5 Fun Halloween Makeup Ideas

Forget the costume this year! Instead of raiding your local Halloween store looking for the perfect outfit, let your face do all the scaring. If you’re already adept with a makeup brush, it won’t be hard for you to go from chic to creepy. We’ve found five fantastic ideas to get you started. Here’s how to decorate your face for the scariest night of the year.

Mermaid

Let’s be real, Ariel from The Little Mermaid is always going to be near and dear to our hearts. If you’ve got the red wig ready (or maybe your tresses are already dyed fire-engine red), finish the look with mermaid makeup! Go for intense blues on your lips and your eyes. Long eyelashes make this look even more memorable.

Skeleton!

When it comes to fun Halloween costumes, a skeleton is about as old-school as it gets. If you’re donning a bodysuit with visible bones, don’t forget to do up your face, too! Start with a layer (or two) of white face paint, then use mascara and eye shadow to draw the black details on.

Zombie

You don’t have to be a fan of The Walking Dead to appreciate a good zombie. Spook everyone this Halloween when you do your makeup to look like the undead. White face paint will again come in handy here, as will a pretty gloomy eye shadow pallet that you can use to add blood, exposed skin, and other eerie details.

Harley Quinn

If you’re joining the legion of girls who have seen Suicide Squad and are dressing as the whacky, loveable Harley Quinn this year, your makeup can really help you stand out. Again, start with white face paint. Use red eye shadow on one eye and blue on the other. Smudge your bright red lipstick. If you’re feeling up to it, paint a little heart on one cheek and write “rotten” near your jawline.

Cat

Just because it’s an easy costume doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it! Wearing a pair of cat ears and a faux tail, paint the tip of your nose with black face paint. Add dots on your cheeks for whiskers if you’d like. Play up your eyes with a sensual smoky eye and endlessly long lashes.