What is grunge makeup – how to do it yourself

Grunge makeup is not particularly sophisticated, and it seems that it will not be difficult to make it. However, there are many nuances that you need to know in order to look modern and harmonious. You need to know the basic principles of creating a bold image.

A bit of grunge history

Grunge style appeared in the 80s thanks to Kurt Cobain and other musicians. The anti-glamor look of the performers inspired make-up artists to make casual makeup, which quickly became popular among girls. In the 90s, sloppy fashion began to fade, and now it is returning in other versions.

Features of grunge makeup

Makeup is not characterized by clear lines, smooth transitions. This make-up puts emphasis on the rebellious wild temper. It is worth putting aside a pencil for a clear lip contour and eyeliner for graphic arrows.

Who suits this style?

Of course, you need to have the courage to do a grunge makeup, so it is suitable for natures who like to stand out. In general, the flexibility of style makes it possible to adapt it to different facial features and for any occasion, except for formal events where a dress code is provided.

Distinctive features

There are many options for grunge makeup, but it is based on:

• matte pale skin;
• smoky eyes;
• dark lips.

Elements can be combined, experiment with colors, cosmetic products.

What makeup do you need?

To create makeup, you need basic products that can be found in any cosmetic bag:

• the foundation is slightly lighter than your skin tone;
• bb cream and powder if you like lighter coverage;
• eyeliner, brush, dark range of shadows and mascara for smoky eyes;
• matte lipstick wine, purple or brown;
• pencil and clear brow gel.

How to do makeup yourself – step by step instructions

Doing your own smoky eye makeup is easy. You just need to act confidently and follow the order of applying funds:

• Cleanse your face and apply moisturizer.
• Blend foundation with a brush, sponge or fingertips.
• Hide imperfections with concealer.

• Fill the entire moving eyelid with dark bronze shadows.

• Emphasize the lower eyelid with the same shade of eyeshadow. To do this, blend it along the waterline.

• Draw the crease of the eyelid with brown shadows and blend the shade towards the temples. 

• Using a dark pencil, draw the top and bottom edges.

• Apply mascara to upper and lower lashes in 2-3 coats. 

• If necessary, fill in the eyebrows with a pencil.
• Fix the result with a transparent gel.
• Apply the sculptor from the hairline to the cheekbones.
• Matte lipstick can accentuate flakiness, so exfoliate your lips or pat them dry with a terry towel.
• Apply lipstick. In grunge, you can not paint lips too carefully.

Grunge Makeup Ideas for Different Eye Colors

Choose shades of shadows in accordance with the color nuances of your eyes, this will emphasize individuality:

• Brown eyes. Brown eyes often have additional pigments on the iris. Emphasize them – and your look will become more expressive. So, warm brown shadows with a copper tint on the lash line will highlight green and gold blotches, and shades of red in contrast will give them drama.
• Blue eyes. For owners of blue eyes, makeup artists recommend dark gray, brown, silver shades.
• Gray eyes can be emphasized with classic shades: black, beige or sand. You should also try chocolate or purple shadows;
• Green eyes. Girls with green eyes can choose purple, plum, bronze colors. Preferably with a warm undertone. You can make up and green shadows, but only if they do not match the color of the eyes. 

Grunge by hair color

When choosing grunge shadows and lipstick, it is important to take into account their warm-coldness, they should suit your hair color:

• Blondes . The colder the hair color, the less bright the palette should be and vice versa. You can use blue, gray, brown shades of warm or cold shades. Coral or wine-colored lipstick will help to complement the image.
• Brown hair. For girls with dark blond hair, dark brown shades are suitable in combination with sparkles on the lower eyelid. A little peach blush will give the face freshness. You can accentuate your lips with plum-colored lipstick. To highlight the eyes, just draw them with a pencil. 
• Brunettes. Natural expressiveness allows brunettes to get by with a minimum of cosmetics to make grunge makeup. Red lipstick in a shade of burgundy will look good. If you want to focus on the eyes, then you should choose shades of the color of wet asphalt.

How to finish the image?

Doing makeup is half the battle, you still need to choose the styling and outfit. To look harmonious, you can do one of these hairstyles:

• Careless strands. Gather your hair up and tie it into a loose bun. Then release a few strands so that they casually fall over your face.
• Wet hair effect. Perfect for a grunge look with wet styling. Comb your hair back, style it with gel or wax. To make your hair look smoother, you can apply the product with a comb and remove the curls behind the ears.
• Salt spray application. The easiest option is to ruffle your hair with your hands or dance, and then sprinkle the strands with salt spray (200 ml of water 1 tablespoon of salt).

