Every so often the goth aesthetic softens up, and this week it has gone full candy shop. Pastel goth is trending hard right now (Allure called it out as one of 2026's defining looks, and TikTok is full of lilac lids paired with black lace), and honestly, we're obsessed. Think bruised petal blush, lavender lids, and a wing sharp enough to still say "don't test me." It's the aesthetic equivalent of a black cat curled up on a candy floss cloud.
If trad goth is precision and mall goth is chaos, pastel goth is somewhere in between: soft colours with a gothic backbone. Here's how we're building the look this week, using our own vegan and cruelty free products from start to finish. 🦇
Step 1: A soft, flushed base
Skip the harsh contour. Pastel goth skin should look lit from within, just slightly bruised at the cheeks. We're using Second Skin Powder Blush in Dusty Rose swept high on the cheekbones and gently diffused towards the temples. It's a cool toned pink that reads as pastel without tipping into "sunburnt."
Follow with Second Skin Powder Highlighter in Dreaming along the tops of the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose. It's got a cool, moonlit shimmer that makes the whole look feel a bit otherworldly rather than sun kissed.
Step 2: Build the pastel lid
Here's where the magic happens. Take Prime Time & Line in Pastel Purple and wash it across the whole lid, right up to the crease. This creamy, pigmented formula was made to double as a shadow, so you can pat it on with a finger for a soft, blurred wash of colour.
Now for the gothic bit. Take Prime Time & Line in Muted Mauve and smudge it into the outer corner and lower lash line, dragging it slightly downward for that moody, sleepy eyed shape. Blend where the two shades meet so there's no harsh line, just a soft gradient from lilac to bruised plum.
For depth in the crease, dip into the Til Death Palette and use one of the deeper plum or charcoal shades to define the socket line. This is what keeps the look rooted in goth rather than drifting into fairy territory (not that there's anything wrong with fairies, but that's a different tutorial).
Step 3: Add the shimmer and the wing
Dot a little Multichrome Liquid Eyeshadow in Sea Sparkle onto the inner corners and centre of the lid. This colour shifting formula throws off flashes of icy blue and lilac depending on the light, which adds a lovely, almost frostbitten glow against all that soft purple.
Finish the eye with a precise wing using the Infinity Eyeliner Pen in black. The super fine tip makes it easy to get a crisp line even over the softness underneath, and this is the detail that stops the whole look from reading as "spring makeup." A sharp black wing over pastel lids is the entire point.
Step 4: The lips
Keep the lips in the same dreamy family with Air Matte Liquid Lipstick in Ultra Violet, a soft lilac toned matte that ties the whole face together. It's lightweight and long wearing, so it won't budge whether you're at your desk or out at the cemetery gates for golden hour photos (we don't judge, we've been there too).
Why we love this one
Pastel goth proves you don't need to go full black lace and blood red to feel like yourself. It's a reminder that softness and darkness aren't opposites, they can share the same face. And as always, every product in this look is vegan and cruelty free, made for creatures of the night who still care where their makeup comes from.
Try it this week and tag us, we'd love to see your version of pastel goth. Lilac lids, black wings, and a little bit of chaos underneath the softness: that's the whole aesthetic in a nutshell. 🖤