TikTok's New Bold Glamour Filter Is Going Viral — But Not For The Reason You Might Think

You might not always agree with everything you see on TikTok (I’ll gladly skip the cheese-covered pickle #FoodTok trend, thank you very much), but there’s a new makeup filter that’s so ridiculous it’s actually bringing people together. The filter, called Bold Glamour, gives users a seriously exaggerated makeover that even your favorite beauty YouTubers would disapprove of, and TikTok’s reaction to the over-the-top transformation has been nothing short of hilarious.

According to Know Your Meme, the Bold Glamour filter began making waves on TikTok in late February 2023. It didn’t take long before the glam-ified effect went viral, not because people actually liked the makeup look, but because users were quick to make fun of the filter for being so outrageous and, well, bold. With over-emphasized contouring, heavy eyebrow filling, extreme lash extensions, and blown-out lips, it doesn’t take a makeup expert to know the effect is totally unrealistic. To show just how dramatic the transformation can be, TikTokers will typically do a “before” and “after” in the filter, highlighting how they look with the Bold Glamour effect, and how they look without it. As you can probably guess, the results are pretty drastic but don’t worry, because TikTok seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

Creator @maxipadawan pointed out that the only time the filter looks realistic is after you’ve had one too many drinks, and when popular influencer Brittany Broski tested out the filter, the results were so shocking the creator was left speechless.

For some people, the filter reminds them of their favorite cartoon characters. User @cailinaomi compared the effect to the Ugly Stepsister from Shrek 2, while @kaboomalala thinks the filter gives strong Handsome Squidward vibes.

Meanwhile, @rachsullivan ____ could basically be Jeffree Starr’s doppelgänger with the filter on.

Of course, it hasn’t been all fun and games — creators have been very vocal about the dangers of the Bold Glamour filter as well, like when @magcooper warned that the filter would take the “catfishes to a whole other level,” or the impassioned speech user @osloboslo gave about being yourself while wearing the excessive filter.

One thing the filter does have going for it is that it attaches to faces a lot better than other makeup filters usually do. Users have even tried to get the filter to budge by wiping the “makeup” off their face, to no avail.

This isn’t the first filter to go viral on TikTok for being too over-the-top, and it probably won’t be the last, either. Instead of taking it too seriously, it’s best just to laugh it off and hope the trend doesn’t stick around for long.