Subtle Ways To Embrace The Alien Beauty Trend

When festival season comes a-knocking, we see its influence ripple through the beauty industry. Understated glam falls by the wayside in favor of the boldest makeup looks of the year. Right now, that means the rise of so-called "alien beauty," a creative makeup style that lives up to its galactic moniker. Embracing unique facial features and a spacey color palette, this trend is booming. In the past month alone, Google searches for "alien beauty" have surged upward by a stunning 598%, according to data obtained by Glam.

To learn more about this unique trend and how to do it ourselves, Glam spoke exclusively to hair and makeup artist Luna Viola, who points to pop culture as a major inspiration for the look. "Many sci-fi and extraterrestrial movies, such as 'Avatar,' have inspired this trend called 'alien beauty,'" Viola tells us, adding that the look is "rebellious" in nature. And it's not just popping up on our social media feeds. As Viola points out, "This otherworldly fantasy aesthetic has been seen on the runways as well."

True enough, the popularity of alien beauty seemingly goes hand in hand with TikTok's viral space girl aesthetic, which celebrates futuristic fashion, but you don't have to reimagine your whole wardrobe to capture an interplanetary feel. Instead, alien beauty offers an entry point that's as easy as rethinking your go-to makeup routine.

Going all out for a festival is one thing, but you don't need face paint and a ray gun to rep alien beauty. With a few subtle touches, you can bring this strange, hypnotic style into your everyday makeup. "The alien beauty look can be very versatile and adaptable," Luna Viola exclusively tells Glam, noting that the trend is about "contrasting the natural summer glow look with elements of futurism." So, to communicate a slightly supernatural vibe without going full sci-fi, start with dewy, glowing skin. Google trends reflect this starting point, too, with searches for "liquid illuminator" skyrocketing 202% in the past month, according to data obtained by Glam.

You can also emphasize certain features to make your makeup gently fantastical. Perusing related videos on TikTok, it looks like alien beauty often involves a certain kind of look: high cheekbones, large eyes, and perhaps even a tall forehead. Think about popular celebs like Anya Taylor-Joy, Natalie Dormer, and Christina Ricci, who all have an intriguing cast to their beauty. Mimic the effect with products and placements that help your cheekbones stand out, and then take measures to gussy up those doe eyes.

In addition to that base of "glistening skin," Viola suggests trying "a stark color eyeliner, elongating the eye shape for a mystical take on an everyday makeup look." Falsies are another way to go, with Google searches for "magnetic lashes" having risen by 9% in recent weeks.

You probably want to keep your out-of-this-world makeup somewhat reeled in for daily activities like work or errands, but special occasions might call for a happy medium between subtle alien beauty and costumey sci-fi makeup. In this case, it's all about building on your everyday alien look with cheeky, space-inspired touches.

"This trend can be either dramatic or ethereal, making it the perfect way to have fun experimenting with different makeup looks," Luna Viola exclusively tells Glam. For a fun and eye-catching take on the trend, the makeup artist suggests starting with a touch of futuristic metallics, such as "a chrome eyeshadow with a metallic finish for a summer night out." In a similar vein, Google search metrics have seen queries for "metallic eyeliner" rise by 32% this month, according to data obtained by Glam — just in case you want to add a little space-age bling to your wing.

If metallics aren't your vibe, you can instead incorporate cosmic color palettes, from rocking ethereal blue highlighter or starry glitter to creating a nebula-like ombré of eyeshadow with hues of purple, magenta, and navy. For an extra-editorial alien-beauty look, you can also commit to the bit with styling moves like bleached or lightened eyebrows like some folks have showcased on Instagram. This can be a pretty big switch, though — just be sure you've considered everything you need to know about bleached eyebrows before jumping in with both feet.