The #tinyfacechallenge is the latest creepy quarantine craze
The latest coronavirus quarantine challenge is giving folks a ‘toon-up.
Makeup wizards are flooding Instagram, TikTok and Twitter with hundreds of wacky — and at times creepy — makeovers that create the cartoonish illusion of a freakishly petite face.
Using hashtags including #tinyfacechallenge, #tinyfacemakeupchallenge and #tinyface, people are covering up the bottom half of their face with scarves and then painting tiny mouth replicas and nostrils on their noses. The effects veer anywhere between disturbing and hilarious.
One popular six-minute video by cosmetologist Jaime French has racked up nearly 1.4 million views since she posted it to Instagram on April 29.
The tutorial caught the attention of admirers who attempted to mirror her expertise. Others also posted their own video primers.
Some inspired artists even incorporate nose piercings into their new visages by transforming them into lip piercings for the finished makeover. Others make use of cups and straws as props so their new faux mouths look functional and slurp-ready.
Still others display some admirable lip-syncing skills — or shall I say, nose-syncing? — or channel celebrities like pop singer Britney Spears to turn their makeovers into performance art.
@sorayashiranlou #tinyfacechallenge #tinyfacemakeupchallenge #makeup #makeupartist #alwayslearning #vibewithme #fyp #foryoupage
@katerina___vlachou 👶🏻Δεν έχω σταματήσει να γελάω 😂#tinyfacemakeupchallenge
However, other transformations take stranger turns with jarring painted-on teeth, zombie makeovers, Betty Boop-esque eyes and generally unsettling attributes.
Perhaps beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Brooklyn “drag enthusiast” @strewniverse put together a particularly unsettling face while noting in the caption, “honestly I’ve never felt more glamorous.” Or, in the words of another challenge-taker, “Quarantine makes you do Strange things.”