Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is usually too busy tracking monsters and dodging friends to stop for a lipstick touch-up. But that hasn’t stopped her signature shade, MAC Cosmetics’ Nightmoth lip pencil, from flying off the shelves around the globe. Wednesday might not want to be a beauty influencer, but she’s inadvertently stumbled into the position like a Nevermore student into a murder mystery.

Wednesday’s effortless goth glam may be just what inspired fans to re-create her makeup. After all, “simple and accessible” was exactly what the Wednesday hair and makeup team was going for with their teen detective star. “The just-bitten lips and the smudged eyeliner gave just enough goth to be Wednesday without it feeling like a costume,” hair and makeup designer Tara McDonald tells Tudum.

In fact, hitting just the right amount of goth was a big priority for the Wednesday  team. Keep reading to learn how they found that balance — and you can too.

Nightmoth is now winter’s hottest lip product. What made it the perfect color for Wednesday? Especially since it’s a dark plum versus a traditional goth black.
Tim didn’t want Wednesday in dramatic goth makeup, so I set about to create an everyday version of a goth girl. My first thought was to feature a just-bitten lip look. After trying numerous colors on Jenna’s lips, we settled on Nightmoth.

Vlad Cioplea/Netflix

Hair and makeup designer Tara McDonald touches up Jenna Ortega’s bangs. 

Wednesday isn’t a makeup-obsessed teen spending hours on her look. How did you walk the line of creating an unforgettable look and something that’s believable for this specific girl.
[Beyond the makeup] — the hair! Introducing the “French girl fringe,” or bangs as you call them in the US, [which] gave Wednesday an effortless, chic look.

Is there any connection between Wednesday’s makeup and Morticia’s? Even if Wednesday would never admit it, girls tend to pick up something from their moms’ makeup habits. 
The color palettes are very similar. The choice of color for both was dark plum and mulberry.

Do you have any unexpected tips for creating the perfect Wednesday-inspired look?
Don’t overdo it. This is an everyday soft goth look. Anyone can re-create this. Don’t worry about it being too perfect, and just have fun with it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.