikTok-onomics

Over half of all users (52%) now say they discover new products on the platform, a behavior that has shifted TikTok from a social network to an experiential media. Its influence on beauty trends, the success of new brands, the revival of long-forgotten products and the reinvention of heritage brands is propelling the industry to new levels of innovation and creativity. Based on our ranking on the total of followers, Huda Beauty is the #1 ranked Beauty brand on TikTok, with 8.4 million followers and 173.2 million likes. Next, is Kylie Cosmetics with 3.4 million followers and 24.4 million likes, followed by Florence By Mills at #3 (2.8 million followers and 47.2 million likes), Kaja at #4 (1.7 million followers and 25.4 million likes) and Fenty at #5 (1.5 million followers and 24.5 million likes).

Below, discover 3 key TikTok trends in January to inspire new beauty directions over the year ahead:  

1- I’M COLD

The counter-response to last summer’s sunburn blush trend is this season’s “I’m Cold” makeup. With over 234.8M views on TikTok, #Imcoldmakeup is defined by flushed rosy cheeks, a red-tipped nose, frosted lids and clear or frost-bitten lips. 

Much like the Clean Girl trend, the wintery makeup look is about enhancing the natural flush through elevated artistry. Blush is the key product here, which is applied on the apples of the cheeks upwards, across the bridge of the nose and to the tip. Some TikTokkers are even recreating chapped lips by applying cream blush around the lip line. 

Influencers to follow:

 
@zoekimkenealy #greenscreen I think this is my favorite TikTok I’ve ever made even tho I felt so basic going outside and taking selfies with my Starbucks it was also the highlight of my day hehe it’s Makeup for serotonin feels and hallmark movie time! It’s the im cold it’s winter and the holidays and fall makeup look tutorial. #wintermakeup #fallmakeuplook #coldmakeup #maccosmetics #benefitcosmetics #makeupforever #wintermakeuplook ♬ august - Taylor Swift
 
@trulue THIS IS THE CUTEST MAKEUP LOOK!!❄️ @zoekimkenealy you’re beautiful and this idea is amazing💖 #blush #viralmakeup #makeuptutorial #grwm ♬ Ice Dance (From "Edward Scissorhands") - Ashton Gleckman
 

Rising Hashtags:

#Imcoldmakeup: 234.8M / #wintermakeup: 192.6M views

2 - CRYING MAKEUP

Another trend propelled by TikTok MUA Zoe Kim Kenealy, “Crying Makeup” recreates the effects of a post-crying face - typified by a tear-streaked complexion, red eyes, smudged liner, and flushed cheeks. 

In Kenealy’s viral tutorial, she uses blush to create a soft redness around the eyes, nose, and cheeks while applying a liquid, glitter eyeshadow to make the eyes appear teary. Glitter gel is also applied to the face to replicate tears, while lips are smudged with lipstick and gloss. Key products include Fenty Beauty’s Double Cheek’d Up - a limited-edition duo of cream blush shades -  AMTS Liquid Glitter Shadow in 02, NYX Professional Makeup Slide On Lip Pencil, and EM Cosmetics Soft Spoken Lips in Manifest and Intuition. About Face’s Vinyl Effect Eye Gloss is applied for a wet-look shine on the eyelids, cheeks, and cupid’s bow.

Influencers to follow:

 
@zoekimkenealy #greenscreen crying makeup look tutorial 😅 Can I go as a crying person for Halloween or is that not a thing #cryingmakeup #tearmakeup #cryingeyes #makeupforhalloween ♬ Show Me How (Album V) - Men I Trust
@karikarikari im sure a look like this is useful for something?? #fyp #makeup #grwm ♬ Woozy - Glass Animals
 
 

Rising Hashtags:

#cryingmakeuptutorial: 25.3B views / #makeupgirlcrying: 91.1M views / #crygirlmakeup: 101.3M views

3 - DISAPPEARING BROWS

 From bleached brows to no brows, TikTokkers move the statement brow into another dimension by removing them altogether. The latest evolution in the brow trend cycle, sees brows disappear as bold TikTokkers move on from laminated, fluffy, and super-skinny to play with a more experimental new look. 

Doja Cat spurred the trend when she recently shaved off her brows and replaced them with drawn-on abstract shapes and colours, paving the way for TikTok creators to experiment with their own artistic no-brow looks. Cue TikTokkers sharing ‘shaving’ videos as they remove their own brows and play with a more extreme beauty narrative, some other present tutorials using correctors and concealers to create the #disappearingbrows look.

Influencers to follow:

 
 
@madykennedy Part 2- Coloir correcting the brows to make them ✨disappear✨ #browblocking #makeuptips #creativemakeup ♬ original sound - madykennedy
 

Rising Hashtags:

#eyebrowsdisappear: 9.7B views / #eyebrowdisappearfilter: 71.1M views / #missingeyebrowfilter: 5.8M views / #missingeyebrow: 5.7M views/

#noeyebrowstrend: 241.1M views

THE CIC Take

Beauty trends are increasingly being shaped and propelled by peer-to-peer communities, with TikTok the favored platform for interaction, advice, inspiration and education.

Brands must keep TikTok at the forefront in order to keep pace with the expectations of Gen Z consumers. Our new Inspiration Book: Makeup Inspiration from the US, decodes the latest must-know TikTok trends, providing insight and analysis on how these influences should shape your future product development. Contact us today for your report teaser!

(Sources figures: TikTok January 2023)