90s makeup looks have been trending on social media over the last year. People have fallen back in love with grungy eye makeup, cool-toned looks, vampy lips, and matte bases.
Today, I’m going to be showing you how to create an easy 90s-inspired grungy eye makeup look using Eyeko products. This look is all about a cool-toned dark smoky eye that’s fun and rebellious, matte yet fresh skin, and simple and soft cheeks and eyes.
Keep reading to find out how to achieve this deceptively simple 90s eye makeup look.
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How to do this easy 90s makeup look
Below, I’m sharing the products you’ll need to achieve this makeup look along with a step-by-step tutorial.
Eyeko products used + 20% off
- Micro Brow Precision Pencil in shade 3
- Lash Alert Mascara in Original Black
- Limitless Eyeshadow Palette in Concrete Pink
Get 20% off Eyeko with my code EYEKOX20. Shop here.
Other essential products
- Matte light coverage foundation or skin tint
- Multi-purpose transparent gloss/balm for eyes and cheeks
- Black pencil eyeliner
- “Dirty” blush shade for cheeks and lips like a brownish red
Steps
I actually followed this Lisa Eldridge 90s makeup tutorial below and added a few extra steps.
Here’s how I achieved this effortless makeup look step by step:
- Prime the skin using a creamy moisturiser.
- Apply a matte foundation or skin tint that has light, buildable coverage with a skin-like finish.
- Lightly powder the t-zone with a translucent powder if you get oily there.
- Apply a dirty blush shade to cheeks and lips. It doesn’t have to be applied neatly (“lived in” makeup was all the range in the 90s according to Lisa Eldridge) and should look natural.
- Use a balm/gloss, and apply this on the cheekbones for a wet and almost oily effect. Even good old Vaseline works for this!
- 90s eyebrows are notoriously thin. While I didn’t commit to blocking out my brows or plucking them thinly (don’t overpluck your brows as they may never grow back!), I applied the Eyeko Micro Brow Precision Pencil lightly in the sparse areas of my brows. But I didn’t make them look full or fluffy for a much more natural brow.
- Apply a black pencil eyeliner to the upper and lower water lines, the upper lash line, and the lower lash line. Smudge this out using your fingertips or a smudger brush for a smoky and worn effect. The idea is that the makeup looks like you’ve slept in it for a few nights for a messy result. Keep smudging for a smoky effect.
- Apply the shades Stone (matte light grey with purple undertones) and Brave (matte deep cool brown) from the Eyeko Limitless Eyeshadow Palette in Concrete Pink all over the lids. Don’t worry too much about it looking neat and perfectly blended for a grungy effect.
- Apply a transparent balm/gloss all over the lids and work it into the eyeshadow and eyeliner for a wet effect. This helps blends any uneven/patchy application too.
- Finish with the Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara on the upper and lower lashes.
The verdict
I love how this 90s grungy makeup look turned out! As you don’t need to worry about the makeup looking neat, precise, or even particularly “pretty”, you can afford to be quite messy. That’s all part of the rebellious makeup from the mid-90s!
This makeup look only took me around half an hour to complete. Without following Lisa Eldridge’s makeup tutorial, I could easily do this in 20 minutes.
The Eyeko products are fab too!
The brow pencil is quite firm. But that means you can get precise application without the worry of the pencil smudging everywhere. The formula didn’t feel scratchy or irritating to apply.
I love the mascara. It added great length and curl to my lashes without clumping. It’s not overly dramatic or volumising, which makes it a great everyday mascara. There was very slight transfer, but I think that was down to using the mascara for the first time. I normally find that mascaras are quite wet when you first use them, but after a few uses, the formula normally becomes a bit drier and budge resistant.
The eyeshadow palette is dreamy. I love the colour story. You can go for very simple daytime looks or bold evening looks, as it’s very versatile. I’ve not tried any of the shimmers yet, but the mattes were easy to blend and pigmented. There was some fallout in the pan but nothing crazy. They wore very well too, even with a gloss on top!
Get 20% off Eyeko with my code EYEKOX20. Shop here.
Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 6 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.
I think this really suits you! I usually go for quite a light eye look, but I think the paired back makeup with it makes it so much more wearable for someone who has softer features like me.