地雷メイク

• Reading: じらいメイク
• Romaji: jirai meiku
• Kanji breakdown: 地 (ground) + 雷 (thunder/mine) → landmine + メイク (makeup) → landmine-style makeup
• Pronunciation: /dʑi.ɾa.i me.i.kɯ/

Meaning

A makeup style featuring dark under-eye liner, pale skin, and a gothic-cute aesthetic associated with the 'landmine girl' subculture.

地雷メイク (landmine makeup) is a distinctive beauty style characterized by heavy dark liner under the eyes, pale foundation, red or pink lipstick, and an overall fragile, doll-like appearance. The term comes from 地雷系 (jirai-kei, 'landmine type') — a subculture of women who look cute but are emotionally volatile. Originally somewhat derogatory, the makeup style was embraced and popularized on TikTok and YouTube around 2020-2021, becoming a mainstream beauty trend independent of its subculture origins.

Examples

1. 今日は地雷メイクに挑戦してみたけど、目の下のライン難しすぎ。 I tried doing landmine makeup today, but the under-eye liner was so hard.
2. 地雷メイクってやりすぎると怖くなるから加減が大事だよね。 If you overdo landmine makeup it gets scary, so getting the balance right is key.
3. 推しのライブだから地雷メイクで気合い入れていく。 It's my fave's concert so I'm going all out with jirai makeup.

Usage Guide

Context: beauty, social media, YouTube, TikTok, friends

Tone: descriptive, trendy

Do Say

• 地雷メイクのやり方教えて！ (Teach me how to do landmine makeup!)
• 地雷メイクしたら「誰？」って言われた。 (When I did jirai makeup, people asked 'who are you?')

Don't Say

• 地雷メイクしてる人に「地雷女だね」は失礼 (Calling someone doing jirai makeup a 'landmine girl' is rude — the makeup is a style, not a personality label)

Common Mistakes

• Assuming 地雷メイク means the person is emotionally unstable — many people wear it purely as an aesthetic choice
• Confusing 地雷メイク with ゴスロリ — they overlap but are distinct styles

Origin & History

Emerged around 2020 from the 地雷系 (jirai-kei) subculture, which describes women who appear cute but are emotionally unstable — like stepping on a landmine. The makeup style was popularized through TikTok tutorials and became a mainstream trend, especially among teens and young women in their 20s.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020-2021 mainstream breakout

Generation: Gen Z, teens and women in their 20s

Social background: Youth fashion, especially among beauty and idol fans

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Heavily promoted through TikTok and YouTube beauty creators. Often associated with the Kabukicho and Harajuku fashion scenes.