TikTok's Best Tips For Doing Your Makeup When You Have Facial Piercings
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Face piercings are excellent methods of self-expression and can serve as edgier, more unique jewelry. These piercings can elevate any look, whether you opt for an eyebrow piercing, punk nostril piercing, both, or more. They also look stunning with makeup. However, facial piercings can make applying makeup more stressful and time-consuming, as no one wants to risk messing up their face jewelry or causing discomfort when doing their makeup.
Although applying makeup with facial piercings can be challenging, it isn't impossible. To safely and successfully apply makeup when you have face piercings, steer clear of the piercing. "You need flat, small brushes to work around the jewelry. I also recommend synthetic brushes, because they can easily be cleaned and dried rapidly for daily use around these open areas to help avoid infections, "Alex Sanchez, a Lancôme makeup artist, told Makeup.com. "I recommend using [long-wear] formulas for concealer, brow, and lipstick to prevent transfer and retouching throughout the day," he added. In addition to the makeup artist's advice, many TikTok users have helpful tips.
Your tongue can help you apply makeup near your Medusa piercing
You might have a Medusa piercing and not know the name of it. Medusa piercings are between the lips and the nose. "While decorative terms for lip piercings (like Monroe, Madonna, Marilyn, and the Medusa piercing) sound cool and catchy, they are technically and professionally all just considered lip piercings. However, this particular lip piercing ... does have a specific title: The Philtrum, named after the anatomical area of the piercing location," Johnny Pearce, a piercer at Nine Moons Piercing who is also a member of The Association of Professional Piercers, told Byrdie.
As for applying makeup around it, TikToker Sierra Cone, a professional makeup artist with over 24,000 followers, posted a video showing viewers with Medusa piercings how to use their tongues to help them apply makeup more easily. The makeup artist pressed the tongue against the inner upper lip, making it significantly easier to isolate the Medusa piercing and use a makeup brush to paint the makeup. That way, it goes under the jewelry since the area is pushed out for convenience.
Use micellar water and a Q-tip to clean off your facial jewelry
Do you want to get your makeup off your piercing without having to take the makeup off your face, too? You just need a Q-tip and micellar water to do the trick. Makeup and skincare-focused TikTok user @sathiaanna shared a video wearing a glamorous makeup look and gently blotting a Q-tip with micellar water on the nose piercing, noting, "You have to touch up your nose piercing."
Micellar water is good to keep around, as it's helpful for makeup removal. "Micellar water contains small particles called micelles. They work like a miniature sponge, mopping up dirt and makeup while hydrating your skin," dermatologist and Simple Skincare's advisory board member Dr. Debra Luftman told Byrdie. If you want to buy micellar water, Garnier offers many options, such as the Garnier Skinactive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1, selling for $10.49 with 4.6 out of five stars.
Don't add makeup to a newly pieced area
It's fun to wear makeup after your facial piercings finish healing, but it's best to avoid putting makeup on and around newer piercings that haven't had enough time to heal. TikToker Lynn Loheide, a professional piercer and piercing educator with over 660,000 followers, posted a video saying, "Don't put makeup around a fresh piercing. Please don't — it can cause a lot of irritation for a healing piercing for you to put makeup around it. So, for example, if you get your nostril pierced, you should not be putting any makeup on this whole side of your nose. Because no matter how good your foundation, or your primer, or your setting spray is, it's gonna move during the day and get in the piercing."
Regarding healing times, Metal Morphosis shared a video noting that nostril piercings typically take between four and six months to heal, septum piercings usually take three months, eyebrows tend to take four months, and lip piercings typically have healing periods of four months. It may sound frustrating to hear how long you'll have to go without makeup near your fresh piercing, but try to look at the situation as a chance to explore new makeup looks. In other words, if you typically wear a bold lip and can't because of a fresh lip piercing, consider that a sign to start experimenting with more eye makeup.
