TikTok made me do it...
It seems only yesterday that I was tuning into Zoella’s “haul” videos on YouTube and buying the concealers she recommended or swiping up on Hello October’s Instagram Stories to snap up mascaras she mentioned, but it turns out I’m ever so out of date. All the cool kids are getting their beauty recommendations from TikTok and I wanted in.
The beauty hashtag on TikTok has had over 17 billion views and these views are translating into big bucks for brands. Take The Ordinary, for example. They sold 100,000 bottles of their AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution , £6.25, after a user uploaded a video of her applying it to her flawless skin (which has now had over 418,000 views)
I took a little scroll around TikTok to discover the beauty products everyone's talking about and found that they're all very affordable. Here's what Gen Z and the TikTok generation are snapping up.
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, £4.99
The hashtag #garniermicellarwater has 3.5 million views. Which I think we can all agree is madness for such a simple, staple product. Having said that, micellar water is Garnier's biggest seller so they're obviously doing something right with it. The videos mainly show users removing their makeup with it, or creating DIY sheets masks.
@jenni.dunn18 ##fyp ##skincare ##garniermicellarwater ##florencebymills ##rosedewittbukater
♬ original sound - jenni.dunn18
Another fairly basic beauty product taking the TikTok world by storm. I can’t quite work out why TikTok is all over this but YouTube skincare aficionado Hyam, who does round-ups of the best TikTok beauty trends thinks it’s because of the price point and the fact that it's good for dry skin. So I’ll go with that. There’s no denying that this goes a long way for the price, but not a lot else sets it apart from the crowd…
Revlon One Step Dryer and Volumiser, £59.99
The videos of people using this hair tool are mesmerising, transforming wet, curly hair into ultra-smooth, sleek waves not normally seen out of a blow-dry bar. I’m sold!
@darianaacastillo game changer ##NotOneThing ##hair ##revlononestep ##revlon ##blowout ##blowdry ##fyp ##xyzbca ##hairhack ##lifestyle
♬ heartless - favsoundds
We reviewed Elf’s Putty eye primer last week and were seriously impressed by it's blurring abilities, so it’s no huge surprise that the primer is allll over TikTok too. A quick search of the product throws up endless makeup tutorial using it, with some reaching up to 422,000 views.
@rominagafur Friday glow up with e.l.f.’s Poreless Putty Primer ##elfvanishingact ##elfambassador @elfyeah
♬ Vanishing Act e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer - elfyeah
@leilaniii2 Watch me disappear baby ah! ✨ Love using my Poreless Putty Primer ##elfvanishingact ##elfambassador @elfyeah
♬ Vanishing Act e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer - elfyeah
I used this when I was at school, many many moons ago and it seems the youth of today have discovered it’s power for transforming thin lips into a Kylie Jenner style pout. It has 5.4 million views on TikTok with users showing before and afters from using the plumping gloss.
@ally_from_cali here’s a before and after for those who complained last time ##fyp ##toofacedlipinjection ##lipinjection ##justdancemoves ##makeitred ##JumanjiChallenge
♬ Back Up - DeJ Loaf
@kardashxdoll for the people who doesn’t think it works ##fyp ##toofacedlipinjection
♬ this is for rachel act up by trron on soundcloud - biblegrrl
Isle of Paradise Tanning Drops, from £14.95
Videos featuring this tanning brand from UK tan guru Jules Von Hep have over 8.3 million views on TikTok, mostly for the self-tanning drops - again, there’s a load of before and after vids showing how well they worked - but I didn't need TikTok to convince me to put these in my online shopping basket, I've been a devotee since it launched in 2018.
@jacimariesmith these face tanning drops though (brand is Isle of Paradise-i have shade Medium and do 4 drops w/ moisturizer) ##MoodBoost ##fyp ##selfcare ##faketan
♬ They Call Me Tiago (Her Name Is Margo) - Tiagz