Grunge. Not a word we hear and associate with ‘beauty’. However, back in the 1990s, this androgynous look crept its way into women’s (and men’s) grooming regimes. This was where you would purposely use your make up bag to create the ‘morning-after-the-night-before’ face of dark, smudgy eyes combined with nude lips and a pale skin tone.

Embrace the dark side
The ultimate grunge statement was made with the eyes. All in all, it is the perfect look to recreate for trick-or-treating this Halloween season. Not all looks have to be horror – 90s grunge allows you to embrace the dark side whilst maintaining an on-trend edge!

Here is where you would create heavily shadowed lids to achieve the desired effect. A dark – preferably black or dark coloured – palette is used to smudge onto the upper and lower lids accompanied with eyeliner and lashings of mascara. As we all know, eye shadow has a way of sprinkling down onto the cheeks when applying! Therefore, ensure your eyes are the first port of call before you attend to your cheeks, then you can wipe off any unwanted smudges.

An obvious contrast to dark eyes
For the second stage of grunge, the palette now tones down to the opposite end of the colour spectrum. The paler tones provide an obvious contrast to the dark eyes, which complement one another perfectly for this look. Once you’ve applied your nude colour to the mouth, make sure you blot with your finger to create a matte effect. A tip for keeping it on a little longer is to put pressed powder onto the tip of your finger and dab over the lips.

Allow a little drama
For those who would prefer to inject a touch of ‘glam grunge’, sprinkle some glitter along the cheekbones and partner with glittery eye shadow as opposed to just black. The dark upper face in contrast with the paler complexion will accentuate the grunge inspired eye makeup. The best thing about a nude lip is that it allows a little drama and attention to be paid to the eyes.

The smokey eye may be the most timeless look on record, yet it remains our favourite. What’s that old saying? ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’? Well, if it it’s still working, keep working it and this Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to trick or treat yours!