Gothic makeup techniques with photo instructions

To make a gothic makeup, it is enough to have black eyeliner and red lipstick in your cosmetic arsenal. The original make-up is not limited to one technique, there are many types of “Gothic” for all occasions.

Gothic makeup: what is it?

Gothic makeup is a logical continuation of the Goth subculture that emerged in the UK in the 70s of the 20th century on the basis of the punk movement. Representatives of the Goths are easily recognizable by their specific image and special make-up, which cannot be confused with any other.

For most of the inhabitants, the appearance of the Goths causes a negative perception, which is quite understandable – the representatives of this subculture stand out against the background of the crowd. In their image, ordinary people see something sinister, associated with the forces of darkness.

Over time, the gothic make-up has lost its original extremeness. Today, it does not cause rejection and fear among others. Skillfully executed make-up in style is ready, in combination with the right outfit, allows you to create unusual and original images.

What you need to know about gothic makeup:

• not suitable for work, meetings, negotiations, interviews;
• Perfect for a themed party!
• some types of gothic make-up – the least defiant, can be used for everyday life;
• the main idea of ​​gothic, which distinguishes it from ordinary makeup, is the creation of a gloomy image, and they achieve the effect with very radical techniques – they whiten the skin of the face with the lightest tonal creams, draw long arrows, paint lips in blood-red tones;
• the main color is black, auxiliary shades are gray, burgundy and red.

Gothic make-up does not aim to emphasize the dignity of the individual. It’s more like make-up for themed shoots.

Types of gothic makeup

If before the gothic make-up was monotonously sinister, today, thanks to the abundance of professional and high-quality cosmetics, it is possible to create a variety of images – romantic, cosmic, fabulous or others. The possibilities of gothic makeup are not limited by anything other than fantasy.

Types of gothic make-up:

• Classic. The face is whitened with light cream and powder. The eyes are shaded with gray shadows, the lips are black or white. This option is suitable for everyday life.
• Cyberstyle. The face, as in the classic version, is white. Eye shadow and lipstick – bright, poisonous, very saturated shades. And use any color. A feature of the style is the application of drawings to the face, which are created using special paints.
  Everyone chooses drawings himself, the main condition is the technical style. They may contain various lines and dots, reminiscent of mechanisms and electronics. You can even draw entire elements of mechanisms or microcircuits.
• Vampiress. The peculiarity of this style is the maximum lightening of the face. Against a pale background, eyes are distinguished with a combination of black and red shadows. Blush is applied to the cheekbones, and bright red lipstick is applied to the lips.
• Dead vampire. The face is white, the shadows for the eyes are pale gray shades. Lips painted with pale lipstick.
• Androgyn. The goal of the style is to create a unisex look. Makeup hides features of the face that indicate gender. It should not be clear who is “hiding” behind the make-up – a guy or a girl.
• Emo. This is a separate trend in which gothic makeup is diluted with rainbow colors – pink, orange or peach shadows. This style was popular among teenagers in the 2000s.

Cosmetics for gothic makeup

To create gothic images, you need a set of special cosmetics. But everything you might need is sold in ordinary cosmetic stores. Everyone chooses a color palette for himself – depending on the styles created and his own taste.

The minimum cosmetic set for a gothic make-up:

• Tone cream. It will take 2 or 3 shades. Choose tones that are lighter than the skin of the face.
• Powder. Like the cream – the most light colors. Instead, you can use actor’s makeup.
• Corrector. It should have the most dense texture. They form eyebrow lines and correct facial skin irregularities.
• Shadows. Need a set of dark shades. Mandatory colors are black, charcoal, blue, purple, red, burgundy.
• Pomade. They are selected for each type of Gothic makeup separately. You may need red, burgundy, black, white, gray lipstick.
• Lip pencil. It is chosen 1-2 tones darker than lipstick.

You will also need makeup removers, sponges, brushes, napkins.

Gothic makeup for girls

Girls, especially bright and self-confident, often take some make-up tricks from the “gothic”. Draw thick arrows, use dark shadows, draw drawings on the face. Unfortunately, mixing styles often leads to disharmony. We will learn how to make a real gothic makeup – according to all the rules of the genre.

