By Alison McGill
The best gifts of the season always come as we wrap up the year, and Netflix’s Wednesday is definitely one of them. Tim Burton has rebooted the classic ‘60s show The Addams Familyin a way only he could do. Burton’s of-the-now Addams fam is not only creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky, but totally cool, smart, and endlessly intriguing.
Jenna Ortega plays the titular role of Wednesday to emo perfection. Her dry wit and humour give the show its edge, gifting the internet with countless memes. The other gift Wednesday has given us: a blueprint for modern goth beauty.
Moody makeup has been vibing for a few seasons now and is the complete antithesis of the glow up trend. Skin is matte; eyes are smoked and smudged; contour and blush are barely there; and lip colour is dark but still has smidge of shine to it. Consider Wednesday’s look one which is inspired by her iconic mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones is absolutely owning Tish’s preferred Tom Ford lipstick shade, Bruised Plum), but a little softer.
The show’s makeup artist Tara McDonald recently revealed to beauty expert and self-proclaimed trend whisperer Cat Quinn some of the secrets to creating Ortega’s now classic Wednesday beauty look using products from MAC Cosmetics. On the eyes, McDonald smudges a rosy-brown shadow on the lids and along the lower lash line, then uses the pure black MAC Carbon Eyeshadow along the lower lash line, blending until it’s perfectly smoked.
Wednesday’s lip shade is a particular fan favourite. McDonald created the perfect dark berry stain using MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth mixed with clear lip balm. You can combine the pencil and balm on your hand then dab onto lips to create a lo-fi, goth girl lip.
For skin, McDonald wanted just the tiniest bit of dewiness for Wednesday’s complexion and used a barely-there skin tint which let Ortega’s natural freckles shine through. To add a little dramatic shadow to Wednesday’s face, McDonald used two shades of matte taupe powder to perfectly sculpt cheeks.
The Essential Wednesday Addams Beauty Edit
MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth
$27, maccosmetics.com
This dark plum pencil is the star of the Wednesday beauty show. Get on this one stat as its selling out and you might need to waitlist for it.
Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick
$28, sephora.com
This cult classic is one you would find stashed in Wednesday’s backpack. This beloved balm looks amazing on everyone.
Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer
$42, sephora.com
This is one of our favourite products to contour with because it creates a soft matte shadow on skin to make cheekbones pop.
MAC Eyeshadow in Brown Script and Carbon
$25 each, maccosmetics.com
Lay a soft colour foundation with the rosy-brown shade applied to over the entire eyelid, then add smoke with the inky black shade.
Rimmel Kind Free Mascara
$12, shopperdrugmart.ca
Part of the brand’s new clean beauty lineup, this mascara is perfect for defining every single lash to create a wide-eyed Wednesday effect.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Skin Perfector
$63, sephora.com
This oil-free formula delivers a perfectly matte finish and imbues skin with just a hint of glowing natural radiance.
Gucci Glossy Nail Polish in Black Crystal
$41, sephora.com
Because we know Wednesday is a Gucci girl at heart, this high-gloss polish is perfect for giving your goth look just a glimmer of light.
