Do You Tik Tok Your Makeup?

by BR Kellie

If you'd asked me what Tik Tok was a year ago I would've said 'um, isn't that a character from Return to Oz?'. These days, thanks to having a nine year old daughter, I am well versed in Tik Tok - even though I'd rather not be. Still, there's been no avoiding it, especially because at one point my daughter sent me texts every ten seconds on videos she thought I should watch:

People I don't know doing choreographed dances? No, thank you.

Cute animals? Nice, but mummy has a job to do. 

Lip synching? Hard pass.

Eventually I had to explain to my daughter that mummy cares about two things: food and makeup, so if she wanted to send me a video it had to be relevant to either of those.

Next thing you know I'm being sent a video of a man taking something that looks like sausage (but surely can't be because it's more processed that a school sausage sizzle sausage), and something that looks like cheese (but surely can't be because it is far too orange), before shoving them on a stick, coating them in batter, then rolling them in panko and deep frying them... which led to 'no, my darling, mummy is not making that. Mummy has taste.'

Apart from food abominations, she has also sent through the odd Tik Tok makeup video and, on the whole, it's been an education of all that is old becoming new again.

'Apply a dusting of translucent powder before applying foundation', one young thing told me to do... About eight years after Wayne Goss said the same thing and blew our minds. BUT then she said to add setting spray then primer BEFORE foundation on top of the powder. Did I do it? No. Was I impressed with the innovation? Yes.

Then there was the 'how to clean your makeup sponge in the microwave' Tik Tok. (What that says about my daughter side-eyeing the state of my sponge I don't know...) This one though I've tried, and burnt myself doing it. Oh, and wrote an article about it in 2018.

There have been a few others that she's sent through - how to use a bobby pin to get a clean wing (not new), how to contour your mouth for fuller lips (soooo not new), and curl your hair overnight using socks (um, my mum did this in the 80s with rags. New take? Absolutely? But new new? No.). 

What I've decided is that while it's not all that new to me, it's new to a new generation. A fresh format delivering information to eyes who don't watch YouTube or read Dolly mag (REALLY showing my age here), or have a parent or guardian who's makeup mad and can't wait to pass on their knowledge. So, while Tik Tok and I are never going to spend hours cosied up together, I can appreciate that for others it's a great way to learn new things. But I stand by that 'hotdog' being an abomination that needs to be wiped from the format.

So, my beauties, are you a fan of Tik Tok makeup hacks? Have you learned anything new? Or is Tik Tok so off your radar it's in another universe? Chat away!