Eyes

In the gothic make-up, the eyes are the central object on which special emphasis is placed. And everything else – lips, eyebrows and skin tone are complementary.

To work with the eyes you will need:

• dark pencil;
• shadows of different shades;
• liquid eyeliner – black or dark gray;
• brushes;
• white pencil (or shadows);
• black ink.

The first stage of eye makeup is applying light shadows to the eyelids. This will make the dark color deeper. Then everyone acts in accordance with the chosen type of make-up. At the same time, there are rules that are recommended to be observed when creating any Gothic images.

How to do gothic eye makeup:

1. Using a dark pencil or eyeliner, draw the contours of the eyes. Then draw a line along the eyelashes and along the inner line of the lower eyelid.
2. The proportion of the eyes must be preserved. Between the outer corner of the arrow and the narrow part of the eyebrow, make an angle of 45 degrees – extend the outline of the eye a little.
3. Apply dark shadows on top of the pencil, leaving a light area under the eyebrow. Make shading from the inner corner to the outer, filling the entire gap between the arrow and the eyebrow. This technique visually enlarges the eyes, makes them gloomy and harsh, which is required in the Gothic make-up.
4. Accentuate the makeup with blue-black or dark gray mascara, applying it thickly to the eyelashes. So that they do not stick together, they first use a brush – it creates volume, and then separately increase the length. You can use overhead beams and various decorative elements.

If desired, you can paint over the upper eyelids and spaces under the eyes with dark or contrasting paint – blue, burgundy, red. This technique allows you to make the image even more extravagant.

Artistic painting can be applied to the eyelids – cobwebs, spiders, crosses and other things that fantasy tells. Another interesting step is to draw the “continuations” of the eyelashes up to the eyebrows. You can also add bright blue shadows or multi-colored lenses to the makeup.

In gothic makeup, a full eye contour is allowed, in which the inner corners of the eyes are drawn in black and slightly lengthened.

Lips

Lips are the finishing touch in a gothic make-up. Only in it is a combination of bright lips and eyes possible.

Color options:

• black, dark gray and charcoal;
• blue and purple and all their shades;
• red, burgundy, wine, cherry, ruby;
• brown, brick, earthy.

Playing with colors is allowed, they can be combined in any way. It is allowed to break the natural contours of the lips – lengthen the corners, add angularity to the lines. Violation of the proportions of the lips is a common thing for gothic makeup.

Lipstick or other lip product is applied in the same way as in other makeup styles, for this:

1. Scrub your lips.
2. Moisturize them.
3. Draw the outlines.
4. Fill in the drawn outline with lipstick.
5. Add patterns if you like.

In “gothic” preference is given to the matte surface of the lips and, in order to achieve a greater effect, they are slightly powdered.

On every day

Gothic style, devoid of ultra solutions, may well become a make-up for every day. But you need to take into account the individual characteristics of the pastime. For work or study, such makeup is hardly suitable. Or have to make it lighter. We will consider this option further.

• Step one. Apply a tone, distribute an ultra-light foundation or make-up not only on the face, but also on the neck – if you do not tint it, you will get an unattractive mask effect. Apply tone evenly. Eliminate all defects with a corrector of the same shade as the cream.

• Step two. Apply a suitable primer, and then do a classic eye makeup – apply white shadows and blend, and then make up the make-up that you prefer:
  • Arrows. Draw a wide line, making an expressive sharpening at its end. With deep-set eyes, draw arrows not from the inner corners of the eyes, but from the center of the eyelid. If you are not afraid of bold decisions, make an arrow for the entire length of the eyelid. Make it as clear as possible.
  • Emphasis on contour. For girls with impending eyelids, an emphasis on the contour is more suitable than simple arrows. Circle the eyes with a black pencil and shade the lines. It turns out makeup with the effect of “smoky”.
  • smokey eyes. Apply primer and base color (preferably white). Shading them along the eyelashes, and then at the outer corners of the eyes. Get a lightweight version of the Gothic “smoky”.

