Monday, March 02, 2015

How to Get Dark, Gothy Lips Without Looking Like a Corpse

How to Get Dark, Gothy Lips Without Looking Like a Corpse:

Beauty tutorials are big on YouTube — a search for "makeup tutorial" and "hair tutorial" yields more than 5 million videos. In this weekly series, we put a mix of popular and under-the-radar tutorials to the test and show you what's best.

When Marc Jacobs, with help from Francois Nars, put his spin on the '90s dark plum lip for his brilliant, but mildly terrifying (in a good way) fall 2015 show, I realized it's high-time to re-incorporate that witchy look back into my regular beauty routine. But, like any bold lip, the inky purple lipstick scenario bust be approached with care. There are multiple factors to consider to do it right -- and not look like the undead (or a '90s-era Courtney Love on a bender). Unsurprisingly, prolific beauty vlogger Michelle Phan is already on it with some straightforward laymen's tricks for the look.

First, you need to find the appropriate shade of plum/wine to complement your skin tone (and make you look alive) and it's super easy. One way: check the colors of your veins on your wrist; purply blue = cool. Or, peek into your jewelry box to see if your stash is predominantly gold (warm) or silver (cool). Done.

Phan then provides some strategic tips on applying the dark, highly pigmented color, both to avoid that feathering effect and also to create a clean, precise border around the lip color. Spoiler: a lip brush is essential. Of course, that perfect vampy look isn't just about the stained lips -- a flawless complexion and strong-enough eyes (and brows, very important) to balance it all out are also crucial parts of the greater picture.

So watch the video above for a step-by-step tutorial to create a wearable, less severe take on the Marc Jacobs shut-in-socialite-meets-goth-girl look.

Homepage image: Kendall Jenner walking the Marc Jacobs fall 2015 show. Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:19 AM

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