The End of Clean Girl Reign
While the clean girl aesthetic reigned supreme throughout 2025, the coming year signals a resounding shift: the unapologetically undone look is back in the spotlight. As New Year’s Eve draws near, lived-in, artfully smudged glamour surfaces as a bold counterpoint to the minimalist wave that has dominated our feeds. With the era of no-makeup makeup waning, 2026 invites us to embrace makeup that is deliberately messier—the more expressive, the better.
Messy Makeup Takes Center Stage
This evolution is championed by cultural arbiters like Jenna Ortega and Dua Lipa, as well as maximalist touchstones such as Euphoria and Charli XCX’s Brat. Over the past twelve months, the gradual rise of messy makeup has quietly eclipsed the clean girl’s reign. “As the beauty world pivoted from Hailey Bieber’s glazed skin to the slightly chaotic, party-girl smudged liner and bold blush we’re seeing everywhere, the clean girl has traded in her hair gel wand for ‘90s-inspired dark-lined lips,” notes Annabelle Taurua, beauty expert at Fresha.
Gen Z Nostalgia Drives the Shift
Taurua highlights that this return to grunge-tinged glamour is driven by Gen Z’s fascination with nostalgic beauty—an aesthetic that stands in stark contrast to the stripped-down, modern sensibility of the clean girl. “‘90s makeup and ‘90s grunge makeup are dominating search trends, signaling a major comeback,” Taurua observes. “The era was defined by a messy, imperfect, rebellious spirit—think smudged eyeliner, shadowy lids, darkly stained lips, and matte skin.”
New Year’s Eve: A Canvas for Indie Sleaze
New Year’s Eve, with its unapologetic glitter, smoky shadows, and dramatic liner, offers the perfect canvas to explore your most decadent indie sleaze dreams. On TikTok, beauty creators are fearlessly pushing the envelope, providing endless inspiration for those ready to master the art of intentional disarray. With this raw, imperfect approach already shaping the conversation for 2026, beauty is poised for a seismic transformation in the year ahead.
While you’re here, discover the most iconic beauty pop-ups of all time.
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