Gothic make-up tips: smokey eyes (Part 2)

I received a comment recently from Amanda (the author of a very good makeup tutorial credited on my previous smokey eyes post) to update the link. However, I had a look at it and it actually adds more to the previous post so I am not going to change it but show you the updated link she's sent me. It is a completely new post with a new video. You decide which tutorial you prefer to follow. I find both of them very helpful.

http://neeshu.com/women-girls-zone/how-to-make-smokey-eyes-dark-eye-shadow.html

Gareth Pugh for MAC

If you are into Goth and never heard of Gareth Pugh you should really check him out. He is a Goth, no doubt about it. His fashion is always dark and very alternative. I would put him in the same group as Ann Demeleumeester, the old McQueen and Riccardo Tisci. They are all dark romantics and their clothes (often black) reflect that.
If you are, like me, a fan of mr. Pugh then you would recognize his style in the make up line he has created for MAC.  It is very dark, metallic, cold colours and the packaging is very minimal, dark (again) and geometrical. Quite ambiguous actually (not feminine at all but yet not masculine).

“With a collection that goes from strong, deep and mysterious to light, fragile, and ethereal, I think we’ve created a truly versatile collection that hopefully you’ll be inspired by and want to wear.” (words of Gareth Pugh).

The designer was inspired by everything from a hematite rock to butterfly wings. And those angular lashes are the result of him snipping away at a bunch of fake lashes that MAC sent him with the goal of making them non-lash-shaped. (text from here)

 What do you think?

Bonnie Wright on Haute Muse

I found this picture on a mag ages ago and forgot to scan it, till I found it here (thanks Dustjacket attic!). I don't know who she is but here is a tip: any Harry Potter fans out there would have recognized her straight away.

Red bloody nails

I never liked this opulent over the top nails you see everyday now. BUT, look at these! Who could resist that deep red colour?, with embellishments in black!! Gorgeous. If anyone knows what brand this is, please, let me know.

Style icons: Ronit Elkabetz (who?)

I came across this lady through the House of Harps blog. Her style is amazing, a perfect mix of Vintage and Dark. Her romantic hairdo is a modern reminiscent of the 1900s edwardian style up-dos.
Her make-up is subtle, understated but still dramatic (take note of the smokey eye make-up in brown and purple shadows)
I had never heard of her before, neither had you (I presume)...

Check out the link for more pics:
http://houseofharps.blogspot.com/2010/06/lady-you-look-fab-special-edition-ronit.html

Gothic make-up tips: smokey eyes

As I promise in my last post (Gothic make-up tips for the summer), I have arranged a post about how to do smokey eyes.
It can be done with all the colours you can think of, but still, the most popular option is black and its closest shade, charcoal. You can go for the dry look or the wet one. I tend to go for the wet look in summer.
I have found two very interesting tutorials which are very similar in technique but with slight changes.

(Pictures with explanations)
http://neeshu.com/Women/Girls-Zone/how-to-make-smoky-eyes-dark-eye-shadow.html

(YouTube video of fellow blogger "TheMakeUpGirl")
http://themakeupgirl.net/2009/01/how-to-all-you-need-for-smokey-eyes/


The main focus is: you apply black paste or paste for eyeliner (picture2, MAC has a wonderful one that I use on its own and as an eyeliner) and powder eyeshadow (to keep it on place and avoid the hideous lines of excess pigment sitting on the wrinkles of your eyelid).
The trick with black eyeshadow is to smudge it softly at the end of the eyelid and on the corners. Otherwise, it would look messy and unfinished. You can achieve this by doing it softly with either a brush or your fingers... or in this tutorials, using a second shade wich is closer to your skintone. It could be brown or a lighter shade such as cream or white and it is applied before the black colour.

As I had already said, I tend to go for the wet smokey look in the summer. Either I use this black paste on its own (which is quite tricky because is not oily, is dry) or I use the "multi-effect" eyeshadow from Manhattan cosmetics. This eyeshadow gets a bit more intense and shinier when you wet it with a bit of water.







What these tutorials don't tell you and I will, because you MUST know this. Keep a tissue (with make-up cleanser) close to you because when you apply the black eyeshadow some bit of the powder will fall on your cheek and once you rub it, you get your skin all smudged in black. What I use to prevent this, is an special brush that you can find everywhere. It is used to apply powder as well, but the good thing is that will sweep the eyeshadow away without staining the skin. It is usually very wide and has the shape of a flat fan.