To draw gothic arrows, gel, liquid or “felt-tip” eyeliner is used. Applying the image is easier if you use an eyeliner with a swivel brush.

1. Step three. Apply a pale shade of Nude lipstick to your lips. Or use a classic wine shade.

To school

Before you come to school with gothic make-up, you should consider the attitude of teachers and administration towards this issue. But even if children are allowed to use decorative cosmetics when visiting an educational institution, the measure must be observed.

How to do makeup for school:

1. Apply a light tone to your face, but not too white so that it does not look like a mask. Stick to the palest nude palette. Do not use products with a dense texture and do not apply them in layers.
2. Focus on the eyes, for this, use the most gentle “Gothic” techniques. You can make small arrows and shade your eyelids a little according to the rules of a classic gothic make-up.
3. For lips, use matte lipstick from the “Gothic palette”, but the most natural shade. Burgundy, wine or earthy shades are suitable.

An interesting video about the rules and mistakes of school makeup in the Gothic style:

By Halloween

Gothic motifs are the basis for a make-up for Halloween. For this holiday, you can apply the most daring and extravagant solutions. Such makeup looks grotesque, it is akin to theatrical makeup. For Halloween, the whole “gothic palette” is used – all black, gray, red and blue shades. To create an image, you will need a regular set of cosmetics.

Complement the gothic makeup with any patterns or decorative elements that are combined with the chosen style.

Using classic gothic makeup techniques, you can create a variety of looks. Especially popular at the festival of darkness are the images of witches, demonesses, black widows, vampires and mistresses of shadows.

The procedure for creating makeup for Halloween:

• Step one. Whiten your skin with light powder, theatrical makeup or white shadows. You can use watercolors or gouache, but then the image will be less realistic. You can make your own Halloween whitewash by mixing any heavy cream and white clay with loose dye.

• Step two. Bring the cheekbones with gray shadows and emphasize the area of ​​​​the superciliary arches with them. This technique will give the face an angularity and an ominous look.

• Step three. Eyebrows carefully pluck – even before the start of makeup. Paint them any dark color. They can even be made burgundy.

• Step four. For the eyes, use the smoky eye technique described above or simply bring them in with dark shadows. Move thick arrows. Any color other than black, you can use red, emerald, dark blue or white. Do not use bright acid shades.

• Step five. When shaping lips, let your imagination run wild. Use any shade of red or black. These colors are best accentuated sinister image.

• Step six. Complete the image. How to complete the image for Halloween:
  • using a pencil or liquid eyeliner, draw images on your face – spiders, cobwebs, “bloody” tears, a sewn mouth, etc .;
  • wear a dress with a corset and tulle frills;
  • put on jewelry with large and bright stones;
  • get pierced in the lips, nose, etc.;
  • put on colored lenses that change the color of the iris.

New Year’s Gothic makeup

Gothic technique is ideal for a New Year’s make-up as a basis. Only instead of sinister motives, it should be supplemented with signs of a winter holiday. Instead of Putina – snowflakes, instead of blood-red – blue, and most importantly – more glitter. Techniques and methods of application are the same as described above.

Ideas for New Year’s Gothic makeup:

• with blue eyelids;

• with shiny eyelids and blue eyelashes;

• with rhinestones;

Examples of the image of a goth: beautiful goths

Male gothic makeup

In gothic makeup for men, the main focus is on the eyes. Lips, unlike women’s makeup, play the “second violin” in the make-up. In all other respects, the technique of applying cosmetics is no different.

Men for make-up should use special men’s cosmetics. This is due to the characteristics of their skin. She, unlike the female, has more enlarged pores. 

On every day

Gothic make-up is more suitable for creating masculine looks than other styles. It has a minimum of “female” colors, gothic blends perfectly with the masculine. At the same time, notes can be added to the makeup that will make the image romantic or brutal, mysterious or sinister.

The procedure for creating gothic makeup for men:

• Step one. Apply a pale foundation. Do not abuse the white color, it is better to take a pale beige shade.

