Rather than spending a fortune on a costume, you could vamp up your look with a few makeup tricks using products you likely already have. On Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., two of Thread Magazine’s makeup artists taught a group of students fun tips and tricks for flawless Halloween Makeup.
Contouring and dramatic eye by Alex
Artists Alex Bertolini and HC’s own Sophia Borghese lined a table with all of their brushes, powders, shadows, and creams. To begin, Alex taught the crowd how to contour using bronzer and highlighter.
Next, Sophia demonstrated how to apply a perfect red lip. Pro tip: apply lip liner all over lips (rather than just in a line around the lips) prior to lipstick to make the look last longer.
Alex then showed how to create a dramatic eye look. She strongly advised to blend, blend, and blend some more to get a seamless transition of shadows. Both Alex and Sophia mentioned that they tend to prefer drugstore mascara to the more expensive brands.
Simple eye and red lip by Sophia
In contrast to the dramatic eye, Sophia created a clean, simple eye look with light eyeshadows and heavy mascara. She also applied concealer in a triangle under the eye and into the cheek to create a more lively and awake look.
Alex then demonstrated how to create the perfect brow using a pencil that went on like gel, but dried like powder. Her advice was to apply it lightly toward the beginning of each eyebrow, and heavier toward the arches and the ends for a more natural look.
Strobing is a popular makeup trend and a great alternative to contouring. Using a strobing cream, Sophia simply applied the product along the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose. She then went over these areas with a stippling brush. The look was luminous and dynamic.
Cat eye and leopard print by Alex
After drilling the basics, it was time to take these everyday looks to Halloween-ready. Alex demonstrated how to create the perfect cat eye using a felt-tip liner. She followed that with a cute leopard print pattern that also contoured the model’s face. She finished the look by creating a small black nose and thin whiskers along the cheeks.
Sophia and her model in pop-art style makeup
Sophia amped up the blush on her model. Then, using black eyeliner and gel, she traced the lips, the cheekbones, and the jawline. She added white powder to the model’s red lips, and then using a light blue cream, she applied dots over the entirety of the face in an evenly-spaced pattern. The result? A fun and easy pop-art look.
Be sure to check out more of Alex’s and Sophia’s work.
Alex and her model in leopard print makeup