While ‘clean girl makeup’ has been one of the biggest Makeup trends of the last few years, more people are beginning to embrace the messier side of things.
If you’re a bigger fan of darker, more intense makeup looks that make you want to hit the town or attend a rock concert, Grunge Makeup may be the look for you.
While minimalist, clean girl makeup is great for extenuating your features and channeling your softer side, sometimes you want to feel transformed by your makeup and go for something edgier.
Grunge makeup is perfect for those who aren’t super concerned with precision and perfection. It’s also a great choice for anyone who loves a 90s punk aesthetic or saves iconic photographs of rock and roll legends to their Pinterest boards.
While grunge makeup may look a bit complicated at times, you can do a few simple things to achieve it.
You need the basics
The supplies you need to achieve great grunge makeup are likely already in your makeup collection. You need all your face makeup basics, along with neutral eyeshadow colors and dark eyeliner. If you’re a makeup enthusiast, you likely have all those things.
Take a walk on the darker side
If most of your eyeshadows and eyeliners are in light shades, it’s time to take a walk on the darker side. Neutral eyeshadows in brown and beige shades are good, but you may also want to attempt a grungy, smoky eye look, which will require some black and grey shadows.
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The same goes with eyeliner – while brown eyeliner is great for a more subtle, clean girl look, black eyeliner is a much-needed product for grunge makeup.
Don’t be afraid to get smudgy
When going for a more typical makeup look, the idea of your mascara or eyeliner smudging is a nightmare. But for grunge makeup, it’s actually ideal.
One of the most popular go-to grunge looks is a neutral eyeshadow topped off with smudgy black eyeliner. You can achieve this by applying your eyeliner how you normally would and then carefully rubbing your eyes with your fingers to smudge it out.
Many black eyeliner pencils and crayons come with a small spongey tip to smudge it out, but sometimes, using your fingers works best.
Shop for long-wear products
Because part of grunge makeup involves smudging and imperfect application, you’ll want products that can last a long time. Shop for foundations, eyeshadows, and eyeliners that promote their long-wear qualities.
After all, if you’re already smudging your eyeliner on purpose, you don’t want it to continue to melt away on you throughout the day.
Following these simple tips will get you on your way to channeling your favorite punk and grunge icons. Enjoy walking on the wilder side and letting go of all the traditional makeup rules!
