According to TikTok, minimal makeup looks are taking a backseat in 2025 in favor of ‘unrecognizable makeup.’ I loved ‘unapproachable makeup,’ so when I heard about a similar style popping up on my FYP, I had to learn more. According to BeautyTok, unrecognizable makeup is meant to transform your face *and* turn some heads too. If you want to elevate your beauty game, I tapped two makeup artists to share tips and tricks on how to look like a whole new person (or at least, help amplify your features a bit).
Is ‘Unrecognizable Makeup’ the New Clean Girl Aesthetic?
Clean girl where?
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Published Mar 11, 2025
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Meet the Experts
- Brielle Pollara is a celebrity makeup artist and licensed esthetician based in the Tri-State area with nearly a decade of experience. She specializes in bridal, celebrity and editorial makeup.
- Wendy Cung Ly is a beauty influencer with a deep knowledge of skincare and viral beauty trends. With more than four years in the beauty space, she has collaborated with top brands and is recognized for her honest, educational and trend-focused content.
What Is Unrecognizable Makeup?
Unrecognizable makeup is meant to change your face with heavy contouring, dramatic eye looks and bold lips. Ly tells me, “It’s all about transformation! It’s taking your current features and shifting them so dramatically that you ALMOST look like a different person. Obviously, it’s high glam but with everyday beauty techniques.” Overall, it’s about experimenting and seeing how far you can change your look just using makeup.
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Why Is It So Popular Right Now?
We’ve lived in an era of quiet luxury and the clean girl aesthetic for far too long. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with natural, no-makeup makeup looks, I’m eyeing more dramatic, colorful looks in 2025. This latest trend is a prime example that we’re itching to reinvent ourselves, and the experts agree. “It’s refreshing because it’s the complete opposite of most trends that we’ve been seeing lately,” shares Pollara. “Natural, soft makeup looks have been taking over for the past few years, so a main reason why this trend is going viral is because of the major transformations happening online.”
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Although some view this trend as ‘catfishing’ people, I see it as a way to enhance your natural features and build confidence. Whether you contour to amplify your cheekbones or line your lips to give them more dimension, it’s more about having fun. “The trend has gained attention for its ability to demonstrate the power of makeup as a tool for personal transformation. It really showcases the artistry and creativity of makeup, emphasizing how it can change someone’s appearance drastically,” says Pollara.
How to Achieve Unrecognizable Makeup
- Prep your skin. Once you finish your skincare routine, apply a hydrating primer to reduce oiliness and help your makeup last all day.
- Define your brows. Use a brow gel, pencil or powder to fill in any gaps and elevate your arches. Ly says you can even block out your brows to create a clean slate for an entirely new shape, like Zendaya or Cardi B above.
- Work on your eyes. Pollara recommends starting with the eyes to avoid any fallout in case you’re doing a smoky or dark dramatic look. Whether you choose eyeshadow or not, go in with your eyeliner afterwards on the top *and* bottom waterline. (Think: siren eyes or reverse cat-eye.) And don’t forget to add some mascara or falsies for voluminous lashes to complement your look.
- Apply full-coverage foundation. Swap out your skin tints in favor of a matte foundation and full-coverage concealer that will give you a blurred out finish. “When working with full coverage products you need to set every part of your face with setting powders or pressed powders. I personally love to use foundation powders for this step for a little bit more coverage,” Pollara suggests.
- Lean heavily on contouring. Grab your contour palette or stick and focus on your cheekbones, jawline, nose and forehead. “It’s all about sculpting. Contouring can change your face shape with different brushing techniques and placement,” says Ly.
- Add some warmth and shimmer. Go in with a bronzer, highlighter and/or blush. These key products will add more color and dimension to your look. Pollara also notes blush should be placed on the highest points of your cheeks and blend slightly underneath the eyes to get a super lifted look.
- Pop on a bold lip. Take a page out of the soft baddie trend with a brown glossy lip. Pollara recommends lining your lips first to get a defined pout. “When applying lip liner, I like to smudge it in with my finger or use a small detail brush before applying lipstick. It helps contour your lips and give you the perfect base,” she shares. Or you can make a statement with a vibrant red lip instead.
- Set look in place. Finish your unrecognizable makeup with a setting spray that holds everything in place for hours.
According to Pollara, you shouldn’t leave any part of your face untouched. She adds, “This is not a natural or soft glam by any means so leaving any parts of your face like your eyebrows or your lashes undone doesn’t align with this trend.” But overall, there are no rules on how you should get into your full glam era. It’s all about having fun and just pushing the boundaries in regards to makeup. The goal is to try new techniques that will take you out of your comfort zone that you can’t help but ask yourself, ‘Wow, who are you?’
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