‘Downtown Girl’ Makeup Is TikTok’s Latest Obsession: Here’s How to Get the Look
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TikTok is constantly inventing new aesthetics—and recently, the “downtown girl” vibe has been all the rage. The downtown girl aesthetic embodies the effortless cool girl that frequents the local cafe, wears chunky headphones, and is obsessed with Y2K style. Although the downtown girl aesthetic initially started as a fashion trend, downtown girl makeup is proving to be just as popular. While downtown girl fashion is cozy and subdued—downtown girl makeup is grungy and bold. If you love sleeping in your eyeliner, downtown girl makeup is the trend for you.
What Is Downtown Girl Makeup?
Like most TikTok beauty trends, downtown girl makeup can look different depending on what you’re going for. Typically, downtown girl makeup consists of smudged eyeliner, heavy blush, pouty lips, and sometimes faux freckles. But fundamentally, downtown girl makeup is all about looking cool without having to spend hours on your makeup. It highlights your natural features, while still speaking to that indie sleaze era messiness. Just like the fashion, downtown girl makeup is meant to look effortless. Its main goal is to emphasize the eyes, in as little steps as possible. TikTokers often reference stars like Beabadoobee, Jenna Ortega, and Ariana Greenblatt for downtown girl makeup inspiration.
How To Get Downtown Girl Makeup
For downtown girl makeup, a natural base is best. This can be achieved either through a light coverage foundation, or a concealer worn in place of foundation. However, the base isn’t the important part, because your eyes and cheeks will be the main focus. For blush, a red or berry toned liquid blush is key to getting those naturally flushed cheeks. Eyeliner is just as important, and for this look in particular you want to go for a pencil or gel eyeliner that can be smudged both on your lash line and under your eyes. Like Beabadoobee, it’s best to be as messy as possible to get that grungy vibe. (She goes as far as sleeping in her eyeliner, but that’s definitely not required.) Lastly, there are a couple different options for lips. While some TikTokers go for a brown lip liner topped with a tinted balm, you can also experiment with a transfer-proof lip tint to emphasize that lived-in vibe.
The Best Products for Downtown Girl Makeup
Thankfully, you don’t need any specific products to get the downtown girl look at home. However, it can be super difficult to track down new products if you’re not sure what to look for. To make things easier, I compiled a couple downtown girl-approved products. When in doubt, look for products that are blendable and can be used in a pinch.


comes with a built-in smudger, perfect for all the downtown girls.

is a must.
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