The word “coquette” means “a flirt” in French, so you can probably guess playful and light are key traits of TikTok’s booming coquette beauty trend. Makeup, nails, and hair make up the facets of the hyper-feminine look, and they involve soft, light accents, accessories, and shades. Think of Madison Beer, Lily-Rose Depp, Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, and Hailey Bieber as your inspo for the aesthetic—which meets somewhere between the balletcore and Barbiecore trends. Bows and pastel pinks are your vision.
“If Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon and Cher from Clueless had a baby, they would birth coquette,” says celebrity hairstylist and All About Curls ambassador, Sophie Rose Gutterman. “Coquette is that little girl that lives in all of us. This trend is all about bows, pink, and pearls—everything your inner child loves.”
About the Experts:
Sophie Rose Gutterman is a celebrity hairstylist and All About Curls ambassador.
Heather Raffaela is an ad and editorial makeup artist.
Rianna Basurto is the Bellacures marketing specialist.
How to Get the Coquette Beauty Look
1. Apply a Radiant Primer
The coquette beauty trend’s makeup look calls for dewy skin (not matte), so you won’t want to miss your skin prep on this one. Once you at least apply moisturizer and SPF, you’ll want to apply a radiant, glowy primer. The SMASHBOX COSMETICS Photo Finish Radiance Primer is an excellent product to give built-in luminosity while also prepping the skin for makeup.
2. Apply a Luminous Foundation
Going with the theme of glimmer, a radiant foundation should be your next pick. We suggest the Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation, thanks to its full coverage, yet second skin effect. “For luminosity and glow, apply with a dense brush for an airbrush-like effect,” suggests editorial makeup artist Heather Raffaela.
3. Brighten Up the Under-Eyes
Bright under-eyes are a staple of this trend, so you’ll need a specific type of product to get the job done. “You want to correct, brighten, and conceal without making the under-eyes appear heavy and dry,” Raffaela explains. This is why we’re fans of the TOO FACED COSMETICS Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer, which does it all in one.
The MUA goes on to say, “By applying the concealer in inner and outer corners of the eyes, this really helps create the wide-eye effect.”
4. Apply Pinkish, Holographic Eye Makeup
If you can get your hands on HALF MAGIC Blushing Lizard, Raffaela says you’re set for this look. But if not, any soft pink shimmer will do. We personally love the easy-to-apply DITO Eyeshadow in Charon. It’s a shimmery, soft pink you can think of as a highlighter for your eyes. “Use your finger to highlight the eyelids and give that very ethereal glow,” Raffaela instructs. “Using the warmth of your finger will allow the most seamless almost blurred blend when using duochrome shadows.”
5. Create a Flick Effect With Eyeliner
You don’t need to go overboard with your liner for this look, but you’ll want to apply the small flick effect. This can be easily achieved with THE QUICK FLICK Perfect Wings Eyeliner Stamp in Modest 10mm Intense Black. But you can opt for a different color and different marker if you so choose.
6. Add Mascara and/or Lashes
You can’t do flirty without fluttering lashes! Opt for banded false lash clusters for an “endearingly innocent look,” Raffaela suggests. But if falsies aren’t your thing, you can stick with just mascara. We love the GRANDE COSMETICS Grande MASCARA. It’s a tried-and-true classic that’s a fit for all lash types.
7. Apply a Pink Blush
As if the look wasn’t fun enough up to this point, this is where things really get exciting. You can’t do coquette makeup without flushed cheeks.
“The blush is really your hero product, tying in all your elements of monochromatic color together,” Raffaela explains. “By sweeping the products on the apples of your cheek wrapping up to the cheekbone, you can even sweep the blush across the bridge of your nose for that natural flush look. Because blush gives luminosity and glow to the skin, it adds the texture and glow of femininity and romance.”
We’re fans of a velvety smooth, soft pink like the VIOLET VOSS Radiant Blush. Raffaela also recommends a cool-toned blush like the MAKEUP BY MARIO Soft Pop Plumping Blush in Perfect Pink.
8. Apply a Pink, Translucent Glossy Lip Color
To tie the entire face together, Raffaela recommends a swipe of translucent pink lip gloss. We love the UNFILTERED BEAUTY CO Pout Potion Lip Oil. It’s packed with good-for-you ingredients and offers a plump, juicy pout with a pretty pink we just can’t leave home without. You can apply this over a lip liner or lipstick, or simply wear it solo.
9. Accessorize the Strands
It’s time to bust out the pearls, pink and red bows, and cute hair clips.
“LELET NY has some cute custom pieces if you’re doing a red carpet look, but I also turn to Amazon to get bows and different colored ribbons to create with,” Gutterman says. “Self-adhesive pearls are a great way to spice up some baby hairs, but be playful above all else!”
10. Tie the Look Together With Your Nails
For a head-to-toe coquette beauty aesthetic, don’t sell your nails short (literally and figuratively!).
“For nails aligned with this design, we recommend longer almond or squared shapes,” says Bellacures marketing specialist Rianna Basurto. “These shapes offer more canvas to craft the perfect coquette effect with intricate nail art and accents. While longer almond or square shapes are suggested, this design can be adapted to suit any nail length.”
Once your length is in place, you can apply your color and accents.
“Initially, the coquette nail trend favored ultra-feminine tones like creamy whites and baby pinks,” Basurto explains. “However, this winter, clients are taking a bolder approach, incorporating darker hues such as wine reds, plum purples, and even black. Regardless of color, accessories remain constant. This trend thrives on bows, pearls, and gems—the more accessories the better when it comes to the coquette effect.”
For a nail shade that matches the classic coquette beauty trend, we suggest the CONTEXT SKIN
Nail Lacquer, a glossy, high-pigmented soft pink.
Coquette Beauty Looks We Love
1. Mix and Match
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Sabrina Carpenter is the coquette queen, as she often opts for bows, pinks, and youthful styles. The singer mixes different colors and prints here to create an endlessly eye-catching aesthetic.
2. All That Glitters
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A post shared by Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber (@haileybieber)
We’ve seen the coquette beauty trend on Hailey Bieber quite a bit as of late, but this look is one of our favorites. She kicks playful up a few notches for a glitzy nighttime look with toned-down soft pink glam.
3. Pink and Pearl
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If you want to play up coquette nails, these right here are your answer. The pink, the pearls, the bows, the hearts. It doesn’t get more feminine and flirty than this!
4. Soft and Sweet
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For a quick guide, this easy hair how-to implements cute pink ribbons to complement a full face of coquette beauty glam. While the aesthetic appears super done-up, it’s also really simple as seen here.
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