Punk Makeup Livejournal Tutorial
Digging deep into the depths of my past to recreate a favourite Punk Makeup look beauty tutorial inspired by my favourite LiveJournal – Punk Makeup. I stalked that page so regularly from 2004 to 2006ish. I never applied to be a member but maybe this can serve as my application 12 years too late. Please enjoy this YouTube tutorial and punk storytime re: Punk Makeup A LiveJournal Beauty Tutorial. Or keep scrolling for more hilarious photos I took with this outfit – denim bleachies and DIY’d GBH shirt included.
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What was a LiveJournal?
I realize that some of my readers may not have been sentient when LiveJournal reigned supreme or perhaps weren’t tapped in to online life quite yet. LJ was a network of personal blogs and niche community forums that launched in 1999. It was a primitive version of the social media we recognize today. perhaps even considered a precursor to Reddit.
Punk_Makeup LiveJournal Community
One of the niche communities that I frequented was Punk_Makeup which focused on… punk makeup. It began in 2001 and fizzled out by 2011. During its peak halcyon days members would post their eye looks, product suggestions, and other punk beauty related topics complete with grainy photographs. These were early days of the internet, the cameras available were either a webcam attached to your desktop computer, a clunky digital camera, or film photos you SCANNED + uploaded. It’s wild to think about the friction of use back then.
How to Join Punk_Makeup
At some point in its existence you had to submit an application in order to be a part of the Punk_Makeup LiveJournal community. The application consisted of two parts. The first required the applicant to answer 5 seemingly simple questions and the second half was posting at least 5 images of your makeup. Those deceptively easy questions was where you began running the gauntlet of taste. They included:
1) why do you want to join this community?
2) what’s your favorite daily makeup? (describe eyes, lips, skin, etc.)
3) what’s your favorite daily hair?
4) list your 5 favorite bands…
5) what do you think you can offer this community? what do you think you can get from this community?
Punk_Makeup Rejection
Number 4 was where the make or break began. If you had “bad bands” paired with excellent makeup, you’d squeak by. However, if you chose unfavourable bands and had a middling level of makeup talent you’d be met with a barrage of bitchy comments followed by this doomed rejection image:
So much for their community tagline: “fun makeup for fun chicks!” My fear of the dreaded rejection verdict kept me as a silent stalker wallflower on the fringes of a community. In retrospect I probably could have gotten in but I wasn’t ready to face such a public humiliation from people I quietly admired.
Mid 2000s Punk Makeup
There were a few other colour combinations that mainstays of this era. Electric pink and black, pink and bright yellow, bright blue and lime green. The NARS duo eyeshadow in Rated R was a beloved duo – I have dreams of getting a replacement one day.
These colour mixtures probably sound tame by today’s standards but I can assure you, they were not common back then. The modern day beauty community treats these as neutrals! Looking back on old photos it stirs a bit of inspiration within me to revisit this era. Is Sandy Circa 2005-2006 coming back? I suppose time will only tell!
Punk Makeup Look Essentials
While none of these products are specifically needed to make a “punk” makeup look, including the details is an essential when posting in the forum. Here’s the breakdown of my makeup.
Eye & Brow Products
HOURGLASS – Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil
MAC COSMETICS – Eyeshadow in Chrome Yellow – c/o
MAC COSMETICS – Eyeshadow in Electric Eel (discontinued)
STILA – Eyeshadow in Moonlight from the Confections collection circa 2003
DIOR – Diorshow On Stage Liquid Eyeliner in Black Vinyl – c/o
YVES SAINT LAURENT – mascara – c/o
MARC JACOBS BEAUTY – Blue Mascara – c/o (discontinued)
Punks Love MAC Matte Eyeshadow
This whole look hinges on two matte MAC eyeshadows that were a staple in the Punk_Makeup community: MAC’s Chrome Yellow and Electric Eel blue. Not only were they synonymous with the forum, I first learned of their existence and perfect pairing there. The bright canary yellow and electric blue make for an intensely complimentary colour combo that POPS. Back in the day I would have added a little black eyeliner cheetah print on the outer blue area too.
Face Products
SMASHBOX – Photo Finish Primer – c/o
MAC COSMETICS – Powder Blush in Pink Swoon – c/o
Fun stories: I have been using the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer since 2006ish when it was in a small rectangular glass bottle with a pump! It felt so luxurious but was devastating when I accidentally dropped it on my tile bathroom floor and it smashed to pieces. Also, I first used MAC Pink Swoon in high school! It’s the perfect pink.
Lip Products
NARS – Afterglow Lip Balm in Orgasm – c/o
Back in the day I likely would have paired this eyeshadow combo with a BRIGHT pink lipstick like MAC’s Candy Yum Yum. That was another forum favourite and has been brought back since discontinuation!
Nails
I’ve adore blue nail polish ever since the 90s when I discovered the classic Wet ‘n’ Wild shiny royal blue shade at a dollar store on a trip to the US. Then along came Hard Candy and I’ve never looked back. In fact, I made a whole post devoted to blue nail polish here. My latest favourite is Cool Blue from JinSoon.
JIN SOON – Cool Blue Polish – c/o
Outfit Details
What punk post would be complete without a breakdown of my outfit??? It would be criminal not to include.
T SHIRT – GBH band t shirt – my closet
EARRINGS – Razor blade earrings – GirlPROPS store in NYC
SHORTS – Wrangler vintage shorts – thrifted then DIY’d by me
NECKLACE – Tiffany & Co heart necklace – c/o my mom
I recently revisited my punk clothing again with a skirt I bought in grade 8. You can check out that throwback look in my Part Time Punk outfit post.
Punk Makeup Livejournal Tutorial
Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my walk down memory lane! I would love to know how many other people out there were part of an *alternative* scene that involved specific makeup? Goths, emos, punks, new romantics, I love you all! Or even anyone who remembers this LiveJournal group for that matter! If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out My Morning Skincare Routine to see what I do before applying buttloads of makeup! JK my makeup is very conservative. If you are amused by my videos, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel 🙂. Or check out my other beauty related posts. K thx bye.
photographs – sandy joe karpetz
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