Forget the clean, Instagram-ready face. This autumn, tired girl makeup is creeping into our feeds, and it’s not about perfection, it’s about surviving life and making it look stylish. Think smudged eyeliner, under-eye shadows that aren’t hidden and cheeks with a hint of lived-in redness.
@janellezharmenovaa me in feb no need for makeup haha @Lancôme l’absolu rouge 227 and 221 @ColourPop Cosmetics twilight eyesahdow palette and lux lip oil shade bells @Too Faced better than s mascara @Maybelline New York sky high mascara @Charlotte Tilbury hollywood flawless filter @rimmellondon kind and free @Benefit Cosmetics UK ♬ dźwięk oryginalny – Resia
Beauty used to swing between extremes: The pristine “clean girl” and the deliberately chaotic “messy girl.” Tired girl makeup sits somewhere in the middle. It’s not laziness; it’s intentional imperfection. And for a generation raised on filters and front-facing cameras, it’s also a little rebellious. Why cover up exhaustion when you can wear it like a badge?
Pop culture has already endorsed it. Jenna Ortega’s smudgy-eyed Wednesday Addams, Billie Eilish’s signature dark circles and Doja Cat’s lived-in looks all show that looking a little worse for wear is actually stylish.
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Getting the look might seem like it should be effortless, but there’s a method to the madness. Under-eye concealer is optional, and sometimes the best effect is achieved by embracing or even enhancing natural bags. Matte, unpolished skin is preferred over bronzer and highlight. Eyes are smudgy but intentional, and lips stay soft and blurred. The goal isn’t to look sloppy, it’s to look like life has happened to you.
@mys_nanami @blagichkaaに返信 Tired makeup inspired by Lisa from Girl, interruped *Angelina Jolie makeup 前にハロウィンでもやったくらいくらい大好きなLisaのmakeup 普段からよく聞かれる下まぶたに使ってるアマラスアロイは5年くらい愛用してる @Kaleidos Makeup Contour Torio Fair Mono Blush Hotshot Quad Palette Venus Trap @Benefit Cosmetics Glow la la highlight Raya @maccosmetics Dimentional Eyeshadow Amorous Arroy Macximal Silkey Matte Lipstick Folio @makeupforever Artist Color Pencil Endless Cacao #tiredmakeup #grungemakeup #angelinajolie #lisarow #90smakeup ♬ gallowdance – instrumental – no/vox & karaokey & Tazzy
Autumn is the perfect season for it. Dark evenings, chilly mornings, and an almost universal craving for hibernation mean smudged eyeliner and muted tones feel oddly appropriate. You can tone it down with soft grey shadow and a neutral lip, or go full-on dark-eyed, bleached-brow vibes like Jenna or Gabbriette.
The beauty of tired girl makeup is that it’s adaptable: You can make it as minimal or as carefully undone as you like. Exhaustion is real, and if you can’t sleep, you might as well make it a look.
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Featured image credit: Instagram/@gabriette, @jennaortega
