If you’ve never heard of Beetlejuice lips, squirting your foundation into a cup of water or doing your makeup to make yourself look blisteringly sunburnt, you clearly aren’t on TikTok.
Say what you will about the video-sharing app, but it sure does produce a constant stream of new ideas when it comes to beauty.
For example, the latest Gen Z skincare trend – the morning shed – has thousands of women all around the world sleeping in sellotape to reduce their double chin and lathering their faces in silicone face peels.
But many have warned that, as well as making for an incredibly uncomfortable night’s sleep, some elements of the bizarre routine could pose a risk of ‘suffocation’.
Elsewhere, followers have also been treated to tutorials that see women applying several pumps’ worth of foundation on their faces, or trying their hands are recreating the lime green Beetlejuice lips.
It would appear that the wackier the better, with less conventional makeup looks earning millions of views on TikTok.
Here, FEMAIL examines some of the weirdest beauty trends that have gone viral online to see if they’re worth the hype.
Beetlejuice lips
UB-based makeup artist Sydney Purl tried to recreate the Beetlejuice lips in a recent video. She uses a bright green lipstick as a base before patting on black eyeshadow to create the appearance of cobwebs
Inspired by the recently-released sequel to the original 1998 Tim Burton classic, the Beetlejuice-inspired lip captured the attention of makeup artists and enthusiasts alike.
UK-based makeup artist Sydney Purl is credited as the creator of this creepy makeup look, with over one million likes on a post that showed her applying bright green lipstock before squeezing her lips together and patting on black eyeshadow.
The genius technique uses the natural lines of her lips to create the appearance of cobwebs. For the full effect, Sydney used a black liner to accentuate her gothic lips.
‘Can already see everyone using this for Halloween,’ gushed one user.
Although the technique was swept up by the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in September 2024, the original method used white lipstick and black eyeshadow and was coined ‘zebra lips’ by Portuguese beauty creator Luara Reisinger.
Heatstroke makeup
Sunburn may not be sought after in real life, but heatstroke makeup is very hot on TikTok.
Showing off her makeup skills, Samantha Harvey applies a blush from Huda Beauty on cheeks, like normal, but also takes the product up and over the bridge of her nose.
The trend, which has racked up more than 30 million views on TikTok, took a cue from a photoshoot featured in GQ China’s June issue last year.
It involves using a bright red blush to create fake tan lines around the eyes and even on the chest in the shape of a swimsuit.
Putting her spin on own spin on the makeup look, UK artist Samantha Harvey applied a blush from Huda Beauty on cheeks like normal, before running the product up and and over the bridge of her nose and forehead.
The video, which has been seen more than 400,000 times, then shows the Scottish influencer patting more colour into her chest to create the illusion that she was lying out in the sun for too long in a strappy bikini.
‘Sunburn but make it slay,’ Samantha writes in the caption.
‘So hot,’ someone commented.
The OTT foundation technique
Meredith Duxbury – a fashion influencer based in New York City – gained more than 18.4 million TikTok users thanks to her heavy-handed approach to makeup.
Taking a leaf out of Meredith Duxbury’s book, British creator Kristy Webley uses an entire tube of foundation. No matter if she sitting in the car alone (left) or on the train surrounded by strangers (right), Kristy uses her hands to vigorously rub the product onto her face
Preferring a full-coverage look, Meredith uses the back of her makeup brush to layer 10 pumps of foundation onto her face – as if she were plastering a wall.
Ditching the brush, the TikTok model then uses her hands to rub the thick foundation into her skin like you would with a moisturiser.
Layers of bronzer, setting powder and highlighter later, Meredith is selfie-ready.
Although her skin looks perfectly fine in front of a ring light and a top-of-the-range iPhone camera, others who tried the technique found it to be ‘far too cakey’ and ‘uncomfortable’.
But Meredith’s maximalist foundation technique seems to be fellow TikToker Kristy Webley’s go-to.
In a series of viral videos, the young Brit squeezes an entire tube of Primark foundation into the palm of her hand.
And no matter if she is on the train surrounded by strangers or sitting in her car alone, Kristy uses her hands to vigorously rub the product onto her face.
The morning shed
To achieve the morning shed, creators are often seen wearing silicone patches on their foreheads or under their eyes, sometimes filled with reactive productive such as retinol, which can cause irritation when pressed into the skin over night
The ‘morning shed’ promises a fuss-free start to the day by instructing individuals to sleep in sellotape, silicone face peels loaded with products, and augmenting chin straps.
