Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Growing up, I loved the costumes, the makeup, the spookiness and, of course, the CANDY. My excitement grows stronger every October. While I am definitely one to start planning costumes months in advance, I have also become somewhat of an expert at putting together last-minute costumes. It all comes down to one element that can make or break a low-effort, from-your-closet look: the makeup. Since not everyone has years of experience or access to high-end products, I want to share some tips and tricks that will make your everyday makeup bag work for almost any costume or character.
The biggest difference between Halloween makeup and your everyday or night-out look is technique. A lot of makeup no-nos are surprisingly good strategies for Halloween looks. Some of my favorite hacks include using a white base (eyeshadow or light concealer) before applying vivid neon colors, mixing a bit of blue into your foundation for an undead-chic base and using products you already have for an unintended purpose.
If you do not have the right eyeshadow for your look, try a lipstick or blush. Almost any product can double as something else if necessary (think sticky primer as eyebrow gel and eyeshadows as face powders). Another helpful tip: Always wet your brush with a few squirts of setting spray or water before applying a shimmer or glitter. This helps the pigment glide on smoothly and can create a liquid-eyeshadow effect with enough spray.
While these tricks work great for more basic or cute costumes, the scary girls need makeup tips too! One of my favorite ways to stretch my everyday kit for Halloween is using my color corrector palette and eyeshadows to create fake bruises and scars. In this case, it is all about the shading.
For bruises, start with a yellowish base before layering on purples and reds. I find this works best by blending yellow and green-toned color correctors with more peachy shades, then adding the purples and reds using eyeshadow or blush. Scars use a similar techniques, but here, layer reds first before adding the scar with some concealer and fixing up the shading. If you are going for an alien-like look with a bleached eyebrow or white eyelash, use concealer and an eyebrow brush to coat each hair before setting it with some loose powder. It is also fun to play around with small stickers as eyeshadow stencils, like stars and bats.
Finally, I want to share my favorite tricks for arguably one of the hardest alternative makeup techniques: the eyebrow cover. A number of costumes call for covering your eyebrows, so I recommend checking out drag queen tutorials as well as these tips for a sense of the full process. To begin, an essential and easily forgotten step, you must clean the eyebrow area with 70% alcohol to remove any oils so the adhesive can stick. As for glue, any non-toxic option works, but the best I have found is the Elmer’s purple glue; you can tell when it dries and it works really well under makeup. After cleaning the area, apply the first layer of glue in circular motions. To smooth the hairs, flatten them with a fine-tooth comb, using the back of the comb to push the hairs into the head as you brush them up toward the hairline. Every hair should be laid completely flat in the direction of the hairline after this step.
For the following layers, apply the glue and use a bit of water and the back of the comb to smooth flat. Each layer must dry completely, and I mean fully and completely, before adding on more glue for this technique to properly work. On the final layer, use a powder puff to immediately pack on more loose powder than you think is necessary while the glue is still wet. After letting this sit for a minute, brush the excess off with a fluffy brush, then continue with orange color corrector and your base.
I love elevating a costume with makeup, and these tips make it accessible to anyone with just a few basic products!