How To Achieve The Clean Girl Aesthetic

You could be forgiven for being confused by the success of TikTok’s latest beauty trend. Are people just discovering hygiene? Well, no. The clean girl aesthetic is about more than a thorough shower routine. Here we delve into the trend’s runaway success and provide a handy guide to all things clean girl, for any perplexed beauty obsessives in need of a little more context.

The clean girl aesthetic is all about looking fresh, dewy-skinned, well-rested and glowing. The goal is to look naturally pretty, as though you’ve not laboured over your makeup. 

The clean girl aesthetic suits literally everyone. Whatever your skin tone, hair colour and eye shape, the clean girl aesthetic is about as reliable as beauty trends get. It might not be an electric blue graphic eyeliner, but we can reassure you it is still very much a slay. 

Videos with the #cleangirlaesthetic hashtag have racked up over 750 million views on TikTok alone, speaking not only to the trend’s wild success – but also its relative accessibility. It’s not that hard to achieve the clean girl aesthetic, especially if your makeup bag is already well-stocked with the basics. That’s not to say that the clean girl aesthetic only extends to makeup, though. Clean girl hair is very much a thing – as are clean girl nails too.

So, which famous faces have been championing the look to give you plenty of clean girl aesthetic inspo? The trend is so popular, that you can pretty much get inspo from every fashion show front row, magazine cover and Instagram selfie around. 

Whether you want to try clean girl makeup, hair, nails, or all three, there are a few essential products you might want to stock up on to replicate your favourite A-lister’s clean girl aesthetic…

Some of the trend’s most high-profile devotees include Hailey Bieber, Sofia Richie, Zendaya, Selena Gomez, and Bella Hadid. Whilst their clean girl makeup looks vary slightly – Gomez prefers a peachy lip whereas Bieber typically goes for nude – the base is fairly universal. 

Clean girl makeup is really all about the ‘no makeup’ makeup look – to achieve this you just need a handful of products. 

Cover any blemishes with a blendable, light-reflecting concealer like Estee Lauder’s Futurist Soft Touch Brightening Skincealer. To balance any natural redness on cheeks or dark undereye circles, consider the Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Serum Tint. And that is pretty much it for the base. It’s all about minimal makeup for an effortless look. The perfect all-in-one base for the clean girl look, is lightweight and barely there, whilst still blurring imperfections and balancing your complexion. For this, we love the Dr Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Colour Corrector. It blends to match your skin tone, balancing out redness whilst treating any blemishes, a superstar product and the perfect base for the clean girl makeup look. 

Blush is a key component of the clean girl makeup aesthetic. The By BEAUTY BAY Liquid Cream Blush in the shade Sorbet has been designed with a lightweight, creamy texture and satin finish, making it supremely easy to blend into a gorgeous soft-focus look. As it can be used on both lips and cheeks, this is a no-brainer for adding to your clean girl makeup collection. 

You can elevate your clean girl makeup look by opting for a lip gloss or nourishing lip oil. This will add shine and enhance your natural pout without a pigment in sight. We love the e.l.f. Cosmetics Glow Reviver Lip Oil for on-the-go touch-ups.

Contouring is a no-go when it comes to clean girl makeup, you are going for a light touch natural look after all. A highlighter like the one included in the By BEAUTY BAY Face Palette will leave your skin bright and glowing, in a subtle way –  if you can’t live without some added sparkle.

For the brows, the fluffier the better, you want a laminated look without weighing them down with a brow pencil. Opt for a brow gel like the By BEAUTY BAY’s Brow Fixer Fibre Gel to add some subtle definition and brush any stray hairs into place. Avoid filling them in too heavily – a few brushstrokes to cover any natural gaps using Maybelline Build-a-Brow should do nicely.

Lashes shouldn’t look overloaded with product. Instead, aim to lengthen and darken subtly – as though you’ve woken up like this, to invoke the wisdom of one Beyoncé Knowles. The formula of Made by Mitchell’s Lash Lacquer has been designed to create long-lasting, full and fluttery lashes without clumping or fallout – perfect for a clean girl makeup look. 

Whilst there’s nothing groundbreaking about a slicked-back bun, the clean girl aesthetic has certainly boosted the style’s popularity in the past year. The sleek, tidy, face-liftingly-tight bun is the key hairstyle associated with the clean girl aesthetic. Ballerinas, the original clean girl hair stylists, have nailed the centre parted, not a hair out of place, bun. There are two essential products you need to nail the titular clean girl hairstyle. Satin hair ties, to protect your hair, and some sort of hair balm or tamer, to help you achieve the desired sleek style. 

Secure your locks with a By BEAUTYBAY Satin Scrunchie – opting for a satin scrunchie prevents breakage and holds your hair back without any crimping. Smooth down any flyaways and baby hairs with Hairburst’s Baby Hair Tamer, it will make achieving the perfect clean girl hairstyle so easy. 

The finishing touch for any followers of the clean girl aesthetic is a subtle nude manicure. Lovers of gel nail polish won’t be surprised to hear of its adoption across the clean girl cohort – a super shiny nude gel base, left unadorned, is the final piece of the clean girl puzzle. Whether you prefer a blush pink, peach, or milky white shade, as long as your cuticles are trimmed and oiled, you’re good to go.

Strengthen your nails whilst securing a chic manicure by opting for a Mylee 5-in-1 Builder Gel, there are so many lovely subtle shades to choose from, all ideal for clean girl vibe nails.  

Should you like a little more interest on your nail bed, consider a singular cuticle dot, a French tip, or even a single love heart or initial on one nail. Restrict your palette though – the trend typically calls for minimalism. This is not a manicure for maximalists.

Whether you’ve been following this trend since day one, or have only recently happened upon it, the clean girl aesthetic is for everyone, and we guarantee you’ll feel fresh stepping out in your chic sleek look. Haul all the makeup, haircare, and nailcare products you need today.