Anyone within range of a TikTok account has witnessed the rise of the mob wife aesthetic this year. Antithetical to'clean girl beauty' and inspired by the darkly glamorous women of Scarface, Casino, and The Sopranos (among other movies), the mob wife look is characterized by all-out opulence and maximalism. Loud animal prints, luscious (faux) furs, and flashy jewelry define the mafiosa’s wardrobe; bright lips and heavily lined eyes are her beauty staples.
Of all the ways to get in touch with your inner Connie Corleone, switching up your makeup is the lowest commitment. That said, it involves striking a balance between leaning into the aesthetic and ensuring the overall effect isn't too much. (No one wants to look like they're wearing a costume.) According to Victor Anaya, director of education and artistry at Bobbi Brown, finding that balance boils down to offsetting vampy, defined eyes with cloud skin and soft glam.
"The trend calls for a soft matte complexion, soft smokey eye, and velvet matte lip," he tells Marie Claire. "The focus is on defined eyes, sculpted cheeks, and a fuller looking lip.”
Below, Anaya describes exactly how to channel the drama of The Sopranos through your makeup(without any of the murder).
Mob Wife Lips
(Image credit: Alamy)
From deep reds to subtle nudes, most lipstick shades can channel head-of-the-table energy. Just remember the intended final effect: "The overall lip is a matte velvet lip," Anaya says.
Lips that can command a high-stakes meeting begin with a lipliner close to your natural color, but a few shades darker. "Emphasize the outer corners and cupid’s bow," the expert recommends. "Next, softly press in a matte crème lip color in the center and softly blend where it meets the lip liner." The makeup artist suggests Bobbi Brown's lip liner pencil in cocoa and the luxe matter lipstick in parkside for a mob wife lip that will also last all day.
When channeling your inner mob wife, "Eyes are the focal point," Anaya says. They're soft, smokey, and defined, like Adriana la Cerva's smolder on The Sopranos.
Anaya recommends starting with a rich, jet black liner to build definition around the eye, using a small pencil brush to blur and defuse. Next, add a mid-toned smokey brown shadow—Anaya's preferred shade is Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in sand dune—over the liner and onto the lid, blending and blurring the edges with a blending brush. Finally, apply a few coats of volumizing mascara, plus extra liner to frame the eye.
Don't forget the brows: Anaya suggests building definition with a brow pencil and setting with a soft wax.
Urban Decay Perversion Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick
Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette
Fan Fest Fanning & Volumizing Mascara
Retractable EyeBrow Pencil - Waterproof
Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting and Laminating Eyebrow Gel
Mob Wife Face
(Image credit: Alamy)
On one end of the viral makeup spectrum, there's the strong contour that ruled beauty from 2016 onward. On the other, there's the dewy, natural complexion of the "clean" aesthetic. Where does mob wife makeup fit in—and which products are best for the mafiosaface?
Anaya says a Ginger McKenna-like complexion has a soft, matte finish. Bases like Bobbi Brown's Skin Long-Wear Foundation can prime your mob wife canvas. "It’s perfect for this trend because it self-sets to a modern matte finish," the expert explains.
To apply, Anaya recommends sculpting the parameter of the face with a soft bronzing powder and finishing with a soft pink blush on the high point of each cheek. (Bobbi Brown Pot Rogue in powder pink is one of his favorites.) Add a touch of concealer under the eyes to brighten, lift, and define.
Skin Long-Wear Weightless Liquid Foundation with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen
Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge For Lips And Cheeks
Refy Duo Face Brush
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer
Mob Wife Nails
(Image credit: Alamy)
No mob wife look is complete without a stunning set of nails. Carmela Soprano sported a classic French manicure for most of The Sopranos, after all. But if you don't have the budget for acrylics (or can't take the nail damage), considering painting your nails at home or opting for a set of press-ons.
