In the age of micro trends, what even is beauty anymore?

Open your phone and you will find a new beauty rule waiting for you. Yesterday it was glazed skin inspired by Hailey Bieber. Couple of months ago, it was latte makeup. Before that, clean girl hair. Each trend arrives with urgency, complete with tutorials, product links, and a subtle suggestion that if you are not participating, you are behind. Beauty, once seasonal and considered, now moves at the speed of a scroll.

This urgency is not accidental. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have turned aesthetics into algorithms. A look can be born in the morning, peak by evening, and feel outdated by the weekend. What used to take years to evolve now flips in days. The result is not just trend overload; it is exhaustion. Keeping up feels impossible at this rate, and increasingly, pointless.

The rise of the micro trend

Beauty used to be shaped by runway shows, glossy magazines, and a handful of cultural moments. But today, it is shaped by micro trends. Strawberry girl makeup, mob wife glam, vanilla girl, tomato girl...the list goes on. Each comes with its own mood board and product list, and most of the times, it turns out to be something which people had been doing all the while, only with a fancier name. The shift is not just about variety, but more about the speed at which it occurs.

Micro trends are designed to be consumed quickly. They thrive on novelty and disappear just as fast. This creates a constant cycle of desire and discard. You buy a berry blush because everyone is wearing it and it's 'trending'. But two weeks later, the internet has moved on to coral. The products pile up, and the excitement fades faster each time.

The biggest collateral damage of these trends is individuality. With so many templates available, it becomes easier to copy than to experiment. Beauty starts to feel like cosplay, and if you don't hop on to the trend, it feels like you are not "up to date".

There is nothing wrong with inspiration. But when trends dictate every choice, from brow shape to nail colour, there is little room left for instinct and individuality. The irony is that in a time obsessed with self expression, many people feel less certain about what actually suits them. The pressure to look current and trendy drowns out the quiet confidence of knowing your own face.

The cost of constant updating

There is also a financial and emotional toll. New serums launch every week. Foundations promise better glow, more coverage, improved finish. Influencers unbox shelves of products in a single video. And in the midst of this, it is easy to feel that what you own is already outdated.

This constant change and updating feeds a sense of never being enough. Your routine is too basic, your makeup bag is not curated enough, and your hair part is wrong. Beauty becomes less about pleasure and more about performance. Instead of enjoying a ritual, you start chasing validation.

Perhaps the real luxury now is not the latest beauty drop but restraint. Choosing one signature lip colour and owning it against all the trends. Finishing a moisturiser before buying the next one. Letting your hair texture exist peacefully without forcing it into a trend. Beauty does not have to be reactive. It can be steady, intuitive, and even what others might deem boring. 

In today's digital era, trends will continue to move fast, but you do not have to match their pace, especially when it comes to maintaining your individuality. Sometimes the most radical choice is to stay still and let beauty catch up to you, instead of it being the other way round.

Lead image: Getty

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