So this season, like most autumns, has offered us a brand new spectrum of darker, more dramatic lip shades. And that's great! Honestly, some of us (hi) are very psyched. But the New York Times thinks we look…goth.
Well, kind of. Writer Rachel Syme offered some awesome insight into the history of dark lip colour, as well as how you can pull it off without seeming overly gothic. (Not that there's anything wrong with that — I still wish I could look like Wednesday Addams every day.) The term du jour is "neo-goth" ala American Horror Story — "less zombie, more etheral."
"The impulse to look mysterious, powerful, and almost intimidating is still there, but the sharp edges are gone," writes Syme.
"The '90s look, with all that eyeliner and heavy lips, is too much and can look cartoonish," says makeup artist Suzy Gerstein. "The main components are still there, including a heavy brow and a pal face. But you must look pale without being washed out."
So what's with our Victorian-meets-gothic tendencies? Every autumn, we get a little more extreme (or so it seems), and 20 years after the '90s Craft influence, we're back to embracing that matte, washed-out look. Is it lack of effort on our part? Being sick of looking "dewy"? Or are we just willing to come across and harder and stronger because, damn it, we are? Are we all just trying to channel '90s teen horror? Either way, check out the Times piece for an interesting look into the trend, and feel free to weigh in on the trend in the comments below.
