This past weekend at Golden Gate Park, the makeup went dark before the stage lights did. Charli XCX hit the main stage Friday night in an all-black look with charcoal smoky eyes, her long waves left loose and plastered against her back — no shimmer in sight. This wasn't a deliberately vintage throwback; it was a technique built to let the eyes read before the skin does.
Audrey Hobert, who broke through with the "Sue Me" scene from "Off Campus," warmed up the same dark eyeshadow and paired it with a near-blood-red lip. María Zardoya of Not for Radio kept her eyes minimal and instead let a choppy, brow-skimming micro-fringe do the talking — light on makeup, heavy on hair, a different kind of balance.
It's fitting that a festival rooted in punk's birthplace would bring out edgier beauty on-site — sharp eyeliner, hollowed-out eyes, and bold dyed hair were the three elements cameras kept catching all weekend. Stacked together, the message is clear: the no-makeup "clean girl" look has been showing fatigue for months, and with Halloween approaching, everyone's got the perfect excuse to lean into the dark side.
Last year, Jenna Ortega brought this mood to the red carpet during her "Wednesday" press run. Makeup artist Tonya Riner described the look at the time as deliberately keeping the "imperfections" — no highlighter, dark circles left visible, cool-toned lips. The point wasn't polish; it was letting personality lead. Charli XCX's ongoing "Brat" aesthetic runs on the same logic — that hungover, post-party-comedown kind of beauty.
The guys weren't sitting this one out either. At January's Golden Globes, Jacob Elordi and Connor Storrie both showed up in "mini mullets." Hairstylist Candice Birns explained that this version softens the harsh contrast between the sides/back and the rest of the classic mullet — the front-business, back-party split is still there, just less jarring now.
From eyeliner to haircuts, all these details point to the same shift: beauty is making room for "imperfect" again.
