How to Do Black Swan Makeup

Co-authored by Joseph Harwood

Last Updated: October 19, 2022 References

You can't recreate the Black Swan look without the dramatic, haunting makeup worn by the lead character, Nina. Her pale face, black & white winged eye makeup, and bold burgundy lips are unforgettable. Fortunately, you don't need a professional makeup artist to achieve this theatrical look. With the proper products, you can duplicate Nina's remarkable makeup and complete the perfect Black Swan costume.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Whitening Your Face

1
Paint your face white. The best way to do this is with white face paint, however very light pressed powder will work as well. Nina's face is ghostly white in the film, so whitening the face is extremely important. To apply the face paint, use a sponge or a large foundation brush. Make sure to cover your entire face, taking care to make it even around your hairline. Don't forget to do your eyelids, your ears, and your neck.^{[1]
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- As you bring the white face paint down your neck, begin applying it more lightly so that it gradually fades into your natural skin color. This will look much less harsh than an abrupt border between the white paint and your skin.
2
Blend foundation over the white paint or powder. You should use the lightest foundation you can find. Use a large fluffy brush so that you don't brush off patches of the face paint. The foundation will set the face paint and even out any streaks or splotches. When you've finished with the foundation, grab a white eye shadow and do the same thing. The white shadow will make the white color extremely intense, opaque, and matte.^{[2]
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- Using a powder over the face paint will help to ensure your eye makeup will not rub off easily. It creates a nice base for the rest of your makeup.
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3
Brush bronzer on your cheeks. A taupe-colored bronzer works best. This will enhance your cheek bones. Nina's face in the film is very gaunt, which makes her makeup all the more striking. By brushing your cheekbones with a bronzer they will pop, especially against your stark white face. Blend the bronzer from the apples of your cheeks diagonally to your temples.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating the Dramatic Eyes

1
Trace the wings around your eyes. Use a waterproof black eyeliner pencil or a liquid eyeliner for this step. It's tremendously helpful to look at a picture of Nina's Black Swan makeup as you do this. The outline of the wing should have a sharp point at the inner bridge of your nose, then curve upwards along the natural top border of your eyebrow. The bottom border will curve from the inner nose point along the bottom of the eye, like thick bottom eyeliner. The wings should fan out from the outer corners of your eyes, with a jagged border.^{[4]
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- It's ok if your outline isn't perfect. The idea of the eye makeup is to look like wings of a Black Swan, so a little bit of smudging will just give the wings a more feathered look.
2
Fill in the outline you've created. You can fill it in first with your black eyeliner, then brush black eye shadow on top. The eyeliner will make the black opaque, while the black eye shadow will set it. The easiest way to do this is to paint black liquid eyeliner within the outline, and then use a small eye shadow brush to go over it with the shadow.^{[5]
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3
Create the feathering design on the wings with white eyeliner. Don't worry about being too precise on this step, because these lines should be wavy and uneven. To make the white lines stand out even more from the black wings, dip an eye shadow brush into your white face paint and paint this over the white eyeliner. Do this as many times as you need to give the wings the intense feathered look that Nina's had.
- You can also apply the white eyeliner on your bottom waterline. This will help to make your eyes appear brighter against the intense black.
- If you choose, you can accentuate the lines with some sparkly silver eye shadow to make the look even more dramatic.
4
Pat emerald green eye shadow on the wings. Use your finger to apply it lightly, dabbing it on top of the design you've created. Nina's eye makeup had hints of green in it, so lightly patting green eye shadow is the final touch. It doesn't need to be dark— simply apply enough so that hints of green will sparkle when you move your head or stand in the right light!^{[6]
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5
Apply mascara. Nina didn't have dramatic lashes, but this step can make your eyes pop even more. Applying a few coats of mascara will open your eye up fully and make it appear bigger within the mass of black eye shadow around it. Add a layer of mascara, let it dry, and then apply another coat. Focus the mascara on the outer lashes to really open the eye.^{[7]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Perfecting the Dark Pout

1
Line your lips. Use a dark burgundy color. Using a lip liner will help your lipstick last longer, so it's particularly important for this look. Nina had perfectly bold lips, so you don't want your lipstick wearing off quickly. Make sure your lip liner is sharp, and begin lining in the center of your top lip, then the center of your bottom lip. Carefully bring the lip liner to a point on either side of your mouth.^{[8]
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2
Fill in the lips with a dark lipstick. For this look, the best shade is a dark burgundy or wine color with hints of brown. Fill in the lined lips completely and blot.^{[9]
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3
Pat dark brown foundation on your lips. This will ensure the lips stay dark. This step is optional, but it will definitely make the lip color more durable. Take a makeup applicator sponge and press it lightly into the dark powder. Firmly press it onto your lips. The dark lipstick will still show through, but the pressed powder will help it stay put.^{[10]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do you trace wings on your eyes like the makeup in Black Swan?

Joseph Harwood
Beauty, DEI & Social Media Expert
Joseph (JoJo) Harwood is a Beauty, DEI & Social Media Expert, Artist, CEO of Joseph Hartwood Ltd, and Creative Director of Team Baron Group. With over 15 years of experience, they specialize in all aspects of beauty, digital media production, and supporting diversity and inclusion efforts in businesses. JoJo has pioneered YouTube content and branding, with over 100 million views on their YouTube tutorial content and was the first and only winner of Simon Cowell's You Generation Competition. They studied an MSc in Cosmetic Science from the London College of Fashion, combining a technical understanding of cosmetics with beauty expertise.

Joseph Harwood

Beauty, DEI & Social Media Expert

Expert Answer

Use a watercolor brush with a tapered, dagger-like tip. Dip the brush into a product like face paint to stamp and paint the wings on. Then, use a darker-toned liquid liner to add an extra level of depth to your look.
Question

How can I make it bright?

Kira Ly

Community Answer

Use brighter colors that are similar to the original, just in a lighter shade. For example, pastels, neon, bronze, or blend white face paint with darker colors.