Much to the joy of my inner angsty teen, soft goth makeup is making a comeback in the beauty scene. A zillennial whose had consecutive emo and goth eras—colored strips in my hair, piercings in questionable places, a Tumblr dedicated to my brooding, and a dark-colored wardrobe to match—my style has subdued over the years. But while you can change the clothes, the edgy attitude remains, because you can never really take the goth out of the girl.
A pendulum swing from the Instagram baddie-era makeup and clean girl aesthetics, soft goth makeup is a more approachable version of true goth (think Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees), with less elaborate eye makeup, an emphasis on contour over blush, with a greige or berry lip for added contrast. It leans more toward Fairuza Balk’s in the 1996 cult classic The Craft than Elvira Mistress of the Dark.
“Goth emerged after punk in the late 1970s, drawing on Victorian mourning aesthetics. Goth makeup was a rebellion—pale skin, dark eyes, and exaggerated features echoing macabre, romance, and androgyny in defiance of mainstream beauty norms,” celebrity makeup artist and Isamaya founder Isamaya Ffrench tells Vogue. “Goth isn’t just a makeup look—it’s a deeply rooted subculture with its own music, fashion, and philosophy. While soft goth borrows some of the visual language, it’s important to recognize the history and meaning behind the original movement.”
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There are plenty of examples, even outside of beauty, pointing toward a grand return of gothic sensibilities in popular culture—Robert Eggers’s 2024 Nosferatu, Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming rendition of Frankenstein, and of course, Tim Burton’s Netflix hit Wednesday. Celebrity makeup artist Mélanie Inglessis (known for crafting Jenna Ortega’s soft goth glam looks) agrees, adding that Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday Addams has definitely had its stylistic impact. “There is also a surge of ’90s inspired makeup on artist like Charlic xcx, Alexa Demie, and Rosalía,” Inglessis tells Vogue, referencing an era known for its whimsigoth and occult-esque aesthetics. “I think this the perfect storm for this aesthetic to have a revival.” The look even surfaced at NYFW, where MAC Cosmetics key artist Romero Jennings channeled “gothic renaissance” with greige lips and diffused liner at Kim Shui. Meanwhile NARS key artist Diane Kendal evoked a sense of “somber romance” through wet-look smokey eyes at Grace Ling.
So, how can you get the soft goth look? “In recent years, we’ve been focused on celebrating glowing, natural skin—but there’s something refreshing about interrupting that with a dark eye or vampy lip. That contrast feels like what soft goth is to me,” says Ffrench, who’s previously shown the look can be achieved in five minutes or less for a quick makeup routine. She warns that soft goth is not to be mistaken for grunge, a look characterized by smudgy eye makeup and raw imperfection. “You can modernize the soft goth look by picking innovative formulas that didn’t exist a few years ago. Lip stains, putty eyeshadows, or duo-chrome glosses will do the trick.” This distinction underscores that soft goth, while rooted in rebellion, embraces innovation and polish rather than nostalgia alone.
When it comes to recreating Ortega’s recent string of goth-glam looks, Inglessis follows a few main rules: firstly, ensuring the starlet still feels like herself and that the “makeup isn’t wearing her”; secondly, opting for dark colors or cool-toned neutrals; and lastly, ditching blush altogether. “It’s either a smoky eye, or a dark lip (or both!) and definitely no blush,” says Inglessis. Another key element soft-matte skin, and carved-out cheekbones (if you’ve ever watched any Tim Burton movie, you get the vibe). To achieve this, Inglessis contours with a cool-toned brown (not to be confused with a sun-kissed bronzer). The finishing touch? Something that can’t be cosplayed: “Really, it’s about getting across mood and an attitude,” she adds.