• Step two. Underline the contours of the eyes with a pencil or liquid eyeliner. Blend black or gray shadows if desired. To give depth to the eyes.

• Step three. Apply lipstick. The color of lipstick for men is preferable to pale shades. Red or black lips on a man’s face look unnatural and do not harmonize with a masculine image. In extreme cases, gray lipstick will do.

Nails covered with dark varnish and an original model haircut will help to complement the image of the “goth”. Long hair also goes well with men’s makeup – you get images in the style of a la Count Dracula.

By Halloween

On Halloween, even men who do not use makeup resort to makeup. Thanks to the tougher facial features, the male make-up easily comes out sinister and intimidating.

The most popular images for Halloween:

• Skeleton. This is almost the most popular option, which actively uses the Gothic makeup technique. Procedure: 
  
  1. Apply white foundation to skin.
  2. Fill in the eye sockets with black makeup. They also emphasize the nose and cheekbones.
  3. Paint the mouth and cracks with the brush. If you have artistic skills, you can draw a skull, having worked out the details. Another option is to paint your face black and your lips white. A dark hood completes the look.

• Joker. This image is also dominated by Gothic motifs and colors – black, red and white. The peculiarity of the joker is a pale face with hematomas and red lips without clear outlines. Procedure:
  1. Apply white base.
  2. Draw bruises under the eyes with black shadows, shading the edges.
  3. Paint your lips with red lipstick so that they have smudged edges, stretched to the very ears.
  4. Complete the look in accordance with the appearance of the Joker – put on a wig, stick on eyelashes, etc.

• Vampire. This image fits perfectly into the Gothic canvas. It uses all the main attributes of Gothic – a white face, black-lined eyes, pale or blood-red lips. Procedure:
  1. Prepare your face for makeup. Blot excess moisture with paper towels and apply white foundation with sponge or brush. Sprinkle talcum powder or loose powder on top. Shake off excess powder with a brush.
  2. Apply gray blush to your cheekbones. A pale face will acquire a refined haggardness. Apply shadows also on the side of the nose and on the temples.
  3. Circle the eyes with black shadows and blend them carefully, creating smooth color transitions.
  4. You can apply red or burgundy shadows on the upper eyelid – they will help create the desired surroundings.
  5. Put a tone on your lips. For whitening, use white powder.
  6. Complete the image with fangs and fake “blood”. Dye your hair with white gouache.

Examples of a male gothic image

Tips and Warnings

In order not to look stupid or unmanly, men must follow certain rules for applying makeup. Even if it is made for a holiday and is grotesque.

What to look for:

• choose colors in the same color scheme. Do not make a rainbow spot out of your face. A bright image can be created using 2-4 paints;
• use foundation products that do not have shiny blotches;
• use loose powder instead of compact powder. Another option is baby powder. No matter how smoothly a man is shaved, it will still not be possible to apply a compact product with the desired uniformity;
• use professional cosmetics. For Halloween, theatrical makeup and dense cream pigment are suitable;
• when applying theatrical makeup, use a moisturizer as a base. Pre-cleanse your face with tonic. If everything is done correctly, the makeup will lie perfectly evenly.

Gothic masks

Gothic style is on the verge between make-up and theatrical image. That is why fans of “darkness” boldly resort to such an accessory familiar to the theater as a mask.

Gothic masks are a specific product that is in demand among those who like to create bold, bright and original images. This accessory is suitable for a party, holiday or masquerade. But, in addition to the aesthetic, the mask also has a practical moment.

In the gothic make-up, most of the time is spent on the eyes. Inexperienced people spend an hour or more on their makeup. Having a mask, you can get ready for a party much faster. If there is no time for careful drawing of the eyes, you can always put on a mysterious gothic openwork mask.

Video instruction for creating a gothic makeup:

In the last twenty years, the gothic make-up has lost ground. He was supplanted by naturalness and healthy beauty. But the true fans of the “forces of darkness” are still actively using the techniques of this original make-up, improving it, bringing their ideas and fantasies.