Nikkie de Jager has blown us away with plenty of makeup looks over the years. This time, she is blowing everyone away with bubbles.
The beauty creator, better known online as NikkieTutorials, transformed her face into an underwater fantasy featuring electric blue and purple eyeshadow, crystals, and several translucent blue 'bubbles' seemingly floating across her forehead and cheeks.
Anyone who spent the '90s attempting to inflate a tiny blob of colourful plastic without accidentally creating a sad, deflated lump may recognise those bubbles from somewhere in the toy aisle.
Meet B'loonies, the gloriously strange childhood toy that apparently had an unexpected second career in beauty waiting for it.
NikkieTutorials Gives B'loonies a Beauty Promotion
De Jager's makeup is already working hard enough to pay a year's worth of rent before the bubbles even enter the chat. Her eyes are framed by a dramatic gradient of icy blue, turquoise, violet, and deep purple, stretching into a sharp wing. Tiny crystals scattered beneath her eyes add to the aquatic effect, while heavily flushed pink cheeks and glossy nude lips keep the rest of the look suitably fantastical.
Then there's the main event: the bubbles.
Different-sized translucent blue orbs sit across her forehead and along both sides of her face, turning De Jager into a hybrid of a mermaid, a beauty editorial, and the contents of a '90s toy box. Jumping onto the trend, she managed to give it that signature sassy Nikkie-spin.
The resemblance brings back memories of B'loonies, also known as plastic balloon gel. The retro toy came with a tube of colourful paste and a small plastic straw, allowing determined children to squeeze out a blob, attach it to the straw, and blow until it expanded into a thin plastic bubble.
Provided, of course, that it actually cooperated. And it was a delight to watch De Jager discover the fun and frustration of blowing a successful plastic bubble in the name of creative beauty. Based on the final look, she certainly showed those bubbles who's boss.
Anyone whose childhood B'loonie repeatedly collapsed before reaching anything resembling balloon status may now feel personally attacked by De Jager casually wearing several flawless versions on her face.
From Toy Box to Makeup Bag
The throwback factor makes an already elaborate makeup look even more whimsical.
The toy became almost as memorable for its distinctive chemical scent as for the bubbles themselves, making this one nostalgic comeback that may be best appreciated visually. Nevertheless, '90s kids who've experienced playing with this inflatable toy might be haunted by the scent they can never really 'un-smell'.
De Jager's version, meanwhile, takes the recognisable translucent effect and sends it somewhere more glamorous. Teaming up with her shimmering blue-and-purple eye makeup, the bubbles grew up from a childhood toy drawer and floated into an enchanted ocean.
Beauty trends routinely raid decades past for inspiration, from pencil-thin brows to frosted lips. However, resurrecting the plastic bubbles children once attempted to inflate through tiny straws? That is digging deep into the nostalgia archives.
Apparently, everything really does come back into fashion, even the bubbles notorious for testing one's patience. Y2K wasn't joking about its comeback.
