How to create an everyday goth make-up look

One of the most avant-garde, high-fashion make-up looks at the recent Met Gala in New York City was of Zendaya. The actor did two looks on the red carpet—a clean natural glam look with nude lips to let all the focus be on her elaborate Alexander McQueen bouquet hat by Philip Treacy, and a goth-glam look with dark lips, thin drawn eyebrows and blurry red smoky eyes that complemented her dramatic ocean-blue Margiela dress. 

“This is goth done right. The make-up artist (Raoúl Alejandre) used a gothic palette but still kept a softness to the look. Generally, when we think of goth, we think dark and grungy. But this is a beautiful example, as it has softness to it. There weren’t any hard edges for the eyeshadow, despite there being a mélange of colours. And though it is dark, it’s something I see many people will experiment with," says celebrity make-up artist Savleen Manchanda, who works with A-listers like Janhvi Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan. "The make-up artist picked all jewel tones of a garden to go with the theme (“Garden of Time”).” 

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This is a great example that natural make-up doesn't necessarily mean using browns and beiges, says Kavye Sharma, makeup-artist of actor Kriti Sanon. “For this goth-glam look, make up needs to start with a perfect base. Zendaya's skin was glowy with sculpting on her cheeks and a cool-toned blush. The lips were glazed glam and on point,” says Sharma. 

It’s important to create a pale make-up base for such a look. “Prime, always. Conceal and correct the under-eye area and other blemishes and opt for a foundation with a natural finish. Skip powders or highlighters to create this base and warm it a bit with a cool toned bronzer to get the perfect blank goth base to highlight a stark lip or eye look,” suggests Sharma. 

The red carpet allows you to pair dark lips and eyes. But if trying to go for a goth look in daily life, something you can wear to the office, opt for a subtle eyeshadow shade and then go bold on the lips. You can try a glazed oxblood lip, like Zendaya's, or even a soft crème deep burgundy shade.

“Red eyeshadow shades can be tricky but you can create a toned-down goth look using grey and black," says Sharma. "The eye make-up is kind of the classic pinup cat-eye, but smudge out the kajal a bit to achieve a smoky effect, Zendaya’s eye look does not have sharp lines. You can cover more area with colour on the lid but remember to blur everything and be careful to not take the corners too high up, since you want a more natural look. If you don't like the pinup-style look, then skip winging out the kajal in the outer corner. Instead add eyeliner along the lash line to make the lashes look fuller and darker.” 

Pale skin is important for any goth look but it might look a little flat, so Sharma suggests using a cool toned blush on the cheeks to add some dimension without giving too much colour. 

“For the lips, I like to add a little liquid lipstick in the colour cherry," says Sharma. "No lipstick at all would work fine as well, and probably be a little more gothic.” 

Dhara Vora Sabhnani is a Mumbai-based writer.

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