So, Mob Wife Is In and Clean Girl Makeup is Out

With the start of the new year comes a new makeup look - gone is the beloved and minimalist “clean girl” look, and this year it’s being replaced by the daring and opulent "Mob Wife" aesthetic. This bold trend has exploded on social media, amassing an impressive 107 million TikTok views and a 90% surge in Google searches. It's a trend that embraces extravagance and commands attention with its distinctive flair.

The Mob Wife look celebrates lavishness and unabashed glamour, a stark contrast to last year's subdued luxury. Its roots can be traced back to the influential television series "The Sopranos," coinciding with the show's 25th anniversary. As a homage to iconic characters like Carmela Soprano, this aesthetic is more than just makeup; it's an attitude—a tribute to strong, independent women who aren't afraid to stand out.

This look is characterized by its dramatic elements: big hair, sooty smoky eyes, copious amounts of bronzer, and the classic nude, overdrawn lip. Bold winged eyeliner and long milky nails with a French tip are also essential components, culminating in a style that's not just seen but felt. It's about radiating confidence and embracing an unapologetically lavish lifestyle, often accessorized with leopard print faux fur, leather pants, and layers of oversized gold jewelry.

To truly embody the Mob Wife aesthetic, one must adopt an attitude of fearless self-expression. The makeup is bold and intentional, featuring heavy, smoked-out black eyeliner and lipsticks in rich reds and browns. It's a style that doesn't shy away from excess; instead, it revels in it, encouraging a heavy hand and a flair for the dramatic.

With celebrities and high-fashion brands alike adopting this audacious trend, the Mob Wife aesthetic is making its mark far beyond the realms of social media. It represents a shift towards a more assertive, distinctive form of self-expression, where more is more and every detail contributes to a powerful, commanding presence.

Get the Mob Wife Look

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer

Going above and beyond your average bronzer, this trailblazer powder is infused with hyaluronic acid and fine-as-air pigments to blur the look of pores and cast a silken, sun-soaked veil over your skin. This buttery formula also diffuses effortlessly for a natural-looking matte finish that can be built from a wash of warm colour to contour-sharpening definition, plus it's available in a range of stretchable shades to suit all skin tones.

Available at Cult Beauty for £45.

Kosas Undressed Eyeshadow Palette

Featuring neutral-but-hotter shades, this palette includes matte makeup shades and a metallic finish that applies smoothly. Infused with cucumber fruit extract, this product helps to soften and soothe the skin. With a talc-free formula, this eyeshadow is soft and buttery, easy to apply and blends beautifully.

Available at SpaceNK for £38.

Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil

Mob wife sports thinner, more delicate eyebrows than we’ve been used to these past few years, but she’s still put together and the brows need to be well groomed, defined and natural looking. The rich, yet blendable, colour transforms brows from shapeless to defined in mere moments while avoiding the coloured in look thanks to its ultra-fine tip.

Available at Benefit Cosmetics for £24.50.

Westman Atelier Petite Face Trace Contour Stick

Clean, creamy contour stick that sculpts and defines for subtle, chiseled cheekbones and jawlines. The intuitive, trace-and-blend formula won't interfere with other makeup and boasts soothing ingredients that protects skin against environmental stressors. The Stick features a natural, satin finish that blends and builds seamlessly.

Available at Cult Beauty for £23.

Milk Makeup Infinity Long Wear Eyeliner

A creamy, twist-up waterproof eyeliner pencil that glides on smooth without any pulling or tugging for intense color that won’t budge for up to 12 hours. On one end, your retractable liner, and at the other, your hidden sharper and smudger tip, so you can create everything from soft, smokey eyes to sharp, graphic lines even when you’re away from your dresser.

Available at SpaceNK for £20.

Mac Cosmetics Macstack Mascara

Stack on infinite layers of volume + length with the new breakthrough formula, which means layer after layer, lashes stay perfectly defined and feathery soft – no clumping, no flaking, no smudging. Build customisable lashes to suit your style with this must-have mascara that does it all.

Available at Mac Cosmetics for £27.

NARS Lipstick in Pigalle

This matte neutral pink chocolate comes in a dynamic blend of Moringa and Passion Fruit Seed Oils which enhances colour vibrancy and conditions lips for radically lightweight wear and unprecedented feel. It’s the perfect matte lipstick to complete your bold look.

Available at NARS for £25.50.

Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder

Perfect for baking, setting make up and blurring the appearance of pores, this powder casts a translucent veil over the skin while avoiding creasing or caking. It's no-flashback finish doesn't show up in photos and the soft matte finish means any shine is controlled throughout the day. What's more, this powder does good while looking good too, thanks to its vitamin E-infused formula that helps to nourish and soften your complexion over time.

Available at Cult Beauty for £34.