HOW TO GET THE
SOFT GRUNGE
MAKEUP LOOK
October 1, 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
100 AED
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
125 AED
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
190 AED
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette with pigment packed colour in one-swipe for subtle to dramatic looks.
SHOP QUIET GRUNGE
Go grunge with 90s M·A·C essentials, including Lip Pencil in Stone.
Lip Pencil
100 AED
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
125 AED
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-PowerediTM Foundation, then swipe Studio Radiance 24HR Luminous Lift Concealer where desired.
Hyper Real Serumizer™ Serum-Moisturizer Hybrid
240 AED
A serum-moisturizer hybrid that visibly reduces dark spots and the appearance of pores, hydrates, retexturizes and strengthens the skin barrier for a petal-smooth, even canvas with lit-from-within radiance.
Studio Radiance Serum-Powered™ Foundation
250 AED
A buildable, weightless, 24-hour hydrating foundation that smooths texture, evens tone, and blurs the look of pores.
STUDIO RADIANCE 24HR LUMINOUS LIFT CONCEALER
170 AED
A weightless, radiant concealer that provides 24-hour medium buildable coverage, +90% immediate hydration* and diminishes the look of dark circles over time by 18%**.
231 Synthetic Small Shader Brush
100 AED
A pro-quality brush that lets you apply and move around colours like an expert.
Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite
190 AED
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette with pigment packed colour in one-swipe for subtle to dramatic looks.
Lip Pencil
100 AED
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
125 AED
A sleek satin lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour in a comfortable formula that hydrates lips for eight hours.
LOOK 2: Bring back 90s grunge makeup with soft, cool-toned shades from lids to lips.
- 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.
Hyper Real Serumizer™ Serum-Moisturizer Hybrid
240 AED
A serum-moisturizer hybrid that visibly reduces dark spots and the appearance of pores, hydrates, retexturizes and strengthens the skin barrier for a petal-smooth, even canvas with lit-from-within radiance.
Studio Radiance Serum-Powered™ Foundation
250 AED
A buildable, weightless, 24-hour hydrating foundation that smooths texture, evens tone, and blurs the look of pores.
Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Encrypted Kryptonite
190 AED
A smoky-toned six-pan eye shadow palette with pigment packed colour in one-swipe for subtle to dramatic looks.
Lip Pencil
100 AED
An ultra-precise lip liner in a wide range of creamy shades designed for shaping, lining or filing in lips.
MACXIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK
125 AED
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.
