Who says moms can’t rock some awesome costume makeup along with her kids on Halloween? Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration. This year we’ve got you covered with 4 looks to try this Halloween along with step-by-step tutorials on how to replicate them.
Makeup not only amps up your Halloween costume, it can take an otherwise boring costume to the next level. If your makeup is good enough, sometimes it eliminates the need for a costume at all — just throw on a coordinating outfit and you’ll be good to go! Check out these 4 looks you can rock this Halloween.
1. Half Skull
Be bad to the bone this Halloween — literally. Skull makeup is synonymous with Halloween, so why not make it your costume? You can glam this look up by doing a fierce smoky eye, or keep it all about the skull and do a simple eye with bold liner and lots of lashes. We love that this look is spooky and haunting, but still beautiful. The best part is that you only need three things to recreate this skull makeup look:
- White face paint
- Black face paint
- Black or dark gray eyeshadow
Start by painting your face white from your eye sockets down to your jaw.
Add black accents around the eye sockets and back to the hairline, making the line thicker at the socket.
Draw out the cheekbones and jawbone, then darken the space between the bones. Extend your mouth with horizontal black lines.
Using your own teeth as a guide, add vertical lines along your lips and the extended line.
Using your black eye shadow, add shading around the teeth to give them depth and dimension.
Paint an upside-down triangle on your nose.
Add shading along the eye sockets and jawbone using the black eyeshadow.
You can do as much or as little as you want with this costume makeup. Wear all black (or white) with a fun colored wig, add a dramatic eye, glitter… there are a ton of options. To see how this look was made in action, check out this video:
2. Mermaid
Who doesn’t wish they were a mermaid these days? The luscious, beautifully colored locks are reason enough. You can choose to go with any color scheme — make it a monochromatic color story for an understated look, or go crazy with lots of fun colors. To recreate this look you’ll need:
- A wig, like this one from Cosplaza
- Colored mascara
- Fishnet stockings
- Your color choice of eyeshadow for the scales
- Lip product of choice
- A cream or powder highlight
Start by adding some color to your lids with an eyeshadow of your choice. Use the Morphe Glam 35B Palette for a variety of bright color choices.
Add winged liner for a playful effect — use eyeshadows and setting spray (or water, if you don’t have setting spray) to create your own eyeliner in an ombre effect, starting with the lightest color in the inner corner and fading it out to the outer wing.
Pop on some colored lashes, like these Ardell Color Impact Demi Wispies in Plum.
Use colored mascara like NYX Color Mascara to fill in your brows the same color as your wig for a more complete look.
Now for the fun part! Pull the fish net (this one is actually the wig cap that came with the wig) over your face. Apply dark eye shadow where you would usually apply your contour — in the hollows of your cheeks and along your hairline. Use patting motions to press the color into your skin liberally, you want it to be very pigmented. Add a highlight color like L’Oreal Infallible 24 Hr Eyeshadow in Iced Latte to the high points of your cheekbones, still using patting motions to press it into your skin.
Pull the fishnet off and you’ll see your scales! You can even add a variety of colors to add more depth and dimension.
With a mermaid costume, you can go with any color story you want. Make it fun with bright colors, or sweet with pastels. Check out the full tutorial for this mermaid makeup look here:
3. Harley Quinn
Being that the movie Suicide Squad was released this year, Harley Quinn is sure to be a popular costume. After all, her character is intriguing, fun, and a little crazy, making her the perfect person to model a Halloween costume after. We like the “pop art” twist on her look — it’s still based on her character from the movie, but it’s more like what she would look like from a comic book. For her costume makeup, you’ll need:
- A blonde wig like this one from Grimm Hair pulled into pigtails with one side dyed blue and one side dyed reddish pink
- Blue and red eye shadow
- A foundation for fair skin and/or white face paint
- Face powder
- Black face paint
Start with your fair colored foundation, and powder it to set it in place. Add blue and red eyeshadow on your lids, sweeping it downward like “tears” in the outer corners.
Add her classic red lipstick like Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso.
Make it look more cartoonish by exaggerating lines on your face with black paint. Fill in your eyebrows, accentuate the tears and make winged eyeliner, add lines on your nose, lines in the hollows of your cheeks, around your lips and the perimeter of your face. You can also add lines down the sides of your neck if you want the full cartoon look with your outfit. Follow the black with some white paint for highlights on the middle of your eyelids, inner corners of your eyes, on the tip of your nose, on your cupid’s bow and on your lips.
Throw on a wig with pigtails, one side dyed blue and one side dyed red and you’ll be good to go! Even better — find someone to dress as the Joker and you can have a couples costume. Check out the video below to see the full tutorial for this Harley Quinn Makeup Look:
4. Poison Ivy
Another fierce comic book character, Poison Ivy is sure to turn some heads. Her fiery hair paired with green smokey eyes make for a powerful Halloween makeup look. To recreate this look, you’ll need:
- A red wig
- Red and green eyeshadows
- Red lip liner
- Red lipstick
Start with your eyes by using red eyeshadow on your upper crease area and green eyeshadow on your lid. Use a lighter green shade on the very middle of your lids to add light and dimension.
Add red shadow as blush to your cheeks and down the sides of your nose.
Pop on some wispy lashes like the Red Cherry Wispies and apply red lipstick.
Apply red lip liner to your eyebrows and fill them in as you would your regular eyebrow product. Use a small angled brush to even out the liner and blend everything together.
Toss on a wig and you’ll be ready for action. For the full tutorial on how to look like Poison Ivy, check out this video:
Why not up your costume game this year by adding some awesome makeup to go along with your outfit? Or better yet — make your makeup the focus of your outfit. We hope you enjoyed the inspiration and no matter who you choose to be this Halloween, we know you can rock it.
Photo credits: Kristen Love
