IN 2022, TikTok took the lead in trends, be it fashion, music, or beauty. Although the bite-size video platform is known for its fleeting microtrends, it was surprisingly also where a lot of us learned new things. Last year, TikTok taught us the importance of knowing what we put onto our skin and restoring it, instead of just slathering products just because it’s a trend.
Besides that, the TikTok community is veering away from unnecessary cosmetic surgeries and is more about going for the natural look and loving our own skin. Let’s dive in and see what made the cut in the world of beauty this year!
-> Hits
Repairing your skin barrier
Since the skin care rush of 2020 where 10-step routines became the trend, the tides have since turned in the opposite direction. Instead of following the latest craze blindly, consumers are now more interested in knowing about the ingredients that they use on their skin. In response, many brands have released products and collections aimed at sensitive skin, and certain ingredients like ceramides have come to play starring roles since they’re the key ingredient in restoring skin barrier function. As consumers focus more on longer-term solutions and the health of their skin, terms like ‘skin barrier’ have made their way into the average beauty consumer’s vernacular, and that’s why it’s a hit, because knowledge and understanding the importance of taking care of one’s skin is key to prevent skin issues in the long run.
Minimal makeup
After years of heavy and full face makeup being on trend, 2022 was about taking it back and enhancing our natural beauty. The no-makeup makeup trend is about using concealer instead of foundation, having natural brows, luminous skin, light rosy cheeks, slicked-back hair, and natural lip colour. Highlighter and contour further help with achieving a glowing finish, but the goal is for them to be undetectable. Dubbed the “clean girl look”, it is kind of like the beauty industry’s take on a capsule wardrobe, focusing on quality over quantity. This became a hit because this means instead of overconsumption and overbuying products, consumers can focus on having just a few good products, which also encourages finishing the current makeup product before getting new ones, putting a stop to consumers ending up with too many items.
Recently, the term “cold girl makeup” also became viral, combining the minimal makeup look with wintertime. To take on this trend, add more blush across the cheeks and nose and hydrate the lips with glossy lip oil to look perfectly flushed.
Makeup for your face shape
With the trend of understanding more about what you put on your face, there have also been informational makeup videos popping up on TikTok this year. Specifically, professional and celebrity makeup artists have talked about blush, contour, and concealer placement. Unlike trends that usually only look good on a certain type of face shape, knowing how to do makeup on different faces is why this has gotten onto the list of hits. By using lifting strokes of concealer, blush, and contour, you can have a visual facelift without going under the knife. Besides watching videos to learn what placement of face makeup works for you, some TikTok content creators have even made filters that analyse your face and show you which area to put the makeup on. Technology for the win!
-> Misses
Face taping
While the idea of face tape has been around for years, the facelift hack has seen a surge in popularity thanks to makeup artists touting the technique on TikTok and other social media platforms. Specifically, they use pieces of tape to restrict movement and frowning overnight, and thus minimising the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Some are calling it a workaround to preventative Botox, but dermatologists warn against it, saying most tapes people are using are not meant to be used on the skin, and can cause irritation and even breakouts. Besides that, there’s also a risk that you could pull off a layer of skin when you remove the tape in the morning.
Buccal fat removal
On social media, another cosmetic procedure is gaining popularity on social media – buccal fat removal. Buccal fat is located in the middle of the cheek, and having it gives off a baby face appearance. The procedure involves removing said fat from the cheeks to create a more contoured face, but sometimes also creates a gaunt, sunken-in cheeks look. However, removing the buccal fat pad may look good now but over time, your face could become overly hollow because we lose fat in our faces as we age. For this reason, we shouldn’t follow unnecessary and irreversible procedures just because it’s a fleeting trend, only to regret it later in life.
Mewing
TikTok and YouTube users are claiming the mewing technique can help reshape a person’s jawline, among other things. Mewing, otherwise known as orthotropics, is the practice of placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth to reshape your facial features. It’s been claimed that in addition to giving tighter, more defined jawlines, the practice goes beyond aesthetics, even helping them resolve issues such as sleep apnea, mouth breathing, posture, and even crooked teeth. The biggest risk associated with mewing is that patients will not get the proper care needed from their dentist. While there is no real harm in adjusting the position of your tongue, consulting with a dentist or doctor is a faster and more effective method for serious issues like over/underbite or sleep apnea.
