A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing & Applying Goth Makeup

• To create a goth complexion, apply a foundation that’s 1-2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone, then set your face with a white face powder.
• Blend black eyeshadow into your crease to create a smokey eye effect. Then, line the top and bottom of your eyes with a Kajal pencil.
• Finish off your goth look by applying an even layer of black or dark red lipstick.

Choosing Goth Makeup

Look for a foundation that’s 1-2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone. While goths are known for their ghostly complexion, a pure white base can make you look cakey. Choose a full coverage liquid or cream foundation that’s slightly paler than your complexion to achieve a flawless finish. If trying to achieve the “Trad Goth” look, feel free to choose the lightest foundation shade you can find. For a more modern take on the trad look, use a lighter coverage foundation that matches your skin tone.

Select black or dark brown eyeshadow for a traditional goth look. While most dramatic looks feature a dark, smokey eye, other gothic styles incorporate a variety of colors. Start with a black or dark brown eyeshadow base, then experiment with different jewel-tones like plum, emerald, or ruby. Press the shadows over your eyeliner to build up the intensity, or blend it out to add soft depth and dimension to your eye. For the cyber goth look, feel free to play around with bright neon shades in yellow, green, or orange.

Try a black eyeliner pencil if you’re new to using eyeliner. Dark, black liner is an essential element of any goth look, but it can be tricky to apply liquid or gel formulas. If you’re a beginner, use a smokey Kajal eyeliner to line the top and bottom of your eyelids, then smudge the product out with a Q-tip. If you have oily eyelids or tend to sweat a lot, look for eyeliner pencils that are labeled “long lasting” and “non smudging.” To clean up any mistakes, simply dip a Q-tip in water and run it over the edges of your liner. Alternatively, use an angled eyeshadow brush and black eyeshadow to line the top and bottom of your eyes.

Go for black liquid eyeliner if you’re skilled at applying eyeliner. Liquid liner is the most pigmented type of eyeliner, so it’s the ideal option for goth eye makeup. Simply line your eyes like you would with pencil liner, or get creative with different shapes—cobwebs, bat wings, and Joker-inspired designs add personality to your look. Choose a waterproof formula if you tend to sweat or your eyes water easily. This ensures your liner lasts all day and doesn’t run down your cheeks. To prevent any mistakes, draw your liner with an eyeliner pencil first, before going over your design with liquid.

Use black mascara to enhance your eye makeup. Mascara is a must for any goth look, since it darkens your eyes and adds a bit of drama. To find the right mascara formula, look at your natural eyelashes to see if you need more length or volume. A lengthening mascara can make short lashes look longer, while a volumizing mascara can help your lashes look fuller. If you’re trying to achieve the cyber goth or pastel goth look, feel free to play around with blue or red mascara. Apply either on your bare lashes or layer them on top of black mascara for a unique, colorful look.

Choose a black or dark red lipstick to complete your goth look. While black lipstick complements any goth look, other gothic styles feature colors like plum or maroon. Many goths pick their lip color based on their eye shadow (and vice versa), so consider creating a contrasting look with dark maroon eyeshadow and bright crimson lipstick, or pair a softer smokey gray eye with bold black lips. If you’re struggling to narrow down lipstick options, determine your skin undertone to find the best shade that suits you. In general, cool-toned lipsticks look great on fair skin, while warm tones complement medium to dark complexions. If you choose a liquid lipstick, make sure it's a long wearing formula that doesn’t transfer.

Creating the Look

Exfoliate and moisturize your face to prepare your skin for makeup. The goth look features pale, poreless skin, so start with a clean face to ensure your makeup applies evenly. Wash your face with your normal cleanser, then use a gentle scrub or exfoliating pad to smooth out the surface of your skin. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer to prevent dry patches from forming throughout the day. If you have oily skin, use an oil-free moisturizer to prevent clogging your pores. If you really want to embrace the goth lifestyle, apply a moisturizer that contains SPF to ensure your face remains pale.

Prime your face to ensure your makeup lasts all day. Most primers have blurring pigments to minimize the look of pores, lines, and blemishes, helping you achieve a perfectly pale complexion. Apply a thin, even layer of primer all over your face, then let the product get tacky before applying your foundation. For a traditional goth look, use a matte primer to make your skin appear airbrushed. If you’re going for a modern gothic look, apply a hydrating primer that gives your skin a dewy, glowy effect.

