Most of us are familiar with that gruelling sensation the morning after falling asleep in our makeup, lashes welded together with day-old waterproof mascara, flecks of black crust speckling our cheeks, white pillowcases smeared with blush and bronzer, alas we’ve all been there no matter how stringent our skincare routines might be.

Emblematic of a good night (and therefore a terrible morning), although slept-in makeup might be a dermatologist's worst nightmare, it happens to be one of TikTok’s latest viral obsessions.


At long last, the “clean girl” beauty aesthetic has been kicked off its pristine pedestal and with the (not-so-welcome) return of indie sleaze dressing, messier makeup is making a convincing comeback. Once a tundra of sleek buns and the luminous glow of no-makeup-makeup, TikTok’s Slept-in Makeup has reached hundreds of thousands. Unkempt hair, clumpy mascara and smeared smokey eyes, the lived-in look is a direct rejection of the sanitised simplicity that once reigned supreme.


Dominating many of the Autumn/Winter 2024 runway looks slept-in beauty certainly isn't being slept-on. For Altuzarra’s show, makeup artist Diane Kendal lined the eyes with a black kohl pencil by Laura Mercier, swiftly smudging it across the lid to achieve that smouldering slumberous look.

While at the Prabal Gurung and Tom Ford shows, precision was abandoned in favour of a more haphazard approach to beauty, with black liner and shadow scribbled across the eye for the perfect post-nap appeal.


While the ultimate slept-in look can be achieved by abandoning any bedtime skincare routine, fear not dear reader, even we would not ask you to sacrifice your complexion in the name of fashion. Let us sleepwalk you through our favourite products so your pillowcases remain clean, and your routine remains rigorous – all while still looking the part.