Gothic Makeup With Mineral Makeup

Welcome to the first issue of Goth Style Tips Newsletter. Spring is in full bloom and you may want to refresh your gothic style, whether clothes or gothic makeup with some lightness. In this issue, you’ll discover affordable gothic clothing advice from our feature gothic designer of Gloomth and a few tips and tricks to cutting gothic hairstyles and putting on lighter gothic makeup with the newest mineral makeup to help you look and feel your personal best.

Taeden Hall of Gothic Couture Clothing - www.gloomth.com

1. What is your art or design background?

I have a B.A. in Illustration from the Ontario College of Art & Design. I worked as an illustrator for several years during school and after graduation, wrote and worked on my own stories as well. I've been designing and making my own clothing since early high school, mostly because I lived in extremely remote areas and had none of the shopping options nowadays. All my sewing training has been hands-on, at home, with my mother's old 70s sewing guides in front of me.

Taeden Hall, Canadian Gothic Coutour Designer of Gloomth

2. When and why did you get into the Gothic scene?

I honestly had never heard the word "gothic" in the subculture context until nearly the end of high school. I'd always worn black; mostly post-punk type stuff, lots of Japanese crap I'd copied from magazines, combat boots I'd hand painted. If I said I'd always been drawn to what's considered abberant or frightening, it'd probably sound really lame and cliché, but I guess it's the truth. My art has always had darker undertones, and that bleeds into my life

3. What advice can you offer readers building an affordable gothic wardrobe?

You don't have to be swathed in all the Goth brand names in order to fit the description. Don't get too bogged down on being the epitome of Goth as the media represents it. The culture started as a way for people to express themselves creatively with clothing and attitude, it has never been about a cohesive uniform or jack skeleton or the clique aspect. This also applies to shopping. I'm a huge fan of charity shops and second hand shops, you can find awesome pieces between the racks for half the price of new clothes. 90% of my wardrobe is second hand, or items I've altered from second hand clothes or made from scratch. Looking amazing doesn't mean you paid $150 for your shirt!

4. How did you get started as a gothic couture designer?

As a gothic couture designer, I do everything from pick up our wholesale materials to coordinating advertising campaigns to actually shipping the products. I respond to all the customer emails and whatnot as well. My fiance, Derek Cutting, does all the product photography, which consists of a mannequin propped against the closet door in our living room. We are prepping for a full reshoot with models in the next couple weeks. After a lot of research, we discovered our prices would have to be extremely high in order to pay for all the costs associated with a retail store. We also sell internationally and that would limit our ability to reach those people. Gloomth will always be online, but we do attend events and will be having fashion shows and sales very soon.

5. Why did you start Gloomth?

I started my business in February 2007. I was working horrible part-time jobs at various repulsive establishments and it was making me really unhappy. I felt like my degree was a waste and that I was doing nothing creative or exciting. I had no control. So when I moved in with my fiancé and relocated to a smaller city to live on half the income in our household so I could do something creative. After a couple weeks of planning, scratching out logos, selling prototype clothing concepts on eBay for market research, and web design, we launched Gloomth & the Cult of Melancholy (www.gloomth.com) - and its been taking off like wildfire since.

Original Gloomth visual kei dress

Gothic Make-up and Hair

If your hair is longer, the weight may make it difficult to achieve the desired volume for gothic hairstyles, particularly in warmer months with the higher humidity and temperatures. You'll need to go to a salon and have your hair thinned or textured. With texterizing, your hairstylist is cutting fine wisps of hair at an angle into a variety of fine layers to remove the excessive weight. You will be amazed at how much of a difference it can make. Also, styling products such as a molding mud can provide volume, but beware of build-up as it takes away bounce and shine. Use a clarifying shampoo once a month to remove the product residue. And longer hair must be trimmed regularly (every six weeks) to stay healthy to prevent split ends from traveling up the hair shaft.

Makeup brushes are a must for gothic makeup. You can find a range of prices for your brushes. Keep in mind you don't have to spend a ton of money on a makeup brush. Acrylic ones actually are easier to clean than the brushes made from fancy animal (sable, pony, squirrel, goat and badger) fibers, but will last longer. There are two makeup brushes for the foundation process for gothic make-up.

A foundation brush is designed to create an even finish and flawless gothic make-up look. It works well with a cream-based to full coverage foundation. You can use it to apply, distribute, and blend foundation into all areas in the face. A kabuki brush is firm and full to provide fast and perfectly controlled application of loose powder finish. The firm, full tapers of this luxuriously plush brush give perfectly controlled, full application of loose powder finish in record time. Also, for warmer months, a kabuki brush is perfect for applying the newest mineral makeup foundation containing no synthetic ingredients, dyes or scents and are lightweight to avoid clogging up your pores. This provides a lighter touch with a still full coverage that is popular with gothic makeup.

For more information about gothic makeup brushes and goth, hairstyles and clothing read “Step-by-Step Essential Guide to that Elusive Gothic Look & Style”.