There's a new mood crawling out of the crypt this week, and it's less "precision" and more "I woke up in a cemetery and it works." Grunge goth is having a proper moment right now, all smudged liner, slept in shadows and a face that looks like it's been through something (in a good way). If trad goth is about symmetry and spider lashes are about drama, grunge goth is the messy middle sister who couldn't care less. She's also, frankly, a joy to create. 🖤
Here's your full tutorial for getting that lived in, kohl smeared, thin browed, glossy lipped look at home, using genuinely vegan and cruelty free bits from our own shelves.
Step 1: Build a washed out base, not a flawless one
Grunge skin should look a little tired in the best way, pale and slightly undone rather than airbrushed. Skip full coverage foundation and reach for our Second Skin Concealer instead, just dotted under the eyes and around any redness. Leave everything else bare so your natural texture peeks through. That's the point.
Step 2: Carve out a little shadow
Grunge faces have structure even when everything else looks undone. Sweep our Skullpted Contour Cream in Shadow along the hollows of your cheeks, temples and jawline, then blend with your fingers rather than a brush. You want soft edges, not a sculpted finish. Think hollowed, not chiselled.
Step 3: Kohl it up and smudge like you mean it
This is the heart of the whole look. Line your upper and lower lash lines heavily with our Smoulder Eyeliner Pencil in Black, a proper soft kohl that's built for exactly this kind of dragging and blending. Don't reach for a cotton bud straight away, just use your ring finger to smudge the line outward and downward until it looks slept in rather than drawn on.
Want a little colour underneath the black? Our JEWEL Water Activated Liner Palette has sixteen rich, warm shades that are brilliant for adding a bruised plum or burgundy smudge beneath the kohl for extra depth.
Step 4: Wash a bit of metallic smoke over the top
Once your liner is smudged into submission, press a little shimmer into the lid to catch the light without looking polished. Our Heavy Metal Liquid Eyeshadow in Undergrowth is perfect here, a mossy, metallic wash that patted on with fingertips gives you that "caught the light while crying at a gig" glow.
Brows stay thin and slightly undone here too, so if you fancy softening yours, just brush them down rather than up and resist the urge to fill them in too neatly.
Step 5: Glossy, not matte
Grunge goth lips are wet look and a bit stained rather than a flat block of colour. Press our Embalming Lip Oil in Mortician straight onto bare lips, a dark, solemn brown oil that rests like the quiet stillness of freshly turned earth, for that just bitten, slightly bruised finish. No lip liner needed, a bit of blur is exactly the vibe.
Step 6: Set it, loosely
The whole point of this look is that it should be able to survive a mosh pit and still look intentional. Finish with a few spritzes of our Mosh Proof Setting Spray to lock in the smudge without freezing it stiff. It'll hold the mess exactly where you put it, all night long.
And that's grunge goth sorted: undone on purpose, glossy where it counts, and built to last. As always, every single product above is vegan and cruelty free, because looking like you rolled out of a crypt shouldn't cost anyone else anything. 🦇
Tag us in your smudgiest looks, we live for seeing this one out in the wild.