HOW TO GET THE
SOFT GRUNGE
MAKEUP LOOK
September 16, 2024 by Cat Quinn
The Clean Girl look had its time in the spotlight, but this season we’re moving toward a moodier aesthetic: soft grunge makeup. Pulling from the enduring appeal of 90s grunge makeup, we’re shifting to cooler shades of black, grey and griege, and nuancing trends like corpcore and quiet luxury for a modern Quiet Grunge look.
“Quiet Grunge feels like where I started at M·A·C — it uses a palette of colours that made M·A·C legendary,” says Terry Barber, M·A·C Creative Director of Makeup Artistry. “This generation is taking the spirit and rebellion of grunge but making it right for them. It can be pretty, punk or everything in between.”
A grunge makeup product that has stood the test of time? Lip Pencil in Stone. “It’s the ultimate grunge colour to me,” says Barber. “There’s been a demand for us to return to some of the original 90s colours, which have a little bit more of a grey tone,” he continues, pointing to other Lip Pencil shades dropping this month, such as Greige.
Paired with the newly relaunched M·A·C Satin Lipstick in Blankety and the cool-toned Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite, you have all the ingredients for a Quiet Grunge look – the secret is in the undone application. “There’s a change in the structure when it comes to grunge,” says Barber. “Instead of doing a flicked-up cat eye, bring the liner straight out toward the temple to make it more punk.”
The most freeing part about grunge makeup? It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, that’s the whole point. “That spirit of grunge changed how people wore things,” says Barber. “It’s not a new trend – it’s a trend reimagined.”
“Quiet Grunge feels like where I started at M·A·C — it uses a palette of colours that made M·A·C legendary,” says Terry Barber, M·A·C Creative Director of Makeup Artistry. “This generation is taking the spirit and rebellion of grunge but making it right for them. It can be pretty, punk or everything in between.”
A grunge makeup product that has stood the test of time? Lip Pencil in Stone. “It’s the ultimate grunge colour to me,” says Barber. “There’s been a demand for us to return to some of the original 90s colours, which have a little bit more of a grey tone,” he continues, pointing to other Lip Pencil shades dropping this month, such as Greige.
Paired with the newly relaunched M·A·C Satin Lipstick in Blankety and the cool-toned Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite, you have all the ingredients for a Quiet Grunge look – the secret is in the undone application. “There’s a change in the structure when it comes to grunge,” says Barber. “Instead of doing a flicked-up cat eye, bring the liner straight out toward the temple to make it more punk.”
The most freeing part about grunge makeup? It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, that’s the whole point. “That spirit of grunge changed how people wore things,” says Barber. “It’s not a new trend – it’s a trend reimagined.”
Lip Pencil
$40.00
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
$40.00
A sleek satin lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour in a comfortable formula that hydrates lips for eight hours.
Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite
$86.00
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette innovated with one-swipe, pure pigment payoff for subtle to dramatic looks.
SHOP QUIET GRUNGE
Go grunge with 90s M·A·C essentials, including Lip Pencil in Stone.
Lip Pencil
$40.00
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
$40.00
A sleek satin lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour in a comfortable formula that hydrates lips for eight hours.
HOW TO GET THE QUIET GRUNGE TREND
LOOK 1: Bring the edge with cool-toned neutrals for the ultimate soft-grunge makeup look.
- Prep and hydrate your complexion with Hyper Real SerumizTM Skin Balancing Hydration Serum.
- Even skin tone with Studio Radiance Serum-Powered¡TM Foundation, then swipe Studio Radiance 24HR Luminous Lift Concealer where desired.
MAC Hyper Real Serumizer™
$70.00
A serum-moisturiser hybrid that balances, retexturises and strengthens the skin barrier for a petal-soft canvas with lit-from-within radiance.
Studio Radiance Serum-Powered™ Foundation
$76.00
A moisturising, softly luminous and skin-enhancing serum foundation that delivers +209% instant hydration, medium buildable smoothing coverage and lasting radiance.
STUDIO RADIANCE 24HR LUMINOUS LIFT CONCEALER
$55.00
A weightless, radiant concealer provides 24-hour medium buildable coverage, +90% immediate hydration* and diminishes the look of dark circles over time by 18%**.
Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite
$86.00
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette innovated with one-swipe, pure pigment payoff for subtle to dramatic looks.
Lip Pencil
$40.00
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
$40.00
A sleek satin lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour in a comfortable formula that hydrates lips for eight hours.
Smudge out your black liner with cool-toned eye shadows from the Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite.
Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite
$86.00
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette innovated with one-swipe, pure pigment payoff for subtle to dramatic looks.
Lip Pencil
$40.00
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
$40.00
A sleek satin lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour in a comfortable formula that hydrates lips for eight hours.
LOOK 2: Refresh your routine with blue eye shadow looks meant for the limelight.
- Prep and hydrate your complexion with Hyper Real SerumizerTMSkin Balancing Hydration Serum.
- Even skin tone with Studio Radiance Serum-PoweredTM Foundation.
- Tightline lash lines using Eye Kohl in Feline, gently smudging with fingertips.
MAC Hyper Real Serumizer™
$70.00
A serum-moisturiser hybrid that balances, retexturises and strengthens the skin barrier for a petal-soft canvas with lit-from-within radiance.
Studio Radiance Serum-Powered™ Foundation
$76.00
A moisturising, softly luminous and skin-enhancing serum foundation that delivers +209% instant hydration, medium buildable smoothing coverage and lasting radiance.
Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite
$86.00
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette innovated with one-swipe, pure pigment payoff for subtle to dramatic looks.
Lip Pencil
$40.00
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
$40.00
A sleek satin lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour in a comfortable formula that hydrates lips for eight hours.
Terry Barber, M·A·C Creative Director of Makeup Artistry, shares his perspective on the Quiet Grunge trend.
SHOP QUIET
GRUNGE
