A makeup trend that is going strong from 2021 and still going viral on TikTok into 2022 is the barely-there makeup trend. Natural beauty is being celebrated on magazine covers and social media, but influencers and celebrities alike are using beauty and wellness tricks to emphasize in innovative ways.
There is an art and science to finding just the right products to highlight your natural beauty because at the heart of the barely-there trend is the perfect product. Only add a product if it has something to bring to the table, throw out the non-essentials.
Think of this trend as a celebration of your features and also putting the pro power of makeup artists in the hands of everyday beauty connoisseurs.
But for everyday use, you should only use a product if it adds something to your natural look. Follow this style guide to bring forward your best look, one that is easy to get and uses clean products to emphasize your natural beauty.
Prep Brows & Lashes
Imagine the most viral beauty look from TikTok, and what do you see? The average Tiktok influencer has a whimsical eye look and a fresh face. The core of the look is prepping your skin, lashes and brows for a healthy glow.
Prep your skin with your normal routine, basic cleansers, hyaluronic acid, serum and moisturize. Some celebrities swear by the gua sha or jade roller for a little natural contouring.
Brush out your brows before applying your favorite brow product. It makes a difference in terms of shaping and getting a nice emphasis. Next, the secret to the whimsical eye look is curling your lashes. Put the curler to your neck or hand first to warm it up a little, then curl from the root and pulse. Careful not to pinch yourself!
Clear Gloss
Now that you have prepped your face, brows and lashes, you can lock in the natural features. Apply your favorite brow product or even a clear one. The point is to emphasize the way your brows fall, so a light color still gets the look but a gloss does just fine.
The same for your lashes, you can emphasize the curl with a clear mascara, or lightly apply your typical one. Be careful not to clump, a thick lash is not essential in the barely-there look and borders more on soft glam.
It wouldn't be a complete discussion on gloss if you didn't find the perfect gloss for your lips. A clear or finding the perfect color that just brings out your natural undertones.
Having finished the eyes, you can prep your face next.
A Light Contour
The contour is possibly the most difficult part of the barely-there look, because how and why do you apply a product if it is supposed to look like you aren't wearing anything? It is a bit backward, but the contour is important for bringing out the curves of your face.
Lightly apply a tinted BB cream or moisturizer to get a base coverage that is light and smooth, consider mineral-based products. Then with your favorite bronzer lightly apply to your favorite areas, such as a light brush of the cheeks, under your chin and the temples. The art is to not overapply, a light brush is enough.
Finish off the look with the star of the show, highlighter.
High Lighter Is Your Best Friend
Highlighter is a highly underrated product that has so much capacity for natural emphasis. The key is finding the right color, find one that emphasizes your undertones, or go with the safe shimmery option. The ladder is how influencers get the shiny look when they take selfies facing the sun.
Apply highlighter to any point that you want to emphasize. This should be more of the star than bronzer, which is a big switch for many Millennials. Highlighter is the future, and bronzer is now a light base if you are aiming for a barely-there look.
At this point your makeup is set, if you want to add some extras you can get creative with your undertones.
Experiment With Undertones
The basics are done, you prepped and gloss your eyes and highlighted your facial features. Anything else is extra, but not necessary.
To take the look one step further you can experiment with your undertones. Figure out if you have warm or cool undertones to get the right color products that simply bring out your natural color. Up until this point your face is highlighted, but lacking color. You can add a rosy or orangy splash to your cheeks, lips or eyes to bring out your natural flush.
Don't go overboard, just a touch of color, even finding a multi-use product will yield the result. The barely-there look is perfect for going to work or a night out with its easy application, giving anyone a cover girl look.
