We’re in the middle of a complete shift in the beauty industry. Over the past few months, you may have come across the “clean-girl” aesthetic, “clean-girl” nails, or the minimalist beauty boom. No matter where you turn, it seems barely there beauty is the ideal aesthetic. Well, that’s about to change.
Scroll on TikTok for just a few minutes, and you’ll likely come across the term “indie sleaze.” The phrase is a nod to the Tumblr beauty aesthetics of the late ’90s and early ’00s, and it’s well on its way to returning to mainstream pop culture. “When you think of indie-sleaze makeup, it’s all about a ’90s grunge, slept-in makeup, and kind of undone eyeliner as the main attraction,” makeup artist and content creator Jonet Williamson tells POPSUGAR. “Skin can be super bare or full coverage with little to no contouring.” Why is the look trending right now? Attribute it to a pendulum swing. “Indie-sleaze makeup is a nice break away from the perfectly curated makeup looks that have taken over for most of the year,” Williamson says. The look has also been spotted on runways (see Tom Ford’s spring/summer ’23 New York Fashion Week show, for example). So if you’re over perfectly slick buns, subtle eyeshadow looks, or barely noticeable nude lips, your time is now.