TikTok has always been a breeding ground for bizarre trends, but the viral ‘yarn doll makeup’ is leaving people deeply unsettled.
The eerie TikTok trend involves wrapping the face in strings of yarn before painting intricate designs over it. The result? A ribbed, distorted texture that creates a hallucinatory, almost nightmarish effect.
Despite its uncanny appearance, TikTok users are mesmerized by the trend. One of the most viral clips, posted by Holly Murray Makeup, has racked up over 21.6 million views, with thousands of commenters admitting they don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified.
“I love watching you do these, but I am genuinely going to have a nightmare tonight of a yarn doll,” one person wrote. “So SO good!! Also not sleeping tonight!!” another said. “The yarn makes my skin crawl,” someone else added.
Some makeup artists have taken the trend to extreme levels. Creator Layli Boker went viral for applying the yarn so close to her eyes that she wrote in her caption, “My eyes seemed to burn me.” One concerned commenter stated: “This made me uncomfortable for some reason.”
Origin of yarn makeup trend
The ‘yarn doll makeup’ trend originated from 19-year-old Anna Murphy, who first went viral on March 15 after posting a Spirited Away-inspired look. Her clip amassed a staggering 52 million views, and she quickly became the accidental founder of the unsettling craze.
Murphy even provided a tutorial for those wanting to replicate the effect. She explained that she starts with a base of Mehron White Liquid Makeup, then glues strands of yarn onto her face using Ben Nye Spirit Gum.
“When I got to my mouth area, I would just cut [the yarn]. Same with my eyes,” she explained. After that, she would just do her makeup as usual.
Although the final look is visually striking, Murphy admitted that wearing it felt “terrible,” a sentiment many viewers can probably relate to just from watching.
The yarn doll makeup trend is still spreading rapidly on TikTok, racking up millions of views and likes as it takes over more For You Pages across the platform.
This isn’t the first time an unsettling makeup trend has gone viral on TikTok. Back in 2023, the ‘uncanny valley’ makeup craze had users obsessed with eerie, hyper-realistic looks.
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