Are eyebags really in style? Inside the dark eye circles makeup trend
New fashion trends can be surprising & even bizarre sometimes – that’s what makes them gain traction and leak into the mainstream, right? Well, this new makeup trend is sure to wake you up – even if you’re feeling groggy.
Beauty icons on TikTok and beyond have adopted the latest trend of painting on under-eye dark circles. TikToker user sarathefreeelf, for example, posted a clip of herself drawing on a faint curve of reddish-brown under her eyes with a shadow stick.
The sleepy look is met with some contention, especially considering how eyebags have been a source of insecurity for so long. But now some in the makeup community seem to be opening up to the idea of welcoming those shadowed crescents under the eye. Here’s our hot take on the dark eye circles trend.
@sarathefreeelf
Beauty in imperfection
Some TikTok users embraced the look saying, “PRAISE GOD I AM SO HAPPY. MY BAGS ARE HUGE” and “yes make this a trend, i’m tired of using concealer”. Others denounced it, commenting, “Sorry but ive always been insecure about my eyebags this just pisses me off” and “”wait ppl want dark circles now?? i was bullied for mine.”
TikTok user Sara responded to the insecure comments saying, “I wasn’t trying to make fun of your insecurity, because I have the same insecurity.” While she emphasized she wasn’t vouching for the trend, but didn’t see harm in giving it a try. “Normalize eyebags – they’re beautiful,” she added.
just wanna hop on here & say she made a video explaining she has them herself, she was trying to show you’re beautiful, dark circles or not. just gonna drop this here pic.twitter.com/FmMchLO3CV
— mols (@_justmollie) January 2, 2021
Straying away from the perfect peppy Barbie look isn’t new – the smudgy grunge makeup is reminiscent of trending dark red & purple eyeshadows reaching the lower lash line in the ‘90s & ‘00s. Alternative makeup trends from this time period also brought on that day-old eyeliner & mascara style which flaunts an edgy persona.
Life is messy & imperfect – so your makeup can be too! Styling yourself to accent imperfections can take down burdensome expectations to look flawless all the time. Instead of feeling shame about those dark eyebags after a restless night, you can embrace it and scream “I’m tired!” to the world. There’s no need to erase the circles – in fact, drawing them on looks pretty cool too.
Become a tired ghost
Why would you want to look tired? Being tired is a mood, and moody makeup can be fun. The drained style can even come off as moderately gothic & ethereal at times. Making your dark circles stand out can tell a sort of story, and help you embody a lifeless spirit.
You can use a brown & red smudge under your eyes to look like a lugubrious vampire, deathly phantom, reanimated corpse, or a stressed-out college student. Spooky stuff. Make sure to spend a part of your day haunting people if you adopt this look.
Aegyo sal
If you’re thinking, “wow, that’s extra”, don’t totally look down on the under-eye trend yet. For a more subtle variation of this eyebag emphasis, we can go back a decade and look at the aegyo sal trend popularized in Korean makeup since the early and mid-2010s.
According to Teen Vogue, aegyo sal is a “Korean term used for the little pocket of skin that forms under your eyes when you smile.” Korean makeup artist Cat Koh explained to fashion website Byrdie that “rather than highlighting hollows caused by actual under-eye bags, this aims to emphasize one’s natural facial muscles using a bit of highlighter above a darker concealer or shader for a ‘cuter’ look.”
Thus, drawing more attention to those circles under your eyes can be fashionable in many different ways depending on how you want to go about it. Instead of painting on a gloomy visage, you can do a cute one instead.
Sleep deprivation isn’t pretty
While the dark circles trend seems fun to try and can help tear down those unrealistic beauty standards, idolizing sleep deprivation or insomnia is bad, and we emphasize that you should not try to lose sleep for the sake of fashion. That’s just nonsensical.
Sporting those purple dark circles doesn’t have to be a source of shame, but praising an unhealthy, sleepless lifestyle should never be your intent. Be kind to yourself.
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Life is just a big game of dress up. What unique style do you like to try on? Is the dark circles look for you? Let us know in the comments!
