What is the 'clean girl' aesthetic and how can you achieve it?

The ‘clean girl’ aesthetic is TikTok’s latest beauty craze. Tutorials are focused on flawless skin with light makeup, having your hair scraped back in a bun, and accessorising with simple gold jewellery. See @allthingsrissa on TikTok and @darriskin for great step-by-step tutorials.

The ease and versatility of this aesthetic is what has popularised it, off the back of the ‘model off-duty look’ which features the same idea of an effortless fresh face. It can be worn everyday with any outfit which is crucial to its recent fame. Think of it as the makeup equivalent of the capsule wardrobe – people want timeless looks they can wear again and again.

How can I be the ‘clean girl’?

The first step has to be pinning down the ultimate skincare routine tailored to your skin type. Don’t know where to begin? Check out Kari Molvar’s article about building a routine as a starting point. She goes through the three main steps of cleansing, toning, and moisturising with helpful recommendations of types of products to use for your skin type.

The next step is the slicked back bun. This may seem daunting at first but it's easier to replicate than you’d think. The three tools you need are a bristle brush, some hair pomade (or gel if you want a shiny look), and a touch of hairspray. There are tons of online tutorials but my favourite is Luxy Hair on YouTube. The Ouai hair pomade seems to come out on top as a fan favourite at a cost of £16.

A budget friendly alternative I’ve tried and tested is the VO5 Hair Clay Matt. You can purchase it at Superdrug for just £4.39 and it does a really good job at making your hair more pliable.

The 'clean girl' is often seen with a claw clip in her hair and bymeshake.com is a great place to get yours.

When is comes to clean girl makeup, less is more. It should be fresh and light. Long are the days of drying matte liquid lipsticks – the new obsession is natural lip gloss, like the Dior lip oils. Think cream products like Glossier’s cloud paints. It’s really all about the skin looking as natural as possible. The best foundation I have found for this is The Ordinary Serum Foundation, and it won’t break the bank either.

Another key element is soap brows. It’s something I’ve never experimented with but @ameliaolivia09 on TikTok recommends the Pink Honey Superhold for flawless brows.

For the accessories, think two words: gold jewellery. The ‘clean girl’ is decked out in simple gold jewellery. ASOS has a great pack of gold hoop earrings – you get three pairs for only £12 and you can get 10 per cent off with your UNiDAYS student discount.

It’s a fun trend to play around with but like many internet trends, it can also prove to be problematic. The name ‘clean girl’ feeds directly into traditional beauty standards for women because of its hyper focus on looking perfect. Take this trend with a pinch of salt. Nobody’s skin is flawless all of the time, nor is their hair perfectly styled. Even if you think they don’t have makeup on, they probably do.

Edited by Maddy Burgess