In some truly delightful news, eye bags are in.

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In some very delightful news for me, a new mum who sleeps approximately five seconds a night, eye bags are in.

How silly! How brilliant!

Yes. Dark, puffy or creased eyes are apparently very cool. The very things I've spent months trying to camouflage are now… a look.

It's my time to shine!

Watch the You Beauty podcast hosts, Sarah-Marie and Kelly, on their favourite concealers. Post continues below.

Because, according to beauty writer Jessica DeFino, the (beauty) tide has turned. In her recent newsletter, she explores how the beauty world (the same one that's been trying to sell us brightening eye creams for $90 a pop) is now praising dark circles and puffiness as signs of authenticity. Cool!

Meaning? Fatigue is now fashionable.

In a viral TikTok post, content creator @eliseperry29 told us, "Ladies, keep your lower bleph", revealing that puffy under-eyes can actually be "hot" and "sexy" and "French".

We love hot sexy French!

Referencing actresses like Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart to prove her point, Perry said it's time to embrace puffy under eyes (whether it's due to late nights, crying or simply living) and to ditch fillers, concealer and surgery.

Here's the viral TikTok that set it all off:

@eliseperry29 #lowerbleph #undereyebags #fyp #leaseydoux #kristenstewart ♬ cigarette burns - slowed reverb - moonvampire

And, look. As a beauty editor who has spent years trialling products promising to camouflage under eye bags — this is a rebrand I can finally get on board with.

So what's behind the shift?

Well, somewhere between 10-step routines, retinol eye creams and $500 concealers, it seems we may have started to tire — literally and metaphorically — of perfection.

On TikTok, creators are skipping concealer entirely to let their natural under-eye shadows peek through. Others are adding contour beneath their eyes (see: "tired girl makeup") and calling it sleep deprivation chic.

Listen to The Quicky discuss the rise of trendy 'eye bags'. Post continues below.

DeFino frames this shift as more than a passing beauty moment — it's a quiet rebellion. A collective exhale. After years of being sold the fantasy of the "bright-eyed woman who does it all," we're finally embracing proof that we actually don't... want to.

The truth is, when you've got a wee baby or tiny person who doesn't sleep very well, your face tells the story. And maybe that's not something to hide. In a world obsessed with erasing every sign of living from our faces, there's something quietly powerful about saying, "Yep, I'm tired."

How freeing.

Dark circles being "in" might sound ridiculous — but it's actually a small cultural win.

Listen to the latest episode of Mamamia's beauty podcast, You Beauty. In this episode, Kelly McCarren chats to Susan Yara. Post continues below.

We're shifting from a beauty culture obsessed with erasure (Erase your pores! Smooth your lines!) to one that celebrates what's real. It's an obvious resistance to that ultra-polished 'clean girl' look that has been quietly (loudly) taking over the beauty space. Slicked back hair. Glowing skin. Minimal makeup. Lightweight mascara. Tinted lips. Endless perfection.

Instead, the 'tired girl' era celebrates smudged eye makeup, visible texture, under-eye bags. A lived-in look.

And if we can normalise puffy eyes, maybe we can normalise all the other things we've been told to fix.

Because, look. Beauty should serve us, not the other way around. If embracing our under eyes helps us opt out of the endless cycle of "fixing" ourselves — or at least helps one exhausted mum feel a little better about her reflection after a rough night — that's a win in my book.

So here's to ditching heavy concealer and embracing the renaissance of the beloved eye bag — to the shadows, the puffiness, the evidence of no sleep. Because beauty doesn't always look perfect and well-rested and like you always drink four litres of water a day. Sometimes, it just looks real.

What are your thoughts on the exhausted chic under eye trend? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Getty.