Brat Makeup: Edgy Party Girl Glam Inspired by Charli XCX
If you’ve been anywhere near the internet lately, you know that “brat summer” took over 2024 (and beyond) in a way nobody saw coming. Charli XCX’s album didn’t just give us bangers—it gave us an entire aesthetic. That messy, confident, unapologetically chaotic energy became a whole vibe, and the makeup that goes with it? Absolutely iconic.
Brat makeup is the anti-clean girl aesthetic. It’s smudged, it’s bold, it’s a little messy in the best way possible. Think heavy black eyeliner that’s been through a night of dancing, glossy lips, flushed cheeks, and an overall look that says “I’m hot and I know it, but I’m not trying that hard.” It’s party girl glam with an edge—glamorous but never perfect, polished but still raw.
Whether you’re hitting an actual party or just want to channel that chaotic, confident energy in your everyday life, brat makeup is surprisingly wearable and fun to recreate. Let’s break down how to get the look, what products work best, and how to capture that perfectly imperfect brat aesthetic.
What Is Brat Makeup, Really?
Brat makeup is all about embracing imperfection while still looking incredibly hot. It’s makeup that looks like it’s been lived in—like you got ready for a party, had the best night of your life, and your makeup survived (mostly) but with character.
The key elements are smudged black eyeliner, emphasizing your eyes in a slightly messy way, skin that looks glowy and a bit sweaty (in a good way), flushed cheeks that suggest you’ve been dancing or just existing with main character energy, and glossy lips that catch the light. The overall vibe is effortless in a way that actually takes some effort, but looks like you just woke up looking this cool.
This isn’t about precision. Brat makeup actively rejects the super-clean, Instagram-perfect makeup trends. Your eyeliner can be a little smudged. Your eyeshadow doesn’t need to be perfectly blended. In fact, it probably looks better if it’s not. The goal is to look like the hottest, most confident version of yourself—someone who’s too busy having fun to worry about whether their makeup is perfect.
The Brat Skin: Glowy and Lived-In
Brat skin isn’t matte, and it definitely isn’t powdered within an inch of its life. You want glowy, slightly dewy skin that looks like you’re either about to go out or you’ve just come back from the best night ever.
Start with a hydrating base. You want your skin to look plump and healthy, not flat or cakey. A glowy primer or even just a good moisturizer works. If you’re using foundation, keep it light to medium coverage—brat makeup isn’t about covering everything up. Let your real skin show through.
The e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter is perfect for this vibe. It’s not quite foundation, not quite tinted moisturizer—it just makes your skin look filtered in real life. It’s sheer, glowy, and gives you that “my skin but better” look that’s essential to the brat aesthetic.
If you want more coverage in certain areas, use concealer strategically instead of piling on foundation everywhere. Focus on under your eyes and any spots you want to cover, but leave the rest of your skin relatively natural.
Here’s the key: skip the heavy powder. A little bit of translucent powder in your T-zone is fine if you’re super oily, but you want to maintain that dewy, almost sweaty glow. Brat makeup is supposed to look like you’ve been living in it—powder kills that vibe instantly.
Add a liquid highlighter to your cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and cupid’s bow. You want to catch the light. The goal is to look luminous, like you’re glowing from within (or from the party lights, or from pure confidence—whatever works).
The Eyes: Smudgy, Smoky, Slightly Messy
This is where brat makeup really comes alive. The eyes are dark, smudgy, and unapologetically bold. Think Kate Moss in the ’90s meets modern party girl energy.
Black eyeliner is non-negotiable. This is the foundation of the entire look. You want a creamy, smudgeable black eyeliner that you can really work with. Gel or kohl pencils work better than liquid for this because you need something you can smudge and smoke out.
The NYX Professional Makeup Epic Wear Liner Stick in black is perfect—it’s creamy enough to smudge but sets so it won’t completely disappear throughout the night.
