[Miss_Hazie_Lane]

Shorter and teased, a very classic goth look. All it takes is aquanet and a comb. A word of caution on this, those of larger builds might want to avoid this look as it draws comparisons between oneself and Robert Smith, though if one has longer hair one wishes to add volume too, teasing can look very nice. The wild bird's nest look is particularly suited to the slim and androgynous sort of goth, especially if there are enamored of 1980's gothic fashion with it's torn up victoriana, and ankhs.

Spiky: Spikes can be a very good thing, or a very bad thing. If one has a big forehead it will not be the most flattering to create spikes all the way to the hairline as it merely makes ones forehead look larger, instead spike the back and sides, and leave a bit of fringe in the front (be careful with this as it can look a bit too emo, although I don't think Emo kids as a rule have very bad hair) if done with certain haircuts this can also bring unfavorable comparison to frat boys who are frequently seen with their hair gelled into more modest spikes

Dreads: Long down the back dreadfalls suit just about any type of goth (except for victorian) and people of any build, except for more petite males, and females who are a bit on the short side. In the case of these two catagories shorter shoulder length pigtail type falls are more flattering as in the case of the shorter females it adds length to the body, and in the case of slimmer males short dread falls do not overwhelm the body so much.

Makeup:

Eyeliner: Pencil and liquid are both fine (though i think mac fluid line with a mac 208 brush is ideal) and both take practice.

Also if you are the type of goth who enjoys wearing large swirly eyemakeup, please use liquid liner. It is also very important if you are going to wear large swirly eyemakeup (as it tends to look unfinished without a base on, and base protects the eyeliner from the oils of the skin which can cause it to migrate), or gothic makeup in general to invest in a good foundation that match (or nearly matches) your skin tone. I like mineral powders best as they are the best for the skin, and do not cause breakouts or irritation, and remember to blend.

If you wish to wear a lot of eyeshadow, it's important that it look blended and neat. Gothic makeup is often dramatic, and when ill executed can look very silly. brushes are the best way to apply shadow, as they allow much more when it comes to layering and blending of color than sponge applicators.

A word on lipstick: Black lipstick is not a crime... unless it's badly done, in which case it very much is. Wear a lipliner under it (so that it doesn't smudge) a mac waterproof eyeliner works fine for this, and use a lipbrush so that it looks tidy. Also if your hair is brown it is not flattering to wear black lipstick as it washes you out. Amanda palmer is an excellent example of makeup for a brown haired goth (although I don't recommend white face to anyone who is not a trained professional) she manages to look very dramatic, without overusing black and thus washing herself out.

Not to mention that you have loads of options besides black, you can wear any color you wish, blue, red, pink (yes I said pink), purple, whatever, you can wear it. One note one blue/green/purple type colors: Again use a lipliner as a base to get the proper coverage as you don't want pink showing through)

But in the end of course, you have a right to do anything you want, I merely wrote this little guide as a way of suggesting items that might particularly flatter particular colorings and figures, since there really is something that will work wonderfully for everyone