Dark Feminine and Soft Dark Feminine: Your New, Go-To Looks for a Halloween Night Out

Not every Halloween adventure requires full zombie makeup (besides we’ve already got a blog here if you want to go fully Hollywood horror with your costume), but if you’re getting ready for a night out, and still want to slay while looking a little spooky, we’ve got the looks for you!

Dark Feminine Makeup

We’re talking Vamp vibes, bad b**ch, black cat energy that will leave every mid-Morticia in the building with a serious case of the green eyed monster.

Method

If light feminine is soft pink gloss and fluttery lashes, dark feminine is her mysterious older sister who only texts you back at 2am, and never explains her skincare routine. This look is feline, smoky, and dangerous — a Halloween power move.

Brows: Slim, Straight, and Slightly Sassy

Okay — these are as far as I am willing to go toward skinny brows, and they’re as small as I’m going to let you get them!

The goal: slimmer, straighter, more lifted brows to balance the drama of the eyes.

Brush your brows across, not up, we’re streamlining, not fluffing.
Lock them in with a strong hold gel.
Once your base is done, fill in any sparse areas with a precise brow pencil to sharpen the shape.

💡 Pro tip: A straighter brow instantly lifts the face. It’s giving main character energy without even trying.

Eyes: Feline, Smoky, Unapologetically Bold

This is where the magic happens. Think cat-eye meets chaos.

Start with concealer as your base (we want everything to grip and stay fierce).
Sweep a light brown over the lid and just above the crease.
Blend a medium brown into the inner and outer corners to frame the eye.
Go in with liquid liner to create that bold wing, then smoke it out with dark brown shadow for that blurred, mysterious edge.
Press black shadow right along the lash line to deepen the drama.
Pop on a flared lash (Eylure 133 is perfect) to accentuate that feline flick.
Line your waterline with black pencil for intensity, then softly smoke the lower lash line with your crease shades.

💡 Pro tip: Keep your liner slightly upturned, it elongates and lifts, giving “don’t mess with me” eyes (in the best way).

Base: Glam, Snatched, and Seriously Sculpted

This face means business. Think contoured, but not cakey. It’s a look that’s lifted, luminous, and sharp.

Apply your foundation with a brush for a full-coverage, flawless base.
Brighten the centre of your face with concealer — under eyes, chin, forehead.
Bronze around the perimeter and higher up on the cheeks for a snatched lift.
Blend cream blush into the upper cheeks and just below the eyes for that “naturally lifted” finish.
Powder where you concealed to lock it all in.
Layer powder bronzer and blush over the same areas for that extra longevity and definition.

💡 Pro tip: Keep your blush high and tight (low blush drags the face down, high blush says “I know my angles.”

Lips: Cherry Red, Glossy, Dangerous

We’re finishing with the statement lip. Juicy, powerful, and perfectly imperfect.

Start by shaping your lips with a brown liner (this gives structure and warmth).

Go in with a red liner, blending the two together using a tiny lip brush for that seamless ombré.
Finish with red glossy lipstick for that “I bite back” energy.

💡 Pro tip: Smudge the edges slightly for that blurred, just-kissed look (sexy without trying too hard).

full dark feminine look completed

Thoughts & feelings

I love a fierce, bold eye look. The feline details are: chef’s kiss. It really embodies the dark feminine, black cat energy perfectly. I’m not usually a red lip fan, but it works really well with this look and completes the dark feminine vibe - sleek, confident, and just a little bit dangerous. You can pick up the full dark feminine collection here, or individual products from the list below.

Products

Soft Dark Feminine Makeup

Inspired by the queen of goth, Jenna Ortega, this is soft goth makeup for the female not male gaze.

MUA channels Jenna Ortega

Method

If “dark feminine” is all bold lips and bad-b**ch energy, soft dark feminine is her quieter, more dangerous sister. She’s smoky-eyed, emotionally unavailable, and somehow glowing under moonlight.

