Making your makeup look slept in—without actually sleeping in it
We all know that it’s a skincare crime to sleep in your makeup, but sometimes we just love that sultry, pillowy look. A few years ago, we saw the rise of the clean girl aesthetic—with celebrities like Hailey Bieber keeping their makeup natural and nails glazed. Now, we’re hungry for a little more edge.
When I say makeup that looks slept in, I’m talking about the comeback of Angelina Jolie’s makeup in the early 2000s. I’m talking about Tate McRae’s signature soft glam. Or Daniela from Katseye’s viral eyeliner. Cool girls of this day and age couldn’t care less about retouches. In fact, a little smudging goes a long way. Keep reading if you want to achieve the look yourself.
Little to no foundation
Nothing’s worse than a cakey base. You don’t want to overdo the foundation, lest it sits awkwardly on your face. We want your skin to look like skin—not uneven frosting. If you want your makeup to look slept in, you have to let your foundation seep into your pores.
If I can tell you’re wearing foundation, you’re doing it wrong. In fact, try scrapping it all together. A tinted moisturizer or concealer would work just fine. Keep your base light enough that we can see your freckles. Or your faux freckles, of course.
All about the eyes
For this look, we’re going for both cat eyes and doe eyes. You can choose either one. For cat eyes, eyeliner can do wonders. For doe eyes, brown eyeshadow is your best friend.
Now, cat eyes hardly pass for naturally slept in, but they sure do fit the aesthetic. Daniela’s look can only be achieved with your most-trusted black eyeliner. She tells Teen Vogue that her trick is to “take a thick black pencil liner, and I’ll go in my waterline under and sometimes I’ll go on top inside, not on the outside.”
“I’ll go literally in my eye all black, and then I’ll do a small thin wing on the outside, diagonally up. And then the most important part, the inner corner,” she adds.
Doe eyes, on the other hand, are a little simpler. It’s the more popular choice for the slept-in makeup look. All it takes is some brown eyeshadow—warm or cool depending on your skin tone—that you smudge out from your lids toward an ultra-light wing. The wing has to be so slight, it almost looks unintentional. But believe me, nothing about this look is by accident.
It helps to take a thin brush and bring the shadow a little under your eyes to really accentuate your features. You may even opt for brown eyeliner instead of black to really bring out the warmth in your pupils. Use your regular mascara, and you’re good to go.
Top it off with a warm blush and a nude lip
Notice how the blush is almost entirely imperceptible? That’s because these celebrities opt for a toasty warm blush that blends perfectly with their bronzer. Nothing too pink. Nothing too rosy. Your blush needs to create the illusion that you’re blooming from within.
Matte or gloss is your choice, but nude is non-negotiable. Girls with makeup that looks slept in never have a bold lip; they’ve rubbed it off from sipping cocktails and smooching strangers. You can line your lips and fill them in, but never, ever, reach for the red.
