One of the most fun parts of planning your costume is plastering on the Halloween face paint and completely transforming your look. Makeup can transform even the simplest outfit into an impressive costume and is a really easy and affordable way of creating a Halloween look if your budget doesn’t stretch to expensive costumes or you don’t have the time to make one.
I’ve rounded up 7 of the best Halloween costume makeup ideas and special effects makeup looks to inspire you and you can just pick your favourite look, buy the makeup or use what you have around the house and amaze yourself with your transformation skills!
1. Halloween Doll Makeup
There’s something just really creepy about dolls that makes them a great Halloween theme and this is also a really easy costume idea to pull off, as you just need a girly black dress, some mary-jane shoes and to put your hair in pigtails. What really makes the look is the makeup, and you can watch the full tutorial in the video below (thanks to YouTube user Hannah Leigh):
Products for this look:
- Rimmel 25 hour foundation
- Sleek i-Divine eyeshadow pallette
- Barry M Kohl pencil in white
- Eylure strip lashes
- Rimmel 1000 kisses lip tint
- Black eyeliner pencil
- Eyebrow pencil
- Blusher
2. Halloween Cat Makeup
The classic black cat is another easy last minute costume idea that anyone can create by wearing a black t-shirt and leggings and making a pin-on tail from a pair of old tights. Again what really turns this idea from a cheap and lazy looking costume into an impressive look is the makeup. So checkout this tutorial from YouTube user sccastaneda and don’t forget your kitty ears headband!
Products for this look:
- Urban Decay Naked founation
- W7 Camouflage kit concealer palette
- Blushers of your choice in a pink and beige shade
- Black eye pencil
- Black liquid liner (I find the felt-tip style liners like this one are easier to apply)
- Black mascara
- Smokey eyeshadow palette (try Kits by W7 In The Night Up In Smoke)
- Red cherry false eyelashes
- Buxom lip gloss
3. Zombie Halloween Makeup
The cat and doll makeup looks are very pretty, ideal for you if you want to look your best but still get into the spirit of Halloween. If you’re after something more on the macabre side though, this zombie look might be more for you. Zombie movies and TV programmes like The Walking Dead are really popular at the moment and it’s an easy look to create just with normal clothes (tear them and dirty them up to make them look ragged) and some special fx makeup like this look by YouTube user pollyanne b
Products needed for this look:
- white contact lenses
- light foundation
- dark red lipstick
- eyeshadow in purple, light brown, dark brown, and black
- red lip liner
- red lipstick
- Snazaroo special fx wax
- face paint in black and red
- fake blood
You can also create a simpler zombie look very cheaply by using this zombie makeup kit which includes liquid latex, fake rotten teeth, skin makeup in white, black and beige and liquid blood capsules
4. Halloween Witch Makeup
The witch is probably the most common Halloween costume in the UK at least. I remember always getting dressed up as a witch for Halloween when I was a kid, complete with black cape made out of a charity shop skirt and lots of greasy green facepaint caked on. This is a bit more of a sophisticated look, inspired by Disney witches, by YouTube user Shonagh Scott:
Products used:
- FX wax
- latex sealer
- foundation
- brown eyeshadow palette
- white eyeshadow
- black eyeliner
- Mastix skin glue
- nose putty
- vaseline
- cream and brown kohl pencils or contouring palette
- dark maroon lipstick
- Black and purple wig
5. Vampire Halloween Makeup
Ok so vampires have always been a popular Halloween costume choice but ever since Twilight, came out, people have just been going crazy over vampires. If you’re looking for a beautiful sexy Halloween makeup look, try this one by Youtube user Emma Pickles:
Products used:
- Pale foundation
- Pale concealer
- Dark brown eyebrow pencil
- L’Oreal True Match power in Rose Ivory
- Ben Nye Bruise Wheel
- Black eyeliner
- Black gel liner
- Silver eyeshadow
- Grey eyeshadow
- Eylure lashes (intense)
- Revlon lipstick in Black Cherry
- Scarecrow vampire fangs
- Fake blood
6. Devil Halloween Makeup
Want to be a little devil for halloween? Try this pretty impressive and sexy Halloween makeup look by YouTube user Cherry Wallis, which is easily completed with a devils horns headband if you don’t have the patience for messing around with liquid latex
Products used to create this look:
- Black eyebrow pencil
- Blusher
- Gel or liquid eyeliner
- Shimmery white eyeshadow
- Black eyeshadow
- Bright red eyeshadow
- Black mascara
- Fake eyelashes
- Mac Russian Red lipstick
- Liquid latex
- Devil horn prosthetics
- Ben Nye scar wax
- Blood gel
7. Skeleton Halloween Makeup
Finally, what’s Halloween without a few skeletons?! Again, a skeleton outfit is very easy to create by simply painting bones onto a black tight-fitting outfit but you can transform it into a very impressive look with some makeup. This is one of those looks that doesn’t require many products but it takes a lot of shading and it’s worth taking your time over it to get it right. I like this tutorial by YouTube user Madeline:
You will need:
- Any foundation or BB cream as a base
- Black eyeshadow pencil or chunky black eyeliner
- White face paint
- Black eyeshadow
- White eyeliner