I have found out recently about Maila Nurmi´s death (the Finnish woman who created and then played the character Vampira in the 50´s). So long it´s been since back then when she was a star that I almost thought she was immortal….:)
You can see her character being played by Lisa Marie (Elvis’ daughter) in Tim Burton´s film, Ed Wood (1994).
Vampira, despite being a bit kitsch (we´re talking about the 1950′s, remember) still had that glamourous femme fatale allure of the Hollywood divas. She was a mix of vampire and a witch. Sadly ignored by lots of gothic websites (I don´t usually see any references to her when I read something about Gothic clothing history) Nurmi herself claimed that Vampira’s image was in part based on the Charles Addams “New Yorker” cartoon character “Morticia Addams”, though she told BOXOFFICE Magazine in 1994 that she had intentionally deviated from Addams’ mute and flat-chested creation, making her own TV character “campier and sexier” to avoid plagiarizing Addams’ idea. Her image has been such a big influence on the female gothic look that in no more than 4 decades later another “vampira” was born: Elvira. So similiar and often were the comparisons that Nurmi sued Cassandra Peterson (who plays Elvira) for plagiarism. She didn´t win, why?
Much kitscher and less glamourous than the original one, Elvira was a mix between a 80´s goth who´s been caught in the post-punk transition and a Playboy girl who´s decided to dress up like a witch for a Halloween night in her hometown. Obviously, the look was still goth but the the idea was focused in a completely different way. Whereas Nurmi focused on giving her character a quite serious dramatic look, Elvira´s character is just a charicature on itself: big boobs that -I don´t know how- stay half of the way inside that dress (black witchcraft, perhaps? superglue, maybe?), made of the nastiest piece of polyester or lycra. Her hair -that wig that even Robert Smith wouldn´t have dreamed of back in the 80´s- doesn´t help either to give any kind of sophistication….In conclusion, Vampira wasted her time sueing Elvira. Vampira wasn´t immortal, she´s dead now. Elvira is tacky, she looks like a dark hooker.
If you want to know more about Maila Nurmi, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maila_Nurmi

If you already have a pale complexion, choosing and applying goth makeup is a snap. Enhance your pale complexion with carefully chosen colors and impeccable makeup application to achieve an enviable, aesthetically-pleasing goth look that others can’t help but try to imitate.

Pick a foundation one or two colors color lighter than your natural skin tone. Check labels for a high pigment concentration. Consider mixing in a few drops of your regular foundation in with the lighter one. The result will be a dramatically paler version of your natural skin tone.

Dip your foundation brush into the foundation and apply it evenly on your skin. Blend the makeup all the way down to your neck to avoid a mask-like appearance.

Set your liquid foundation with translucent, loose powder. Use a kabuki brush to apply the powder.

Apply three more layers of foundation and powder if you plan on taking pictures or being under lots of lights. The extra layers help your makeup stay in place and discourage fading and smearing.

Line your eyes with liquid eyeliner. Gray and dark brown eyeliners compliment light eyes, while black works for darker eyes.

Decide whether you want to use eye shadow or not. The right eye shadow can enhance your look by giving you smoky, dramatic eyes. Burgundy, dark grey and brown provide just the right type of contrast against pale skin for Gothic eyes.

Use a lip brush to apply your lip color. Pass up black in favor of experimenting with interesting shades of red, purple or even brown. These colors compliment the Gothic look without seeming stereotypical. Use a lip liner that is a darker shade of your lip color to line your lips.

# Be impeccable when applying your makeup. Sloppy makeup detracts from the Gothic style.
# Be original with your makeup.
# Brush your face with a bit of baby powder if you don’t want to go through the trouble of applying layers of foundation.
# Pay special attention to your eye makeup, but avoid using the eyeliner to draw cliché shapes.