Discover the latest makeup trends straight from China’s vibrant beauty scene on Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book or Redbook. As a fashion and luxury content-sharing platform, it has become the go-to destination for makeup enthusiasts seeking cutting-edge styles.
Unlike traditional shopping platforms, Xiaohongshu offers much more than just products. It’s a thriving community where users share captivating product photos, insightful reviews, and valuable makeup tips. Imagine having access to an endless stream of inspiration, just like on Pinterest, but with a distinct Chinese flair.
The platform’s focus on authentic user-generated content and word-of-mouth recommendations ensures that you’re tapping into trustworthy sources. This is particularly valuable for those seeking reliable insights into the latest makeup products and techniques.
For makeup enthusiasts, especially young urban Chinese women, Xiaohongshu has proven to be an indispensable resource, offering a delightful blend of inspiration, community, and access to China’s most current makeup trends. Embrace the excitement of exploring Chinese beauty innovations and elevate your makeup game on Xiaohongshu today!💄
Xiaohongshu Makeup Tutorial
Xiaohongshu Makeup is a popular makeup style that emphasizes facial harmony and uses soft monochromatic eye makeup, doll-like lashes, defined eyes, and pouty lips in blurred mattes or extra glossy textures. ✨(Another popular makeup style is Douyin Makeup)
The look often features earthy, brickish tones of the 90s. Below are the key features of Xiaohongshu Makeup and the recommended products for each part of the makeup:
Key Features of Xiaohongshu Makeup:
- Soft Monochromatic Eye Makeup: The makeup style focuses on using neutral brown tones to create a soft and harmonious eye look. (Check out these viral Chinese makeup products from TikTok)
- Doll-Like Lashes and Defined Eyes: Lashes are emphasized to give a doll-like effect, and eyes are defined with soft brown eyeliners.
- Pouty Lips in Blurred Mattes or Extra Glossy Textures: Lips are enhanced with blurred matte lip colors or glossy lip tints to achieve a plump look.
- Emphasis on Facial Harmony: The makeup aims to create a balanced and harmonious look that flatters Asian features.
Recommended Products for Xiaohongshu Makeup:
- Eyeliner:
- Heroine Make Prime Liquid Eyeliner in Mocha Greige ($14)⭐: This ash-toned liner helps create the illusion of larger eyes and has good staying power.
- Dior Backstage Eye Palette in Warm Neutrals ($57)⭐: This palette offers a range of shades to create a soft and natural eye makeup look.
- Blush:
- MAC Cosmetics Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby ($28)⭐: This blush provides a sheer color payoff and is perfect for beginners who are new to blush application.
- Lip Products:
- NARS Powermatte Lipstick ($47)⭐: This viral lipstick on Xiaohongshu offers the iconic ‘red bean paste’ lip color that lasts all night.
- INTO YOU lip mud.
Xiao Hong Shu Makeup Quiz
The Xiaohongshu Makeup Quiz is a concept founded by China’s makeup gurus on the platform Xiao Hong Shu, which is often referred to as the Chinese version of Pinterest. Unlike many other makeup categories that consider body type and dressing style, this quiz focuses solely on facial features to determine the best makeup style for each individual.
To discover your unique makeup archetype, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my face shape?
- What is the shape of my facial features?
- What is my visual weight like?
Based on your answers, the quiz classifies you into different makeup archetypes. If your facial features lean towards rounded and soft shapes, the recommended makeup styles for you are Ingenue, Elegant, Romantic, and Natural. On the other hand, if your facial features have sharper and more angular characteristics, the better-suited makeup styles for you are Classic, Dramatic, Modern, and Gamine.
By understanding your face shape and facial features, the Xiaohongshu Makeup Quiz helps you discover the makeup style that complements and enhances your unique beauty, making it a personalized and face-oriented approach to makeup.
Xiaohongshu Trends
In the beauty world, Chinese beauty trends are often repackaged as Korean beauty to appeal to a Western audience.
