For a while now, TikTok has been disrupting the beauty landscape with its viral hair and make-up trends and DIY videos. It’s also given rise to a new wave of talent, pushing the boundaries of what make-up can do when used as a vehicle for self-expression. But TikTok is a big place—sometimes overwhelmingly so—which is why we’ve brought together some of the platform’s leading beauty stars to share their favourite tips. From Abby Roberts’ guide to super pigmented eyeshadow to the Nel twins’ eye-widening technique, whether you’re looking to update your skincare routine or revamp your entire look, these are the best TikTok-certified tricks to know now.
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Shanae and Renae Nel (@shanaeandrenae)
@shanaeandrenae DUET US WITH YOUR NEL GELS GIRLS🌸 AND TAG US. We will be uploading our favourites🦋 #foryou #fyp #glosstwinstrend
From raiding their mum’s make-up bag aged eight to launching their own beauty brand Gloss Twins at the start of 2020, twins Shanae and Renae Nel, 20, are taking the industry by storm. With 1.2 million followers on TikTok, the British ‘twinfluencers’ are celebrated for their relatable, often humorous skits and their uncompromising skills when it comes to glam make-up.
Beauty tip: “The eyes are the main focus of the face and we love how make-up can enhance their size and colour. To make our small eyes appear larger, we use white eyeliner.”
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Abby Roberts (@abbyrartistry)
@abbyroberts had to do matching makeup for the new hair ofc
Eighteen-year-old Abby Roberts can trace her earliest beauty memory back to Halloween, aged seven, where she transformed herself into a corpse bride using all of her mother’s make-up. Fast-forward to today, and the Leeds native delights her fans worldwide with her mesmerising pop culture-inspired transformations.
Beauty tip: “People always ask me how to get super pigmented eyeshadow and the answer to that is, either use a concealer or a primer—one that has a sticky thick base and doesn’t dry super matte. That way, when you put it on that slightly wet base, your eyeshadow has something to stick to and makes the colour pop a lot more.”
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Valentina D’Amelio (@bilintinamakeup)
@bilintinamakeup ✨Highlighter Hack✨ #beautyhack #LearnOnTikTok #TikTokPartner #makeup
Born and raised in Italy, Valentina D’Amelio would watch her cousin applying mascara and lipstick as a kid, dreaming about the day she would be able to do her own. When that day came, it was transformative. “For me, make-up is a way to express myself and my creativity,” she says. Currently living in Los Angeles, D’Amelio has built up a huge following on TikTok by recreating her favourite celebrity looks, from Billie Eilish to Bella Hadid.
Beauty tip: “Always apply SPF before starting your make-up to protect your skin from the sun and your cellphone blue light, and make sure you clean your brushes often so you don’t pass bacteria onto your skin, which can cause breakouts.”
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Promise Tamang (@promisetamang)
@promisetamang Watch my new YT video and Try the magical AR Beauty Filter to transform into Maleficent too 👿 #halloween #foryou #makeup #disney #makeuptutorial
Promise Tamang, 30, is the Nepal-born make-up artist known for her painstaking skills and chameleonic abilities, which have seen her morph into everything from a Bratz doll to Betty Boop. “I started doing my transformations when it wasn’t even a thing, so I would say being unique and bold is my aesthetic.”
Beauty tip: “If you have trouble [with] your false lashes staying on, use a black eyelash glue, look down and swipe across your lash line, then when you apply the lashes, the hold will be [strong] all day.”
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Aalia Khan (@_aaliaaaa)
@_aaliaaaa I ain’t ready yet!! #wewearpink #pink #onwednesdayswewearpink
The first product 23-year-old Brit Aalia Khan ever bought was a Bobbi Brown foundation. “I was walking around Macy’s in New York and was instantly drawn to the Bobbi Brown counter,” she recalls. Six years later, she was working for Bobbi Brown as a fully fledged make-up artist. Today, Khan is celebrated for her love of pastel hues, flawless skin and her keen commitment to baking.
Beauty tip: “I rarely use an orange corrector. Instead, I go in with a concealer or foundation two to three shades darker, then brighten up with a lighter concealer. This helps especially around the eye area, as lots of products in that area are not for everyone. It also means your concealer doesn’t have to be full coverage as it will just be brightening the area.”
