Time to dig up your favorite eyeliner pencils and eyeshadow palettes, because the smoky eye is officially back—at least according to TikTok, anyway!

Smoky, smudgy, messily glamorous eye makeup has always been a go-to, but the “clean girl” era and the ghost lashes movement pushed it to the wayside for awhile. However, it’s been making a comeback on the red carpet via stars like Jenna Ortega and Jennie and on everyone’s favorite trend platform, where TikTokers proclaim that the smoky eye is here to stay, or an important part of their 2026 aesthetic. This is worth noting, because it’s signaling a pretty major shift from the softer eye looks that have been so prevalent throughout the 2020s thus far.

“We’ve seen this look definitely come back in full force post-Brat Summer and that undone, grungy supermodel eye look is really trending,” says New York-based makeup artist Kasey Spickard. “It’s a super flattering look; it gives definition to the eyes and some super-easy drama!”

You don’t need to be a celebrity makeup artist to recreate the look, though it does seem intimidating at first. All you need is confidence and a few easy, versatile makeup products to enhance your eyes and give them an edgy, smoldering finish.

And remember—smoky eyes aren’t about perfection; they’re about attitude. (There’s a reason smoky eyes were the go-to makeup look for everyone during the indie sleaze era of the late 2000s to early 2010s; they fit perfectly with the messy, undone, imperfect aesthetic of that era.) It emulates the feeling of being out dancing carefre all night, even if you’re just heading to Tuesday morning biology class.

Ready to shake up your eye makeup routine for 2026? Ahead, we’ve rounded up a few simple smoky eye essentials to help you channel your inner Wednesday Addams.