Gothic Makeup: How To

Makeup has been a way to express ourselves for thousands of years; there’s even evidence that cavewomen wore makeup to impress their lovers! But what about when we REALLY need somewhere to vent? Goth makeup! In this day and age, makeup is used on both men and women (and everybody in between!) without question; looking good is important to everybody regardless of gender or social construct; especially dark makeup.

What is The Gothic Makeup?

Goth makeup is the self-expression by the use of artistic makeup on the face. Dark colors, usually black, are applied to places like lips, eyebrows, and ESPECIALLY the eyes. Heavy eyeliner is very common to accentuate the dark and gloomy look of the eyes, as is pointy lip-liner to bring out the cupid’s bow of the lips; this dates back to the Dark Ages when women branded as “witches” would take charcoal and give themselves pointy lips as a symbol of restraint. Black hair, black clothing, and colored contacts (black, white, or other bright colors such as icy blue or green) are all frequently in use when going full goth.

Additionally, lightening the face is very common. Many emo/goth people choose to apply a whitening cream to their face in order to look more sickly (in a good way) and ghostly whilst pulling out the black makeup on other portions of their faces.

Who Can Go Goth?

Anybody! The goth look has blown up from the late ‘90s to the late 2000s. While it’s not quite as popular, it’s still a massive political statement against mainstream social construct; think Easy Rider.

Although much easier to go goth while in a large city, like LA or NYC as the people there are much more open-minded, it’s 2020. People are beginning to accept others of all races, shapes, sizes, and styles, no questions asked. We recommend being careful, though, as people still hold hatred in their hearts occasionally.

What Products Do I Need to Go Goth?

Naturally, you’re going to need a pretty large makeup bag if you want to look like a black makeup goddess. We’ve highlighted some of the most important products to have in your makeup bag for your favorite bat makeup.

Eyeliner!! Accentuating the eyes is so important when dealing with gothic makeup. You want to look spooky and mysterious, not like every other girl on the block. You should have both black and white eyeliner to bring out your eyes and make them look larger than life.
Eyeshadow: using a dark eyeshadow to deepen your gaze is a fantastic idea.
Lipstick: utilizing a blood-red, black, or both is important. Many goths take their makeup inspiration from vampire culture, which features a pale face and blood-red lips. Using black to outline and color in the lips is a good idea.
Eyebrow pencil: although you don’t want to look like a 70-year-old grandma with pencil lead thin eyebrows, you should use a darker colored eyebrow pencil to fill in your eyebrows, especially focusing on raising the arch. Pro tip: you can even use your eyeliner as an eyebrow pencil!
Foundation/concealer: Use a foundation that’s a couple of shades too light for you. If you can, cover not only your face but also your neck and any other visible part of your body to make sure you look uniform. Avoiding the sun is a good idea to stay pale, but be careful! Vitamin D is a necessary vitamin for your survival; the sun’s UV rays have also been proven to kill deadly viruses, such as COVID-19. If you’re worried about your health, wear lots of sunscreens.
Contour: invest in some contour powder or cream to bring out your cheekbones. High cheekbones have become a new trend in goth makeup, as shown by Maleficent, but make sure the color isn’t too dark for your whitened complexion.

Goth Hair

Hair is also an important part of the black goddess look. Many opt for dark colors, such as black or purple, but others stick with their natural hair color and do crazy hairstyles with it. Stereotypically, goths like to switch up their hair colors pretty frequently.

Black: black has always been a classic for goth lovers. Black matches with literally any color you can think of and still manages to be dark and scary. If you go for black you should try to stick with black makeup and dark clothing.
Purple: purple, usually a darker shade of purple, is used to show off special colored contacts. Purple also accentuates naturally brown, hazel, and green eyes, making it a very universal and flattering color on most of the general population.
Green: if you still want to be a little bit lively, we suggest going green. Green is the color of life and flourishing, and would make a beautiful contrast to your dark clothing; clashing colors are not always bad.
Neon colors: many of us still want a little bit of color in our lives. If you’re tired of black, which is pretty hard to accomplish, we suggest bringing a little pop of light to your style. People will be turning their heads at your gorgeous mane!

Makeup Ideas

Many of us like to switch up our looks every now and then. Here are a couple of ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

Bold eyeliner: when I say bold, I mean BOLD! Go CRAZY! Give yourself some funky lines, or boxes, or fill in your entire eyelid! It’s your life, you can do whatever you want to!
Fun lips: if you’re tired of the same old same old, try using different colors to add perception to your lips. For example, place a blood-red on your lips and then take some black eyeshadow and pop it on the corners of your mouth.
Funky eyebrows: many bat makeup experts like to shave off their eyebrows and redraw new ones completely from scratch. You should definitely know what you’re doing before attempting this as you may seriously regret it. You can experiment with lines and shapes while recreating your expressions.