Brows: Bleached, Barely There, and Beautifully Wrong

Let’s get this out of the way — bleached brows aren’t for the faint of heart. Personally, with my complexion I look one bad night’s sleep away from Victorian ghost chic… but for this look? It works.

Grab a thick pot concealer. You want something creamy that will coat and slightly style the brows.
Load up your spoolie and brush product evenly through the hairs until you get that soft, bleached effect.
Let it self-set (we’re skipping powder to keep it natural).

💡 Pro tip: Not ready to commit? You can fake it with concealer. If you are ready to commit… bleach. But that’s a level of dedication I can only deeply respect (from afar).

Eyes: Soft, Smoky, Strategic

This is the soft goth eye: it’s diffused, dimensional, and hypnotic. Less “Instagram baddie,” more “mysterious girl at the bar reading a paperback.”

Start with cool-neutral tones from your Tiny Treasures palette to build depth.
Blend the darkest shade from under the front of your brow to the top of the nose and through the outer corner.
Use a lighter neutral to soften the blend (keep it tidy and intentional).
Add black eyeliner to the outer lash line; a baby wing is totally optional.
Tap a soft shimmer (somewhere between gold and silver) onto the centre of your lid for that quiet-luxury glimmer.
Curl your lashes to perfection with Tweezerman’s Rose Gold Curler.
Finish with a few coats of Glam & Doll Mascara for length and soft drama.

💡 Pro tip: Keep the smoke contained — it’s all about control. Smudge, but don’t lose shape.

soft dark feminine eyes completed

Base: Soft, Sculpted, and Just a Bit Haunted

We’re aiming for that “perfect skin but mysterious undertone” vibe (ethereal, but not eerie).

Start with the Soft Glam Filter Stick for that lit-from-within glow.
Apply a thin layer of foundation (let your skin breathe).
Use a cool-toned bronzer to sculpt cheeks and temples (since, unfortunately, we weren’t all born with Ortega’s bone structure).
Reverse contour with concealer beneath your cheekbones to carve out that lift.
Add a touch of cream bronzer to the cheeks as blush (it keeps the look bronzed but dimensional).
Set your concealer zones with loose powder.
Sweep on a powder bronzer where you placed your cream products. Blend the cool and warm tones together for natural dimension.
Finish with a light dusting of shimmer blush or highlighter for a subtle gothic glow.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t go full matte. That hint of glow stops you from looking corpse-coded (unless that’s your Halloween goal).

Lips: Dark, Diffused, and Deliciously Subtle

The goal: moody, not vampy. Think “late-night poetry reading” energy.

Line with a warm dark brown lip liner, then blend with a lip brush to diffuse the edges.
For Ortega’s signature matte moment, stop here.
For something a little softer (and less dehydrating), dab the tiniest bit of lip oil in the centre.

💡 Pro tip: Blurred edges = effortless allure. It’s giving “I didn’t try,” even though we both know you did.

Extras: Freckles & Flutters

A few freckles make everything feel lived-in and real (not too polished).

Use a fine brow pencil or brown liner to dot freckles across the nose and cheeks.
Tap over them gently with your finger to soften.
If you’re going lash-free, a strong curl and mascara will do the job.
If you want more, add a few individual or cluster lashes for that subtle lift.

soft dark feminine look completed

Thoughts & feelings

I loved creating this! Jenna Ortega is an icon, so I hope I did it justice. I miss when makeup was creative like this. This is makeup for you, not for the male gaze, not for approval, just for the drama, the creativity, and the vibe. I’d absolutely take this over ‘clean girl makeup’ any day of the week. Whatever your everyday look, however, this is perfect for Halloween! Shop the collection here, or pick the products you need below.

Products used

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@welovelashes Soft Dark Feminine Makeup Inspired by the queen of goth, Jenna Ortega, this is soft goth makeup for the female not male gaze 🖤🐦⬛🦇💀 #jennaortegamakeup #softdarkfemininemakeup #halloween2025 ♬ Haunted Water - Spellling