About Gothic Makeup

Gothic makeup is a truly misunderstood form of artistry. Perhaps it is due to the lack of knowledge, or perhaps it is due to the misinformation found in our culture. Whatever the reason, I hope this article will enlighten you to the beauty of this art form.

It is important to understand that gothic makeup does not mean vampires, depression, and severe blackness. Rather, the opposite. The gothic era came about due to the Edwardian Era and the love of literature, especially poetry. The makeup and dress are on the darker side, but not limited to black. Deep hues of velvety burgundies, blues, and purples each have a heart in the Edwardian, gothic, look. The clothing can be romantic as the love of literature suggests, but not in a floral manner. Makeup that most envision is characterized by a darkness of color on the eyes and lips with a paleness about the foundation. However, gothic makeup can also be subtle; extremely pale foundation with rose cheeks, a pale rose lipstick, and eyes made up to be very sunken and drawn.

Applying Gothic Makeup

1. When applying gothic makeup it is important to always begin with a clean face. Since you will be using tones that may be heavily pigmented, the makeup will adhere to a face free of dirt, oil, and dead skin cells.

2. It is equally important to moisturize the skin.

3. Foundation: Gothic foundation is usually much lighter than normal skin tones. Try one to two shades lighter to begin. I often use two shades and blend extremely well! You will especially want to blend around the jaw and sides of the face. The key is blending. If you cannot blend well, try using one shade lighter until you get the hang of blending.

4. Apply loose powder with a sponge all over the face. Apply the powder heavily under the eyes area to capture loose shadow that might fall.

5. Play close attention to the brows. They should be a groomed, plucked finely and filled for perfection with brow liner.

6. Use a dark eye shadow. Look for dark greens, browns, burgundies, purples, and deep blues. Next, apply a dark shadow using a brush at a downward angle over the mobile eye. Don’t forget to apply the shadow to the outer corner as well as the inner corner of the eye. Apply the dark shadow to the lower lid, blending it towards the upper eye to create a flow from bottom to top.

7. Line both top and bottom with black liner. You don not have to smudge the lines.

8. Apply black mascara to top and bottom lashes.

9. Using a dark tone lipstick and a pencil to match, draw the outline of the lips correcting any flaw in the shape of the lip. You will need to do this since the color is dark and will emphasize any irregularities in shape. Use a brush to fill in with lipstick.

10. Brush away any loose powder.

11. Apply rouge beginning below the cheekbone; top to bottom. Blend upward. This will create the pale, dramatic look which is also signature of gothic style makeup.

12. Apply rouge to the cheeks. Powder is easier to control, but a cream gives a nice finish as well. I stick with tones in the red family; rose, pink, crimson. These are colors that would have been used in the gothic pallet.

13. Clothing for gothic makeup can be fun and sexy. Look for velvet and velour. Laces, corsets, boots, and feminine jackets are always fun to wear to create harmony in the gothic style.

14. Jewelry is also a fun way to accessorize the gothic look. Find pieces that are made from a Celtic influence to enhance the look.

Gothic is an Edwardian Sense

Gothic can also be applied in a less pigmented makeup to achieve the same pale, dramatic effect thanks to the influence of Queen Victoria in the late 1800’s. The Edwardian look influenced by Queen Victoria was a pale, understated face; often sickly looking. The lips and eyes were pale, adding to the look. Rose was commonly applied to the cheeks and even to the lips to give them a touch of color. The overall appearance was bleached looking. Clothing had ruffles and jackets fitted to emphasize the small waist that was desirable. For these reasons, gothic makeup can also be included in the opposite extreme from the darkness of colors as stated earlier.

Gothic makeup is an expression of art and life. Have fun experimenting with your makeup. Just remember to follow the tips as listed above and your gothic look will appear sophisticated, not like a Halloween character. It is meant to emphasize and express the emotions in our lives.