'Pre-Shower Makeup' Is All Over TikTok Right Now: Here's What You Need to Know

This is not a drill: pre-shower makeup is a thing that's trending.

The term is making the rounds on social media right now, with the hashtag #preshowermakeup boasting more than 3.5 million views on TikTok alone, and the videos show young people embracing a love for creativity when it comes experimenting with their beauty routines.

One TikTok, which has been viewed over 1.5 million times, explains the trend simply as the user wrote on a video from Nov. 24: “Putting more makeup on right before you shower 😻🫶.” In the video, she applies a soft and light makeup look to her face and finishes off with a shiny lip gloss. 

People were quick to jump in with their shared love for experimenting right before they get in the shower, too, as a means of trying something new without the added pressure of leaving the house.

One user wrote that it’s “so fun to play around and experiment” when you’re just going to take the makeup off, and another wrote, “I like to practice, and if it turns out bad, I can wash it off.”

Another video reiterated the same idea — and garnered the same love in the comments — as a girl jokingly reacted to a hypothetical situation where a boy was coming over but she had a full-face of “pre-shower makeup” on and needed some time to take it off before he arrived. 

One user commented that the video “reminded” them to “start doing pre-shower makeup again,, such a small thing but it’s always so fun,” while another wrote, “At some point I stopped doing silly makeup and that makes me sad.” 

The comments also offered another definition of the trend, as one person asked what pre-shower makeup is, and a user replied: “It's when you experiment with makeup or do a silly makeup look because you're gonna wash it off right after so no repercussions.”

In another tutorial-style video, a TikTok user named Aimee admitted of her makeup skills, “I need to learn — and when’s a better time to do it?” as she attempted two different smoky-eye styles on each of her eyelids as part of her pre-shower makeup routine.

As the trend has taken a hold over TikTok, some brands are getting involved in the conversation. On Saturday, beauty brand Ipsy shared a video where a girl did her “pre-shower makeup” and wrote in the caption, “Pre shower makeup is always unhinged ✨.”

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The trend also offers an opportunity to try out new products, new styles of applying makeup or take a stab at new techniques that are making the rounds online — all without the added pressure of needing a perfect look for a night out.

As one TikTok user said in a video, pre-shower makeup offers her the chance to wear the bold red lip she’s “too scared to try during the day.