There's no limit when it comes to micro TikTok beauty trends – strawberry girl, latte girl, glass skin, soap nails. It's equal parts fun and exhausting. But one of the latest quips is just that: exhaustion. Puffiness, eye bags, dark circles – everyone wants to look sleepy right now. But why?
I think there's a few contributing factors, the first being that some of us are literally just tired – concealing our under eyes is yet another job to do. The world is bleak at the moment; looking bright and energised feels at odds with the current state of affairs.
It also feels like a response to the prevalence of lower blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure where excess fat and skin is removed from the lower eye area (basically your eye bags are sliced out before the skin is restitched resulting in a tighter, more youthful appearance). People should absolutely do what they want with their faces, but eye bags are actually pretty common from a biological standpoint. Some of us are getting older and thus loosing collagen while for others, hollowness and sagging are just genetic. The same goes for dark circles. Yes, there can be a thinning of skin and more visible blow flow because of it, but most of the time it's predisposed.
It's part of the reason as to why Léa Seydoux is trending online – her puffy under eyes are being called out as sexy, chic and French. And they are. But the point is not to position eye bags as more desirable than no eye bags (because some people literally don't have them) but instead to emphasise the fact that we're all hot the way we are, tired or not tired. Jessica Defino actually wrote a great piece about it here.
@eliseperry29 #lowerbleph #undereyebags #fyp #leaseydoux #kristenstewart ♬ cigarette burns - slowed reverb - moonvampire
I think the trend can also be directly correlated to Charli XCX and party culture. It's hot to stay out all night and then wear the remnants of your eyeliner like a badge of honour the next day. Kate Moss pioneered this, and makeup artists have been trying to recreate the lived-in look ever since. Eyeliner looks best when it's smudged and messy – maybe you got to sleep around 3 a.m. and 'forgot' to wash your face. When you wake up, most of your makeup is gone, albeit a little smudged liner. Dark circles only add to the telltale signs of a good time. Gabbriette Batchel is another leader and muse in this space.
Finally, on the other end of the spectrum, there's also the belief that looking sleepy is cute. RHODE released a mauve Pocket Blush shade called Sleepy Girl for a 'just woken up' glow. The brand also launched under-eye patches, but you get the idea. TikTok is awash with sleepy girl makeup tutorials heavy on flushed cheeks and shadowy eyes. You can participate or opt out, but if you are sick of working hard to look flawless and 'bright', maybe this will encourage you to embrace any signs of life that show up on our faces.
If you want to look like a sleepy girl, try these things:
Skip the concealer
The easiest way to embrace your exhaustion is to skip under-eye concealer and brighteners and just let your dark circles be. You can even add mascara to your bottom lashes – the length will cast a slight shadow, enhancing any darkness.
Try a grey or taupe shadow
Content creator and editor Lara Violetta is the blueprint when it comes to tired girl makeup, but with a high fashion edge. Her go to is a grey, taupe or cool-toned shadow under her eyes, while keeping the rest of her face void of colour.
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Emulate morning after makeup
If you want to emulate Charli or Kate, try smudging in a very soft black or grey eyeliner into your lash line and water line. Pair it with almost-nude skin and a little gloss (fake sweat) for a 365 party girl kind of finish.
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Images: @charlixcx, @gabbriette, @laravioletta, @leaseydouxfr