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Danielle Marcan (@daniellemarcan)
@daniellemarcan Right
Danielle Marcan, 21, has been collecting beauty products since she was 12 years old. It started with samples, and then little gifts from friends, crescendoing on her 13th birthday when her father bought her an eyeshadow palette. Since then, the Romania-born, London-based marketing graduate has been tapping her collection of products to try out new looks, from red-carpet glam to 1980s neon pop.
Beauty tip: “For a perfect under eye, I like to use a full-coverage creamy concealer and then press powder foundation on top with a damp beauty blender. It adds more coverage and I feel it looks less powdery than using baking powder.”
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Ellie Addis (@ellieaddis)
@ellieaddis this is one of my fav looks from the show shes so powerful😌💋 #euphoria #euphoriamakeup
When she was 10 years old, Ellie Addis’s mum caught her sneaking into her make-up bag to try out different products. Nearly a decade later and the 19-year-old make-up maverick from Kent, UK, is just as invigorated by all things beauty, only now she has her own treasure trove of products to raid. “Most of my looks consist of fresh glowy skin, lipgloss and a focus on my eyes which are usually colourful, glittery, bedazzled or all three!”
Beauty tip: “I place my blush higher up and further back on my face—almost where I would put a highlighter—instead of on the apples of my cheeks, as this gives a lifted effect to my cheekbones.”
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Alexandra Anele (@alexandra_anele)
https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandra_anele/video/6816468504103996677
Alexandra Anele first started experimenting with make-up during secondary school, back in New Hampshire, US. “It was the early 2000s so lipgloss was everything. I remember sitting in the back of class with my friends, just drenching our lips.” While her friends went on to do other things, Anele stuck with make-up, eventually moving to Los Angeles to pursue it professionally. Today, she captivates her online audience with her use of colourful and easy-to-follow how-to videos.
Beauty tip: “Dry and oily skin alike, you need to hydrate. I walk around looking like a glazed donut with the amount of skincare products I wear daily.”
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Tiffany Hunt (@illumin_arty)
@illumin_arty Makeup inspired by “little fires everywhere” on @primevideouk 🔥 #ad #primevideouk #primevideo #illusion #influencerchallenge
“Every time there was a face painter anywhere, I would beg my mum to let me be a witch, no matter what time of year it was,” says 24-year-old British make-up artist Tiffany Hunt of her earliest beauty memory. Years later, Hunt’s preoccupation with the occult is still very much apparent. From astrology-inspired looks to demonic heroines, Hunt uses her extraordinary make-up skills to shapeshift into a plethora of different characters to the delight of her 1.7 million followers.
Beauty tip: “For neater brows, use a flat brush with a bit of concealer, then diffuse the product to blend and brush the hairs up with brow gel. Lightly fill in gaps, keeping the depth towards the back of the brow for a more natural look.”
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Miana Lauren (@mianalauren)
https://www.tiktok.com/@mianalauren/video/6869420136336461062
Miana Lauren, 20, the purple-haired Canadian make-up artist, mesmerises fans with her celebrity-inspired recreations and relatable how-to videos. “My beauty aesthetic is very diverse as I love to simply enhance my natural beauty sometimes, or go for a full transformative glam.”
Beauty tip: “To create a bold lip, I like to overline the cupid’s bow on the upper lip slightly, and follow the natural borders with lip liner. Next, over-line the bottom lip [but] only in the centre, then follow the natural line everywhere else. This creates a nice natural pout, but definitely elevates a glam or even natural look.”
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Char Barker (@charbarker)
@charbarker
“Editorial and glossy with a touch of avant garde,” says 21-year-old Surrey native Char Barker of her beauty aesthetic. Recalling the kaleidoscopic looks of HBO’s Euphoria, Barker’s fans love her bejewelled under-eyes and neon-purple leopard-print lids. “Being a Virgo, I’m a total perfectionist and love everything monochromatic and cohesive.”
Beauty tip: “Turn blemishes into beauty marks with any brown eyeliner, brow gel/pomade or eyeshadow, and use tinted brow gel to create faux freckles.”
