What Is 'Yarn Makeup' and Why Are So Many People Trying It Despite the Pain? (Exclusive)

• Nettie Lombardi is an 18-year-old makeup artist and influencer based in Connecticut
• Recently, she saw her friend Anna Murphy, a Canadian makeup artist, post about using yarn for makeup — a trend that involves gluing yarn to your face and painting over it with makeup — which has since gone worldwide
• She knew she had to try it, so she posted videos of the different looks on TikTok, where they went viral, amassing millions of views

Nettie Lombardi likes a challenge.

As soon as the 18-year-old makeup artist saw her friend Anna Murphy, a Canadian makeup artist, post about using yarn for makeup — a trend that involves gluing yarn to your face and painting over it with makeup — Lombardi knew she had to try it.

Even though the process was uncomfortable, she believed it would be worth it. She sat down and created a few different looks, from a pink clown design and a Coraline-inspired one to a white horror look. She posted videos of the different applications on TikTok, where they went viral, amassing millions of views.

"Whenever a trend emerges, I try to push its creative boundaries, exploring new colors, styles and mediums," the makeup artist and influencer based in Connecticut tells PEOPLE exclusively.

To create the yarn looks, Lombardi says the most important step is prepping her skin. She explains that without a clean, strong base, it's difficult to build on top of it. Next, she glues down her eyebrows with an Elmer’s glue stick, something many makeup artists commonly do.

Then, she applies a light layer of Vaseline to her face, before using Pros-Aide, one of the strongest adhesives in special effects makeup, to place the yarn on her face.

"Creating a yarn makeup look takes hours; nothing compares to the discomfort of this process," the makeup artist tells PEOPLE. "I carefully wrap yarn from the center of my face outward. The most challenging part is having the patience and precision to apply the yarn correctly."

"I cut holes for my nose and my mouth, it’s not as restrained as it looks," she adds.

Lombardi's most recent yarn makeup was inspired by Coraline, the 2009 stop-motion film by Henry Selick. She says her vision was to transform her face into the blue and purple portal from the movie, complete with button eyes.

"It was such a fun concept to bring to life," she adds. "The Coraline look took 6½ hours to complete. The original look I did took about 3 ½ hours."

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While Lombardi enjoys letting her creativity shine through during the makeup process, not everything is easy. She explains how, while trying it out, she realized the thickness of the yarn made a big difference. Although it takes longer to apply, she found that using thinner yarn makes blending with eyeshadow or other elements much easier.

"The yarn staying in place wasn’t the issue; it was sometimes too stuck," she adds. "If I were to do it again, I’d use Spirit Gum or even liquid latex as an alternative."

But one of the best parts is ultimately taking it off.

"I felt relieved and ready to take it off," she admits. "Most of my looks turn out differently than I initially envisioned because I always come up with last-minute ideas. But somehow, it always works out in the end. The removal process is interesting — I soak my face in Pros-Aide Remover and pull the yarn off. It’s so uncomfortable but so relieving at the same time!"

Since posting her designs on TikTok, Lombardi says it's been great reading through the comments, which fuel her creativity and motivate her even more.

"Some people have the most creative ideas I’ve ever heard," she says. "Honestly, their suggestions inspire most of my projects. I'm very thankful for my supportive fan base."

"I plan to experiment with different types of yarn and extend the design beyond just my face," she continues, teasing, "maybe even to my entire body."