September 25, 2020 |
There are not enough hours in the day to watch every YouTube video, like every Instagram post or read your favourite Twitter feed. But somehow there is enough time to scroll through hundreds – if not thousands – of TikToks, and only occasionally gaining something of value.
Thankfully, TikTok has a lot more to offer than the below-average videos of people dancing to, “I’m a savage, classy, bougie, ratchet.” Buried within the social media giant, there’s an abundance of life hacks, recipes and trends to try your hand at. But one TikTok genre that thrives is the abundance of make-up videos.
Everybody loves a transformation, especially one that happens in under 20 seconds. “Makeup tutorials and satisfying close-up videos always do super well on my page,” says makeup artist Meisha Morris. Now instead of a 20-minute chatty sit-down video on YouTube, we get instant results on TikTok and makeup we could only dream of doing on ourselves.
The time limit on TikTok means videos have to hit the right audience and be captivating from the start. As more and more content gets plastered around the internet and our attention spans narrow and decrease, the shorter the better. “Engagement on TikTok can be quite unpredictable, depending on what trends are in and when my followers are active,” says Morris, who has a TikTok following just shy of 130k. Videos are short, more often than not 15 seconds – appearing on a never-ending reel which is near impossible to click off. Makeup guru Chris Grave describes it as “one of the best ways you can market yourself in our current generation.” This notion is backed up by fellow make-up artist Dominique Allison, who says: “On TikTok, you can be your authentic self, this gives you the chance to show everyone your personality to the fullest.”
The make-up lewks found on TikTok are carefully crafted works of art, but as makeup artist Piper Nelson says, “TikTok is extremely volatile, videos will unexpectedly go viral, sometimes even weeks after they are posted.” The unpredictable nature of app is also part of the charm. Anyone can feel like a celebrity once they’re on the ‘For You’ page with 200 thousand views. “It’s an amazing platform for artists, business owners, and all creatives to grow while doing what they love,” explains Nelson. Though as with many things, it is also ruled by trends and if you’re after views, then your videos need to “fit with current trending sounds, topics, or transitions,” she continues.
It seems everyone has their own opinion on TikTok, whether they use it or not. Miriam Ugarte has a relatively big following and is under the impression that TikTok is a must-have app, “it’s something for everyone and eventually, it shows you as an individual what you want to see and I think that’s such an amazing thing.” This is thanks to the algorithm, which can also cause some problems. 20-year-old makeup artist Tyra Janea from Tennessee says, “I love TikTok as a platform but I’d love to see more Black content creators given the same opportunities and platforms as everyone else, especially in makeup. Our content deserves to be shared and loved as well.” The racial bias of TikTok is something that has been questioned and criticised on multiple occasion, and extremely talented creators such as Janea deserve equal recognition to their white counterparts.
In celebration of all the immensely gifted make-up artisans that flood the social network, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 TikTok talents for you to get some new-found inspo from (or even if you’re just in the mood to watch a satisfyingly sharp rainbow cat-eye creation).
This 19-year-old from Staffordshire is a self-taught makeup artist. Morris’ make-up looks revolve around the eyes, with sharp and intricate detail in every colour imaginable. “I really like doing multiple cut creases on eyeshadow looks to amplify how dramatic I want it.”
With transferable art skills and hours of watching YouTube tutorials, Piper Nelson has taught herself to create beautiful eye make-up looks, as well as full-face works of art. Her videos involve up-close brush strokes and step-by-step of each detail, along with some instant transformations. “My absolute favourite looks to create are the challenging ones. I have such a sense of accomplishment afterwards and love pushing myself out of my comfort zone,” she affirms.
Jones is a self-taught 20-year-old makeup artist from Tennessee. After just two years of doing makeup, the artist creates stunningly unique looks, “I love doing rainbow looks and graphic liner, I get my inspiration from art and other artists around me.” The delicate strokes and bold colours will keep your eyes glued.
Chris Grave’s looks are major, it takes him between one and two hours to complete each one – which in make-up terms is super speedy. He transforms his whole face into a work of art on the daily,.“I think my favourite thing about makeup is how versatile not only the products you use are, but the endless amount of different art you can create with the products,” he says. His looks range from Cruella de Vil’s imaginary son, to the devil and various clowns – “my favourite looks to create are definitely my clown looks, my followers eat them up!”
Miriam Ugarte started to get serious about her make-up looks about three years ago. As soon as she posted her first TikTok, “it blew up, literally within a day I was getting all these likes, comments and followers,” Ugarte remembers. She hasn’t been posting for that long but already has over 25k followers. Everyone else must be just as enchanted by her make-up looks as we are.
After teaching herself, Allison has been fully committed to make-up for the last two years. Her signature looks are perfectly detailed graphic liners which are often rainbow-themed, “I love rainbow looks because colour makes me so happy and it sparks so much creativity within me,” she says. Her past graphics have included florals, cow prints and clouds all painted by hand. “I love the fact that make-up has no rules, there’s no right or wrong way to do it – there are no rules!”
Compared to the other names on this list, Ahliyah Michelle’s make-up looks are on the more natural end of the spectrum. Her flawless skin glows with highlighter and she knows how to craft the perfect smokey eyeshadow.
Rabe’s page is a seemingly never-ending stream of unique eye make-up looks. Matching her eyebrows to the design of her make-up is the next level of extra and we love it. Each day brings a completely new look and shows you some top tips and tricks along the way.”
Alice King crafts eyeshadow blended to perfection and also posts videos of her delicate line drawings with a mesmerizing use of negative space. Her videos are filmed close up, just focusing on one eye, allowing us to see every detailed stroke. We wouldn’t recommend trying these looks after three coffees and a shaky hand.
This artist specialises in depth and definition. Some of them are so perfect it almost feels like an illusion. You’re more likely to get a dramatic transformation than a tutorial but all of her content will put your attempts at a cat-eye to perspective…
Top image by Chris Grave.
