1. THE LOOK: 3D makeup that emulates digital art. The shapes are constructed using a hot glue gun, first on a metal palette or parchment paper. It’s then embellished with all the pieces and anything, from eyeshadow to glitter pigments, polished by cutting with scissors, and at last fastidiously stuck onto the face with eyelash glue.
   
2. WHO’S DOING IT? At NYFW, models on the Head of State show had 3D tears (created by artist Kento Utsubo) streaming down their faces. But on TikTok, creators are taking this one step further by creating sculptural eyeliner and dimensional chrome blobs.
3. HOW CAN I GET IT? Get crafty and DIY this look by fooling around with a hot glue gun. Just be certain that that you simply’re being protected! You possibly can follow a step-by-step online tutorial. Spend some additional time on this one, because it does take practice to perfect.

The standard hot glue gun has found itself on the centre of the newest beauty craze. Normally reserved for crafting and cobbling together last-minute Halloween costumes, the DIY staple has been discovered by the make-up artists of TikTok, who’re using it to create transgressive, futuristic 3D styles and bringing digital looks to life 

While the modern shapes and creations could be latest, the technique definitely isn’t. Artists have long used hot glue guns to create three-dimensional tears, which is how Vanessa Funes – higher generally known as @cutcreaser – first discovered it. Now known for her 3D eyeliner looks created out of hot glue, she originally tested out the strategy in 2019 to create Euphoria-inspired fake tears. 

Funes cites French 3D make-up artist Ines Alpha as one among the largest inspirations for her creations, and now the favour is being returned –after seeing Funes’ TikTok, she’s able to expand her repertoire and has already ordered the identical metal palette Funes uses to create her shapes. “Once I saw her video, I used to be really excited because there’s a method to reproduce what I do in 3D so easily, so I need to try it too,” she says. “I’m definitely inspired to make an Aliexpress order straight away.”

@blondetaki Hot glue + silver pigment = cutie space angel 🫧🐇🛸 saw @stella [they/them] do a glance just like this also! #experimentalmakeup #chromemakeup ♬ Kerosene – Crystal Castles

Alpha began creating fantastical and surreal 3D digital designs by experimenting with software and watching tutorials. She’s since collaborated with the likes of Dior and Charli XCX on otherworldly filters that defy gravity and the laws of physics. “Once I create something within the digital world, it must be not possible to create within the physical world. Sometimes I create pieces that you simply wouldn’t have the ability to wear because it might slip or it wouldn’t stay in your face, otherwise you couldn’t stick it on because it might be too heavy or uncomfortable,” she explains. “In order that’s all the time something that I attempt to do on purpose to push the boundaries of make-up further. But actually,” she laughs, “people discover a method to make it possible, in order that’s pretty exciting.” 

While it might sound easy, nonetheless, creating make-up-worthy patterns with a hot glue gun is deceptively difficult. Reyna Ochoa, a make-up enthusiast from Tucson, Arizona, has never really been in a position to afford certain products or items like rhinestones. “So I get creative with things that I take advantage of for make-up,” she says. Her hot glue gun make-up tutorial on TikTok, which has garnered 290K views thus far, blew up just as she was becoming discouraged from sharing her art online. The look is decidedly glam, featuring perfectly glossed lips, daring eyelashes and vivid fern-coloured eyeshadow, however it’s perfected with globs of glue she slathers in iridescent mint pigment. Whenever you see the peerlessly imperfect shapes she creates, it seems easy enough, “but the toughest thing is attempting to get a good regular flow out of the gun if you desire to make a particular shape.” 

It could actually be a frustrating game of trial and error. “The primary time I did this, it took me 75 tries,” Funes admitted on TikTok. So don’t be discouraged in the event you don’t get it right the primary five times. While anyone can go on Amazon and have glue delivered in two days, it’s easy to burn yourself or melt a plastic palette – which Ochoa admits to doing – as you mess around with it.

Make-up artist Ali Larson is one other fan of the glue gun. A seasoned beauty creator at just 26, with over 250,000 followers on TikTok, she says that even the purposefully amoebic and contorted blobs take a while to realize. “The toughest thing concerning the technique is making the glue pieces look organic, oddly enough. I believe it’s essential to make the shapes look natural, almost like they’re a living organism fairly than a hunk of glue.” 

Larson’s hot glue gun look is in complete contrast to the flawless symmetrical liner Funes creates. Eschewing perfect long lines for a bounty of silver blobs that she describes as “flowing with the form of the face,” Larson expertly spawned a metallic lava explosion across her eyelids, temple, and brows, like something ripped out of Alpha’s 3D make-up software. “Not everyone knows the way to use a digital medium to create make-up,” Larson says, “but most individuals have access to some hot glue and pigments to create their very own extraterrestrial vision.”

As we’ve seen repeatedly, recessions result in bolder aesthetics as people crave more creativity and adopt a DIY aesthetic as the price of living rises. And with the barrier to entry for decent glue guns being £16 and a bit patience, most individuals can try it out. “I definitely think it’s a trend we’ll see more of in 2023,” Larson says. “The last couple of years have been heavily influenced by the clean girl aesthetic or other random trends like cold girl make-up, that are completely uninspiring to me. It’s refreshing to see a trend pop up that’s a bit more experimental and different than looks that align with typical beauty standards.”

This trend isn’t just inspiring people uninterested in the monotony of slick eyebrows and no-make-up make-up. Alpha, who has spent years perfecting subversive digital renderings of make-up with powerful software, now desires to see if she will be able to bring her work from URL to IRL. “If anyone reads this and needs to collaborate with me to provide my work as physical pieces, including mechanical things like robotics to make them move” just as they do when animated online, “that might be a dream.” Within the meantime, she plans to carve out a while to experiment along with her hot glue gun as she awaits her Aliexpress package to reach within the mail.

Join Dazed Club and be a part of our world! You get exclusive access to events, parties, festivals and our editors, in addition to a free subscription to Dazed for a 12 months. Join for £5/month today.