The slept-in smoky eye takes the look to another level. Photo: AFP
An imperfect, neglected or hastily done beauty look is the makeup inspiration of the moment, giving rise to a craze for the slept-in smoky eye.
The concept is as simple as it is disconcerting, in that it involves making your eyes look as if you'd gone to bed without removing your makeup, complete with smudged mascara and eyeshadow.
Summer is a time to go wild and try anything, but the fall, back-to-school season could give way to a darker, edgier and almost unkempt style.
While the neat, colourful aesthetics of Barbie and the Clean Girl were big news in 2022, it seems that grunge is slowly but surely making its way into women's closets – and their bathrooms.
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The "succubus chic" trend became all the rage at the start of the year, followed this spring by the "rockstar girlfriend" look, with hundreds of millions of views on social networks.
Inspired by grunge, underground and gothic styles, this aesthetic is based around leather, fishnet, rock band T-shirts and boots as well as extreme smoky eyes – almost panda eyes.
This is where the slept-in smoky eye comes in – the latest beauty craze for grunge fans, as well as those with a lazier approach to life.
Kate Moss-style smoky eyes
As you might have guessed, the idea is to apply eye makeup as if you hadn't removed it the day before – something that beauty purists might not even want to think about.
It's obviously possible – although not recommended – to actually just go to bed without removing your makeup, a concept that should appeal to those who only have a few minutes to spend on their morning routine.
Wednesday Addams, heroine of the hit Netflix show which landed at the end of 2022, is an obvious poster girl for this new trend, but it also brings grunge icons from the 1990s and 2000s back into the spotlight, starting with Kate Moss (who else?), but also Pamela Anderson and even Angelina Jolie.
"Slept-in smoky eyes are grungy and imperfect. That’s what makes it cool. It’s unapologetic and a little scary. It’s refreshing to try a different approach to your makeup. To think, 'How can I make this look weirder and less perfect?'" the head makeup artist for Euphoria and Half-Magic Beauty cofounder, Doniella Davy, told the beauty website Byrdie.
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The trend has already flooded social networks, and is gradually making inroads on runway and red carpets, led by the likes of Dua Lipa, Emma Chamberlain and Cara Delevingne.
To create a slept-in smoky eye, simply intensify a smoky eye and take it to the extreme by replacing powdery textures with liquid or creamy products.
And don't restrict yourself to the upper eyelid. On the contrary, to get the look, it's imperative to go all around the eye, applying product flush to the lashes.
Despite what the name might suggest, the idea is not to end up with an actual panda eye effect. – AFP Relaxnews
