The “Monster’s Muse” Makeup Trend Is Out of Our Soft Goth Dreams

In the world of dark romance, when a monster sets their sight on a love interest it’s often because they see a spark in them. We can get morbid and think about how vampires want to literally suck the lifeblood out of the living, or Disney-fi the conversation and talk about how Belle charms the Beast with her thirst for knowledge and sheer humanity. Either way, it’s a trope. They remember what it means to live.

Understandably, these crushes can’t be complete rays of sunshine. They love their monsters back, and an innate understanding of darkness is necessary if they want to work as a couple. Think Winona Ryder’s Kim in Edward Scissorhands. (Her Lydia Deetz, too—though I think that’s more a mentor/mentee relationship?) There’s Kat in Casper. Ann in King Kong. Persephone.

The thing is… the rest of us can’t help but fall in love with the Monster’s Muse a little bit, too. Imagine being so gorgeous someone would risk stepping out in the daylight to see you? There’s magnetism there! And while we might not want to literally suck her blood, we do need to know the blush technique she used to perfect that “I’ve been to the dark side and back” flush.

The Monster’s Muse Look

No matter how pallid a goddess is after spending months in the underworld, her lips are still pomegranate tinted and juicy. There’s life in those cheeks, and at least some of it is because she’s a living, breathing entity. The rest of it might be a dab of Rhode Pocket Blush.

The Monster’s Muse look is best exemplified by makeup artist Nina Park, a go-to red carpet glam team member for all the scream queens. She did Lily-Rose Depp’s makeup for her Nosferatu press tour, helped Margaret Qualley during The Substance‘s award season run, and has recently spent a lot of time with longtime client Mia Goth as she promotes Guillermo del Toro’s soon-to-be-released Frankenstein.

As seen on all of the leading ladies, Park’s signature style is youthful and skin-forward yet subtly glam. She swaps heavy foundation for expertly applied concealer and isn’t afraid of cool tones. Lips are over-lined and blurred, offering a just-bitten quality regardless of color.

The resulting look screams “IT’S ALLIIIIIIVEEEE!” while also hinting that the wearer could explain a thing or two about darkness. And though Park is a genius, there are other stars who have been giving similar energy. Sabrina Carpenter did it in her “Tears” music video. Jenna Ortega is great at pairing the macabre with the chic, and Tessa Thompson also always kills it. (Even superheroes are monsters sometimes, you know.)

How to Get the Look

Grasping the Monster’s Muse look means appearing a little haunted yet still dewy. You’re not playing up dark circles, but you’re not denying their existence with a full-coverage base, either. Instead, try underpainting your contour and color corrector a la Mary Phillips and finish things off with a tinted moisturizer to keep the skin looking like skin. Another note: Skip the heavy eyeliner and dark lip color. “Opposites attract” is the theme here, so going vampy is actually a terrible idea.

You can also lean into the style with a softly smoked eye in a hue like purplish gray, gray-gray, or dusty rose, emphasis on the dust. A little shimmer is welcome to lighten things up. And absolutely don’t forget the cheeks—the toastier, the better. Vampires are all about a girlie who blushes. It means the blood is pumping.

Remember how the Cullens always told Bella they’d miss her constant embarrassed flush when she officially joined the family? There’s something inherently gorgeous about being alive.