How to Do Barbie Makeup 2022: Let The Pink Trend Brighten Your Mood

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Anyone who’s been to a ’90s themed party knows that the barbiecore makeup trend of 2022 isn’t new, but it’s certainly evolved. Like most, this trend has seen new life among people TikTok beauty gurus and other makeup fans showing how to do Barbie makeup in a modern era. Predictable baby pink washes have been replaced by muted makeup looks and graphic liner moments that still capture the fun-loving essence of Barbiecore.

Compared to the make-up spectrum from the “clean girl aesthetic” the Barbiecore aesthetic has clear roots in the hyper-feminine beauty trends of the ’90s and early 2000s, when pink Barbie jeeps and Dream Houses were social currency and Elle Wood’s pink leather coordinating set was on every mood board. Both the beauty and fashion industries are in the middle of one Renaissance of the 90s and 2000sbut the publication of early photos dating Greta Gerwigs Barbie— premiering in July 2023 — sparked the internet with one desire in particular: we all want to feel as happy and carefree as Margot Robbie against a pink background all.

Loud, bright pink eyeshadow doesn’t settle unnoticed on your face, nor do bright arches pink blush trace your cheekbones. Just as others notice, when you walk into a room like this—with Barbiecore makeup fully activated—your own mindset can change, too. While you obviously look different, you feeling different. So much goes for celebrity makeup artists Jaleesa Jaikaranbeaming off my computer screen as we zoom in on the rapid rise in popularity of bright, exaggerated, and largely pink makeupFashion and decoration – called “Barbiecore”.

“I was wearing something different and I was like, ‘I don’t feel the vibe,'” she tells me. “And now I want to be in front of the camera because I feel safe.”

In front of the camera, Jaikaran is also Barbiecore personified, but with a fresh twist. She wears a hot pink sleeveless blazer complemented by a full face of Mary Kay makeup. From pink Cadillacs to lip tints, Mary Kay was both synonymous with the color pink and a trusted staple of makeup kits in the ’90s and early years that have evolved into the age of TikTok. Jaikaran co-created her eye makeup look Mary Kay’s Warm Hues Eyeshadow Palette ($39), a six-pan collection featuring matte and shimmer finishes. She says she often reaches for this palette because it’s versatile for skin tones and makeup styles.

“You can bring in your everyday looks, but you can also play around with others [bolder] Colors like ‘Purple Vibes’ or ‘Sienna Skies’,” she says. “You don’t always have to do the traditional [eyeshadow] placements. For me, I used a fluffy eyeshadow brush to apply my pop of vibrant color to the inner corner.”

Combined with deep pink blush and pearlescent lip gloss, Jaikaran’s eye look — overall neutral save for the shimmering pink that radiates from the inner corner of her eye — isn’t so much a strict grab bag of pink hues as it is a dimensional gradient that’s equal parts fun and portable. There’s nothing wrong with the former, but Jaikaran’s more subdued Barbiecore makeup is certainly simpler and more accessible for those of us who need to dip our toes into the trend before being fully christened Barbie in the church.

Trying out Barbiecore makeup IRL is as much fun as it looks.

My own makeup preferences range from “hardly there” to “Face planted on a pile of glitter“. I’m not afraid to charge color, but I appreciate a trend with reach. So I tested the versatility of Barbiecore, first taking a cue from Jaikaran with a subtle Barbiecore makeup look and eventually transforming that look into something more…extra.

Follow my typical light foundation routine Armani Beauty Neo Nude Foundation ($44), I whipped out my own Mary Kay Warm Hues Eyeshadow Palette and basked in the reflective glow of the shimmering shades before blending Sienna Skies into my crease with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Next, I took a smaller, slightly denser eyeshadow brush and gently swirled “Purple Vibes” into my inner corner, focusing on blending the outer edges in a soft gradient.

To make the shade appear a little lighter and pinker on my skin tone, I used my finger to apply a touch of ‘Peach Daydream’ and ‘Golden Possibilities’. I applied a mixture of Dream Big Brown and Purple Vibes along my upper and lower lash lines and lightly filled in my brows Benefit Cosmetics Precisely My Brow Pencil ($25). I topped off the eye candy with a healthy dose of the TikTok virus Maybelline Sky High Mascara ($9.48).