Illamasqua, make-up for the alternative diva

I was just checking out the blog of make-up label Illamasqua and I came across one of its ranges: NOIR!
The collection is described as: "For the femme fatale of the night. Erotic. Cruel. Uninhibited.
Noir explores the dark side of your psyche. It lures out the 'other I'. This collection is a tangle of the dreamlike and the brutal, the black and the white. The colours are bold, baroque and deep. The effect – edgy, accentuated glamour.
Noir is a classic. It’s complex. It's a dance with the devil".
The pictures are amazing and the products look very nice. It is pricey but not expensive (same price range as M.A.C). I still haven't had the chance to test if it is any good as it is only available in Selfridges Manchester Trafford Centre (I am based in the NorthWest, remember). There is no Selfridges in Liverpool and when I travel to Manchester, I do not go as far as Trafford Centre!. I just hate that place, so overcrowded, more of the same.....aghgh!
Here is the link:
http://www.illamasqua.com/collections/noir/

Make-up and hairstyle tips....are you too pale for the usual make-up?

Lots of people got excited with the new make-up range, designed by red-head Nicola Roberts, from Girls Aloud. It was a matter of time that this woman will ditch the fake tan. (I´ve heard horror stories about fake tan: brown bed-sheets....water from the shower coming out completely brown, stains between toes and fingers, stains on clothes....Horrible!). I will never understand it. Specially in red-heads or freckled people. It just looks stupid. It´s so obvious that is fake and is not the natural tone of their skin. Besides, fake tan makes skin look older and it really emphasizes the wrinkles! So, be careful, ladies!

I´ve also noticed that since Nicola ditched her fake tan, she has updated her wardrobe, as well. Instead of opting for "super-sexy-I-think-I´m-Beyonce" foxy looks, she seams to adopt more classy and elegant ones, which I think is great. Also, She´s dyed her hair into a more red-dish tone which is been dyed into pink. She looks like a lady. A local version of Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchet.

If you are still desperate to find the range, here are some links:

http://www.jellypongpong.com/

http://www.asos.com/Dainty-Doll/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=4788

Gothic make-up tips: an alternative to raven-black hair

"Raven-black" hair has become an stereotype of the Goth look and now of the Emo look as well.... That's why it's not suitable for the office sometimes, specially with a very paled skin. It´s still considered a "teenage" feature and I know some Goths do want to stay away from Emos as much as they can....I still love the raven look, but that's my opinion.


If you have been told off by your boss or you just got tired of it, I've found some interesting other options, like chestnut or chocolate shades. They're not as boring as you might think (unless you´ve got dark-olive skin and brown eyes, just go to Spain and you,ll see what I mean...) as they still add drama to a fair skin but without making you look too "gothy" for the office. Because Chestnut is a very dark shade of brown, -which is a "warm" colour, unlike black- it brings a subtle golden/auburny shine to the face.




If I´m not wrong, Cameron Diaz was one of the first ones who started it, she went from blonde to chocolate, which gave a lot of sophistication to her look and then Lindsay Lohan changed her gorgeous ginger hair to slut-blonde first and then to chocolate. Obviously, because she´s a natural red-head, the chestnut colour really worked on her, it made her look sophisticated, grown-up and -if it wasn´t because of the bloody fake tan-dramatic but without being too "gothy".

So you want smokey black eyes...

I been addicted to the smokey black eyes look since my teens. In fact, is the key feature of my look (I might wear a bit of blush, nude-tone lipstick...but always black eyes, like a panda!)

Well, I think it hasn´t hit the british stores yet, but while I was in Spain, I had the chance to see the Bourjois ad. Their new eye-shadow is meant to be "elastic", it doesn´t crack on your eyelids and is dead easy to apply. hmm...tempting and it was only 12euros! (£10 aprox.)

My huge dissappointment was to find out that the "jet-black" colour IS NOT black. It´s like a charcoal shade, quite dark but not proper jet-black. It was a shame...
I will have to go for M.A.C....My purse will never forgive me...

