Even during a pandemic, with stores temporarily closing and many jobs being remote, beauty lovers everywhere have not stopped playing and experimenting with products to get that perfect summer look. With TikTok usage being at an all-time high and many of us scrolling through the #beautytutorials page, we can not stop craving what it once felt like to do the perfect wing and the ultimate red lip. If you are anything like me, I am a makeup and skin-care junkie, but between face mask-ne (“face mask acne”) and readjusting to life in my home, I haven’t been as up to date on beauty trends as I usually am. So I did what any millennial who wants to learn does. I took to TikTok and dug to find the best and most on trend beauty looks and tools out there. For your sake, I tried them out too.
1. The Gua Sha
It may look simple, but this little green, Jade tool is one of the best kept secrets the beauty world has been withholding from us. The ancient Chinese treatment has been used since the 14th century to treat many different ailments surrounding inflammation. In 2020, the Gua Sha has been introduced to the beauty world in the form of a facial tool that helps de-puff and sculpt. It works its magic by draining the lymphatic fluid that is built up and stored throughout the day in your face and neck. The Jade is cooling and helps with de-puffing, while the drainage assists the skin in looking brighter and the muscles more sculpted. I had to try this out for myself, as it seemed a little too good to be true. IT. WAS. AMAZING. As a stomach sleeper, when I wake up, my face is swollen, puffy, and red from my pillow. Using the proper technique of the Gua Sha, my face was left feeling refreshed and overtime has even brought my jawline back (quarantine baking, anyone?). I paired my Gua Sha with a little rose-hip oil as lubricant, and after the massage followed up with some moisturizer.
@katyaniomi sculpt your face at home. use code TIKTOK for 20% off your order on Kung Fu Apothecary. #facialmassage #guasha #facialtime #skincare #skincareroutine
2. Neon Eyes
Out with the old, in with the new. While a black cat eye might have paired nicely with a velvety red lip in a pre-covid world, it just doesn’t cut it anymore. With masks covering the lower half of our face, it’s time to bring all the attention to the eyes this season. It may not have been office-appropriate before, but now that you can do whatever you want at home and have little extra time on your hands, pull out that cobalt blue eyeliner you’ve been dying to try. Beauty experts like Mi-Anne Chan, video editor at Conde Nast, and Michelle Li, Fashion and Beauty Editor at Teen Vogue, have been playing with neon eye looks all over Instagram this Summer. Take the most wild color you can find and do a cool-girl graphic liner, or smudgy lash line look. Not quite there yet? Don’t feel left out. Find a colorful eyeshadow and make a gentle monotone lid look. It will be just the flush of color you need to feel bold again.
@cutcreaser these @nyxcosmetics Epic Wear Liner Sticks in the shades “Pink Spirit” and “Blue Trip” are PERFECT for summer liner looks! ????#nyxcosmeticspartner #ad
3. The Almost-Perfect Feathered Brows
Our eyebrows have been through a lot. They have seen the 90’s tweezers and the bushy boho phase of 2011, but maybe we have finally reached a perfect medium, the almost-perfect feathered brow. A thick eyebrow that has been just slightly groomed has been taking over the social media world. Thanks to the introduction of the “Soap Brow,” taming eyebrows has never been easier. Simply wet your spooly, take a bar of soap, and twirl a fair amount on the spooly and comb your eyebrows upwards. After, take your spooly and flatten the top of the eyebrow, creating a clean sharp look. If you have it in you, go ahead and place a coat of eyebrow gel over to hold your masterpiece in place. Even if you barely have eyebrows, this technique is sure to create a fuller brow look and for those of us who haven’t seen our aesthetician in a hot minute, this will help clean up them right up.
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@rosiedavies trying soap brows for the first time???????? #soapbrows #fluffybrows #brows #foryoupage #foryou #fyp
TikTok-ers on social media are constantly creating new trends to follow and become obsessed with, and we are here for it.
We are in a complicated time right now between working from home and dealing with stress caused by the current events. Let’s use the few extra minutes we have for ourselves during the day, to experiment, have fun and relax; whether that means doing your makeup, or scrolling through TikTok.