To complete my basic make-up, I concealed my eye area and any redness with the Kosas Revealer Concealer ($28), and I carved out my cheekbones with it Charlotte Tilbury Glow Cream Bronzer ($56). For a peachy blush look, I applied the shade Sienna Skies from the Warm Hues palette to my cheeks and dabbed a touch of it Rare Beauty’s Liquid Luminizer Highlight ($22) on the tops of my cheekbones.

After that I kept dabbing Pat McGrath’s Lip Fetish Divinyl Lip Shine ($38) in “Boudoir Rosé,” followed by multiple swipes of the Mary Kay Unlimited Lip Gloss ($16) in Pink Ballerina, a Jaikaran favorite. “Every time my friends ask me what I’m wearing, I’m like, ‘Stop sleeping on that lip gloss,'” she says. “It’s really light, doesn’t stick and feels super comfortable on the lips.”

With one coat, I can attest that the formula’s ultra-creamy texture is second to none. But considering I spent most of my childhood with an unhealthy attachment to my own Ballerina Barbie, the name alone won me over.

The result was a radiant everyday makeup look that, for me, captured the whims at the heart of the barbiecore trend.

Shortly after completing this look, my extra gene kicked in like clockwork. A babble of voices whispering “Come on Barbie, let’s go party” in my head grew louder and louder. Before I knew it I was blooming a brush full The Hydra FX Liner by SUVA Beauty ($16) in neon pink over my eyelid. I frantically piled up more blush and used it Makeup by Mario’s Soft Pop Powder Blush ($24) in “Poppy Pink.” I applied more Pink Ballerina until it was practically dripping off my lips. It was a lot and it was perfect. I looked like my former self’s cooler, older sister who would kill your high school bully with insidious kindness and buy you booze when your parents weren’t looking.

Barbiecore makeup changed me – physically and emotionally.

Both looks are cut from the same fabric. Though different, they use color in interesting ways and convey a similar sense of happiness and positivity. The barbiecore trend is clearly adaptable. But I didn’t expect how much those looks would become Also boost my mood.

“There is definitely a correlation between makeup and mood. When we think of happiness, we think of things that bring us joy and things that make us feel accomplished,” says Rachel Wien, PsyD, New York-based psychologist and founder of Milestone CBT. “Makeup can bring us joy in the sense that we enjoy the act of putting it on and of course enjoying the results of what we look like afterwards. It can also make us feel accomplished, in the sense that we’ve done something for ourselves, [exploring] new trends or getting better at perfecting a certain technique or look.”

To be clear, a bright pink makeup look is certainly not a panacea for negative emotions or the headline sinking laundry list. However, it’s an easy way to lift your spirits or express your creativity. Of course, I can experience these positive emotions and more when I’m not wearing makeup, but I’d be lying if I said that sometimes having my face covered in glitter and paint didn’t make it easier to conjure feelings of confidence or carelessness.

I’m not alone with this feeling. Several studies have supported the idea that be creative can feel happier. And according to Wien, makeup as a mood-boosting activity really depends on how much time you devote to something you enjoy. “That can be true for a lot of people — many who wear bright, fun clothes tend to be more confident in their style choices and themselves overall. If someone likes fashion or beauty, playing around with color and trend can bring excitement and joy.”

Jaikaran, on the other hand, believes people just want to have fun – something that’s naturally embedded in the barbiecore trend. “Before, [the overall approach to makeup] was like, “Well, you gotta do this and you gotta do that,” she says. “And now people are like, ‘No, I’m going to do it this way and I’m going to have fun with it.'”

I tried my hand at Barbiecore makeup after wearing little to no makeup for several months. If I’m honest, given the endless cycle of makeup, it felt pointless to muster up the energy to do a full, colorful makeup look terrible current event after terrible current event. But finally taking the time to sit down and play with color felt like coming home as a prodigal son. If only for the few hours I spent with myself, wiping, blending, and painting, I felt calm and focused. Looking in the mirror after I was done made me feel like myself again, the girl who throws every color on her face with reckless abandon and loves it. I felt ready to do all the things and make all the plans and throw my head back and laugh at things that aren’t even that funny. In the spirit of Barbie, I felt like I could be anything. I won’t get rid of this feeling anytime soon.