Magical Halloween Makeup Looks, Since “Being Normal is Vastly Overrated”

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been planning your Halloween costume since August. One thing you may not have accounted for is the makeup to go with it. Whether you’re looking for statement makeup to make the look or just a spooky detail to pull together your outfit, we’ve got you covered. Halloween makeup can be a bit intimidating, but in most cases these looks are simpler to recreate than you may realize. Here’s some Halloween makeup looks our community is loving, and easy tips on how to replicate them.

pop art style makeup
PHOTO: Samantha Barth, Connecticut College

Pop in Pop Art Style

A pop art makeup look is an easy standalone costume. Though this look may seem a bit intimidating, you can easily create it with your everyday makeup. Start by outlining your face with black liner. In this version, Samantha also outlined her eyebrows, lips, nose, and eyes. You can also add little details on the chin, forehead, or even cheeks. Then use hot pink or red lipstick to create a dot pattern within the outline. You can play around with a gradient if you like or use other colored liners to add details such as the tear drop. This look can be as creative as you want. It’s all about playing with color and having fun. To finish the costume, try an all black outfit, or coordinate with the detail colors you used.

Get this look: Sephora Collection Colorful Wink-It Felt Liner ($14), Sephora Collection Colorful Shadow & Liner ($14), Sephora Collection #Lipstories Lipstick ($8)

dark lips and winged liner look

PHOTO: Amanda Smith

Cast Spells with This Witchy Look

Whether you’re dressing up as a witch or just want an edgier makeup look for All Hallows’ Eve, try out this dark lip look. Concentrate on creating a precise winged line then smoke out the under-eye with a gray or black shadow. Play up your natural brows by filling in with a pomade and setting with a brow gel. Opt for a dark purple or black matte liquid lippie. Throw on a leather jacket and a pointed hat to complete the look.

Get this look: Tarte Sex Kitten Liquid Liner ($20), Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade ($18), Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color ($24), William Rast Alexa Faux Leather Moto Jacket ($100)

half face skull makeup
PHOTO: Marisa Ganley, Loyola University

You'll Be Dying to Replicate This Undead Look

A skeleton look is a Halloween classic. Try out a twist on this horror favorite by glamming up one side of your face and turning the other into a ghostly skeleton. Separate the two sides with a thin black line. To begin the skeleton look, cover that side of your face in white face paint or white foundation. Use a black eyeliner to outline and fill in the eye socket, you can also smoke this out a bit with a black shadow. Repeat with the nose. Use the black gel liner to outline the mouth and create teeth. On the opposite side of your face, create a smoky eye look with black and gray shadows. Add winged liner and mascara. Line the lips on the glam side of your face and fill in with a dark lipstick or add a pop of color. Wear with a skeleton bodysuit.

Get this look: Make Up For Ever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow ($23), L.A. Girl Pro Coverage Liquid Foundation, White ($8),  Dolls Kill Voodoo Glow Skull Costume ($38)

colorful dotted makeup look with glitter
PHOTO: Nikki Paige, UCSC

Show Off in This Glittery Glam

This fun look embraces both glitter and fun colors. Blend pink eyeshadow into crease and onto the eyelid, and deepen the outer corner with a darker shade. Highlight the inner corner with a white shadow, and add winged liner. Use colored liners to create bold polka dots around eyes. Apply a glitter primer and chunky glitter to the high points of the cheeks, where you would typically add highlight. Finish with a bright lip color. This versatile look can add a pop of color to top off a princess look. Follow Nikki’s lead, and add some flowers to your hair to create a tropical inspired costume.

Get this look: Urban Decay Liquid Moondust Cream Shadow ($22), Sephora Collection Glitter Pots ($14), Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue Glitter Bonding Eyeshadow Primer ($20), Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($22), Icing Seashell Flower Crown Headwrap ($17)

ghostly look with pumpkin lips

PHOTO: Catherine Aucker, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

Look Like a Ghostly Gal

Forget the bronzer and blush, instead swirl on your favorite matte foundation and set with a translucent powder. Curl your lashes and coat on a lengthening mascara. Fill in your eyebrows with a brow pencil. Add the perfect pumpkin lip and maybe even a clear gloss. This easy look can pair with almost any costume or spooky outfit. Take a cue from Catherine and pair with a lace-up choker for a punk-inspired look.