The classic base of a grunge wardrobe is:

• Shorts or ripped jeans. It can be uncomfortable to wear jeans with large holes if you are not a teenager, so start with small defects, fading. 
  To bring classic grunge to life, wear them with an oversized tee and Convers type sneakers. You can go even further and wear fishnet stockings under denim shorts.
• Checked flannel button-down shirt. It can be worn buttoned up, unbuttoned or tied around the waist. Shirts come in a variety of styles, from understated to bold. Find yours and it will become your favorite piece in your wardrobe.
• Strappy dress. Sliding dresses with straps were brought into fashion by Courtney Love. Since then, they have become an integral part of the female grunge image. 
• Biker jacket. A leather jacket on fragile female shoulders looks beautiful. The contrast it creates when paired with softer textures, be it denim or cotton, is interesting. The biker jacket makes any, even the most boring set, stylish.

If it’s important to you to wear ethical clothing, then a faux leather jacket is the way to go.

• Bertsy. Choose a black or brown pair of durable, versatile boots that you can wear with dresses, shorts, jeans. Bertsy can be worn in the warm and cold seasons.

To complete the look, you can complement it with any one detail: a massive chain, round sunglasses or a scarf.

The main mistakes when creating grunge makeup

You may get the impression that everything is acceptable in grunge, but this is not so. There is a line that must not be crossed so as not to look vulgar or ridiculous. Here are some tips to help you avoid making mistakes:

• do not cover the eyelids with thick clouds of gray shadows (the idea is to create a haze); 
• you need to be careful with brick-colored shades and bright blush: it’s easy to overdo it;
• apply a foundation of light tones on tanned skin – this is excluded; 
• a clear lip contour looks beautiful, but it is not customary to do it in grunge makeup, because you need to look like you were going for five minutes. 

Life hacks and tips from makeup artists

Little tricks from professionals will help make your makeup better:

• red shadows can emphasize not only the look, but also dark circles, so be sure to apply concealer under the eyes:
• if using blush, apply it in the center of the cheekbones, on the bridge of the nose and along the hairline (so the makeup will look more harmonious);
• to create a delicate glow, before blush, add a little dry highlighter to the cheeks; 
• do not forget to apply shadows in the corners of the eyes (the shade may be slightly lighter than in the center of the eyelid);
• the color of the shadows will look more saturated if you blend it with your fingertips with driving movements. 

Grunge makeup options

Do not take makeup too seriously and strictly follow the rules invented in the 80s. In grunge, you can use modern trends. Style allows you to create a diverse palette of images:

• Soft grunge . Today, softness and tenderness are in trend, this can be seen in the filters that are used on Instagram. But grunge can be adapted to this style, making the lines more relaxed. This will appeal to those who do not like to draw graphic arrows for a long time.

• Cute grunge. It’s hard to believe, but grunge makeup can look cute. To do this, choose peach delicate colors of shadows. In the center of the lips, you can apply a not too red tint, as Korean women do.

• Neat grunge. The smooth, clean hair that the fashion industry is celebrating today can also be carried over into a daring look. This option is suitable for more formal occasions.

• More color . The easiest way to update your grunge makeup is to paint your lips with a different lipstick. What if it’s blue? Of course, it takes courage to go out like this, but for starters, you can use this image in a photograph.

On the other hand, it is acceptable to mix pastels and dark colors, try to apply pink reddish shadows and bright lipstick.

• Everyday grunge. Wear a white t-shirt, denim jacket and shorts. Complement with make-up with an emphasis on the eyes, and you can go for a walk with friends.

• Smoky Eyes and Glossy Lips . Saturated smokey lips combined with glossy lips look very modern. The shadows may be a bit glittery. Mascara is a must.

• Purple shadows . Highly pigmented purple shadows and a muted lip tint reflect today’s fashion trends. To make this makeup look more like the 90s, low-rise jeans and a top will help.

So, to create an image in the grunge style, you need to follow certain rules and take into account the recommendations of makeup artists. It is important to experiment to find your perfect makeup. Do not be afraid to incorrectly bring your eyes up: the more imperfect, the better.