Here’s how to apply it: Line your upper lash line, getting right into the lashes and making it slightly thick. Don’t worry about making it perfect. Then line your lower lash line as well, going all the way around. This creates that slightly closed-in, sultry eye shape.
Now for the smudging. This is what makes it brat instead of just regular eyeliner. Take a small smudge brush or even just your finger and blend out that eyeliner. You’re not erasing it—you’re just softening it and making it look smoky and lived-in. The upper lash line can get smudged slightly upward and outward. The lower lash line gets smudged down a bit.
It should look a little messy, a little undone. If it looks too perfect, smudge it more.
Add some eyeshadow. Stick with blacks, grays, and dark browns. Pack a dark shade onto your lid and into your crease, focusing on the outer corner of your eye. Blend it out, but again, don’t worry about making it perfectly seamless. Some patchiness actually adds to the aesthetic.
Use black or dark brown eyeshadow – or go bold with that signature brat green. Keep it smoky and a bit messy around the edges. New to eyeshadow? We have a blog post for that!
Mascara—lots of it. Pile it on. Clumpy lashes are actually part of the vibe here. You want your lashes to look full and dramatic, not separated and perfect. Apply multiple coats and don’t worry if they clump together a bit.
The Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara gives you that dramatic, slightly spidery lash look that works perfectly for brat makeup.
Skip the cut crease, skip the perfect wing. Brat makeup rejects precision. If you want to add a wing to your liner, make it quick and imperfect. A slightly uneven wing actually looks more brat than a perfectly sharp one.
The Cheeks: Flushed and Glowy
Your cheeks should look naturally flushed, like you’ve been dancing or drinking or just living your best chaotic life. This isn’t about sculpted contour—it’s about adding color and life to your face.
Choose a cream blush in a shade that looks like your natural flush. For most people, that’s some variation of pink, mauve, or berry. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks and blend it up toward your temples. Be generous with it—brat makeup isn’t subtle.
The e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush is incredibly pigmented, so you only need a tiny bit, but it gives you that flushed-from-within look that’s essential here.
Layer a powder blush over your cream blush if you want even more intensity. The goal is cheeks that look alive and flushed, not perfectly contoured and sculpted.
Add a touch of that same blush to your nose, across the bridge. This adds to the flushed, slightly sweaty look in the best way possible. It makes you look like you’ve been having fun, which is exactly what brat is about.
Skip heavy contouring. A little bit of bronzer is fine if you want dimension, but carved-out cheekbones aren’t the vibe here. Keep it soft and glowy.
The Lips: Glossy and Effortless
Brat lips are all about gloss. Not perfectly lined and matte lips—we want shiny, slightly messy, “I just applied this in the dark” energy.
You can keep it simple with just a clear or slightly tinted gloss over your natural lips. This is actually the most brat option—it looks effortless and lived-in.
The NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss comes in tons of shades and gives you that juicy, glossy look without being sticky.
If you want more color, apply a tinted lip balm or a sheer lipstick first, then top with gloss. Stick with shades that enhance your natural lip color—mauves, berries, browns, or even a sheer red.
Don’t overline your lips with precision. If you want a fuller look, you can slightly blur your lip line, but it should look natural and a bit undone. Perfect Instagram lips are the opposite of brat.
The key is that glossy, light-catching finish. Brat makeup is about looking like you’re glowing, and glossy lips are essential to that.
The Brows: Natural and Undone
Your brows should look like brows, not like you spent an hour on them. Brat aesthetic rejects the super-sculpted, laminated, Instagram brow look.
Brush your brows up with a spoolie and maybe add a tinted brow gel to keep them in place, but don’t try to create a perfectly shaped brow. Let them be a little wild, a little natural.
If you need to fill in sparse areas, do it lightly and with a soft hand. The NYX Professional Makeup Lift & Snatch Brow Taper lets you add definition without looking too done.
The goal is brows that frame your face but don’t steal the show. They should look like you woke up with them, not like you spent twenty minutes drawing them on.
