Under-Eye Liner Trend: 2026's Smudged Grunge Gaze

The Under-Eye Liner Trend, Explained

The under-eye liner trend moves eyeliner off the upper lid and onto the lower lash line, then smudges it into a soft, undone haze rather than a clean stroke. In short, it is the opposite instinct from a sharp cat eye. Instead of a crisp line pointing up and out, the pigment sits low, close to the lashes, and blurs outward like it has been worn a little through the day. Coveteur's Fall/Winter 2026 New York Fashion Week roundup named it one of the season's defining beauty moments, spotted backstage at Ashlyn, Proenza Schouler and Pamella Roland.

Furthermore, this is a distinct look from the sharp, geometric shapes covered in our graphic eyeliner trend guide. Graphic liner keeps hard edges and intentional negative space on the upper lid. This look, by contrast, lives on the lower lash line and rewards a soft, blurred finish over a precise one.

At our New York and London counters, customers have started asking for this look by describing it rather than naming it — "that smudged, tired-but-pretty eye" is the phrase we hear most. Therefore, this guide breaks the technique down into steps anyone can build in a few minutes, along with the honest limits of what a smudged line can and cannot do for tired or sensitive eyes.

Where the Grunge Gaze Trend Came From

In fact, this look has two separate origin stories that landed within weeks of each other in 2026, which helps explain why it spread so fast. On the runway side, Coveteur's Fall/Winter 2026 NYFW coverage described designers leaning into a lived-in, slightly undone beauty mood across the season, with under-eye liner as one of its clearest signals. At Ashlyn and Pamella Roland, models wore the line smudged and soft, while Proenza Schouler paired it with equally undone hair — together reading as a deliberate step away from the polished, glazed finishes that dominated earlier seasons.

Meanwhile, off the runway, allkpop's July 2026 feature showed Jennie, Han So Hee and Seulgi each wearing a personal variation of the same idea. Jennie's version stayed close to black and closely lined, Han So Hee opted for a softer brown smudge, and Seulgi blended deeper brown at the outer corner fading to lighter brown near the inner corner. Additionally, all three looks shared the same underlying idea as the runway version: liner placed low, then diffused rather than left crisp.

Notably, the "grunge" nickname borrows from 1990s beauty rather than describing anything actually messy — the reference point is smudged, worn-in liner rather than sharp, freshly drawn lines. However, the 2026 version differs from that earlier era in one clear way: it is built with modern waterproof formulas designed to smudge in a controlled direction, rather than a standard pencil left to migrate wherever the day takes it.

How to Try the Under-Eye Liner Trend at Home

Building this look takes patience with smudging, not precision with a steady hand, which makes it more forgiving than it looks. Below is the technique we walk shoppers through at our counters.

Choosing Colors: Black, Brown or Something Bolder

Black remains the closest match to Jennie's cleanly lined version of the trend and reads the most graphic of the three celebrity looks allkpop highlighted. Brown, closer to Han So Hee's and Seulgi's approach, gives a softer, less intense finish that works well for daytime wear or lighter coloring. Meanwhile, a bolder colored liner, such as our Orange Waterproof Liquid Eye Pencil or Blue Waterproof Liquid Eye Pencil, smudged low and kept subtle, updates the same technique without committing to a full color look on the upper lid.

In addition, a white or pale liner smudged just at the inner corner, such as our S.he Waterproof White Gel Liner, can brighten the whole under-eye area when paired with a deeper smudged shade further out. Therefore, this approach has more range in color than its grunge nickname suggests; the smudged technique, not any one shade, is what defines it.

Skin tone plays a role in which base color reads most naturally once smudged. Deeper skin tones tend to hold black and dark brown clearly even after blending, while lighter brown can soften and lose definition faster. On fairer skin, brown or a warm charcoal often looks less severe than solid black once diffused. Testing a small amount in daylight, rather than under indoor lighting alone, remains the most reliable way to judge how a shade will settle.

Who This Look Flatters, and a Few Honest Limitations

This smudged under-eye technique tends to suit almost any eye shape, since the softness of the line forgives small unevenness that a sharp upper-lid wing would show clearly. However, it is worth being direct about what it will not do. A smudged line drawn close to the lower lashes will not disguise significant dark circles or puffiness on its own, and it can occasionally draw more attention to shadowing underneath the eyes if the color is too dark for your skin tone. For that reason, pairing a lighter brown or a warm-toned liner with concealer underneath, rather than skipping concealer altogether, generally reads more polished on tired days.

Additionally, because the technique places pigment directly along skin that moves constantly with blinking, it needs a genuinely waterproof formula and a light hand with primer to avoid smearing by midday. One shopper at our London counter tried the look with a standard, non-waterproof pencil on a warm day and found it had drifted into a faint gray shadow by lunchtime; switching to a waterproof formula fixed the problem the next morning. Finally, finishing brows with a defined eyebrow powder gel helps balance a smudged, soft under-eye against the rest of the face.

Removing a Smudged Under-Eye Look Without Irritating Delicate Skin

The skin below the eye is thinner and more reactive than skin almost anywhere else on the face, which matters more here since the pigment sits closer to the lashes and to the eye itself for longer. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology notes that cosmetics applied near the eye area are a recognized trigger for contact dermatitis in people with sensitive skin, and Cleveland Clinic lists eyeliner among the common causes of eyelid dermatitis.

Therefore, removing a smudged, waterproof line calls for patience rather than scrubbing. Press a soaked cotton pad against closed lids for a few seconds before wiping, which lets the remover loosen a waterproof formula on its own. Wiping gently downward, in the same direction lashes grow, causes less tugging than side-to-side motion. The NHS also recommends removing eye makeup before sleep and washing hands beforehand, both of which reduce the chance of irritation.

If redness, itching or swelling develops after wearing a smudged liner look, switching to a fragrance-free remover is a reasonable first step, but persistent symptoms are worth raising with a dermatologist or GP.

How MissBiotics Can Help

MissBiotics stocks the waterproof liners and prep products the under-eye liner trend runs on: black, brown and colored waterproof pencils and liquid liners, cream mousse shadows for a diffused finish, and an eye primer built to keep smudged pigment from creasing on thin under-eye skin. Every liner in this guide sits at $5.99 or under, and the mousse eyeshadows are $2.99 each, so building the full look costs well under the price of a single department-store eyeliner. Browse our Eyes shop for the complete range, or book a free consultation if you would like a shade matched to your coloring and skin sensitivity before you buy.

Conclusion

The under-eye liner trend has real staying power going into fall because it asks for a smudge, not a steady hand, which makes it genuinely more accessible than most eyeliner trends of the past year. Between its Fall/Winter 2026 NYFW runway credential and its viral moment with Jennie, Han So Hee and Seulgi, the look has momentum on both sides of the Atlantic heading into autumn. Start with one waterproof liner and a primer from this guide, keep the rest of your face simple, and let the smudge do the work. Explore our Eyes range to find your first under-eye liner, or read our gel vs. liquid vs. pencil eyeliner guide to pick the formula that will smudge, rather than smear, through a full day.

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