Like most Goths, I do love me some funky make-up, and experimenting with new weird and wonderful looks. Goth makeup doesn’t have to be your basic white face and black eyes and lips, and many mainstream fashion and make-up trends can also be customised to work with Goth looks of all types, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to have a go.
One of the latest “things” in make up to have come to prominence recently is contouring, and if you’re not quite sure what this means, then you’re probably not alone. Contouring provides plenty of opportunity to get creative with your slap, and can be used for a wide range of looks from the subtle to the dramatic to the outright outlandish.
Contouring isn’t just for girls either, and there is even a dedicated YouTube makeup tutorial on Goth contouring for guys as well.
In this blog post, I’ll tell you a little more about contouring and how to do it. Brushes at the ready!
What is contouring?
To explain in simple terms, contouring in the makeup sense involves using different shades and tones of base makeup to create a 3-d impression on your face. This can be used to do things like bring prominence to your cheekbones, narrow your nose or make your eyes “pop.”
Using a bit of blusher on your cheeks can be described as contouring at its most basic, but if you know what you’re doing, you can really go to town with contouring, and literally change the whole shape and dimensions of your face, using cleverly applied make up.
However, contouring is definitely a skill that requires some practice, and you’re not likely to get it right first time, so be prepared to experiment before you go out in public!
How does contouring work?
When contouring your face, you will use several shades of products such as foundation, highlighters, bronzers and concealers to bring prominence to certain features and hide or play down others, and contouring is one of the staples of makeup for movies and TV, as it can alter your look dramatically enough to appear at first glance as if you have, say, gained or lost a significant amount of weight on your face, or even had cosmetic surgery.
Following an online tutorial is probably the best way to get going, and once you have got to grips with the basics, you can let your imagination run wild, using your basic makeup to create an impressively Gothic style and shape. Nanshy explains the basics in more detail.
Beginning at the beginning
One of the easiest contouring skills to master is a simple “three” contour, which you can achieve by putting on a regular skin tone foundation as normal, and then using a darker shade of makeup to draw two large number “3” figures around your brow line and cheekbones, and then blending them in.
Once you’ve mastered this, you can either go full Kardashian, or create your own look with a Gothy style in mind.
This YouTube tutorial again has plenty of hints on how the Goth the fuck out of your face using contouring, and is well worth a look!
This YouTube tutorial again has plenty of hints on how the Goth the fuck out of your face using contouring, and is well worth a look!
Check out this Pinterest board too for loads more ideas.
