Glam grunge makeup is blowing up and we have all the inspo

Even before Wednesday hit our screens, the grunge aesthetic was undergoing a renaissance. But Jenna Ortega’s edgy portrayal of the Addam’s Family’s fave lil sis has sent grunge makeup truly stratospheric. Add to that the runway’s seal of approval from Versace and Christian Dior and a truly bonkers following on TikTok  and the trend has officially been crowned the one to watch (and wear) for 2023.

It’s so firmly back on the agenda, the hashtag #grunge has picked up an eye-watering 7 billion views on TikTok with users look to lean into the look. And breakouts like #grungeaesthetic (864 million views) and #grungemakeup (107 million views) are bringing up the rear. So, yup, looks like Gwen Stefani’s handed on the baton.

The vibe? Think dark matte lipstick, paler foundation shades, black nail polish, seriously smoky and smudgy eyes, messy, untamed hair and a whole load of attitude. 

The angsty ’90s aesthetic has also seen related searches for “E-girl”, “punk”, “goth” and “alt makeup” climb – all with the same effortlessly cool, rebellious end-goal. The new-gen revival has already on-boarded celebs like Doja Cat and Julia Fox who have each been sporting raw skin, skinny brows and smutty dark eyeshadow. But a softer sub-aesthetic: “grunge glam” and “soft grunge” favoured by the likes of Jenna, Camila Cabello and Zoe Kravitz is offering a more wearable approach so that anyone can tap into the grunge makeup trend.

Here’s 6 of the trends signature details…

High contrast highlights

Rogue blonde face-framing streaks have become synonymous with the trend, especially when worn a little messy with minimal styling.

Heavy eye bags

Turns out looking like you’ve been up all night is a major lewk, according to a makeup video from Nika (aka @chimpgal) that went viral. The trick, dot red lipstick over your eye bags and blend it out to make them look more raw. “I swear this makes everyone 10x hotter,” Nika wrote.