Use a tiny brush to put lip products on if you wear lip rings
After your lip piercings successfully finish healing, you can go back to wearing your favorite lip products, and using a petite makeup brush can help with the application. For example, a TikToker with more than 191,000 followers who goes by @dieforshiloh posted a video successfully painting black lipstick under the lip rings with a small makeup brush. The brush was little enough to fit under the jewelry, making this a clever technique for applying lipsticks, glosses, and balms if you have lip rings. The TikToker also wiped lipstick off the rings, so remember this step if any lip product accidentally ends up on your lip piercings.
You can find many small makeup brushes online. For instance, if you want a thin, angular makeup brush similar to the one in the video, the synthetic e.l.f. Small Angled Brush is available for $5 at Target and has 4.5 stars. Plus, the product is vegan and cruelty-free. If you want to splurge on a brush specifically for lips, the IT Brushes for ULTA Airbrush Essential Retractable Lip Brush #146 sells for $24 at Ulta. The luxurious vegan makeup brush has 4.5 stars.
Let bandages or tape cover your piercings when you do your makeup
Not to be confused with the viral eyeliner bandage technique, you can use small bandages to temporarily cover your facial piercings as you apply your makeup to avoid getting makeup in the piercing. Casper, a TikToker with over 297,000 followers, shared a video covering new facial piercings with Band-Aids during the makeup application process. After taking off the piercings, the TikToker blended the makeup.
The helpful hack isn't only for bandages, as you can use tape, too. Karisa, a professional piercer, posted a video explaining that covering piercings with tape before you put on your makeup will prevent the piercings from getting infected. Of course, you'll need to remember to blend if you use tape, too. The piercer noted that both Scotch and masking tape work, in addition to Band-Aids. So, use whichever piercing cover-up option you feel most comfortable putting on your face.
Consider applying eye makeup under, not on the piercing
All the healing and hacks in the world might not be enough for some people to feel comfortable putting makeup directly on their eyebrow jewelry and eyelid piercings. So, if you don't feel comfortable wearing eyeshadow on those areas because of your piercings, try looks that involve applying the makeup lower on the eyelid. For example, a TikToker who goes by @zombrree shared a video of a dramatic smokey eyeshadow look where the intense eyeshadow stayed beneath the piercings rather than touching them.
Winged or subtle eyeliner is another option to consider instead of eyeshadow, as is doing makeup under the eyes rather than more traditional eyeshadow looks on the eyelid. For instance, @dekalbtattoocompany posted a video of someone with eyebrow piercings wearing a daring swirly black eyeliner under the eye for a dauntless snake-like effect. That said, you don't have to stop wearing makeup or commit to only low-key looks if you don't want to put it on your piercings.
Try applying lip products with your fingers
Although small makeup brushes help apply lip products around lip piercings, brushes aren't the only option for people with those piercings. If you don't want to spend the extra money on a thin makeup brush, you may want to use your fingers to carefully put on your lip product. For example, Maisie, a TikToker with several piercings, shared a video doing makeup. To apply a lip product, the TikToker used her finger to blot and gently spread the lip color on the lips around the piercings for a sexy, semi-smudgy appearance. If you want to take the smudged look even further, you may also want to try the controversial lollipop lips trend.
However, only use your fingers to apply your lipstick, gloss, or balm after washing your hands or when you're 100% sure they're clean. "Even if there's an antigen in the balm that's meant to prevent bacterial growth, that won't protect you if you have bacteria on your fingers when you apply the balm," Elaine Larson, Ph.D., an infectious disease researcher who is also a professor at Columbia University, told Prevention.
Use a septum piercing as a guideline for eyeliner
While most facial piercings can make applying makeup a little more challenging or time-consuming, a septum piercing can actually help you perfect your eyeliner look. Makeup guru and TikTok user @gnomefightclub, who has a septum piercing, posted a video attaching a string to the piercing, adding black pigment to that string, and lifting the string's two sides so the black pigment would create two guidelines for eyeliner wings. The results lead to perfect winged eyeliner looks. Impressed viewers commented, "She really is a genius."
Another TikTok user, @fearthebug, decided to test the hack to see if it genuinely works. The TikToker shared a video following the steps of attaching the string to the septum piercing, painting black makeup on the string, and lifting the sides to create eyeliner wing guidelines. It turns out, this user also ended up with beautiful eyeliner wings after finishing the look, proving that the hack works.