American TikTok doesn’t know how to differentiate Chinese makeup styles and Korean makeup styles despite being directly influenced by beauty trends on the Chinese social media app Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu). We know this because in the same way much of Instagram is just Twitter screenshots, much of American social media beauty content is just reposts from Xiaohongshu. Beauty is one of the most popular topics and content interactions on Xiaohongshu.
Before we continue, repeat after me. Say “Yeow.” Now add an “s” sound in front of it, like syeow. Xiao. Now say, “Hong.” Make sure the O is pronounced — it’s like the “O” in “opaque” and not the “O” in “octopus.” Hong. Now say “shu,” pronounced like shoe. Syeow-Hong-Shoe. Xiaohongshu. There we go. You did it!
Now, onto the good part: How can you use tips from both new and old trends in Xiaohongshu to improve your everyday beauty routine?
- Stacking Products
-
While Tiktok is just getting over its “all at once, apply all your cream products to your face” trend that is supposed to prevent makeup from being cakey, people on Xiaohongshu have been layering and contouring their lips. And no, it’s not just putting a gloss on top. An average tutorial for contouring lips involves several different shades of lip tint with various intensities to map out the lip contours. Darker shades are used to overline and emphasize the Cupid’s bow and the bottom lip for a poutier effect. A peachy lip tint is used to highlight the rest of the lip, and a lip liner is used to extend the edges of the lips. Finally, it’s all topped off with a clear gloss or a tint. This is just one of the many examples of stacking.
- Doll Eye Makeup
-
Zero points for natural, one point for cute. The doll eye is an illusion that makes the eyes look larger. The key to a doll eye is a colored contact lens and a contour product. By contouring under eyelid fats and skillfully using eyeshadows, a doll eye is created. Colored lenses also increase the size of the eyeball, giving the illusion that the eyes are larger than they actually are.
- Manhua Lashes
-
Can’t separate your eyelashes? Who cares? American TikTok calls this trend “manga lashes” or “anime lashes.” By clumping your lashes together into a triangular shape, you can create an animated look with your lashes that makes them more visible. This works really well for lazy people with sparse eyelashes.
- Casual Cosplaying
-
Imagine if Seraphine or Fade was walking down the street wearing normal everyday clothes. A BU hoodie, a little plaid skirt, and white air forces. Cosplayers on Xiaohongshu tend to use frillier clothing, but you can do it in any way you want. It’s all about personalization. This was a go-to Halloween look.
- Skincare Food
-
Courtesy of Julia Caterino Chinese medicine involves using the healing properties of different foods to nourish the body.
If you feel inspired by these Xiaohongshu trends and want to see more, the app is available globally in the app store. The amount of content there is vast and bountiful. It’s all about putting together your own creative little red book.
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, and read our latest Tweets!