The Rise (Again) Of Indie Sleaze

20 Nov

As an elder millennial, I vividly remember the days with long evenings getting ready for a night out. Excitedly leaving a job I held at the time (for which I didn’t care much), the highlight of the week was the social side, which, incidentally, tended to encompass Thursday, Friday, Saturday and oftentimes, Sunday, as a weekly ritual.

Cowboy boots with a mini-dress and ripped tights, and a grandad cardigan to fend off the weather. ‘Alex Chung style’ a repeat search on Tumblr. The heavy-handed, and heavily smudged eyeliner, the back-combed hair, the heavy fringes. It was a simpler time. Where images were measured by the single-digit megapixels, and the drinks were cheap and plentiful.

As with many trends, across all generations, it appears to have come time for my adolescence to have become nostalgic zeitgeist de jour, as AW25 catwalks all featured the key notes: smudged black accent to the eyes at Chanel and Dior; greased eyeliner at Isabel Marant, Blumarine and Marni; and rough air-dried texture for hair at Max Mara, Prabal Gurung and Alruzurra, or basically anywhere that didn’t go for a lacquered, slicked back root.

Harrowing, yet somehow homely. However, I can share the footnotes from my own experience.

Skin

Skin, I can’t lie, wasn't the real focus here. The look was natural and light, the kind of thing you knew would last through until the early hours with minimal fuss. Try Future Skin Gel Foundation, from Chantecaille, for a veil of softly blurring coverage. The added benefit now is that 25 years on, foundation comes with a plethora of skin-care benefits, like Future Skin’s hydrating spirodela polyrhiza and soothing chaga mushroom extracts.

Blush was rich and flushed, yet resoundingly matte, seemingly a dichotomy of textures these days; however, it can be perfected with No Makeup Blush Balm, from Perricone MD, a suits-all one-shade product. Sweep high across the cheekbones for lift, and using the heel of the hand to blend, pat a little down onto the centre of the cheek in a triangle shape, for just-left-the-dancefloor ruddiness.

The crux of indie sleaze was time management. Set it all with Vital Pressed Powder, in 'Translucent', from Westman Atelier, because shade-matching a powder is not time well spent.

Eyes

A cream shadow stick was the go-to, a finger-blended slick of deep colour, perfect for a 5-minute look while your GHDs heat up, and before friends descend upon your flat for pre-drinks.

Try Ombre Blackstar Eyeshadow, in 'Pearl Black', from By Terry for a greasy black with built-in shimmer.

For a matte moment, either alone or as a base for shadow or a touch of gloss, try 16-hour wear, crease-proof and water-resistant Total Seduction Eyeshadow Stick, in 'Enigmatic', from NARS.

Shadow was a little different, with more dimension. We want sooty blacks across the lid, packed at the lashline and outer corner of the eye to add dimension, with a wash of ethereal glitter right up over the crease. The shape is rounded, easy, and relaxed, imperfect. My signature of the time was a pop of bright, smooth silver to the inner corner of the eye.

For a palette to encapsulate the look, try the metallic smoky shades of Soul Shadows, in 'Noir’, from VIEVE.

Lashes need to be strong to make a statement against the dark tones on the lid. Choose a full-coverage mascara for intensity, volume, and length, minimising any gaps in the lash line for a fierce silhouette. Pradascope Mascara, in ‘Nero’, from Prada has a one-of-a-kind, real-fibre cupping brush which does all of the above, but maintains a super-defined and separated lash.

Pradascope Mascara, in ‘Nero’, from Prada

Lest I forget the liner, which needs to be the perfect mix of blendable and glossy, with the staying power of someone in their 20s at afters.

If you crave precision as a starter look, opt for 1.5 Mechanical Gel Eyeliner, in 'Obsidian', from Hourglass.

For a gorgeous blendable gel texture that doubles as a base for eyeshadow, and sets to a water-resistant and smudge-proof finish, it has to be Line Definer Eyeliner, in 'Onyx', from et al..

Lips

Shades and textures come and go, but the tones of the era remain icons today. From barely-there balms to bold, cool-toned shades like black, neutral 90’s browns and deep burgundy or merlot reds. Synonymous with shimmer and gloss, the new turn at the trend sees modern mattes in decadent velvety finishes.