TikTok’s “Dead Girl” makeup trend comes to life in ‘Wednesday’—here’s how to get Jenna Ortega’s look
Soft goth nightmare girl
Jenna Ortega’s look as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s hit spinoff has gone horribly viral. Here are all the products you’ll need to recreate her creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky hair and makeup.
TikTok “dead girls”, bow to your new leader: Jenna Ortega. In case you missed it, the 20-year-old stars in Netflix’s newest hit show, Wednesday, and her phenomenal portrayal of the titular Addams Family character has garnered quite the response online.
Scrolling through TikTok, you’ll find countless videos of pigtailed girls smoking out their eyes, rouging their lips and contouring their buccal fat into oblivion—and for good reason. Wednesday Addams’ cultural impact is nothing new—the character has been a reliable last-minute costume at Halloween ‘dos for the last few decades—but her 2022 makeover has given the character a new lease of life with the TikTok audience. Specifically, the world’s renewed obsession with the character has led to a revival of the “dead girl” aesthetic that went viral on TikTok last year.
In particular, the search term “Wednesday Addams makeup” currently has 900M views on TikTok, and it is filled with countless tutorials emulating Ortega’s signature “half-dead” look on the show. There’s just one question—how accurate are the tutorials?
Well, there’s no reason to sift through the millions as we’ve uncovered the exact makeup combinations used on the show. That’s right—thanks to M.A.C. Cosmetics Executive Director for Global Trends, Cat Quinn, and Wednesday Hair and Makeup Designer, Tara McDonald, the secret to Ortega’s soft goth look has been revealed.
Ahead, find out the exact products used on the show and how to use them to recreate Wednesday’s look on yourself!
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THE LIPS
Let’s start with the lips. The pair posted a collaborative post divulging the exact lip combo Ortega sports on the show—apparently, it’s the MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth mixed with a clear balm.
McDonald’s pro tip is to mix the two products together in a pot or on the back of your hand, then dab it onto the lip.
SHOP THE COMBO HERE:
THE EYES
As for the eyes, Quinn explains that all you need to get the look are three shades: Script, Carbon, and Glitch in the Matrix. Here’s the step-by-step:
- Blend Script, the warm-toned brown, on top and underneath the eye (blend the colour lower down to emulate sunken eye bags)
- Then, blend Carbon, the classic black shadow, underneath the eye
- Finally, smudge Carbon and Glitch in the Matrix (a cool-toned metallic grey) over the top lashline to get the smokey effect.
- To top off the look, add a generous coating of mascara to the top and bottom lashes
- Optional step: Finish off the look with a set of natural long falsies
SHOP THE COMBO HERE:
THE FACE
That’s all well and good, but what about the sallow, contoured cheeks that captured the globe? Fret not—we’re not holding out on you.
According to Quinn and McDonald, the key to Wednesday’s “half-dead” skin is contour. Specifically, a lot of it. McDonald and Quinn detail that the shadows on Ortegas cheeks were created with MAC Cosmetics’ Sculpt (a soft taupe matte) and Shadowy (a deep brown matte) shades.
That, and a pale, super sheer skin tint gives Ortega’s skin that classic pallid-chic lustre we’ve come to love with the Addams Family characters. Here’s the full play-by-play:
- Cover your face with an even layer of the skin tint, blending and sheering it out with a beauty sponge
- If needed, use a taupe pencil to define (or create) your freckles
- Carve out your hollowed cheeks with the Sculpt powder, drawing or dotting a line from your ear to your cheek’s hollow, and down to the jaw
- Use the Shadowy shade to further define your cheekbone
- Blend it all out
@noordabashh just a lil tutorial #wednesday ♬ original sound – main account got banned
SHOP THE LOOK:
THE HAIR
To finish up the look, we’ve got to pop your locks in Wednesday’s signature pigtails. Fortunately, this step is pretty simple to recreate—all you’ll need is two hair elastics, a straightener, a blowdryer and a round brush.
Steps:
- Separate your hair into two with a middle part
- If you have curly or textured hair, straighten it from root to end
- Start braiding your hair from the nape of your neck until you reach the end of the section
- Repeat with the other section until you have two neat plaits
- If you have a fringe, use the round brush and blow dryer to blow them out, giving them a slight curl
- If you’d like to replicate her hair in the viral dance scene, simply cross the braids over the crown of your head, pinning them in place
- Optional step: Fix your style with a small spritz of hairspray
@itsoizzie Replying to @_fabbyyyyy i loved the show, eugene was my favorite 🐝 ! #wednesday #wednesdayaddams #hair #hairstyle #easyhairstyles ♬ original sound – main account got banned
Fun fact: Ortega’s hair in the infamous viral dance scene was inspired by Alexa Chung! The more you know, eh?
And there you have it—everything you need to know to recreate Wednesday Addams’ new look on yourself. With this guide, you’ll be snarking people out, staring people down, and choosing between the two most underwhelming love interests in no time!
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