Get this look: Kat Von D Studded Kiss Creme Lipstick ($19), Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara ($25), Tobi Amalia Lace-Up Choker ($3)

neon pink, purple, and yellow eye look with purple lipstick
PHOTO: Trifena Thamrin, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

Channel the '80s with Neon Shadows

This cut crease look brings the neon flare of the ’80s to life. To create, start by priming your eyelids with concealer. Don’t set the concealer, by leaving it a bit sticky your shadows will go on more pigmented to achieve this bright look. Blend a bright pink shade into the crease and re-apply concealer to the lid if needed to create a crisp edge. Then blend a purple shade into the outer edge of the lid lightly blending towards the center. Take a yellow shade and pack into into the inner corner, lightly patting towards the center where you meet the purple.

Touch up each of these shades as needed. Blend the pink shade underneath the eye and follow up with the purple shade concentrating the color on the outer edge of the under eye. Line the waterline underneath with a vivid purple liner. Add a pair of falsies to complete the bright eye look. Finally, apply a bright purple lipstick.

Get this look: Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette ($27), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil ($21), Tarte Color Splash Lipstick ($21)

freckles and stars makeup look
PHOTO: Ellenina Iacobucci

Break Out the Intergalactic Beauty with Star Details

If you’re looking to dress up as an alien or just want your face to resemble the night sky, then we have you covered with this easy freckle and star look. Faux freckles have been all over Instagram lately, and replicating them is as easy as taking your brow pencil dotting your face. You can put them all over your face like Ellenina, or keep it more natural by concentrating them around your nose. For the stars, you can try out an eyeliner stamp or with a precise hand take your normal liquid liner and draw on little stars. Coat your lashes, top and bottom, with a lengthening mascara, and throw a little highlight in your inner corner. Finally, add a touch of color with a pink lipstick and dot some highlight in the center.

Get this look: Milk Makeup Tattoo Stamp ($12), Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows ($19), Fenty Beauty Diamond-Bomb All Over Diamond Veil ($38), Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick ($26)

three-eyed monster halloween makeup look
PHOTO:Samantha Barth, Connecticut College

Show That Monsters Can Be Cute Too

Halloween is a great chance to show off your creativity. This look encourages you to utilize your makeup skills. This can be as dramatic as you like depending on how much time and detail work that you put in. Start by creating a normal winged liner on your top lids. Then, create a smaller winged liner extending from the bottom of the lid. Take eyeliner and sketch the shape of a third eye in the center of your forehead. Use a white pencil liner to fill in the whites of the eye, a gray liner to create the pupil, and the black liner for the pupils. You can then use white and black liners to add highlight and shadow details. Apply a grey lipstick to the lips, and top this look off with some bloody details using a red lipstick.

Get this look: Dior Diorshow On Stage Liquid Eyeliner ($31), Smashbox Always on Matte Liquid Lipstick ($24), Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick ($18)

green eyed spooky halloween makeup looks
PHOTO: Peyton Whittington, University of Florida

Give Off Spooky Vibes with Green Eyeshadow and Winged Liner

Green eyes conjure up images of witches and black cats, which makes a for perfect Halloween makeup look. To begin, prime your eyes and blend a mustard shadow into the crease. With a green shade, start to darken the crease and begin to blend down onto the lid. Then, darken the outer edge of the crease with an army green shade and apply winged liner. If you like, you can even add a dark lip shade to intensify this spooky look.

Get this look: Morphe X Jaclyn Hill The Vault Armed & Gorgeous Eyeshadow Palette ($15), Sephora Collection Long-Lasting 12 HR Wear Eyeliner ($12)

glossy lips and hair in scrunchies
PHOTO: Kally Cera

Glossy Lips to Go With Any Costume

Glossy lips are an easy makeup statement that can work with almost any costume. Apply white eyeliner to your waterline coat your lashes with mascara to emphasize your eyes. Then, apply a glittery gloss to your lips. You can embrace the ’90s vibe by putting your hair in pigtails with scrunchies, like Kally did here.

Get this look: Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Long-Lasting Water-Resistant Lip Topcoat ($20), Urban Outfitters Days of the Week Scrunchie Set ($12)

What makeup look will you be sporting this Halloween? Tag us in all your pics on Instagram @cfashionista

Opening image by Peyton Whittington.

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