The Basics: Face Coverage

Goths in crusty flaky white clown paint. We've all seen it, perhaps at
some point we even dabbled in this look ourselves. Yet, nothing is more  embarrassing to witness. It's unattractive, and unnecessary. I've spent several years experimenting with different brands and methods of makeup, always trying to find a way to achieve a natural pale look. The key word here, kids, is natural. First of all, I want to stress that sunscreen is your friend. No makeup is wonderful enough to correct what the sun has damaged. I wear SPF 50 under my makeup everyday, which may seem like a pain to bother with, but work it into your routine and soon it will become habit. And it is definitely a habit worth having.

Now as far as a foundation that can give a natural pallor, I must first
sing the praises of green food coloring. Yes, that's right =96 green
food coloring. Take the palest shade of any brand of liquid foundation
(I recommend anything  by L'oreal) and simply squeeze a few drops of
food coloring in it. Just how many depends on how much foundation you are working with, and also your natural skin tone. The charm of green food coloring is that it counters the pink tones present in most ivory shades. This is also helpful if you happen to have naturally rosy skin.

I wouldn't recommend more than 8 drops per bottle, but use your best
judgment. Also, I've been using food coloring for years now and have
never experienced an allergic reaction, nor have any of my friends. But it is probably a good idea to first conduct some sort of allergy test,
just to make sure. Something perhaps similar to the hair dye allergy
tests, where just a bit of the mixture is applied on a small patch of skin.
For powder, I usually just use baby powder and use a compact only for
touch-ups throughout the day. The most effective pressed compacts I've found are Revlon Age Defying powder in Alabaster and Prescriptives pressed powder in level Zero. Both of these are wonderful shades, not too rosy, in addition to supplying decent coverage. Also, both of these can double as foundation. 

Another cosmetic I'd recommend is Jane concealor in Fair. The shade is perfect, but the coverage is extremely heavy, and looks very unnatural in daylight. I usually save this for the evenings out. Another interesting tip I've come across: If you have a white pressed
compact, perhaps Morbid Makeup or Stargazer brands, these work
fabulously to highlight facial features. After putting on your makeup as
usual, try rubbing a little of the white powder on the apples of your
cheeks and down the bridge of your nose, and blending. This comes in
handy for those of us with not-so-chiseled features. Of course, if you're tied to your white paint and are satisfied using it, by all means, paint yourself silly!  After all, if goth isn't about finding what makes *you* happy and doing it despite what others think, then what is it about? I just wanted to share some of my discoveries with those of you craving something new to try. 

Have fun and till next time kids .....