However, they are distinct and reflect cultural and beauty standard differences. While K-beauty emphasizes a luminous, youthful base with a gradient popsicle lip, C-beauty revolves around a matte base and a full M-shaped lip.
If you download the app Little Red Book, you will discover that its popular makeup looks are different from Korean-style makeup (beauty battle). Here are several xiaohongshu makeup trends that I have observed and summarized.
“Silkworm” Eyes
Both Chinese and Korean beauty appreciate “undereye puffiness.” In Korea, it’s known as aegyo-sal, while in China, it’s called ‘wò cán’ or lying silkworm, referring to the silkworm-shaped bags under the eyes. While some opt for surgery to enhance their ‘wò cán,’ there’s a Xiaohongshu hack for those who prefer a non-invasive approach.
With a cool-toned contour shade, draw a thin line beneath your undereye “silkworm.” (Pro tip: if you can’t see your wò cán, smile with your eyes to make them more prominent.) Then, highlight the center with a white kohl liner like ⭐Wet n Wild’s Color Icon Kohl Liner in White ($6).
No surgery required, and the result is a youthful, doll-eyed smize.
“Jelly Skin”
Western beauty focuses on lifting the face with blush, while C-beauty calls for a more generous application. To achieve plump, youthful “jelly skin,” switch things up a bit: place one finger under your eye and swirl your blush in a circular motion slightly above the apples of your cheeks.
The Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush ($40)⭐works wonders for a cutesy glow, but the key is the blush placement. Additionally, apply blush to your undereyes, chin, and around the tip of your nose with a smaller brush. It may defy traditional nose contouring, but it adds a playful depth and innocent charm to your face, perfectly complementing the jelly skin look.
Flicks of Lower Lashes
If you were cursed with nonexistent lower lashes like me, fret not, mimicking them is simpler than you’d think. With a liquid eyeliner, gently flick along your lower lash line to create thin, slightly curved lines.
For an extra touch, double it up to imitate 3D mánhúa (Chinese for “anime”) lashes. Practice makes perfect – once you have the right eyeliner and technique, it’ll look natural. I suggest using the 3CE Liquid Brush Eye Liner in Brown ($17) for a soft, sultry vibe.
“M” Lips
Say goodbye to the over-lined Kylie Jenner lip; C-beauty emphasizes the M-shaped lip for a fuller effect. Start by buffing foundation lightly on your lips. After blending, use your favorite lip tint or cream – like the Em Cosmetics Soft Spoken Lip Creme in Intuition ($24) – to draw an M shape in the center of your lips.
Trace the center and edges of your bottom lip, and add a touch above your cupid’s bow. Blend with a lip brush, apply a juicy gloss, and voilà! You’ll have lusciously plump, just-sucked-a-lollipop lips.
“Puppy” Eyeliner
In C-beauty, eye makeup centers around optical illusions, aiming to create enlarged doe eyes. Soft brown eyeshadow or pencil eyeliner works best for softer, natural lines. Start from the outer end of your eye, draw a line slanting downwards, and add a subtle upward curve toward the end.
Then, connect the wing to your lower lash line, leaving some space to give the illusion of larger, rounder puppy eyes. Combine this hack with drawn-on lower lashes and “silkworm” eye bags for a camera-ready Xiaohongshu debut.
FAQs:
What is the Xiaohongshu controversy?
The fine was imposed due to a breach of cybersecurity law that safeguards the protection of minors. The violation came to light following a media report by China Central Television (CCTV) in December 2021, which revealed the presence of videos on Xiaohongshu featuring underage girls in compromising situations and states of undress.
Who is Xiaohongshu target audience?
Xiaohongshu’s primary target audience is young Chinese consumers, especially those interested in beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. The platform initially gained popularity among young women seeking product recommendations, reviews, and makeup tips.
Over time, it has expanded its user base to include a broader demographic interested in various lifestyle and consumer-oriented topics.