Is it us, or is underliner everywhere? Where the noughties gave us hippie boho chicks, skater girls, and the remnants of nineties grunge, the 2010s really cemented winged liner, sketched across upper lashes, as a core lewk when it comes to eye makeup. Meanwhile waterlines were relegated to a bit-part and often left nearly naked, or slightly defined with a subtle smoke of shadow.
That’s not to say underliner was skipped entirely, some hardcore loyalists out there remained devoted to bottom liner throughout the decade and classic smoky eyes continued to incorporate the detail. But now? Underliner is finally starting to steal focus and lead makeup looks as the star of the show, thanks to the rise of the grunge makeup aesthetic, which leans on bratty, smudgy and unapologetically heavy liners grounding eye makeup looks and adding edge. It’s pretty much the antithesis to the “clean girl” movement that divided the internet before it with barely-there makeup, a tap of lip balm and minimal mascara.
The grungy aesthetic has been building for a while now, but there’s no denying that Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday, and the looks she’s served up in her press tour since, has helped to catapult the aesthetic on TikTok and sign it off as one of most popular beauty trends of 2023. So, if you want in, you could always dig your old kohl pencil out the back of the drawer (or Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, Urban Decay, NARS and NYX do some stunning options), and give your waterline the attention it deserves.
Here’s 17 of our favorite ways to wear underliner…
Zoe Kravitz’ smoldering underliner
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Camila Morrone’s smoking underliner
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Jenna Ortega’s midnight blue underliner
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Lindsay Price’s extra smoky eyes
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Zoey Deutch’s cool brown grunge underliner
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Simone Ashley’s smoky purple underliner
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Kylie Jenner’s slick dagger underliner
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Jasmin Savoy Brown’s cleopatra underliner
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Eiza Gonzalez’ slinky underliner
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Madison Pettis’ smoked underliner
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Herieth Paul’s bottom-heavy underliner
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Isabela Merced’s bottom wing underliner
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Madison Bailey’s emo underliner
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Hailee Steinfeld’s sliced underliner
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Laura Harrier’s snatched underliner
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Nicola Peltz Beckham’s skinny underliner
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Kim Kardashian’s throwback heavy underliner
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