Are Beetlejuice lips the anti-botox make-up trend we've been waiting for?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has hit theaters. Thanks to the cast's recent appearance at the Venice Film Festival with a series of corporate goth looks, and especially with Halloween approaching, the dark and unsettling vibes of the sequel to the 80s cult classic are influencing fashion and beauty trends. Interest in total black outfits, witchy ensembles, and ghostly glamour is rising. Red eyeshadow has never been so popular, as is the spacey girl aesthetic, which blends, depending on personal style, elements such as grungecore, office siren, succubus chic and ghoul girl. On TikTok, creators are experimenting with pigments and brushes inspired by the Tim Burton film, and tutorials are multiplying on how to recreate Lydia Deetz's devilish makeup or Astrid Deetz's dark circles. The trend that's really taking off is Beetlejuice lips, a tribute to the ghost's iconic striped suit worn by Michael Keaton. Easy to achieve, there is a small drawback: if a creator has lip fillers, the technique may look rough or not work at all. The use of collagen or other injectables makes it difficult to get the striped effect, which those with natural lips can achieve effortlessly. What began as a fun makeup trick embracing the gothic mood of the moment is now revealing who has had cosmetic "work" done. It also encourages us to highlight rather than hide what we consider imperfections, pushing us to ask whether it’s time to rediscover natural and imperfect beauty.

How to create Beetlejuice lips

Adrianna Kalisz unintentionally opened Pandora's box with a video that surpassed 40 million views on TikTok. Set to the tune of "Say My Name" from Beetlejuice The Musical, it shows how to achieve Beetlejuice lips. The goal is to use makeup to mimic the vertically striped suit worn by the spirit in the film. Sticking to a technique pioneered by Luara Reisinger known as "zebra lips", Kalisz's method only requires lip gloss or a bright lipstick, preferably purple or green, and black eyeshadow. First, apply the gloss or lipstick to the lips. Then, purse the lips tightly to emphasize the creases and dab on the black eyeshadow or another dark powder. Once finished, simply smile, and the lips should appear striped. The cracked effect can vary depending on the amount of pigment used and how well the lip skin aligns when pursed.

A trend not for everyone: Jeffree Star and the reveal of influencers with injectables and fillers

The two-tone look has quickly taken off. Most people attempting this makeup hack have easily achieved bold, well-defined Beetlejuice lips, while others struggled to get the desired effect. Excluding those who made mistakes or have natural lips that don't easily absorb pigment, there's a group of people who can't achieve it no matter how hard they try: creators with fillers or other injectables. These cosmetic enhancements are designed to smooth out natural creases, which obviously gets in the way. If the lips don't purse and wrinkle, the eyeshadow powder just covers the entire surface, with no striped effect. Even Jeffree Star experienced this "epic fail". In a video with over 25 million views, he showed how his lips turned into a dusty black mess. Disappointed by the result, the makeup influencer exclaimed, "Were we tricked? What the f***!" One of his followers pointed out that it was because of his lip filler, which smoothed out his lip creases.

The revenge of imperfection

TikTok beauty influencers now face a choice: ignore the Beetlejuice lip trend or come clean, admitting their cosmetic enhancements and revealing that they haven't been entirely honest about why their lips look the way they do. As a result viewers see the Beetlejuice lips as a first step towards a trend reversal, towards the acceptance and celebration of what we consider imperfections. Used to seeing creators normalize fillers and injections while promoting an unattainable beauty standard, viewers have appreciated the tables turning. The English TikToker itshels declared in a video with nearly 2 million likes: "My new guilty pleasure is watching beauty influencers with too much lip filler try Beetlejuice lips". But zebra lips aren't the only technique from a group of creators experimenting with new looks on TikTok. These looks, aimed at satisfying the female gaze and offering more attainable, real alternatives, have a rebellious vibe. Experts categorize them as unapproachable make-up or outrageous makeup, where these creatives play with pigments and brushes to highlight the natural folds and lines of our faces. Some examples? Netta Szekely dusted gold eyeshadow on a model's eye wrinkles, gaining millions of views; Buket Berçe Kobal added a crinkled nose to the Beetlejuice lips, and Mei Pang has long been experimenting with color layering on her nose wrinkles, always producing bold and interesting looks. What unites all of them is a celebration of everyone's unique features, whether they're creases, wrinkles, acne, or hooded eyes.

Is this the start of no-botox makeup?

A trend that excludes those who have used botox or similar treatments doesn't, at least for now, seem strong enough to dent the popularity of cosmetic surgery or how it's normalized on social media. The data is not encouraging. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, minimally invasive procedures increased by 7% in 2023, with over 25 million procedures performed. Dermal fillers grew by 4%, reaching 3.2 million procedures. The report notes that botox has become so normalized in American culture that patients talk about it as casually as running errands at a store or post office. This rise also contributes to establishing an unrealistic beauty standard that appears natural but is, in reality, the product of syringes and scalpels. Adding to this, a 2022 report from NBC News found that influencers, including those on TikTok, are offered low-cost cosmetic procedures in exchange for promotion, creating a dangerous feedback loop of plastic surgery, while Business of Fashion recently warned against the dangers of injectables done by unauthorized operators, using counterfeit botox and performing improper procedures.