It is MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth, $25, and it has not changed in either season. But nobody on that production has ever applied it the way you would a normal lip liner. It is broken down, mixed with a clear papaya balm into a little pot, and pressed onto the lip with a finger or a soft diffusing brush. The balm is the entire look. Without it you get a hard, flat, slightly patchy dark line — with it you get the soft bitten stain that reads as Wednesday.
That is the whole article in one paragraph. Below is the sourcing, the exact technique in the artist's own words, the price, why the drugstore dupes are only half a solution, and how to wear a blackened plum without looking like you are in costume.
The product
| Shade | MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth |
| Price | $25 at Ulta (frequently $23.75) |
| Availability | In stock. 4.7 stars from over 2,000 reviews |
| MAC's description | "Blackened plum" |
| How it actually reads | Cool-toned dark burgundy — more wine than violet |
There is also a newer MAC Lipglazer Glossy Liner in the same Nightmoth shade at the same price, if you want the colour with shine instead of matte.
The technique, from the person who does it
Nirvana Jalalvand is the personal hair and makeup artist for the show's lead, which means she is the one putting this on the face. Her instructions, given to PEOPLE, are unusually specific:
"If you have makeup brushes, use something that doesn't have a harsh line to it, and is more of a diffuser brush, or you can use your finger. Breaking down the lip liner and mixing it in with the lip balm into little pots is the best way to give you that soft, natural diffused look that I get on Jenna. But you can also do it with the lip liner straight on the lip and then rub the balm in on top."
Two usable methods, then:
- The proper way — scrape some of the pencil into a small pot, mix with clear balm, apply with a fingertip.
- The fast way — draw it on straight, then work clear balm over the top with your finger until the edge disappears.
The balm is a papaya-based clear ointment. Sources across the two seasons name it slightly differently, so we are not going to pretend to know which tub is on the trolley — any clear papaya balm does the same job.
Why it needs the balm at all
This is the bit that explains everything. Nightmoth is a superb pigment and a mediocre lipstick: the independent swatch database Temptalia scores its pigmentation and longevity at 10 out of 10 and its application at 4 out of 10, noting it goes patchy worn alone.
So the production did not choose a technique for aesthetic reasons and then find a product. They found the right colour, discovered it applies badly, and built the method around it. The soft bitten look is a solution to a problem — which is why copying the shade without the method gives you a result that looks nothing like the screen.
It genuinely cannot be substituted
Jalalvand tried. Also to PEOPLE:
"I tried so hard to find other lipsticks maybe that would be the same tone as that this year, and nothing is that tone."
And on why the lip stayed identical across two seasons, she told Allure: "I can't stray from that. It's just her lip colour, so that never changes."
Worth noting: the method predates her on this show. Season 1 was designed by Tara McDonald, who won an Emmy for it, and her version was the same — Nightmoth cut with clear balm to drop the opacity. Two artists, two seasons, same trick. That consistency is why it has become a recognisable look rather than a one-off.
The rest of the face (and what is deliberately missing)
For the everyday Season 2 look, Jalalvand names:
- Eyes — MAC Glitch In The Matrix (grey-silver) mixed with MAC Embark (warm brown), washed over the lid; MAC Carbon stamped along both lash lines.
- Mascara — Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star in Xtreme Black, $34.
- Under-eyes — nothing at all. This is intentional: "I put [her] base product up to where her under eye bag section is, and then I let the purples and the cool tones from the under eyes pop out naturally… It does give you that undone and slightly underslept looking under eye."
No blush and no brow product is named in any interview we could find, so we are not going to invent one. Judging by the look, there is little or no blush — which is part of why the dark lip does not tip into costume.
The gala look is a different lipstick — and it is not a plum
For the Nevermore gala in Part 2, the lip changes to Pat McGrath MatteTrance in Guinevere, $29 direct from Pat McGrath (in stock; $39 at Ulta).
One correction worth making, because it is repeated everywhere: Guinevere is a red, not a plum. Pat McGrath's own shade name is Guinevere (Blooded Crimson), and swatch coverage reads it as a dark, slightly warm red. Several write-ups call it a "bloodied plum," which is the writer's phrase rather than the brand's. If you buy it expecting Nightmoth in a bullet, you will be surprised.
The gala face is Pat McGrath throughout, and one choice is worth stealing: the under-eye blurring powder is used everywhere except under the eyes, keeping that deliberate shadow while blurring the rest.
Cheaper versions, honestly
There is no drugstore liner that matches Nightmoth's exact cool burgundy. But here is the thing — the technique dilutes the pigment in balm anyway, so a near-match gets you most of the way. That is a genuinely unusual case where the dupe logic works better than normal.
Worth trying, roughly $4–$7:
- ColourPop Lippie Pencils, $7 — current deep shades like Seduction and Enemies to Lovers sit in the right family.
- NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Currant, around $4.
- L.A. Girl Perfect Precision in Vamp, around $4.
One to avoid: NYX Brooklyn Thorn appears in a lot of dupe listicles for this look. It is a deep nude-brown — the wrong colour family entirely.
If you would rather match precisely, Temptalia maintains a numerical dupe list for Nightmoth that compares shades side by side — search their site for the shade name.
Wearing it without looking like you are in costume
The show's own designer said the brief was never heavy goth. McDonald, on Season 1: "Tim didn't want Wednesday in dramatic goth makeup, so I set about to create an everyday version of a goth girl." Her advice was simply: "Don't overdo it… Don't worry about it being too perfect, and just have fun with it."
Practically, five things keep it wearable:
- Mix, don't line. A defined dark lip line is the single thing that makes this read as costume.
- Press with a finger, not a brush edge. You want the colour densest in the middle and fading out.
- Blot toward a stain. One tissue press takes it from lipstick to something that looks like it has been there a while.
- Leave the under-eyes alone. The look depends on a face that is not fully corrected.
- Skip blush. Nothing on that face competes with the mouth.
The colour is dark, but the finish is soft and the rest of the face is bare. That combination is what makes a blackened plum wearable on a Tuesday.
FAQ
What lipstick does Wednesday Addams wear? MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth, $25. It is the same shade in both seasons.
Is it a lipstick or a liner? A lip pencil, worn as the whole lip rather than as an outline — and always softened with clear balm.
Why does mine look patchy? Because you are wearing it neat. Nightmoth scores 4/10 on application in independent swatch testing. Mixing it with a clear balm, or working balm over the top, is not an aesthetic preference — it is the fix.
What balm should I use? Any clear papaya-based ointment. Sources name it inconsistently across the two seasons, and the specific tub does not matter — you want clear, thick and unpigmented.
Is the gala lipstick the same shade? No. That is Pat McGrath MatteTrance in Guinevere, $29, and despite what several guides say, it is a dark red rather than a plum.
Is there a good drugstore dupe? Nothing matches exactly, but because the technique dilutes the colour anyway, a close deep-burgundy liner works. ColourPop Lippie Pencils at $7 are the best starting point. Avoid NYX Brooklyn Thorn — it is a nude-brown, not a burgundy.
Did the makeup change between Season 1 and Season 2? The lip did not. Different designers led each season, and both used the same shade and the same balm-mixing method.
What mascara is used? Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star in Xtreme Black, $34.