Doom, gloom, and wedding cake! Goth weddings may not be the most traditional of themes, but as long as it reflects the bride and groom's wishes, it truly doesn't matter. Regardless of the theme, every bride wants to look breath-taking on her big day. Goth brides are no exception!
Don't run the risk of looking like a clown when you want to look like the Queen of Death. To guarantee a fantastic look, there are a few tips every Goth bride needs to consider when it comes to makeup.
1. The first mistake many Goth women make starts with cleansing. You must clean, exfoliate and moisturize your skin before adding even a drop of makeup. White skin shows every blemish, so proper preparation is always vital. When your skin looks fabulous, so will your makeup.
2. Another big mistake deals with foundation. There is a fine line between a ghostly complexion and Halloween makeup. Apply your foundation evenly and remember to blend it in! This includes the tip of your nose, under your chin, and around your ears. Forgetting to blend makes you look like your wearing a mask!
If you need to add some powder to help make your face whiter, remember to use it sparingly. Pale foundation with tons of pale powder ends up looking caked and very noticeable. Use just enough powder to pale your complexion and cover up any shiny spots. This will help give you a naturally pale complexion instead of an obviously artificial one.
3. Most Goth brides will want to skip the blush, but it never hurts to add a tiny touch of color to your cheeks. If you add just a bit, people will not realize there is even color on your face. The slight hue will bring out your cheekbones and add dimension to your face without breaking up that pale as death look.
4. When it comes to eye shadow, don't go for the raccoon eye look. Despite the shade or technique, you want your eyes to look big and beautiful, not beady and dull. Never apply eye shadow to the inner eye. Keep the color on the outer and upper lids to help brighten your "windows to the dismal soul."
5. If you use eyeliner, try liquid black for the most dramatic results. Liquid eyeliners give a sharp line that lasts without smudges. Eyeliner pencils are meant for smudging and creating a subtle line. They don't last as long or give nearly the dramatic results. Liquid eyeliner is also fantastic for creating designs on the outer eye. Spirals, swirls, dots, or lines, you can really play it up.
6. If you really want to dramatize your eyes, think about using some fancy fake eyelashes. There are so many choices these days, from feathers to glitter to beaded ends, you can find almost any type you're little, black heart desires.
If you prefer to use mascara, remember you still have tons of choices, Jet black, glossy black, lash-lengthening black or glitter-filled black can work. Make sure to lavish the mascara onto both your top and bottom lashes for the most drama. Avoid caking the mascara on, since this causing flaking and smears. Flaking and smears means you may end up looking much more like a raccoon than a woman!
7. Last, but not least, we come to the lips. You definitely want your lips to stand out and look as kissable as can be. For the best results, always use a lip liner that's as close to your lipstick color as possible. Goth women run a huge risk when it comes to their lipstick. If you try to put lip-liner on the outside of your lips, in an attempt to make them look bigger, it often ends up looking cartoonish. If they use an odd colored lip liner with their lipstick, it often ends up looking clownish.
If you choose a bold color for your lips, such as blood red or midnight black, you must remember to blot. Smack your lips into a tissue a few times to remove the extra color. If you forget to blot, it becomes easy to smear the dramatic color onto other parts of your face. You also need to remember to shape your mouth in an oval and blot your inner lips. Dark colors are easy to get on teeth and always obvious there. Blotting your inner mouth reduces your chances of having a lipstick smeared smile.
8. An important overall tip for Goth brides to remember is to try and avoid going too monotone. This will drown out your natural beauty and look terrible in pictures. A white face with black eye shadow, black eyeliner, black mascara and black lipstick is only flattering on dolls, not humans. Try to spice up your color palette a little bit with royal purple, blood red, burgundy or smoky blue-grey in addition to black.