Just because your beautifully deathly pale, that doesn't mean that you have to settle for a chalky white foundation to help maintain your gothic pallor. Thankfully we're blessed with a wonderful selection of cosmetics companies who cater for those of us with more of a pale complexion.
Being pale doesn't mean having to settle for the nearest tube of foundation you can find, leaving you looking rather mismatched with the rest of your skin tone. Luckily these days, alternative make up companies have realised that there are those of us with a naturally pale pallor who are in need of the perfect foundation, and rather than leaving us with streaky chalky white face paint, they've created some beautifully perfect pale shades that are a must have for your make up bag.
If it's the perfect pale, gothic white tone that your looking for then you really can't go wrong with Illamasqua's wonderfully lightweight Skin Base foundation in shade '01', blended to the perfect gothic white shade with no chalkiness in sight!
Another must have foundation that's been in our make up bags for years is Manic Panic's Dreamtone foundation in White. It's perfect for an even tone and flawless cover. Use their classic Vampyre's Veil Virgin pressed powder for complete coverage to finish off your look.
For a great base that's almost as close to white as you can get, try Everyday Minerals Semi-Matte Base Selection in Fair Neutral. A beautifully bright and light tone, that's great for a base for your foundation, or use it for full coverage when you prefer a lighter look.
Then add a touch of shimmer to your look with Medusa's Make up Highlighter in Moonlight, a beautifully pale white tone that's perfect to complete your look.
If you don't want to brave a completely white shade, but still want to match your pale pallor then you can't go wrong with trying Illamasqua's Skin Base foundation in shade '02', with a pinch more colour than their lightest shade in a beautifully pale ivory tone.
Not strictly alternative, but a favoured 'go to' make up brand to shop from, Nars's Sheer glow foundation in Siberia is beautifully pale and perfectly balanced for an even skin tone.
If you prefer something that's lightweight, and more suited to mixed/oily skin tones, try Lily Lolo's mineral foundation in Porcelain. Perfect to cover up with ease, and so lightweight you won't even notice your wearing it! For a pinch more colour, try their Blondie shade that's still beautifully pale but a touch brighter.
Cover up with a perfectly pale concealer, Urban Decay's Naked skin concealer in 0.5 is beautifully fair and light and comes with a handy wand applicator.
Set your look with a beautifully pale powder, Manic Panic's Vampyre's Veil powder is just perfect in their light toned Starlight.
To finish your look off, another non alternative branded essential that we swear by is Soap and Glory's Glow all out, to brighten up your look, just a light brush and your all set!
You can perfect your look with ease thanks to these wonderfully pale cosmetics, with no streaky, chalky white foundations in sight amongst our picks, you'll just adore these must have favourites for a lovely pale gothic pallor.
Whatever your skin tone you can find some perfect shades to match your look from some of our favourite alternative cosmetic companies.
Did you know that Manic Panic have several shades in their foundation range? Find the right tone to match your shade across their range, from a pale Starlight to their lush toned Candlelight foundation.
For an even wider range of shades to shop from, we can't fault Urban Decay's Naked Skin foundation, available in a range of 18 shades to suit any skin tone with a flawless finish, alongside the great range of shades in Illamasqua's Skin Base foundation with a broad range of tones available to try.
Finish your look off with Stargazer's pressed powder for a flawless look.
Editorial note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.