Reformed teen goths, rejoice! Thanks to runway appearances in all four fashion capitals, black lipstick has emerged as A/W’16’s most unexpected beauty trend.
It started off in New York, when Rihanna sent the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid down the runway at her Fenty x Puma show wearing jet-black lips. The look then cropped up at Marc Jacobs (teamed with exaggerated eye make-up and ‘20s-referencing finger waves) before appearing at Vivienne Westwood in London.
The prettiest incarnation of the look was seen at Dior late last week, when Kendall Jenner made her debut for the iconic fashion house wearing a glossier take on the black lip. Is there anything this girl can’t pull off? After her hair-swap with BFF Gigi Hadid at Balmain last week, it seems that the answer is no.
But for us slightly lesser mortals, is it actually possible to pull off this dramatic trend without looking like a startled Evanescence fan who ‘NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND?’
For Dior’s chief make-up artist Peter Philips, black lipstick doesn’t have to equal overly dramatic teen with a penchant for My Chemical Romance and New Rocks. Speaking to American beauty bible Allure, he said ‘I wouldn’t call it gothic because it’s not scary dark make-up […] It’s luxurious and decadent darkness.’
To achieve this grown-up take on goth, Philips applied a layer of Dior Addict Ultra Gloss over the brand’s deep Poison lipstick, which will be released later this year. The models’ skin looked fresh and radiant (no deathly pallor here), and was teamed with exaggerated, almost doll-like lashes and chic side-swept up-dos.
So, it seems the secret to taking black lippie from goth to grown-up is simply a case of adding a little gloss, keeping skin fresh and modern, and sweeping back your hair to avoid any Wednesday Addams comparisons. Are you brave enough to try it?