Creating Different Brat Looks
The beauty of brat makeup is that it’s flexible. Here are some variations you can try:
Classic Brat: Heavy smudged black eyeliner all around the eye, flushed cheeks, glossy lips. This is your standard party girl look.
Soft Brat: Use brown or gray instead of black for a softer, more wearable version. Still smudgy and lived-in, just less intense.
Colorful Brat: Add a pop of color to your inner corner or lower lash line—electric blue, bright green, or hot pink. Keep everything else classic brat. This adds a fun, unexpected element.
Grunge Brat: Go heavier on the black eyeshadow, add some darkness under your eyes intentionally, and use a darker lip. This is brat meets ’90s grunge.
Daytime Brat: Skip the heavy black liner and just use a dark brown smudged along your lash line. Keep the glossy lips and flushed cheeks. This tones it down for everyday wear while keeping that effortless energy.
Making It Last Through an Actual Party
If you’re wearing this makeup to an actual event and want it to last, here are some tips:
Use an eyeshadow primer. Even though you want things to look a bit messy, you don’t want your eyeshadow completely disappearing. A primer keeps everything in place while still allowing for that smudgy look.
Set your base lightly. A light dusting of translucent powder in areas that get oily will help your foundation last without killing the dewy look.
Use a setting spray. A good setting spray locks everything in place. The NYX Professional Makeup The Face Glue Setting Spray works great and doesn’t make your skin look flat or matte.
Keep your lip gloss with you. Gloss wears off quickly, especially if you’re drinking or eating. Reapply throughout the night to maintain that glossy finish.
Embrace the fade. Here’s the secret about brat makeup: it actually looks better as it wears. As things get a little more smudged and lived-in throughout the night, you’re getting even more brat. Let it happen.
The Attitude Is Just as Important as the Makeup
Here’s the thing about brat makeup: it’s not just about the products or the technique. It’s about the energy you bring to it.
Brat is confident, a little messy, unapologetically bold, and not trying to be perfect. It’s about owning your look and your vibe without apologizing for it. You can have the perfect smudgy liner and glossy lips, but if you’re constantly checking your makeup and worrying about it being perfect, you’re missing the point.
The beauty of this aesthetic is that imperfections make it better. Eyeliner that’s a little uneven? That’s more brat. Eyeshadow that’s slightly patchy? Perfect. Lipgloss that’s worn off in the center of your lips? You look like you’ve been living your life, which is exactly the vibe.
Brat makeup works because it rejects the pressure to be perfectly put together all the time. It’s makeup that looks hot but also looks real—like you’re a actual person having actual fun, not a perfectly curated Instagram post.
Who Can Wear Brat Makeup?
Everyone. That’s the beauty of it.
You don’t have to be going to a party. You don’t have to listen to Charli XCX (though you should—the album is incredible). You don’t have to fit any specific aesthetic to wear brat makeup.
If you’re into edgy makeup, this is for you. If you usually wear natural makeup but want to try something bolder, this is a great place to start because the imperfection makes it less intimidating. If you love the idea of makeup that looks lived-in and effortless, brat is your aesthetic.
The look is surprisingly versatile. Tone it down for daytime, amp it up for nighttime, adjust the colors to suit your style. The core principles—smudgy eyes, glowy skin, glossy lips, confident energy—work for anyone.
Final Thoughts
Brat makeup is more than just a trend—it’s a whole mood. It’s about looking hot without trying too hard, embracing imperfection, and carrying yourself with the kind of confidence that makes people want to know what you’re up to.
The smudgy black eyeliner, the glossy lips, the flushed cheeks—these are just the tools. The real magic is in the attitude. You’re not trying to look perfect for anyone. You’re not worried about every detail being flawless. You look good, you know it, and you’re too busy having fun to stress about whether your eyeliner is symmetrical.
So grab your black liner, smudge it all around your eyes, add some gloss, and go be the main character in your own chaotic, confident, impossibly cool life. That’s what brat is all about.
