IT’S the viral trend that’s swept TikTok this year – with millions of beauty buffs giving it a try.
So when I saw women saying the ‘tired girl’ make-up trend was making them look younger, I decided to test it myself.
This is how I look make-up free – tired eyes and dull, uneven skin[/caption]
As a 41-year-old mum-of-two with a full-time job, I know a few things about being tired.
And, unfortunately, it often shows on my face – particularly in bags under my eyes, which I feel have become even more prominent since I hit the big 4-0 last year.
Luckily for me, trying the ‘tired girl’ look means embracing said dark circles.
“Instead of concealing shadows, tired girl makeup leans into them – mirroring ‘aegyo sal’, a K-beauty technique that highlights natural puffiness under the eyes to create a youthful, approachable look,” Melody Yuan, founder of Skin Cupid – the UK’s leading destination for authentic Korean skincare – told Fabulous.
“K-beauty has always been about enhancing what’s already there – celebrating natural features and even showcasing imperfections rather than hiding them – the tired girl aesthetic reframes tiredness as beauty, not a flaw.”
To get the look, women are using pale brown eyeshadow and eyeliner to draw attention and highlight to the puffy skin under the eyes.
Of all the make-up trends I’ve tried, this felt like the most contradictory one – highlighting my tiredness and enhancing my pale skin, which I’ve always tried to make darker.
So I did feel more than a little self-conscious when I debuted my new look on the school run.
And it got some mixed reactions from my mum friends at the gates.
While a couple commented on how healthy my skin looked, others asked if I’d had a bad night – clearly noticing how tired I appeared to be.
My seven-year-old daughter was more on board with it though – giving me a “Wow” when she saw me waiting for her, and immediately started rifling through my make-up bag to try and find the lip gloss in question when we got home.
HOW TO GET THE LOOK
Using a tiny eyeshadow brush and the lightest brown from Peach C’s Seasonal Blending Eyeshadow Palette in Sunlit Citrus (£23), I began tentatively adding it to my under-eye area.
Getting my skin to look dewy is one of my favourite parts of the ‘tired girl’ make-up trend[/caption]
Highlighting the puffy area under my eyes felt completely unnatural and bizarre[/caption]
I used Peach C’s Slim Waterproof Fixxyliner in Soft Brown (£6.50) to further exaggerate the puffiness, and also used it to create a wing on the eye itself, smudging it out to add to the ‘soft’ finish.
I used a soft pale pink from the eyeshadow palette to cover the lid, before adding darker colours to enhance the shape of my eye.
I also added a little sparkle from the palette – in the hope that it might help make me look somewhat ‘dewy’, as that’s another main concept of the trend.
When it came to my base, I started with S.Nature’s Perfect Aqua Make-Up Base Prep (£28.50), and applied it all over my face.
The lightweight, hydrating primer worked wonders to inject some moisture into my skin, and provided the perfect base for the next step – Parnell’s Cicamanu Serum Cushion (£24).
I opted for shade 17C, Fair Porcelain, but this ‘cushion foundation’ comes in 20 different colours.
It’s also Korea’s number one cushion foundation, thanks to its patented complex of Cicamanu Biome
– which works to “deeply hydrate, reduce redness, and strengthen your skin’s barrier”.
I usually go for a more full coverage foundation, to try and cover up my hyperpigmentation and slight rosacea.
However, this worked a treat, and once again made my skin feel dewy and plump while also concealing areas I wanted to hide.
What exactly IS K-beauty?
K-Beauty describes skincare products created with a Korean beauty philosophy in mind, according to Healthline.
A standard Korean skincare routine focuses on prevention and protection to keep the natural complexion thriving.
The number of steps in daily beauty routines can vary but 10 is the most common.
From cleansers, toners, and serums, to moisturizers, K-beauty avoids the use of harsh ingredients that can damage the skin.
Glass skin is commonly used in Korean beauty to describe an appearance that’s “smooth, clear, and intensely hydrated.”
I topped with a little pink blusher, and did a tiny bit of contouring around the edge of my face to slim things down.
I also prefer more of a clumpy look when it comes to my lashes, but tried to keep them separate and individual in keeping with the trend.
The lips were the last part of the process.
After applying a soft pink liner, I added Muzigae Mansion’s Objet Liquid in the shade Dominant (£18).
I have to say, out of all of the products I tried for the trend, this was my favourite – it went on smoothly and easily, and was easy to created the “smudged”, almost bruised finish that forms part of the trend.
To finish, I added a generous swipe of Shaqinuo’s Soft Lip Gloss in shade 06 (£1.23), which made my lips look almost glass-like.
To set everything, I used Avon’s Prep & Set spray (£6).
WOULD I TRY IT AGAIN?
Overall, there are aspects of the trend I would definitely embrace in my make-up routine going forward – namely the dewy skin finish, the touches of sparkle and the Peach C Fixxyliner, which made it super easy to do a winged lid.
But when it comes to the ‘tired girl’ eyes, I think they sadly only work on women MUCH younger than myself.
I might still look tired with my usual make-up look, but I don’t think I’ll be drawing even more attention to my bags again anytime soon![/caption]
