It appears that a sullen, sultry, and vampy makeup archetype is on the rise. The inspiration? 90s Angelina Jolie
It’s certain that the defining influence of the grunge culture is becoming more synonymous in the fashion and beauty sphere this season. Take Andreas Kronthaler’s Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2023 collection as an example. On the runway, models from Andreas Kronthaler’s Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2023 collection show presented a heavenly combination of cloud skin, cool-toned eyeshadows, and muted lipsticks. Meanwhile, thin brows, waterline eyeliners, and frosted complexion dominated Glen Marten’s Fall/Winter 2023 showcase.
More grunge chic than goth glam, the aesthetic has met its modern iteration with influential personalities like Gabbriette and Amelia Gray embracing it as their new beauty signature. Social media solidified its emergence with main players like Kylie Jenner, Mia Goth, and Dove Cameron introducing the look into the mainstream narrative. And from here, we can’t help but wonder if the beauty sphere entered the age of dark feminine energy.
A look into the new grunge beauty
The darker side of it-girl beauty has arrived. And no, it’s not associated with soft goth glam. The latest iteration is the sullen, sultry, and vampy archetype of grunge beauty. It’s Angelina Jolie in her “Born To Be Wild” magazine feature, Shalom Harlow and her signature cold gaze, and Lana Del Rey in her Ultraviolence era. More of it, the look is so specific. It’s the deadly yet sultry union of the dead-in-the-eyes and barely-there brows that radiate the ultimate dark feminine energy.
The genre offers different directions to play with, but a popular iteration takes a nod to model and musician Gabbriette Bechtel’s minimalistic approach to the look. Her eyes are defined with the use of a tightlining technique while her brows are kept sharp and clean. Meanwhile, a swipe of sheer nude lipstick completes her routine. The overall appeal? A vixen-like look that is ready to kill.
The 90s grunge chic
In beautytok, content creators like Zoe Kim Kenealey showcased an easy tutorial of the new deadly it-girl. “We want to look dead,” she punctuated in her tutorial that garnered 119.6k views. “So first, we are going to add some browns or reds above and below the eyes as usual.” Once set, she used a neutral-toned eyeshadow to create a wing that she soon blended to achieve a barely-there look.
@zoekimkenealy How to do the succubus chic makeup look inspired by an article i read from Dazed Beauty ❤️ Some people we have seen rocking the dead makeup look – amelia gray, kylie jenner, Gabbriette all gorg. #succubuschic #deadmakeup #darkmakeuplook #edgymakeuplook #makeup #grwmmakeup #benefitcosmetics #elfcosmetics #personacosmetics #rembeauty ♬ Edouard – Blind Delon
The beauty creator proceeded with defining her eyes with eyeliner. “What I’m going to do with my black eyeliner is smudge it and then use a Q-tip to feed into that very faint hint of a wing that we have.” Shortly after, she swished a combination of purple and gray bronzer to create the shade of the decade. Lastly, she completed the look with a swipe of brown lipstick.
Our point of view
The rise of modern grunge chic comes as no surprise. In fact, the beauty forecast anticipated new interpretations of edgy, sultry, and sexy makeup formats. Does this mean that we have entered the age of dark feminine energy? Perhaps, but it’s certain that its prevalence showcases a gentle shift away from the suffocating expectations of the clean-girl beauty aesthetic. More of it, it’s finding solace and beauty in darkness.
It’s undeniable that modern grunge is having its moment. However, it is also called out for glamorizing that aesthetic of illness. Fans also pointed out how the trend ushers in unrealistic standards of beauty by promoting paleness and hollow cheeks as the main component of achieving the look. Let’s change that. As mentioned before, our roles as conscious beauty fans are to acknowledge, navigate, and manage the good and the bad side of every trend. So what’s next? Diversify the trend and change the rules. After all, everybody deserves to visit their dark side once in a while.
