For those who want the ‘IT Girl’ look with minimal effort.
One of my favourite trends to date has got to be the minimal effort look. Made viral by the likes of Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, this signature style has you looking effortlessly glam. This is the perfect look for anyone who wants to look clean and snatched without a 2-hour makeup routine (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It’s perfect for any occasion and requires minimal product and time. Sounds good to me. It’s almost comical that this trend has come in so quickly, as it’s a direct opposite to the Y2K trend that took social media by storm not that long ago. Every time I went online it was almost a battle between the two aesthetics, and personally, as much as I loved the nostalgia of the Y2K comeback, this ‘clean girl’ aesthetic can stay for as long as it wants. With its simplicity and practicality as well as the chic feel of it. It’s perfect!
I’m not one to run out and try every latest TikTok or Instagram beauty trend, but this one grabbed my attention incredibly fast. As someone who doesn’t like to wear heavy makeup regularly (or even at all for that matter) but wanted to make more of an effort, this type of routine seemed to be the perfect way to up my look. What’s even better is it doesn’t necessarily break the bank. Most products you’ll find you already own, and those you don’t can be found for quite cheap in your local drugstore. Now before we begin, I want to put out an exclaimer: even though this has been dubbed ‘The Clean Girl’ look on social media, it’s really for anyone of any gender who wants to look refreshed.
So now we’ve established the appeal, let’s get down to what makes up the ‘Clean Girl’ look.
SKINCARE!
The key to this aesthetic is having a solid skincare routine. Which if you care about the world of makeup and beauty at all, you probably have your skincare routine perfected. If not, not to worry as it’s never too late to start. Now finding the right products for your skin is important as this look relies on having that clear, glowing skin. Now I’m not saying your skin has to look airbrushed, I mean that’s impossible(hello there texture) but having visibly well taken care of skin is a must. Now skincare can become complicated and expensive, I know I said it doesn’t break the bank so don’t worry, I suggest just sticking to the basics: Cleanser, serum of choice, moisturiser and of course you can’t forget SPF!
Anything else you want to throw in there is completely optional! If you’re looking for an affordable skincare brand my personal favourite is The Inkey List. One thing to remember is different brands and products work differently for everyone.
MAKEUP!
Once we’ve got our skin looking like a glazed donut, it’s time to break out our makeup kits. (If you are someone who doesn’t wear makeup, keep scrolling, there’s more for you later on). The key to the makeup portion of this look is: less is more. you don’t want to go too heavy on any one product because you want to make it look like you woke up like this (cue Beyonce-Flawless playing in background). First things first, you’re going to want to feather up those brows. For this you’ll need brow glue, a spoolie and perhaps a light draw-in if that’s something you normally do. Once you have all of this, you need to lightly apply some of the glue and brush delicately up and outwards until your brows look fluffy and neat. There are many tutorials online to show you how!
When your brows are fluffed out, in comes the concealer. Now every instinct of you will want to make the infamous triangle under each eye and carveout those brows. DON’T DO THIS. Instead, you want to place a couple of dots of a warm toned concealer in the inner and outer corners of your eyes. Making sure to blend upwards for a snatched look. Then go in with a brighter concealer tone and do the same, to give off that bright, refreshed look to the eye area. Then just go on with your concealer as you would normally wherever you need.
Most of these looks don’t include foundation, however if you want to add it in, you can, just use minimal amounts and BLEND. If you can choose a sheer or dewy foundation to keep that natural glow.
Once the base of the face is there, the next step is bringing that colour back into your cheeks. Choose a very natural blush shade for your skin tone and apply sparingly high up on your cheekbones, remembering to blend upwards again to keep the snatched look. Contour isn’t necessary for this look as it’s meant to be a simple routine. However again if it’s something you want to add, feel free! Just remember to not go in too heavy and make it look as natural as possible.
We are at the finishing line for the makeup portion of this aesthetic and at the home run you have to of course apply your lip gloss. The ‘Clean Girl’ look only really calls for moisturised lips and a glass looking gloss, so get out your Vaseline and favourite gloss and apply generously. You can also take it up a notch by applying a nude shade of lipstick first.
Jourdan Sloane/youtube
HAIR!
Now your face is look effortlessly beat. You can move onto hair(this is where our no makeup wearers can join back in!).Simplicity is still the name of the game here. If you take a look at our inspiration, the favourited hairstyle is a sleek bun or pony. This really isn’t hard to do, all you need is a brush, comb and some hairbands, maybe a pin or two. Just put your hair up in your normal bun or pony and make sure it is as smooth as it can possibly get. Using hairspray or a hair wax sticks, secure your hair in place and your good to go. If you’re someone who can’t put their hair up or just don’t like to that’s no problem, the goal here is just having picture perfect hair, try throwing in a headband or a braid or two to give it an extra little something.
OUTFITS!
This is where you can start to get creative, there is no real ‘must’ for your outfit choices as it’s mainly in the facial look for this aesthetic. However, most of the influencers and celebrities embracing this aesthetic will be running around in ‘basic staple pieces’ such as a jeans and t-shirt long coat combo, sweats and crop tops and so on. Minimal but statement jewellery and accessories (earrings, some simple chains and sunglasses are all examples). All in all, making sure your outfit looks effortlessly put together and neat is a general rule. I mean you are supposed to look fresh and pressed. Once you’ve found something to wear you are good to go!
Congratulations you now look like one of the cool kids.
Lauren is a content writer that is creating her own book and aspires to become a published author. While writing content, she also spends her time performing as an actress for different projects presented to her.
