The temperature is chilled, the air is crisp, and there is a skeleton hanging up on my bathroom door because I don’t have anywhere else to put it. All of this is to say that Halloween is almost upon us, dear Glossers, and that means it’s time to get in the spirit and start wearing some seriously freaky makeup. For those who may not yet be “melted Barbie”-status makeup artists, there are easy ways to change up your look in a way that most of society deems acceptable exclusively around October 31st. Namely: black lipstick!
(Related: This Blue Lipstick Is The Best Thing To Ever Happen To My Lips)
As you may have noticed, I love blue lipstick, neon orange lipstick, and all shades in between. A few months ago, I reviewed Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics‘ Unknown Pleasures Color Collection for our Controversial Cult Faves column and it renewed my love for the wild, unique, and fantastical beauty that is OCC’s Lip Tar. And that’s why it made the perfect choice for a black lip tutorial–it’s bold, shiny, and long-lasting!
Step 1: Base.
Start by making your base makeup smooth, even, and primed for makeup. To achieve this, apply a layer of Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer all over the face and neck, then use a flawless finish product like Dolce&Gabbana The Foundation Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation. Use a bit of concealer on dark undereye circles and any blemishes (I picked Maybelline Fit Me Concealer), then sweep Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder overtop.
Step 2: Blush.
To keep things on the neutral, goth-like side without looking deathly ill, apply just a sheer wash of blush in whatever your normal color is. For my skin tone, I typically go with a rosy shade, so I used MAKE Satin Finish Blush in Geisha with It Cosmetics French Boutique Blush Brush.
Step 3: Eyes.
Apply a little concealer like MAKE Soft Focus Corrective Duo Conceal/Set to the lids to get rid of any discoloration.
You’ll be wearing black lipstick, and if you want it to look fun, dark, and a little creepy, not like you’re actually dying. Keep your eye makeup simple, using just a bit of smokey deep grey shadow on the lids (I picked Smashbox‘s Ash for this). You can also use bright shades, opaque white, or no makeup on your lids at all, but this is what I like best on myself with a dramatic gothy shade like this.
Then, apply a thin line of a black liquid liner like Lancome Artliner in Noir (which we recently reviewed) and wing it outward.
Add two coats of a lengthening mascara like jane iredale Longest Lash Mascara in Black Ice to the top lashes.
Tame your brows with a tinted brow gel, such as Maybelline Brow Drama Eyebrow Mascara.
To make my eyes look bigger and more awake, I applied Skinn Cosmetics Bright Eyes Eye Enhancing Eyeliner to my bottom waterline.
Step 4: Lips.
Meet your lipstick’s new BFF!
Prep your lips with a bit of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Primer to make them soft and ready for color.
Line your lips with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Tarred, then fill them in with it.
Using a lip brush, apply Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Tarred. You can either use it on just the center of your bottom lip for an enhanced, poutier-looking lip, or you can use it all over for a glossy shine.
Voila! You’re all good to go, you spooky lady, you.
And if you’re extra goofy-feeling, you can GIF your witchy kisses to your favorite warlock. I know, I’m ridiculous, I’ll go home now.
How To Wear Black Lipstick
Intense lip shades are always in for Fall, but this season, the trend has taken a dramatic turn. Whether you blame it on Twilight or True Blood, gothic-inspired black lips are everywhere!
While the look may seem intimidating at first glance (and second too…let’s be honest), if you choose the right products and apply correctly (that’s always key!), it can be surprisingly wearable.
Unlike some of the opaque black shades that you can find on the counter right now, our favorite Lipstick Queen – Poppy King – has made this Goth-inspired trend gorgeous with Black Tie Optional Lipstick ($18) and Shine Gloss ($22).
The sheer black lipstick shade is meant to be worn UNDERNEATH your favorite lip color to deepen the tone and enrich the color – making lips appear sexy instead of gothic. Reds become a black cherry shade while light pinks turn mauve.
The Shine Gloss can we wore on its own to give lips a deepened, smoky look – totally chic with just a touch of the vamp.
What do you think of the black lip trend? Is this a look you plan to try?
Be Honest, Can I Pull Off Black Lipstick?
We’ve been seeing black lipstick everywhere these days. First our editor Sam tried it back around Halloween, then Khloe Kardashian and Lucy Hale flawlessly hopped on board with the trend (I’m assuming it was Sam’s post that convinced them, obvi). Sure, it looks awesome on all of those ladies, but can a normal like myself pull it off? I mean, I’m a huge fan of dark lipstick (as evidence by my picture on our Content Page), but I’ve always just stuck with plums and vampy oxblood. Plus, I’m super pale, so I always thought that black might just be a touch too much. But I’m a lipstick addict, so it was only a matter of time until I couldn’t go any longer without giving the look a go.
I took a trek into Sephora last week to peruse some of the options because I figured if I was going black, I didn’t want to half-ass it. After much deliberation and a brief distraction in the nail polish section, I decided on Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist Intense in 50 Satin Black. As the name would suggest, it has a nice satin finish, and really, you can’t go wrong with Make Up For Ever. So, I slapped it on (yep, that’s a technical term), recruited my roommate and her fancy camera, and took it to the park by my apartment. Here are the results:
Honestly, I kinda love it. I was nervous that it wouldn’t be something that I could wear on an average day, but I kept my outfit and the rest of my makeup simple to let the shade shine. Oh, and by the way, it really does kinda shine in the sun. I mean, look at this:
I’m sure the satin finish has something to do with it, and there’s no gloss or anything on top of that! All I used in addition to the lipstick was Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Anti-Feathered, but that’s essentially just a clear primer.
I was feeling pretty fancy by the end of my little pseudo-photo shoot if I’m being honest.
So, what do you guys think? Can I pull it off for everyday wear? Or should I leave this one trend to the pros?
Beauty Expert, Contributing Editor
Susan started her career in writing as an intern at Blufashion way back in 2015 and continued to write herself in and out of situations. She went to school for Creative Writing and sort of Journalism but mostly making things up and getting graded on it. She wears way too many stripes.
