In the masculine world of grooming, the sport (or art) of decorating one’s lids with darkened kohl has been practised amongst niche circles, reserved for only a few brave men willing to go — or draw — the lengths of a sharp winged liner. Given the past decade’s adoration of the bare-is-best routines, the notion of lined eyes has been mostly cast away. However, as the return of the Indie Sleaze movement returns, confronting the pressing question cannot be put off any longer. Should the world be opening its eyes and waking up for the return of “guyliner”?

The eyeliner has developed an unfortunate reputation for itself as a product. According to decrees sent straight from the beauty gods, men’s grooming necessitates simple and uncomplex routines — a creed that is entirely contradictory to the practice of creating a sharply lined wing adjacent to the eye. It does not help that the product in question has been mostly known to be finicky.

Yet, as the world turns its eyes toward the revival of the Indie Sleaze movement — where eyeliner is central to the plot, and the movement’s champions are never without a smidge or smudge of it — perhaps it is high time for society to revisit the art of lining one’s lids.

Before one gets intimidated by the product’s messy propensity, it is always great to recall that some of the Indie Sleaze heroes or references have always stuck by that route. For one, The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas always sold the nonchalant narrative of the genre he championed, thanks to his heavy-lidded signature derived from the darkening of his lids. While his grooming practice stands on the polar opposite of the today-favoured “clean” aesthetic, the intentionality behind it and the sheer disarray within the art is a perfect routine for any beginner to adopt and/or fan looking to steal his style.

So get lining. Dial up the dramatique and do your best Indie rocker impression. Seek out a kohl crayon or two, go berserk with the application and then revel in your iteration of the modern-day “guyliner” that is bound to turn a head or two — in the best way possible.

Photography Jaya Khidir

Styling Vanessa Grace Ng using Gucci Beauty

Photography Assistant Nowo Kasturi

Model Siyu / NOW Model Management

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our September 2024 issue.