While it may seem like just another time-suck for young millennials and zoomers, there’s no denying that TikTok has some seriously useful tips. You may have to wade through viral dances and challenges to find them, but trust us, they’re there—and they’re pretty darn smart.
Content on the video-sharing app spans a wide variety of topics, but TikTok makeup tips have recently become hugely popular. From artists doling out pro tricks to beauty enthusiasts sharing their routines, TikTok has become a massive resource for makeup lovers—and really anyone who’s looking to improve their beauty skills.
Lots of TikTok makeup tips have gone viral over the last couple of years, but we’ve decided to round up the best of the best. We’re talking about adding serious staying power to your favorite foundation, faking a facelift with concealer, perfecting your eyeliner skills, and more.
Seriously, we have to hand it to them—these kids are onto something. Keep scrolling to discover some of the most useful TikTok makeup hacks to take your beauty routine to the next level.
@meghaess Facelift anyone? ##facelift ##concealerhack ##makeuphack ##makeuptricks ##makeuproutine ##itsaremix ##gotthisforyou ##makeuptutorial ##skincareroutine ##foryou
♬ BDASH Breathe – BDash
Fake a facelift with concealer
Makeup is all about creating subtle illusions, and this hack is pretty mind-blowing. User @meghaess shows us that by strategically applying concealer to certain areas of the face, it will appear instantly lifted—no plastic surgery necessary. She starts by applying a liquid concealer to the outer corner of the under eye area, a bit at the inner corner, at the corner of the lower lip, along the side of the nose, and along the cheekbone, and then blends it with a makeup sponge. After finishing half of her face, she compares each side, and the results are seriously impressive.
@beautyhacks To help get those wings looking more like sisters and less like distant cousins ? ##whatspoppin ##makeuproutine ##boostyourmood
♬ thank you guys so much for using this sound – Leyna
Use tweezers to get even winged eyeliner
Every makeup-wearer knows the struggle of getting your winged eyeliner to appear even on both sides, but this tip from @beautyhacks might just be the answer we’ve been looking for. By applying eyeliner (she uses a liquid felt pen) to the tip of your tweezers, she explains, you can stamp the outline of a perfect triangle directly onto your eyelid. Then, simply fill it in and repeat on the other side. Voila!
@amlmakeup easy lip contour ##makeuphack ##makeuptutorial ##beforeandafter ##liplift
♬ You and I – Washed Out
Get fuller lips with contouring
By applying only a few swipes of lip liner, you can easily create the look of full, luscious lips. TikTok makeup artist @amlmakeup calls it the “instant lip lift.” First she applies a nude pencil to the center of her lower lip line without fully extending to the corners of the mouth, then she ever-so-slightly overlines the sides of her top lip. She finishes by gently blurring the lines with her finger, creating a subtle shadow effect that makes her lips appear plumper.
@theamandaensing watch what happens ? ib @hannahrosiebennett ? ##makeuphack ##colortheory ##makeuptip ##fyp
♬ color theory foundation trick Amanda Ensing – AmandaEnsing
Use color theory to create a custom complexion shade
Never struggle to find the right foundation color again, thanks to this TikTok makeup hack from beauty influencer Amanda Ensing. In a short clip, she shows users how utilizing color theory can create your exact shade. Start by dotting either black or white pigment all over your face, depending on how deep your skin is, then add dots of blue, yellow, and/or red, based on the natural undertones of your skin, Ensing explains. (She uses Make Up For Ever face paints.) It looks pretty crazy, but when Ensing blends everything out, it somehow matches her skin tone perfectly.
@sydneyskunberg Testing out Makeup Hacks! If you have ACNE try this hack out! ##makeuphack ##beautyhack ##makeup ##foryoupage ##fyp
♬ original sound – sydneyskunberg
Cover blemishes flawlessly
If you struggle with acne, you know how frustrating it can be to cover it up. When TikTok makeup guru Mikayla Noguiera shared her tip for concealing her pimples, it promptly went viral—and for good reason. First, she starts by applying a gripping primer; Mikayla prefers Milk Makeup Hydro-Grip Primer, but anything with a tacky finish will do the trick. Then, she applies concealer over blemishes using a concealer brush and lets it dry for a minute or two. Finally—and this is the key step—without blending in the concealer first, she applies her foundation over top using a makeup sponge. The result? A flawless complexion without cakey-looking makeup.
@beautyindreamz Soap brows ##eyebrowchallenge ##eyebrowtutorial ##makeuptutorial ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##soapbrows
♬ original sound – Nikki Liz♡
Try soap brows for a lasting fluffy look
Soap brows are another common makeup artist trick that have recently made their way into the mainstream thanks to social media. And, yes, the trick involves actual soap. As demonstrated by @beautyindreamz above, you start by spritzing bar sop (it’s important to use a clear soap so that there’s no color added to the brows) with water or setting spray. Then, pick up some of the soapy mixture with a clean spoolie and brush into your brows. This gives brows a feathery, lifted look. The best part? Your fluffed-up brows won’t budge all day long.
@beautyhacks The wise cut crease made simple by yours truly ? ##beautyhacks ##cutcrease ##cutcreasetutorial ##cutcreasechallenge ##cutcreasehack
♬ ORIGINS – Andrew Smith
Finally nail a cut shadow crease
YouTube beauty gurus might make a cut crease look like a breeze, but it’s definitely a learned skill. The trick is getting a perfectly even line along the crease of the eyelid, which is no easy feat, but TikTok user @beautyhacks is offering an easy fix. Simply apply some concealer onto your eyelash curler and stamp it onto your eyelid. Clean up any messy spots with a flat brush, then apply your base eyeshadow over the concealer. That’s it! Also nice? The concealer will act like an eye shadow primer, helping to lock in the color for longer and prevent fallout.
@imjuliekay Super easy eyebrow hack. ##eyebrows ##brows ##hack ##makeuphack ##makeuptutorial ##makeuplook ##foryou ##makeuproutine
♬ SPONGY – TisaKorean
Create flawless brows in no time
Filling in sparse eyebrows can be time-consuming. With @soprimp’s Tiktok makeup hack, you can get flawless brows in just two easy steps. It looks pretty messy and bizarre at first, but just trust the process. First, as she demonstrates, you apply brow powder all over the eyebrow using a fluffy eye shadow brush—and she means all over. Then, simply clean it up, wiping away the powder that falls outside your desired brow shape with a makeup remover wipe. Boom: Perfectly-shaped eyebrows just like that.
@mirellabelle How to make your lashes look like falsies without falsies ?✨ ##beautyhacks ##beautytips ##fyp ##foryou ##makeup
♬ original sound – Mirella Bernal
Make your mascara look like falsies
We’re often taught to apply mascara at the root of our lashes and work our way up, but @mirellabelle is showing us an even better technique. She starts by swiping mascara onto the tip of her eyelashes, which instantly creates length. She then applies product to the middle of the lashes to add thickness before combing through them starting at the root, which she says gets rid of any clumps. Not only do lashes look long and fluttery, they’ll also keep their curl all day long, she says.