Eyeliner has been a staple of beauty for centuries, but nowhere has it found quite the same edge as in London. From punk flicks in Camden to precise wings in Soho, eyeliner in London is more than makeup – it is identity, rebellion, and artistry, evidenced by its deep entwinement with the city’s music, fashion, and subcultural movements.
Eyeliner Finds London
Eyeliner’s introduction to London aligns with the 1920s fascination with Ancient Egyptian aesthetics, fuelled by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 (British Museum, Treasures of Tutankhamun Exhibition Notes). This fascination merged with cinema’s rise, where silent film stars like Theda Bara popularised kohl-rimmed eyes that symbolised mystery and allure (Eldridge, Face Paint: The Story of Makeup, 2015).
By the 1960s, eyeliner had transitioned from screen glamour to high-street style, led by models like Twiggy, whose iconic thick lashes and defined lower liner appeared in magazines such as Vogue UK (1966), making eyeliner accessible and aspirational across London.
The Rise: Punk, Goth, and Club Culture
In the late 1970s and 1980s, London’s eyeliner culture shifted radically with the explosion of punk, notably in Camden and King’s Road. Bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees used exaggerated black lines to reject societal norms, turning eyeliner into a statement of defiance.
London’s goth subculture, particularly around Soho’s Batcave (opened in 1982, considered the birthplace of the UK goth scene – see To The Batcave: The 1980s London Club Where Outsiders Could Be Themselves – Flashbak), also relied on dramatic eyeliner, which became as symbolic of the scene as the music itself. The thick, dark eyeliner paired with pale faces wasn’t merely aesthetic; it served as a uniform for those who felt othered in mainstream society.
London vs. The Rest of the UK
While eyeliner trends exist throughout the UK, London’s usage differs in intent and style:
- In Manchester, eyeliner became part of the post-punk and indie club scene aesthetic during the late 1970s and 1980s, influenced by bands like Joy Division and the broader Haçienda crowd, where smudged, androgynous makeup was part of nightlife style. While The Smiths influenced youth fashion with melancholic, gender-blurring styling, the use of eyeliner was more directly tied to the wider post-punk aesthetic than to the band specifically.
- In Glasgow, eyeliner has featured prominently in nightlife culture, particularly within the vibrant club and LGBTQ+ scenes, where bold makeup looks, including blended eyeliner, are common. Rather than following a uniform style, Glasgow nightlife embraces individual expression, often favouring smoky, blended eyeliner looks that are practical for the city’s weather and reflect its lively club environment.
In London, eyeliner is often worn in sharper and more experimental styles, reflecting the city’s role as a global fashion centre and its diverse subcultures. London Fashion Week frequently features bold, graphic eyeliner looks showcased by makeup artists such as Isamaya Ffrench, whose avant-garde styles have appeared in Vogue and on runway shows including Junya Watanabe and Vivienne Westwood. Across the city’s nightlife, from queer club scenes in Dalston to goth nights in Camden, eyeliner is used not only as makeup but as a means of self-expression and identity affirmation within these communities.
London vs. EU and Global Eyeliner Culture
Across Europe and globally, eyeliner trends reflect local cultural and aesthetic priorities:
In Paris and Milan, eyeliner often appears as soft feline flicks on the runway, aligning with the cities’ emphasis on understated elegance seen in shows by Chanel, Dior, and Valentino (Elle France, 2021).
Meanwhile, in Berlin, the techno scene embraces a smoky, lived-in eyeliner style that complements the city’s underground club culture, with smudged and minimal-effort looks commonly seen in venues like Berghain and Tresor (Resident Advisor, 2019).
In Tokyo and Seoul, eyeliner trends focus on precise, thin lines that enhance the natural eye shape, aligning with the clean, subtle aesthetic promoted by K-beauty and J-beauty brands such as Etude House and Shiseido (NoMakeUpNoLife, 2022).
Of course there is the famous New York eyeliner trends. These trends often emerge from fashion week experimentation, with graphic and colourful looks featured on the runway. While makeup is part of street style, it tends to be less tied to everyday cultural identity than in London, where eyeliner is visible daily across alternative nightlife, street fashion, and protests.
London’s eyeliner culture uniquely blends high-fashion experimentation with street-level rebellion, making it a visible, consistent part of the city’s fabric rather than a seasonal trend. From queer clubs in Dalston to protests in central London, eyeliner functions as both artistry and a statement of identity, underscoring London’s distinct place in global beauty culture.
The Ongoing Legacy
Today, eyeliner in London continues to evolve while retaining its iconic status. The resurgence of Y2K styles has brought pastel and neon liners into everyday wear (Glamour UK, “Y2K Beauty is Back”, 2023), while black eyeliner remains timeless. London makeup artists like Katie Jane Hughes regularly showcase innovative eyeliner looks on Instagram, influencing both local and global trends while keeping London’s reputation as an eyeliner capital alive.
Whether at queer club nights in Dalston, protests in Westminster, or brunches in Hackney, eyeliner in London is a reflection of the city itself: diverse, fearless, and distinctly individual.
