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From Nirvana to Pearl Jam, grunge music really took off in the nineties. On top of edgy lyrics, teen spirit, and plenty of electric guitars the genre also involved a specific fashion aesthetic: Namely, flannels, ripped jeans, and heavy eye makeup. With the popularity of Tumblr-era "Indie Sleaze" and the trend's modern resurgence on TikTok, the influence of West Coast rock never really went away.
Today, the "rockstar girlfriend" subculture (#rockstargirlfriend has well over 100 million views on TikTok, for instance) embraces several key tenets of grunge. As professional makeup artist Nick Lujan explained to Glamour, "Rockstar girlfriend glam is all about presenting a strong, 'no BS' fierceness through your makeup — think of it like putting on your war paint to go out into the world."
Further, "The look makes a statement of fearlessness and tends to break out of the mundane and norm ideals of beauty." With celebrities like Megan Fox and Kourtney Kardashian jumping onboard and "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega also popularizing edgy glam, one thing is clear: We're in the midst of an underliner renaissance. Before you take a black pencil to your waterline, here's what you need to know about this trend.
Bottom-heavy black liner
Black is the most universally-beloved eyeliner color and for good reason. It pops against pretty much any eye color, and, from Brigitte Bardot to Taylor Swift, classic black wings have had their place on the red carpet for decades. That being said, it's time to flip this classic look around for 2023 — literally. Using a pencil or gel liner, heavily line your lower lashline for an effortlessly editorial look. On top of that, apply heavy mascara to your bottom lashes, leaving your upper lids bare. If you go with this bold look, opt for minimal makeup on the rest of your face so as not to distract from your eyes.
Two-toned liner
Using a warm-toned eyeshadow palette or color sticks from NYX, line your upper and lower lashlines with two different shades. If you're going for a sunset look, pink and yellow will do the trick. As makeup artist Natasha Raquel informed Byrdie, "Pink and mauve tones are stunning with green and hazel eyes." Because yellow and blue are near opposites on the color wheel, a yellow liner can really make light eyes pop. By this reasoning, cooler-toned greens or blues work best with dark brown eyes.
