‘Fake tans are out’: The new Wag style rules

In 2006 a new acronym entered our vocabulary: the “Wag”, short for “wives and girlfriends”, a select group of women who accompanied their football-playing husbands to Germany for the World Cup that year. Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Tweedy and Coleen Rooney – then McLoughlin – led the charge. 

The fashion and beauty stakes in the Noughties commanded a very different style aesthetic. There were big sunglasses, even bigger fake lashes, “it” bags and heavy fake tan. It was glam and it was flash. In contrast, it’s a very different playing field for the 2024 Wags. 

Out are the fake tans and big blow-dries; this year it’s the “clean girl” make-up look and pared-back beauty, with many of the Wags on tour intentionally shunning the spotlight. Phil Foden’s girlfriend often wears no make-up and glasses to watch matches, Iris Law (rumoured girlfriend of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Jude Law and Sadie Frost’s daughter) hardly wears make-up at all, and instead of the bling designer clothing labels, many of this year’s partners are simply kitted out in the England football team’s merch to show their support. 

The 2024 Wags reflect the changing face of beauty, moving away from the culture of bling and more towards the “less is more” trend – the term “clean girl aesthetic” has had over nine billion views on TikTok since 2022 and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. 

The tan

The tan of the Noughties was all about replicating the tone you’d achieve after two weeks lying on a beach in Marbella. It would likely be a spray tan, administered by a professional to develop the perfect deep, mahogany shade. The modern tan is more subtle and sun-kissed. 

“In the early 2000s, a deep tan was a symbol of beauty and health but often achieved through sun exposure, tanning beds and heavy duty self-tanning products,” says Hind Sebti, the founder of skincare and tanning brand Whind. “Skin care was very low down the priority list. Today, tanning is more about a more natural, subtle and skincare-first approach to a healthy-looking glow.” The Marrakech Sun Bronzing Hydrating Mist, £40, by Whind has been flying off the shelves since launching earlier this month.  

The skin 

The Wags nowadays are a microcosm of how the trend in beauty now is skin first, instead of piling on heavy make-up to give the appearance of a more flawless complexion. In 2022, the aesthetician Natasha Clancy saw Iris Law to correct acne scarring in a series of facials using a state-of-the-art skin laser from Korea. 

“The trend now is to get the skin in such great condition that you don’t need to wear much make-up,” says Clancy. “Technology has moved on so quickly in the past decade that we can treat the skin to look flawless without foundation.” While Dani Dyer admitted to having lip filler before stepping onto Love Island in 2018, the girlfriend of Jarrod Bowen now favours a much more natural look.  

The hair

While big, bouncy curls will never go out of fashion, what has changed in 20 years of the Wag is the haircuts, suggests the leading hairstylist Andreas Wild. “Nowadays we play much more with short haircuts like the pixie or the bob, whereas back in 2006 there was a real trend of long hair often thickened and styled with extensions,” he says. Wild has seen a revival of rollers with his clients, though, harking back to the method of achieving maximum volume in the hair in the Eighties. 

Despite this, “the products nowadays are much better, too, so whatever your hairstyle the hair will still maintain this soft, natural touch because the formulas are simply better,” says Wild. For all the glamorous root lift without looking like an Eighties throwback he suggests a nourishing mousse such as the ironically-named My Nanna’s Mousse, £22, by Larry King. 

The make-up 

“The heavy make-up we used to see on celebrities back in the Noughties is definitely out, in favour of softly defined features and much more natural foundation,” says Amy Conway, a Global Pro Artist for Bobbi Brown. While “contouring” the face with make-up was a big trend 15 years ago, Conway explains that the Wag make-up now focuses on a hint of blush and soft make-up that gently brightens the skin. “Eyeliner is generally used much thinner now amongst the Wags, with less of a focus on big fake lashes,” adds Conway. 

This trend for “natural” even extends to the nails. “Long nails are still very much in style, but the focus is on natural shapes with a high-gloss finish,” explains Daisy Kalnina, the founder of The Gel Bottle. “This year at the Euros we’re seeing a shift towards Wags wearing a more natural nail look, like classic pinky nudes or classic, crisp French tips, which chimes with how nail trends are moving with the wider public.”