We enlisted makeup artist Lisa Caldognetto to show us how to do mob wife without looking like you're going to a fancy dress party.
If you’re looking for a new makeup look that channels your inner badass and is the epitome of ‘more is more’, the mob wife aesthetic makeup trend is for you. Clean skin and minimal makeup this is not.
had reservations about writing about this latest trend that’s blown up on TikTok - 153.6 million searches (and rising). Why? Because it can be hard to know whether it’s just a funny thing to mindlessly scroll past while slumped on the sofa, or if there is something interesting going on. Remember when TikTok was telling us to knock up an internal shower drink to debloat our tummies or to use fruit as makeup?
I didn’t think many of you would want to recreate the mob wife aesthetic in real life - unless you were going to a fancy dress party as Carmela or Adriana (below) from The Sopranos (surely the ultimate mob WAGS), the show clearly being the inspiration for this look. Indeed this year marks the iconic US drama's 25th anniversary which may well explain why mob wife aesthetic has suddenly become a thing.
So, what is the mob wife aesthetic? Well, it's a very done, obvious makeup look with late '80/'early '90s vibes. Big hair, masses of bronzer, full-on smoky eyes, overly lined lips filled in with layers of lipstick. In terms of wardrobe choices, it's lots of animal print, oversized gold earrings, faux fur coats. Italian Pat Butcher would be a fair reference. Lots of TikTok videos are showing how to recreate a parody of that look. I wasn't sold.
But, I then realised, maybe it's actually a welcome palate cleanser. This makeup look, with all its obviousness, is a far cry from the clean girl aesthetic that's dominated of late. It’s also a lot of fun, glamorous, sexy, wearable (when done right) and an absolute celebration of makeup.
So, I approached makeup artist Lisa Caldognetto to show us how we all can get our mob wife aesthetic on - and make a full-on makeup look into one you would genuinely recreate (and wear with zero irony). So here she is. And please listen to her video with the sound on as her voiceover is genius.
@getthegloss @Lisa Pro Makeup Artist giving us her ultimate mob wife look and energy 🖤 #fyp #mobwife #mobwifeaesthetic #mobwifemakeup #mobwifeera #mobwifewinter #mobwifeglamour #beauty #beautytok #beautyindustry #makeupartist #londonmakeupartist #london #londontiktok ♬ original sound - getthegloss
Boss lady base layers
The mob wife base is fairly matte, which requires layers of hydration underneath to prevent it from looking cakey and gathering in fine lines.
Lisa starts by applying Milk Hydro Grip Primer, £18, and gets to work on pencilling in her brows with Kosas Ultra Fine Detailing Pencil, £20 and Kosas Air Brow, £19. To give her skin some extra hydration she applies the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks, £37.80 to her under eyes and sweeps some Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask, £27 so that her pout is primed for later.
Smoke show eyes
Many mob wife aesthetic videos overdo it with the eye but Lisa has taken the elements of the look - liner and smoky eyeshadow shades - and made it more wearable by keeping it within the socket and also avoiding shimmer and sparkle. She tells me that she thinks matte textures add a hint of modernity to the look. But also because it is being teamed with a strong lip it prevents the eyes becoming too strong an element and drifting into fancy dress territory.
Lisa starts building up her smoky eye by applying Sweed beauty satin kohl liner, £19 along her lash line and then into the socket line and blending them out. She recommends the Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in Sophisticate, £45 - using the darker shades to layer up the colour. Lisa goes back in with more eyeliner before using Kevyn Aucoin Lash Curler, £22.07 and then applies Kiss Falscara in Lengthening, £9.60 corner false eyelashes before a few coats of Rose Inc Lash Lift Serum Mascara, £22. Then throw away the eye masks, as Lisa says ‘to join your ex in the trash’.
Criminally flawless complexion
Skin tints play no part in mob wife makeup so a foundation is what is required. An ironic mob wife aesthetic would use foundation that's not quite the right shade and looks quite heavy. But in the wearable version here Lisa uses Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, £36 which provides coverage but still lets skin look like skin. She then adds Nars Light Reflecting Eye Brightener in Night Swan, £26 to add brightness around the eye area. She recommends applying your base products after creating the eye so you can use foundation and concealer to tidy up any fallout from the eyeshadow. Then it’s time to contour and bronze the face, Lisa uses Vieve Modern Bronzer, £32 a handy contour and bronzing duo. Mob wife aesthetic doesn’t incorporate blusher, it's all about the '90s overly bronzed look, but here Lisa lightly bronzes to add warmth without looking obvious.
Power pout
The final element is the lips. Mob wife aesthetic is not about a hardly-there nude, it’s rooted in a lip that is taking centre stage. It can be shimmering bronzes or burgundy reds but Lisa opts for a gorgeous cherry red which she creates with a high-low mix of products: Elf cream glide lip liner spill the tea, £3.99 paired with Lisa Eldridge lipstick in Velvet Muse, £27. One last dusting of powder to take away any excess shine, Lisa uses Kosas cloud set in Breezy, £32 and that is the mob wife aesthetic done.
All that’s left to say are some of Lisa’s closing mob wife-inspired lines: “Have you seen your reflection? Have you seen the perfection looking back at you! Welcome to the family.”