young woman puts dark makeup around her eyes

@saracarstens/TikTok

Are under-eye circles actually a new TikTok makeup trend?

The TikToker's video was more about loving your insecurities.

 

Siobhan Ball

Internet Culture

Posted on Jan 22, 2021   Updated on Jan 22, 2021, 2:42 pm CST

Various magazines have pronounced drawn-on under-eye circles to be the new makeup trend pioneered on TikTok, but is this an actual beauty trend, or has the rest of the media once again misunderstood something the Gen Zers are doing?

https://www.tiktok.com/@sarathefreeelf/video/6911815630370999553?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2

It started with a video posted by TikToker saracarstens from her spam account where she drew her under-eye shadows back on with a matt lipstick after doing the rest of her makeup.

https://www.tiktok.com/@saracarstens/video/6912422123306765569?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2

A whole lot of people were wildly enthusiastic about the idea of making under-eye bags a trend, because, well, a lot of us have them. Especially given 2020 and what little of 2021 we’ve seen so far. Making them a trend instead of an insecurity is very appealing.

https://www.tiktok.com/@saracarstens/video/6917358279530155266

A lot of people also got mad about it though, because apparently turning an insecurity into a trend is hurtful? Even though, as saracarstens demonstrated, she actually has them naturally as well. Her whole thing with the initial video really was just messing around and hoping to help herself and others embrace and normalize a perfectly natural feature in the process. After making a couple of videos about it, and going viral on Twitter where people were apparently very mean to her about it, she decided to do a full-on makeup tutorial incorporating drawn-on eye bags.

@saracarstens

hope this helped you find beauty in your insecurities (: #eyebags #darkcircles

♬ Steven Universe – L.Dre

However, despite the enthusiasm from a lot of her fans and some other influencers hopping on and trying it, it doesn’t seem to be a full-on trend, at least not yet. Almost everything else in the #darkcircles, #eyebags and related tags is still about skincare and makeup tutorials aimed at minimizing or covering them up. It seems we’ve all jumped the gun a bit once again. Though, you know, if we could make them a trend that would be awfully convenient. Just saying.

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*First Published: Jan 22, 2021, 2:41 pm CST