Use a makeup sponge to apply your foundation evenly. Since goth makeup is all about porcelain-looking skin, apply your foundation with a sponge for a flawless finish. Dab the sponge with foundation, then pat it all over your face, focusing on the center before moving outwards. Pay extra attention to the areas where you tend to get red, such as around the nose, between the eyebrows, and on the chin. Alternatively, apply foundation with your fingers or a foundation brush, but be sure to look at your face underneath different lights to ensure there aren’t any streaks. Aim to apply one even layer of foundation so your face doesn’t look cakey. If you have any pimples or blemishes, apply concealer directly over those spots and blend outwards.

Set your foundation with powder for a soft matte finish. To keep your foundation in place, dust a white face powder all over your face with a powder puff or brush. Make sure to apply an even layer of powder so your skin looks naturally pale—instead of costume-like.

Dust highlighter on the high points of your face to achieve the glam goth look. To achieve glowing, radiant skin, use a fan brush to apply highlighter on your cheekbones, your brow bone, your cupid’s bow, and the bridge of your nose. Layer on more product for a dramatic effect, or apply a light dusting for a soft, subtle glow. To finish off your complexion, apply a neutral blush over the apples of your cheeks. This gives your skin a rosy glow, without competing with the rest of your makeup.

Blend black eyeshadow over your lid to create a smokey eye effect. To help the dark shadow stand out, start by applying a light cream shadow all over your lid. Once you blend out that base color, apply a dark eyeshadow on top (black, dark brown, or gray), then blend the color into your crease with a clean fluffy brush. Keep blending and layering the shadow to your desired intensity. For the trad goth look, pack a white eyeshadow all over your lid, then apply black shadow directly in your crease. To achieve the romantic goth look, apply a crimson red shadow on the inner third of your lid and layer a rich burgundy shade on top. Blend both shades all over your eye, then add black eyeshadow into the outer corner of your eye. For the glam goth look, pat cosmetic-grade glitter over your lid for a shimmery effect, or add a metallic eyeshadow to your inner corner to make your eyes pop. To create the cyber goth look, start with a bright neon base all over your lid, then blend black eyeshadow into your crease. Or, create a traditional smokey eye, then buff a red eyeshadow under your eye to create a sleep-deprived appearance.

Line your eyes with black eyeliner. For a casual goth look, simply line the top and bottom of your lash line or do winged eyeliner]. Start by applying liquid liner in the middle of your eyelid and thicken the line as you move outwards. Once you reach the edge of your eye, extend the line past your lid and create a small “wing.” Then, go back and fill in any gaps so you’re left with a cat-like eye. If you have hooded eyes, try to keep your eyeliner on the outer half of your eyelid (instead of lining around the entire eye). This gives a vampy effect to your eyes, without making them look smaller. For the trad goth look, extend your “wing” all the way to your temple, then create a wing in the inner corner of your eye: follow the direction of your upper lash line and drag the liner towards the edge of your nose. To achieve the glam goth look, feel free to draw leopard-like spots with liquid liner or apply crystals on top of your liner once it’s set. If you’re aiming for the cyber goth look, draw bright stripes of yellow, orange, or green liquid liner around the edges of your black eyeliner.

Apply 2-3 coats of mascara to make your eyes pop. To highlight your gothic eye makeup, curl your lashes and apply a thin layer of mascara over them. Let the product dry, then apply another coat to make your eyelashes even more dark and defined. Repeat until you achieve your desired lash look. For the gothic lolita or pastel goth look, apply false eyelashes to make your eyes appear more doll-like. If you want to fill in your eyebrows, use a darker brow pencil than your natural color to create a subtle arch.

Use a lip brush to apply a black or dark red lipstick. For a traditional goth look, follow your natural lip line and apply an even layer of dark lipstick. Use the edges of the brush to help you reach difficult spots like the corners of your mouth, then fill in the rest of your lips. If you make any mistakes, dip a Q-tip in some makeup remover, then run it along the edges of your lip to clean up the area. For the retro or pin-up goth look, draw sharp edges around your cupid’s bow to define that area. Or, create a heart in the center of your lip using the lip brush. To achieve the romantic goth look, line your lips with a dark red or black lip liner, then fill in the rest of your lips with a brighter red lipstick. Use the lip brush to blend the shades together, creating an ombre effect. For the glam goth look, feel free to apply a nude lipstick to draw attention to your eye makeup.

Use a setting spray to seal your goth makeup look. Spritz an even layer of setting spray over your entire face to prevent your makeup from fading or smudging. If you live in a hot or humid climate, look for an alcohol-based setting spray to increase the longevity of your makeup. If you have dry skin, use an alcohol-free spray that’s formulated to increase your skin’s hydration.