TikTok is no stranger to bizarre beauty trends, but the latest viral sensation, ‘yarn doll makeup,’ is creeping out the internet.
This eerie technique involves wrapping the face in strings of yarn before layering on intricate makeup designs, resulting in a distorted, ribbed texture that looks straight out of a nightmare.
While the trend's uncanny appearance is unsettling, users can't seem to look away. One of the most viral clips, posted by Holly Murray Makeup, has amassed over 21.6 million views, with countless commenters torn between fascination and fear. “I love watching you do these, but I am genuinely going to have a nightmare tonight of a yarn doll,” one user wrote. Another admitted, “So SO good!! Also not sleeping tonight!!”
Some makeup artists are pushing the trend to extreme levels. Creator Layli Boker went viral for placing the yarn dangerously close to her eyes, writing in her caption, “My eyes seemed to burn me.” One concerned viewer reacted, “This made me uncomfortable for some reason.”
The trend traces back to 19-year-old Anna Murphy, who unknowingly sparked the craze when she posted a Spirited Away-inspired look on March 15. Her video racked up a staggering 52 million views, and soon, TikTokers everywhere were attempting the unsettling style.
Murphy later shared a tutorial, revealing that she uses Mehron White Liquid Makeup as a base before gluing strands of yarn onto her face with Ben Nye Spirit Gum. “When I got to my mouth area, I would just cut [the yarn]. Same with my eyes,” she explained. Despite the striking visual effect, she admitted that wearing it felt “terrible.”
This isn’t the first time TikTok has embraced eerie aesthetics. In 2023, the ‘uncanny valley makeup’ trend had users obsessed with hyper-realistic, unsettling looks. Now, as yarn doll makeup continues to dominate For You Pages, it’s proving once again that TikTok’s beauty trends can be both mesmerizing—and downright disturbing.