Audrey Hepburn, Amy Winehouse and Eartha Kitt are all icons, known for their distinctive eye makeup. Now Julia Fox has joined their ranks. The actor, model, and partner of Kanye West was photographed at fashion shows in Paris this week wearing an extreme take on eyeliner – with the “wing” of the black makeup extending far beyond her browbone.
Strong eyeliner was also seen all over the haute couture catwalk at Chanel and Schiaparelli this week.
Jacqueline Kilikita, senior beauty editor of Refinery29, sees Fox’s look as part of a wider shift in makeup towards creative experimentation, with eyes the focus. This is down to a few factors, she says. “TikTok is behind a lot of the bold liner trends out there right now, thanks to experimental makeup artists. Wearing masks more also means it’s all about the eyes.”
“We’ve endured two years’ worth of on-again off-again lockdowns thanks to the pandemic, and during that time makeup was sidelined in favour of skincare,” says Annie Vischer, the beauty editor of Grazia. “Now our social lives are back on the table many are craving a change-up.”
Television has played its part. Vischer points to Euphoria, where experimental eye makeup is a signature of the character Jules. There’s also the upcoming Pam & Tommy, a miniseries about the Baywatch star and eyeliner icon Pamela Anderson, played by Lily James, and the musician Tommy Lee. These shows are, says Vischer, “romanticised 90s and 00s beauty trends. The inspiration is there for the taking.”
Whether or not this extreme eyeliner experimentation will have an impacy on the average makeup look remains to be seen.