The viral method – which has more than 3.2 million tags on TikTok – has been called the ‘morning shed’ thanks to the ritual it requires it requires first thing to remove the extensive array of attachments.
Many have warned that, as well as making for an incredibly uncomfortable night’s sleep, some elements of it could pose a risk of ‘suffocation’.
Creators are often seen wearing silicone patches on their foreheads or under their eyes, sometimes filled with reactive productive such as retinol, which can cause irritation when pressed into the skin over night.
Other popular elements of the night-time up do includes taping their mouths shut or taping the eyebrows up to the hairline.
Beard dye on eyebrows
Along similar lines to the morning shed, influencers are optimising their facial features in advance – so they don’t have to wake up as early.
The ‘high maintenance to stay low maintenance’ trend sees women dyeing their eyebrows darker with men’s beard dye.
TikToker Josie Peaches gave her verdict on the lazy girl hack of using men’s beard dye on her eyebrows. She said: ‘I have scrubbed and scrubbed to get that off. Now that’s done, I actually love them’
Giving her verdict on the beard dye eyebrows, Liverpudlian TikToker Josie Peaches, said: ‘I have scrubbed and scrubbed to get that off.
‘Now that’s done, I actually love them.’
Other popular products for self-titled lazy girls on TikTok include using tan as contour and a semi-permanent lip stain.
Heatless curls, which are harmless, are also commonplace.
Pre-application of these products supposedly saves time by eliminating crucial steps to a makeup routine – namely using an eyebrow pencil, bronzer, lipstick and heated styling tools.
Whipped foundation
Foundation with a whipped mousse formula has lined shelves in cosmetic stores for years, offering shoppers a lightweight, matte finish.
But some influencers on TikTok decided to take matters into their own hands by using a hand-held electric whisk to create an airy version of their own foundation.
Ling Tang attempts to whip her foundation using a hand-held electric mixer. Although she was hesitant at first, Ling’s final verdict was that the DIY whipped foundation ‘feels like cement but looks good’
‘I’m so confused,’ said Ling Tang as she tested the DIY foundation hack on TikTok. ‘Nothing is happening. it just looks really watery and weird.
But after applying the thick mixture to her face, Ling’s opinion seemed to change.
She said: ‘It feels like cement but it looks good.’
Blush blindness
Beauty forecasters have predicted that makeup will head in a more maximalist direction in 2024 – inspired by the likes of Sabrina Carpenter.
The Espresso singer is due to land in the UK in March of this year for her Short n’ Sweet Tour – with her mic and a bottle of her trusty hot pink blush in hand.
Although the popstar has been accused of ‘blush blindness’ – a term used to describe someone who wears so much product that they have stopped seeing how harsh it looks – influencers have welcomed Sabrina’s vibrant approach with open arms.
Thousands have enjoyed recreating her doll-like makeup on TikTok, with many choosing to reframe the phrase ‘blush blindness’ as a fashion-forward technique.
Inspired by Sabrina Carpenter (left), a self-taught makeup artist covers the apples of her cheeks and the bridge of her nose in a bright Barbie pink blush
One self-taught makeup artist covered the apples of her cheeks and the bridge of her nose in a bright Barbie pink blush.
Hundreds of users praised the British creator’s over-the-top flushed look, with one commenting: ‘This is so gorgeous.’
‘It’s giving Sabrina Carpenter,’ another said.
Foundation in water
There is a new trend making the rounds on TikTok: mixing water into your foundation before applying it to your face.
The water-with-foundation hack is said to deliver dewy skin that lasts all day.
Trying out the ‘lifechanging’ technique, Elle James adds her foundation to a glass filled with water to make a congealed substance.
Trying out the ‘lifechanging’ technique, Elle James adds her foundation to a glass filled with water to make a congealed substance. Although it looked ‘weird’, the British creator found that it made for a ‘really nice non-oily foundation’
‘This looks so weird,’ she said. ‘What we’re left with is a really nice non-oily foundation.
‘Obviously you could just use an oil-free foundation but, to be honest, this is just really fun and if you don’t have one, this could be a lifechanging hack.’
As for the method behind the madness, Rachel Rigler who posted the original video explained: ‘When you put a foundation in water, it actually separates some of the oil, but it also adds a little bit of hydration.’
But others on TikTok were torn, with some skeptical users commenting: ‘Literally there’s no difference’.