Gothic make-up tips for everyday: SMOKEY EYES

In my opinion there´s no other make-up that complements a breath-taking dramatic look such goth: smokey eyes. Apparently easy to use, it´s harder to apply in a succesful way than what it might seem. Usual problems are the "panda" effect, stains around the eyes AND most important of all, if it´s not applied properly, it might enfasize or create dark bags under your eyes making you look tired, hangovered or like a yonkee!
Because of its dramatic effect, smokey eyes should be applied with precaution during day-light, specially in pale skins where the dramatism is even more pronounced. Some people love it on someone else´s eyes, however, other people might find it a bit too gothic for them.....(I´ve had that problem and my skin is not even pale is olive), so again, the key is to be cautious.
A very good alternative is to combine the harsh black with a softer grey or to substitute black for a charcoal grey which can still create the same dramatic effect but the contrast will not be that pronounced. I´ve found a video that explains how to do the black&grey smokey eye and I think the look is quite impressive.
Here´s a website with the video and very good tips of how to apply it: http://www.imageandstylenews.com/smokey-eye-makeup-tips

Gothic make-up tips for everyday....

"How to go as dark as you dare"
This is the title of a make-up tips list published on the ManchesterEveningNews website.
It´s not written by someone who is into Goth (you can tell by comments like: "Don't get spooked into thinking goth equals grunge. Today's trend is uber-glossy, high fashion, and ultra polished".)
Because, the article, in my opinion, portraits Goths as black tacky clowns by associating their looks with Grunge?...Grunge!
Goth is about a sophisticated drama, it IS very theatrical (that´s what the story is about) but you can tame it down without making it look boring.
I´ve picked up two illustrative examples, very different between each other. However, I think they represent the two ways that Goth make-up could be taken to: plain black OR dramatic phantasmagorical colours played with smokes and shades.

Interested in more? Let´s read the tips, then:
SKIN
"Don't be tempted to emulate the ghostly pale skin effect seen on the catwalk; you'll end up looking like too much like Morticia Adams," Jemma warns."Opt instead for a sheer, luminous and `brightened' skin effect. First, prep and moisturise the skin, followed by a fabulous skin illuminator which `haloes' your face with light, without whitening it."

I agree with that, I keep seeing Goths who seem to have thrown flour to their faces despite being naturally paled....
Not offence but it looks stupid, I´m sorry....

EYES
"The extreme catwalk gothic gloss look involves both soft dark, strong eyes and lip colour - but in real life, especially during the day, dramatising both can look disastrously over the top," says Jemma."The key is to `veil' the entire eye from the lid right up to the brow with a wash of subtle colour. Try feminine shades of plum or mauve. Go as dark as you dare."

I COMPLETELY agree with that because I´ve tried it during daylight. The only person who can get away with that look is Robert Smith, I´m afraid. We will have to keep it for the night....

LIPS
"For statement lips be daring with a lip liner in plum," Jemma advises. "Finish by slicking on a glossy, dark and sumptuous berry shade. Contrast with a `wash' of neutral eye colour."

I MUST add, if you are not tempted by the "wash of neutral eye colour", you can try with smokey eyes in a soft shade of black of grey. It would still look dramatic but not too over-loaded.

GOTH SHOPPING LIST
"If super-dramatic smokey eyes are on your beauty agenda, try Jemma Kidd Define: Stay-Put Eyeliner (£9), Darphin Eye Pencil in Black (£12), or Avon In A Blink 2-in-1 pencil at £6 (avonshop.co.uk), with eyeliner at one end and powder eyeshadow at the other.Hit the dark goth-style shadows with Tigi Cyberoptics Eyeshadow in Black or Amethyst, £8.95 (tigihaircare.com), The Body Shop Smudger in Burnished Metal (£9), or Bare Escentuals Mystical Eye Quickies at £22 (qvcuk.com). Apply lashings of thick, black mascara using Givenchy Captiv'Eyes Intense Volume Mascara for £17.Alternatively, let your lips do all the talking with B Borscht Lip Cream in deep purple, £8.50 (lush.co.uk), or Jemma Kidd Hi Shine Lip gloss in Currant for £9.50.If you want to go goth from tip-to-toe, paint on some black nail polish to complete your coffin couture look. Try GOSH nail polish in Nero, £5.99, or Barry M Black Nail Paint, £2.95, both at Superdrug".

Hope you liked the article, here´s the link:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/lifestyle/
health_and_beauty/health_and_beauty_reviews/s/
1024923_how_to_go_as_dark_as_you_dare