People Are Buzzing Over The Clean Girl Aesthetic, But It's Not As New As It Seems

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.

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. 

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. 

The full look includes a slicked-back hairstyle and some chic accessories (gold hoops, a baseball cap, etc.), but we're going to focus solely on makeup here. Follow our tutorial below, based on Lizah's viral video (with a few expert tips tossed in, of course), then go ahead and browse our guide to slick ponytails: 

"Go in with your favorite lightweight and dewy concealer or foundation and strategically place it in areas that you want to brighten or conceal," says Compton, like your inner eye corners, sides of the nose, center of the chin and forehead, corners of the mouth, right underneath your brow bone, and on any breakouts you'd like to cover up. Blend upward with a damp beauty sponge—this technique lifts the face without the need for heavy contour. 

"Groomed, fluffy brows are key to this look, as they frame the face," notes Compton. Brush them up with a clear or tinted brow gel, making sure to comb the tails diagonally for more lift. "If you have thicker, coarser, curlier hairs, try a brow wax for stronger hold," Compton adds. 

To set the look and keep product from sinking into fine lines, gently dab a setting powder onto areas your concealer might crease: perhaps under the eyes, around the nose, and on the laugh lines. It helps to dip the tip of a beauty blender into the powder and press it into the skin, as opposed to swiping—that way, you won't smudge your makeup. 

Makeup artists agree: Curling your lashes can open up the eyes and make them appear bright, even without a stitch of mascara. You can even swipe on a layer of clear mascara before curling, if you want extra hold without wearing any pigment. Then opt for a clump- and smudge-free mascara, ideally one with a tapered, cone-shaped wand so you can precisely reach those stubborn outer lash corners without globbing on product.

Creamy blush is the name of the game. Grab your favorite pot of pigment and melt the formula into your skin, right on top of your cheekbones. (Remember to blend upward for more lift.) "My favorite trick lately to achieve the trendy 'sunburn blush' is to use Exa Color Corrector in Red-Orange as a liquid blush," Compton adds. "I place a few dots on my cheekbones and nose and blend with my fingertips." 

Next, grab an equally creamy highlighter and dab onto the tops of your cheeks and along the bridge of your nose. If you want to keep the look very minimal, skip the shimmer—you'll look like you're radiating from within. 

"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. 

Essentially, the clean girl aesthetic is just another name for a simple, "no-makeup" makeup look (which we also have a guide for, if you'd like to compare the two). It's by no means a new "discovery," but we can't ignore how the look has captured the attention of millions of TikTok users. The look doesn't seem like it's going anywhere, but then again, it's not really a "new" look at all.