Smudged eyeliner and glittery eyeshadow are the recommendations most indie sleaze beauty blogs will suggest to you. They follow a pretty standardised routine, thought-through steps to master the charcoal blur, followed by setting spray. However, this completely loses the key essence of mid-2000s party culture. The charming randomness, the spirit collectively resting in the present, not thinking too far over how their makeup would look circa 5 am, in the cab back to your fling's studio. To fill this void, here are a few tips, the first 2 pulled from Cat Marnell’s memoir ‘How to Murder Your Life’, that put the fun and free spirit back into beauty.
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| Ex. Cat Marnell herself, front seat of le taxi |
1. Cat often talks about being slathered up in Banana Boat tanning oil and Body Shop Coconut Body Butter, sliiiiding across the back seats of NYC taxis. That's right. Tanning oil pendant la nuit...When it comes to an Indie Sleaze Summer beauty routine this feels very very relevant. Quite literally slipping just out of reach, skimming merely out of trouble.
2. One of my other favourite tips she mentions is using Ben Nye stage blood as a lip stain when she was at the acting school. How incredible! Indie Sleaze culture presents an opportunity to have fun with innovation and on the whim beauty decisions IMO. Sometimes the best looks come from shared tips and tricks like these. A similar alternative is taking the frozen black currents out of the freezer, and smearing the juice across lips. Not as long lasting but equally as innovative.
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| Ex. Wet Hair (Bully, 2001) |
3. Don’t be afraid to get your hair wet. Think Meg Superstar Princess being shot by the Cobra Snake. I suppose this is more relevant during the mid-July season of the year, but if you live in London/ Brighton, or any city that is NOT cut out for the heatwaves, indulge in an indie sleaze slicked back, pre-party shower or sink hop to cool down. And if it smudges your mascara, even better.
4. Make the most of collective bathroom meetings on nights out. I can picture the saloon-style doors at my favourite bar back home swinging behind me after I flit into the ladies. It’s fantastic because people love to play beauticians there. Sharing little pots of MAC silver glitter for you to dust on lids, a charlotte tilbury lipstick to blot over a friend's cheeks was also a go-to. Alongside layering up perfume dupes, sharing mint tins… It’s so fun and fabulous. And if the worst happens and you look like an absolute shambles, the perfect occasion to take the black rayban style sunglasses out of your fur jacket, fling them over your hazy eyes and voila.
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| Ex. AA on 'Morning After' Looks |
5. Ultimately, however…This is potentially the most key tip- No indie sleaze makeup look will be better than a slept-in morning-after one. Flushed roujed cheeks and lips slightly stained from the heavy drinking. Bloodshot eyes blurring behind flaky mascara, the gold glitter now resting along your lower lids, like dewy lemonade golden tears! Although not ideal if you’re very engulfed in a carefully planned skincare routine… but nothing can truly replicate this face, and the dazed, pretty hangxious expression painted on your visage... Mulling about, till your friends commence round 2.
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