"Clown contouring" is the latest trend to take off in the beauty world, and though it might sound like a joke, it is a pretty effective makeup technique.

Clown Color Correct Highlight & Contour screenshot video © 2015 YouTube, LLC

The phenomenon started earlier in the summer when beauty blogger BellaDeLune posted a video to YouTube showing how an extreme-looking theatrical clown base of makeup could be blended into a subtly contoured look. Beauty lovers everywhere have since pounced on the idea and women all over the world are now testing it out and showing off the results on Instagram.

The process requires setting out triangular panels with ’teardrops’ under the eyes, before adding a bold circle of bright pink blush and crudely over exaggerating the lip area. It started out as a bit of fun, but the idea comes from a poignant place. "Even though you don’t need this amount of makeup or any makeup at all to look beautiful, let’s face it, makeup is fun and it’s a way of expressing yourself," explains BellaDeLune in her video. She adds: "I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been called a clown and been called many other names and been hated on because of the way that I use this art form."

Clown contouring sees classic highlighting and contouring techniques used on the nose and forehead, while wackier touches including recreating a poop emoji on your face which is then blended away, keeping things tongue in cheek.

The fun has rolled over onto Instagram, where women have been posting videos and pictures of their own attempts — some serious and others less so. But Belladelune has started something, and several tutorials have cropped up on YouTube ever since her original post, including a step-by-step serious instruction film by SmashinBeauty and one by makeup artist Wayne Goss demonstrating the effect on men. Bustle has also posted a hilarious video of its editors trying out the look on themselves.

Whether this trend is here to stay or not remains to be seen, but it’s good to remember that when it comes to beauty, a little clowning around never hurt anyone.