Indie Sleaze Makeup: The Messy Beauty Trend That Defined a Generation

 

About Indie Sleaze

 

The indie sleaze era, which roughly spanned from 2005 to 2012, was a time defined by a certain kind of beautiful mess. Messy makeup, mismatched outfits, chaotic parties, and nights that seemed to blur into mornings. The aesthetic was supposed to be very bold, original and according to your vibe, made for a bar where your favorite indie band was playing, yet comfortable enough to wear to  an after party in a dirty flat and sweat your behind-off. At the time, this style was usually described as hipster or indie but it never claimed an official name. The term for this era didn't emerge until years later, around 2021, sparkling  the interest of a new generation that is tired of perfection and being told what to wear or how to apply make up by am algorithm. 

The term “indie sleaze” is generally credited to Olivia V., the creator of the Instagram account @indiesleaze, who helped popularize and define the label around 2021 during the aesthetic's online revival.

 

Indie Sleaze, was another moment in time when teenagers and young people in general were beginning to take control of their identity, moving away from the gunge style that ruled in the 90’s. In that sense, it became a subtle but meaningful entry point into the aesthetic. This specific demographic became the new “ freaks “ . the new outcast, the kids that were determined to be different, refusing to follow the mainstream fashion industry and it's rules.

The Indie Sleaze came with a particular fashion, attitude and creativity - a mythology , but also brought  the romanticization of drugs, alcohol, messy relationships, and even unhealthy behaviors.  It was all intertwined with the look, the mood and the subculture itself. 

 

About the make up

The indie sleaze make up is all about imperfection: after party look,  glow,  lots of eyeliner, and the sense of nightlife no matter the time of the day it is. 

During these years, eyebrows were not the center of attention, and no one was concerned with looking as natural as possible. It was mainly all about the eyes. Eyes makeup featured dark and brown tones, shimmer on the eye lids or the eyes area, smudge black eyeliner on both the upper eyelid and lower lash line. Lips were usually nude shades or warm toned, and heavy eyelashes. The looks was about imperfection. Unlike later beauty trends, this style had nothing to do with naturalness and perfection.

You were supposed to look like you had just come from another concert or another party. It was dramatic, imperfect, and uncalculated. It was meant to be cool without trying which is ironic, considering a new generation jumped into the revival of this fashion, yet many want to perfect ir and carefully calculate every look. You can find many “How to” TikTok videos to teach you how to achieve the look. 

Back then, however, this was a generation that took digital cameras to their private spaces, which were uploaded later on Myspace. There were no videos explaining "how to belong" to the scene. People were simply living in the moment while unknowingly learning to document their era, their surroundings, and their lives with their friends. Thank God for portable digital cameras.

some photos from: @indiesleaze