What goes around comes around – and nowhere is this truer than in the world of beauty trends, where second (or third… maybe fourth?) comings happen periodically. If, like me, you were born in the ’80s or ’90s, you’ll be more than au fait with the latest trend to garner 251 million views (and counting) on TikTok. Nineties grunge is back, with the youth – including Hailey Bieber, who just told Vogue it was an “effortless” trend she will be experimenting with this year – are wielding their jet-black kohl pencils and sleeping in their make-up again.
“Beauty trends have a way of coming around again, repackaged under different names,” says make-up artist, Lisa Eldridge, an industry veteran. “In the last few decades, a heavy, hyper-perfected make-up look has dominated and the resurgence of ’90s grunge is a manifestation of our fatigue trying to achieve this. Likewise, the first time round, ’90s grunge make-up was a reaction to the excessive glamour and full-on make-up of the ’80s.”
@daniellemarcan kate moss, messy-worn in makeup > clean girl makeup for 2024. ib @Rowi @Natalie #makeup #beauty
Noting that she has lived through “almost two identical loops of make-up trends”, Eldridge is excited at the return of ’90s grunge: “It was always a favourite of mine and I’m particularly thrilled to see a new generation gravitating towards something less ‘paint by numbers’ and appreciating the beauty of the perfectly imperfect,” she says. Meanwhile, make-up artist Jamie Genevieve welcomes the return of ’90s grunge because it “encourages people to play with their make-up”. “It’s more fun,” she says.
The ’90s grunge of today is not far removed from what it was 20 years ago, with Bieber referencing the “beautiful, undone skin” and “smudgy eyeliner” that she’s seen on TikTok. But back then, it was a revolutionary movement: “As a young make-up artist in the ’90s, I could see the glamour of the ’80s was beginning to look old-fashioned,” Eldridge explains. “We wanted real skin and lived-in make-up and for it to look cool, androgynous and youthful. It was about creating something that felt fresh and made a statement – and this ran through every channel you can imagine, from Seattle to London and New York; through music (think Nirvana) to fashion (think Marc Jacobs and Perry Ellis). It was the first time in history that make-up had been so pared-back, stark and sometimes brutal.”
That mood translated to make-up that looked real and lived-in, with kohl-lined eyes that looked like they’d been slept in for a couple of nights and a cool, androgynous aesthetic. Today, all you need to do is find a creamy kohl and creating lived-in, smudgy eyes will be easy – you need something that has lots of movement and glides onto the eyes, like Eldridge’s Seamless Glide Eye Pencil in Black Treacle. “Line the waterline and the edge of your lower and upper lash line, then smudge gently with your fingertips,” she adds.
For a really authentic ’90s eye, try adding a little shine/grease onto eyelids. “Back in the day, I would use products from Kryolan, or Vaseline on eyes, lips and cheeks to achieve a raw, edgy look,” she says. “A good modern equivalent would be Jones Road’s Miracle Balm – it’s lightly tinted and doesn’t bring too much colour, which is great for achieving an authentic look.”
For Genevieve, the ’90s grunge trend also includes a nude lip – “concealer lips, but ones that look good!” – and a cool-toned smokey eye. “It’s not about perfectionism, but all about being a little bit messy,” she says, recommending the Vieve Ninetease palette as the perfect eyeshadow shades to achieve the look yourself. Don’t forget – as so many did the first time around – to cleanse it all off afterwards. The beauty of make-up formulas today is that you don’t need to sleep in them to achieve the right effect. As Bieber explains, it’s all about the evening cleanse – Rhode’s new Pineapple Enzyme Cleanser to the rescue.
And a final tip? Whatever route you choose to go down in pursuit of ’90s grunge, really it’s all about your approach. “Don’t be too precise,” says Eldridge. “The idea is to make the make-up look as unstudied as possible – sometimes the messier it goes on, the better the results are!”
Lisa Eldridge Beauty Seamless Glide Eye Pencil
£24
Selfridges
VIEVE The Ninetease Palette
£49
Cult Beauty
Jones Road Miracle Balm
£36
Jones Road
Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly
£1.80
Ocado