Olive and June Classic French - Press-On
Nails Inc. 73% Plant Power Nail Polish
Meet the Expert
Victor Anaya
Victor Anaya is the Director of Education and Artistry. A professional makeup artist, he is currently based in New York City.
The mob wife makeup look is an artful combination of classic beauty and modern glamour. By focusing on a flawless complexion, striking eyes, bold brows, and a statement lip, you can channel the timeless elegance and strength that define the world of mob wives.
The trend is about more than French manicures and furs. The look focuses on conspicuous signifiers of wealth earned outside the rule of law. Adriana La Cerva in “The Sopranos,” played by Drea de Matteo, was sexy, confident and ambitious in her own right.
The starting point of the mob wife look is typically a simple all-black outfit, which is then adorned with eye-catching statement pieces like lush faux-fur coats, bold jewelry, boots and even some animal-print accessories.
The Trend. While a deep red acrylic nail was the preferred look of Miss La Cerva, the quintessential mob wife nail look will always be an extra long, extra square, extra white French tip. It was the go-to look for Carmela Soprano, Elvira of Scarface fame, and, of course, the mob wife, Big Ang. Getty Images.
“Mob wife is more of a reflection of the diminished meaning of trends and aesthetics,” said Mandy Lee, a trend analyst and forecaster. “We seem to be in this endless cycle of nostalgia for trends that were rooted in subcultures, values and context.
In millions of TikTok videos, 2024 has officially been hailed as the "year of the mob wife." The style is big, bold, and often involves a (real or faux) fur coat. There's no "quiet luxury" here, honey — a true mob wife always makes an entrance.
Just days into 2024, TikTok creators declared the end of minimalist trends and the start of the mob wife aesthetic phenomenon. “Clean girl is out, mob wife era is in,” the videos proclaimed, announcing the arrival of a new style aesthetic that, in no time, spread on all corners of the internet.
The informal moll has most often been used for the romantic partners of 1920s and 30s mobsters, like Al Capone's wife Mae or George "Baby Face" Nelson's girlfriend Helen.
And crucially, despite the latter's pared-back approach to dressing and simple make-up, the clean girl look is incredibly difficult to achieve without naturally perfect skin and hair. A mob wife, on the other hand, is exciting, vibrant, dangerous and a little messy – making the style more forgiving and approachable.
Users emphasize that the look is all about faux fur coats, black-out sunglasses, layered gold jewelry, and animal print paired with leggings, pants or body suits. The TL;DR: This aesthetic requires you to dress over the top.
If you haven't heard, clean girl is out and mob wife is in. Think luxurious fabrics, bold jewelry, big fur coats and leather trenches, high heels, dramatic makeup, and undercover colors.
The look unites several microtrends—leopard print, faux fur coats, statement tights, chunky gold jewelry—currently ripping through social media. Style them together and you get the mob wife aesthetic.
“So just paint the middle part of your nail and be sure a tiny space is left between the two sides of the nail bed,” she explains. “This creates an illusion of a longer, narrower nail.” If you're not a DIY-er, she says you'll want to explain the technique to your nail artist.
Giancana had been the capo of the Chicago Outfit, was deposed from that mafia cartel in 1965, and murdered in 1975. The murder was never solved. Therefore a mafia princess is the daughter of a capo, the head of an organized crime family.
A TikTok trend that's about more than French manicures and furs, the look focuses on conspicuous signifiers of wealth earned outside the rule of law. Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco as Henry and Karen Hill in “Goodfellas” (1990). Even when she's powerful herself, the mob wife is an accessory to a more powerful man.
However, one of the first TikToks I saw in 2024 claimed that the clean girl aesthetic is “out” and that the mob wife aesthetic is “in.” The mob wife aesthetic is influenced by the popular show The Sopranos and is defined by smoky eye makeup, gold hoops, and fur coats. These two aesthetics are completely different.
Key elements of the mob wives aesthetic include faux and vintage fur coats, animal prints, messy hair, heavy makeup with dark eyeliner, red or acrylic French manicured nails and lots of gold jewelry.
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