Pop Culture

The sparkly ‘Ice Princess’ aesthetic is perfect for winter glam

It’s giving Elsa-core.

Photo of Stacey Nguyen

Stacey Nguyen

Women holding up makeup(l) Woman with Collage(c) and Woman sharing her final Ice princess makeup(r)

Step aside, dark academia and whimsigoth—the ice princess is ready to reign feeds come winter. This glittery and shimmery look hasn’t been as clearly defined or extensively studied as its autumn counterparts, but it’s definitely made a mark on TikTok. Grounded by a cool-toned color palette full of blues and silvers, the Ice Princess is a winter aesthetic marked by frosty makeup and fuzzy accessories.

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But where does it come from, and how can you pull together a proper look? Let’s take a deep dive into the unknown, as ice princess—excuse us—ice queen Elsa once belted.

Where does the ice princess aesthetic come from?  

The ice princess aesthetic, sometimes referred to as the “snow princess” or “ice skating princess” aesthetic, isn’t unique to 2024. We’ve seen Ice and Snow Princess edits circulating online since 2021, like this clip by TikTok creator @the_aesthetics_place_.

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@the_aesthetics_place_ the snow princess #fyp #snow #snowprincess #aesthetic #princessaesthetic #leo #leonardodicaprio #youngleo #youngleonardodicaprio ♬ Ride by Lana Del Ray X My Blood by Ellie Golding – GISELLE

Upon first impression, you might think that this aesthetic comes from the “ice queen” trope. This is a character who’s a bit of an enigma—she’s physically beautiful and alluring and somewhat cold and distant in personality. Think Elsa from Disney’s Frozen

However, the ice princess exists solely as a visual aesthetic on TikTok rather than an attitude. Elsa fits in with this aesthetic in that her makeup and style are full of cool-toned colors. The beauty and style trend draws most inspiration from what TV Tropes classifies as a “Winter Royal Lady,” that is, an “upper-class [character] who [has] a visual aesthetic that evokes snow, ice, and winter.”

While there’s not much of a lifestyle associated with this aesthetic, some TikTok ice princesses can be seen hitting up skating rinks. It’s worth noting that there’s a 2005 ice skating Disney movie literally called Ice Princess. In the film, Michelle Trachtenberg’s character Casey transforms from a classic school nerd to a figure skating champ.

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@liliakazakova ice princess season ⛸️❄️🎀 so happy to be back on the ice again! This was my second time ice skating in months and I felt super rusty. i worked on some spins, but next time I hope to also practice jumps! when your life is skating, nobody warns you have much switching between inlines, quads & ice can throw off your balance lol! 🎄✨ ice skating essentials 🎀⛸️ #stoneyclover #iceskatingseason #iceprincess #figureskating #thingstodoinla #pershingsquare #balletcore #iceskating #winterthings #winterwonderland #figureskating #figureskater #figureskatinglove #adultsskatetoo #usfigureskating #risport #johnwilsonblades #iceskater #winteroutfit #losangeles #activewearfashion #kunstschaatsen #balletcore #balletstyle #pickwickice ♬ let it snow – elfiesounds

Between sparkles and statement fabrics, this aesthetic has clear influences from figure skating makeup and costumes. It’s a very seasonal style, most prominent around wintertime when ice skating rinks are open for business and cozy textures pop back up in fashion edits.

Makeup 

Ice Princess makeup is full of glam that meets Y2K’s frostiness, which makes it an ideal winter holiday look. One of its major components is the early aughts Britney Spears frosty eyeshadow finish, which often comes in icy shades of blue and silver. Shimmery lip gloss and extra gleaming highlighter are also perfect for this makeup style.

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These days, this look is, as TikTok creator @anna_annora points out, most famously touted by Sabrina Carpenter.

@anna_annora Ice princess makeup inspired by Sabrina Carpenter’s recent cutie blue look and by my own dreams of going on an ice skating date (someday)! Love a frosty makeup look! #frostymakeup #snowymakeup #sabrinacarpenter #makeuptutorial #makeup #beauty #iceprincessmakeup #blueeyeshadow #frostedeyeshadow #greenscreen @Huda Beauty @r.e.m. beauty @etudeofficial @ColourPop Cosmetics ♬ original sound – Anna Annora

Fashion 

Ice princess outfits embody the exaggerated glitz and glam of the opulent McBling (or Y2K) aesthetic. Faux fur trimming is big, especially on dresses, coats, and sweaters. To spruce up your look, you can integrate fluffy accessories like stoles, cable-knit tights, fur hats, and snow boots into your getups. Bonus points if they come in white, pink, or blue.

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Luxurious textures such as satin and bouclé also work perfectly for this style. Plus, you can incorporate the bows and lace of the coquette aesthetic—or at least how brands have interpreted the coquette aesthetic.

@hikarifleurr I adore this aesthetic so much! ❄️🎀 #iceprincess #girlyaesthetic #girlyfashion #pinkoutfit #grwm #early2000s #early2000sfashion ♬ original sound – ᶜ ʰ ˡ ˡ ˣ ᵉ ᵈ ⁱ ᵗ ˢ

Examples

Now that you know all the fundamentals of this style, take a look ahead for some wintry, ice princess inspiration. 

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@p1nterests #iceprincess #babyblue #moodboard #aesthetic #pinterest #winter #model #wzxycba #foryou ♬ original sound – 🌙
@bellaakrys Ice princess glam tutorial using the new @Huda Beauty eyeshadow palette #makeuptutorial #wintermakeup #makeupforbeginners #hudabeauty #iceprincessmakeup #holidaymakeup #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Bella Krys
@makeupbykateryan Sparkly icy szn ❄️🪩🤍 Products used: @Sculpted by Aimee UK hydra tint @Fenty Beauty cream bronzer 04 @Charlotte Tilbury beautiful skin radiant concealer @madebymitchell #colourcase #dripdrip @ClarinsUK pressed powder @bobbibrownuk peony blush, smokey nudes palette, moonstone shadow, pale mauve lipliner. @byelliebeauty brow texture @YSL Beauty waterproof liner @Makeup Revolution clear lip oil #wintermakeup #iceprincessmakeup #sparklyeyeshadow #icymakeup ♬ Classic classical gymnopedie solo piano(1034554) – Lyrebirds music
@autymsanson

moodboard makeup ep. 1 frosty ice princess ❄️🤍🧊

♬ Santa Tell Me – emily
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@dear_terryberry An ice skating princess 🎀✨🦢 outfit details are 🔗 on my LTK shop in my bio ✨ #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #girlystyle #girlyaesthetic #pinkoutfit #dollette #dolletteaesthetic #winteroutfit #winterfashion #femininestyle #snowangel #angelcore #angelcoreaesthetic #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #softgirloutfits #fashionblogger #outfitinspo ♬ original sound – davi
@traceofhearts ice princess core ❄️🦢 #falloutfits #coquette ♬ APT. – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
@molliedaniela Plus Size Ice Princess Inspo ❄️🎀Everything is in my LTK! ✨ #12daysofchristmas #12daysofpinkmas #pinkchristmas #pinkinspo #pinkaesthetic #pink #pinkwinter #girlywinter #winteroutfit #winterinspo #plussizewinterfashion #plussizefashion ♬ is it new years yet? – Sabrina Carpenter
@chazlyn.yvonne A holiday must have from @Hill House ❄️ #hillhouse #hillhousehome #princessdress #princesscore #holidaydress ♬ No. 14 Pas De Deux – Tchaikovsky
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More beauty explainers:


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