The Korean spatula, as it's called on TikTok, has become a must-have for applying foundation. Photo: AFP
Handy for turning meat, folding in mixtures, covering cakes with cream and, more recently, for applying foundation, the spatula has become a must-have beauty accessory on TikTok. In fact, some users have ditched their traditional brushes and sponges in favour of this tool.
Straight from South Korea, the tip already has over 300 million views on the Chinese social network.
Is anyone still surprised to see a kitchen utensil making its way into the bathroom? In recent months, there has been a boom in the number of beauty tips using objects and ingredients straight out of the kitchen.
The fork, for example, previously only seen at mealtimes, is now being used to enhance contouring and apply eyeliner. Meanwhile, the strainer has become a go-to for perfect curls, and aluminium foil is being used to tame flyaways.
Today, TikTok users are doubling down on inventiveness to repurpose the most classic of kitchen utensils into veritable beauty allies.
This phenomenon has now reached the spatula, which in recent weeks has gone from being a favourite accessory of pancake lovers to an essential beauty tool, since it's being used to achieve a flawless complexion.
Read more: Less is more! That's what beauty's new trend, skin streaming, is all about
A K-beauty inspiration
But fear not, unlike the fork and colander hacks, this one is not about trading in your brushes or beauty blender for a rubber or wooden spatula, but of investing in a genuine cosmetic or beauty spatula – also known as a makeup or foundation spatula – which is smaller and more suitable for applying the products that form your daily routine.
Straight out of South Korea, and thus the K-beauty playbook, this tool is not only a hit with users of the Chinese social network, but also with many makeup experts, including one TikTok user (@glowwithava), who has more than 1.7 million followers.
On TikTok, the #spatula hashtag already has over 300 million views, although some are about the actual kitchen utensil, while the hashtag #koreanspatula (this time leaving little doubt) already has almost nine million views, reflecting a craze for this beauty technique.
On the social network, it's first and foremost the result obtained with the spatula that is a hit, the tool facilitating the application of foundation while offering a smooth, radiant complexion, without any visible imperfections, and a glassy, almost transparent appearance.
In other words, it creates the perfect "glass skin" look – a trend inspired by Korean women's skin that went viral last year.
But that's not the only merit touted by TikTokers, who also see this as a way of embracing a more minimalist makeup routine, something that's particularly in tune with the times.
In fact, the spatula allows you to apply a smaller amount of foundation without worrying about the excess being absorbed by a sponge or the bristles of a brush. This saving is not without interest for followers of the trend.
Read more: Can't seem to get your makeup contouring right? Just use tape
Bye-bye bacteria!
But it's undoubtedly the question of hygiene that could definitively propel the spatula to the top of the list of must-have beauty tools.
Unlike sponges and brushes – or even hands – which can be veritable breeding grounds for bacteria without regular, thorough cleaning, spatulas are more often than not made of stainless steel, a material renowned for its ease of maintenance and hygienic properties.
This gives it a significant advantage over traditional foundation tools, and should further boost the number of views for this new technique, which has gone viral on social networks.
