TikTok is a constant source of inspiration among beauty lovers, quickly becoming the go-to platform for tutorials and #makeupinspo as well as a great place to discover new talent in the beauty sphere.
HuffPost spoke to five makeup artists to find out their favourite trends of 2022. Here’s what they couldn’t get enough of and what they loved trying on themselves.
Euphoria makeup
Think glitters, bold colours and bling. The HBO series had us glued to our screens ― partly because of Zendaya’s phenomenal acting and partly because of the innovative makeup. Our experts praised the looks.
Millie Kendall, founder and CEO of the British Beauty Council: “Euphoria has been a bit of a moment on TikTok. Lots of glitter and shiny shadows. Appliqués and jewels, generally adornments. The combination of dewy, glowy skin with shimmery eyes has been great. It reminds me of a ‘nightclub at 4am’ kind of look.”
Rose Gallagher, makeup artist and beauty content creator: “I loved the whole Euphoria style makeup of super fresh skin with playful pops of colour on the eyes. 2022 has been a year that really made me rethink how I use coverage and made me want to use as little as possible so that the focal point of my makeup was those pops of color, not the complexion. I loved the start of 2022 when we would have a weekly new Euphoria episode and people would replicate the [looks]. Cassie’s unhinged moments with little pops of gems and glitter were a real highlight!”
Check out some of the best TikTok tutorials about Euphoria makeup:
Mood makeup
Lately, we have seen people re-creating real feelings through their makeup, from being cold to sad and everything in between. Want to look like you’ve been crying? There is now a makeup trend (and tutorial) for that.
Ehlie Luna, pro makeup artist and beauty content creator: “Going a step beyond the ‘clean girl’ makeup aesthetic, we have seen more people leaning into how they feel or how they want to feel. The makeup look that took over the past two years will serve as a sort of home base, with playful touches ranging from cold girl, indie sleaze, to dark feminine and more layered on top.”
Katie Jane Hughes, celebrity makeup artist: “There’s something really beautiful about these looks. The look people are trying to create is happening naturally and there’s oddly something really cute and pretty about that. It’s also quite strange, but I tried the ‘cold girl makeup’ and liked it!”
Glossy 90s Lips
There was some controversy with Hailey Bieber’s “brownie glazed lip” this year, but the brown lip liner and gloss combo still has been a much-loved look, since it suits everyone and gives J.Lo 90s vibes.
Donni Davy, head Euphoria makeup artist and co-founder of Half Magic: “I love the shift from pinky nude lips to brownie nude lips. Browns and rosy browns just look so stunning on everyone, and there are so many directions to go here. Soft and diffused, punctuated with darker brown liner, and worn with a sparkly gloss on top, to name a few. Half Magic’s Rosy Brown Mouth Cloud Lip Cream in Magic Brownie is my favourite! It’s velvety soft, hydrating and buildable.”
Kendall: “I noticed a throwback to the J.Lo lip – the darker liner and the defined, glossy pout. I wouldn’t have normally taken to it – I was there the first time around! But I think that the colors of lip liners are so sophisticated now, with Vieve, Charlotte Tilbury and Lisa Eldridge really owning the space and delivering superb colour options that have made this quite a wearable look.”
Blush, blush, blush
Makeup artists and beauty influencers have fallen hard for cream and stick blushes, which give a natural sheen to the skin and blend seamlessly. TikTok is full of blush looks featuring purple blush, blush draping, lipstick worn as blush and more techniques that have gone viral.
Luna: “After a period of blush ‘fear,’ we’ve gone all in. Every season there are more ways to wear it like high placements, the W trend, and editorial draped styles. With more shades and formulas than ever before, there’s something here for everyone.”
Davy: “I think purple blush really made a splash in 2022 and is still making its mark. I love to convince people whenever I can to try this one out! I’m loving the shift from pink blush shades to the surprisingly flattering violet. Violet has the cool tones of purple in it, but it’s also super warm for a purple and actually has quite a bit of pink in it so it doesn’t look completely jarring on the cheek, especially if you’re blending in just a sheer layer. My favourite way to wear it is with a periwinkle or lilac shimmer on top as a highlighter. It’s a delicate, yet simultaneously edgy, way to wear blush and I’m obsessed with it.”
Rainbow eyes
A fun and colorful look reminds us that love is love and that makeup exists for people to have fun with. Why not play with colors and try something new?
Kendall: “This year has been really focused on eyes, I particularly loved the focus on neon eyeliners. I have been wearing quite a lot of neon blue with blue mascara the last few months.”
Gallagher: “I loved the Pride makeup and colourful rainbow-inspired looks (creator Call Me Chim is incredible for those). Not only were the colourful looks just beautiful, but I loved the comradery and celebration of the LGBTQ+ that came along with them.”
Siren eyes meet razor-sharp wings
The eyeliner trend has really evolved this year, partly thanks to Davy’s work on Euphoria. Now, there are more tools than ever before to help you achieve the perfect flick, from silicone guides to liners designed for those with fine motor issues.
Gallagher: “The siren eyes trend [which is connected to Middle-Eastern makeup looks] felt really classic and sexy. I definitely think this would look great on everyone. What I loved about it is that it is a little undone, all about framing the eyes and creating a feline shape but without the constraints of perfection. It would still look great five hours into wearing.”
Old Hollywood glam
The focus here is on beautiful smoky eyes, bold eyelashes and the glam reminiscent of the 30s to the 50s in Hollywood and beyond.
Gallagher: “Around the time of the Marilyn Monroe film launching onto Netflix, there were some beautiful videos using Marilyn’s techniques (Sophie Mand did some great ones). I thought it was lovely that we were seeing these tips for really timeless, old-Hollywood glamour on a platform saturated with newness. It felt very achievable to recreate something we were so familiar with and also seemed like a trend you could jump on just using whatever you already have in your makeup bag.”
Metallic eyes
This trend is perfectly suited for the festive season and beyond. Metallic eyes are much-loved by makeup artists and are suitable even for makeup newbies.
Hughes: “I think metallic eyes suit everyone. I feel people are scared of shimmer and glitter – perhaps they think it will make their skin look a certain type of way. I think it looks gorgeous on everybody, it just depends on how you apply it. If you are worried it would look too much, just start with a little bit, press it onto the centre of the lid and work it around. Start with a little bit and add more when you’re comfortable.”
Natural-looking skin
The natural-looking “no-makeup makeup” trend continued this year, and the “clean girl makeup” trend is also here to stay, according to the experts.
Luna: “Makeup artists, myself included, have been going deeper with makeup techniques on TikTok and Instagram. We have seen the use of multiple powders in makeup routines – from pigmented loose to translucent pressed powders, baked and finishing powders.”
Hughes: “The makeup trend that stood out to me the most was glossy skin, letting the skin speak for itself! Something I’ve been a fan of my entire career. Think dewy, skin, like no-makeup makeup.”
Bleached brows
A polarising trend this year, the bleached brows have taken our TikTok screens by storm with tutorials gone wrong and some gone right. If you decide to try out this trend – which was seen on the likes of Julia Fox, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner ― it might be best to leave it to the professionals.
Kendall: “The 90s eyebrows are back – a bit thinner and bleached. I think the thinner brow is nice, I have never been that big on the overly brushed up bushy brow or the overly neat flat brow.”