Although, we like to approach beauty from a place of inclusion around here, and this trend does come with quite a few faults. (We’ll dive more into its contention below, but just to make ourselves clear up top.) Please know that anyone can achieve the clean girl aesthetic if they want to—and if you’re a smidgen interested, you can find all of the details below. It conjures a specific image, but the name itself is actually pretty elusive. “When I first heard of the trend, I actually thought that it meant replicating the dewy, glowy skin and boost of radiance one achieves after stepping out of a long, steamy shower,” says makeup artist Alexandra Compton, product development manager at Credo. “I’m not sure if anyone actually knows the meaning or intent behind the phrase, or if there even is one.” So you can really define it however you please. We can credit the TikTok buzz to content creator Lizah Beauty (@xolizahbeauty), who posted the first viral “clean makeup” tutorial. She didn’t coin the term, but she says in the video, “You know those girls that always look clean? Their skin is always glowing, their lips are always glossed, and they never, ever look like they’re wearing too much makeup?” Fast forward several months and 11 million views, and the clean girl aesthetic reached fever pitch. Let us declare up front: You can break out or have uneven texture and still achieve glowing, dewy makeup; skin concerns like acne, ruddiness, and texture do not by any means make you “dirty.” There has also been a lack of representation, way beyond skin type: In most of the “clean girl” videos, users are white, thin, and affluent, which implies that one can only hop on the trend if they meet these insurmountable standards. This could not be more false, especially because Latina women have been wearing gold hoops and slicked-back hair for ages without nearly the same commercial recognition. “We’ve been doing our hair like this all the time,” user Lupita (@guada.lupita) says in a TikTok video. “When I was a teenager, [people] would call us dirty because you wouldn’t do your hair and have it in a slick bun, ponytail, or braid with hoops. Now it’s called ‘clean girl,’ when it used to be called the ‘dirty look’?” As a response, Latina women have taken ownership of the trend and created their own popular hashtag, #latinagirlaesthetic. Other counter-movements have emerged, too, led by those who rightfully refuse to adhere to these impossible prerequisites. For example, the hashtag #cleanmakeupforblackgirls has over 1 million views, and you can find plenty of videos depicting the “clean girl look” for those with acne-prone skin. The bottom line? Anyone can rock the clean girl aesthetic, regardless of skin tone, body type, or budget, and it’s not a new trend by any means—so it’s important to give credit where credit is due. “Lastly, to top off the glow factor, finish with a tinted lip gloss, sans glitter,” says Compton. Your lips will look naturally plump and bursting with moisture.
Saie Hydrabeam Concealer
Well People Expressionist Brow Gel
Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skincare Powder
TOK Beauty Eyes That TOK Lash Enhancing Mascara
RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek
Exa High Fidelity Balancing Color Corrector
Maya Chia The Highlight of the Day
Kosas Hotliner
Tower28 ShineOn Lip Jelly
