What is mob wife beauty? The hair, makeup and nail looks defining the trend

Dust off your red lippy, the beauty klaxon has sounded: ‘clean girl’ is out and mob wife is in.

Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos, the biggest trend of 2024 so far takes its cues from the audacious glamour of Adriana La Cerva and Carmela Soprano. But while #mobwife has over 210 million views on TikTok, like any good internet-breaking movement, it has permeated through to real-life applications and been given the seal of approval from perpetual trendsetters Dua Lipa and Kylie Jenner.

Bold, vampy with big fur coats, big jewellery and an even bigger attitude, the trend is a celebration of fierce feminism and worlds away from the ubiquitous ‘quiet luxury’ that dominated 2023. But it’s not just lashings of animal print that have piqued interest. For the make-up, Claire Mulleady of Givenchy Beauty stresses, ‘It’s time to be bold.’ Breaking it down, she reveals ‘every feature is glamorised, starting with a complexion that is polished, matte and contoured. Eyes are dark and smoky without holding back on the black eyeliner, while browns and charcoals are smoked around the eye with intensity and lift. This make-up has an uncompromising confidence to it. The lip exudes power. Overline the lips with a brown-tone lip liner (Givenchy Lip Liner No 9 is my go-to), then add a bold, rich nude or wine shade to complete the look.’

(@kyliejenner)

Paul Percival, founder of Percy & Reed and global ambassador for Babyliss, says the ‘mob wife hair trend is all about voluminous, glamorous styles that are just a little overdone. It often includes big curls, high volume and a super-polished finish’ — and it’s surprisingly wearable. ‘To achieve this trend, it’s all about prep. Once you have a polished movement in the hair, it’s easy to pin it into a 1990s pleat or part your hair on one side to give the style a more “done” finish. Start by applying a golf ball-sized amount of Percy & Reed Session Styling Volumising Mousse. Use the super-easy Babyliss Big Hair to give yourself a big, bouncy salon blow-dry.’

Last but certainly not least, ‘the non-negotiable is the nails’, says luxury manicurist Alex Philamond from The Gel Bottle. ‘Always long and always ultra-glossy, the mob wife nail is a hyperglam 1990s deep French or a bright red such as The Gel Bottle’s Candy that makes the statement of, “look at me again and you’ll have my husband to answer to”.’

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