Words by Patsy O’Neill
3 Minute Read
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I LOVE creating Halloween makeup…
… and have done so many different looks on Holly over the years.
After a glorious trip down memory lane, I wanted to highlight a few stand-out designs and suggest products to help you achieve these looks and more, year after year.
Remember – you can’t make mistakes with Halloween makeup. It’s fun and playful and if anything, a mistake is easily turned into a more gruesome look!
Look 1: Harley Quinn
The Base
This character’s foundation is pale, but instead of purchasing a new shade, it may be worth investing in a product that you can add to your regular foundation to lighten it. NYX, Total Control Pro Drop Foundation Hue Shifter, £14.40 is something that can be used again and again for future Halloween dress-ups.
The Eyes
This look is reasonably easy to recreate at home and only requires investing in some bright make up palettes or individual shades of blue and red. The most important thing is that the product pigment is strong enough to create impact.
Where possible, I’d recommend investing in a palette as you will use it year after year. This NYX, Ultimate Shadow Eyeshadow Palette in Brights, £10.67 is marvellous, with a good range of matte shades for various looks. Or if you have a bit more budget, the colour pigments in this Screenface, Kryolan Aquacolor UV Dayglow Palette, £33 are so strong. The blending on the eyes can look tricky at first glance but it’s easier than you think. Allow the pigment to drop down onto the top of the cheeks and then blend downwards with a small blending brush to create the feathered-out effect.
A good black Kohl Pencil is a must for the Halloween kit bag and for the Harley look we placed Kohl in the top and bottom water lines. This creates impact. Gel liners are great because they don’t dry out. My favourite is this Tropic Skincare, Silk Gel Liner in Ebony, £16 as you can wind it up – so no need to carry around a sharpener! My absolute bargain recommendation is the Rimmel London, Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil, £2.99.
Psst… I’ve also shared my best eyeliner application tips and products, here.
The Lips
Try this vegan, 3INA, Longwear Lipstick in shade 226, £15 for great, long-lasting colour!
Look 2: Winona Ryder Beetlejuice
I loved this look – especially the black mullet wig!
The Base
To create this pale look, I used this Makeup For Ever, White Color Stick, Face and Body Grease Paint, £19 foundation. Getting a white base to look perfectly blended to the naked eye is particularly tricky and I find a blending sponge works best. Then set the white base with a translucent or white powder. Be generous here, as it will give the make up more staying power. I really like this Kryolan, Translucent Powder, £10.30.
The Eyes
For the eyes, apply red eyeshadow all over the lid and blend outwardly above the lid – way more than you normally would – taking it right up to the brow bone. Then apply the same shadow below the eye and blend out – again taking it much lower than you ordinarily would. Remember to tap excess eyeshadow onto the back of your hand before going straight to the area to blend. This limited edition, Beetlejuice x Makeup Revolution, Strange and Unusual Eyeshadow Palette, £8 is a great buy.
Then apply your Kohl Pencil to the top and bottom water lines.
Look 3 : The Unicorn
This was another of my all-time favourite Halloween Holly looks. Once we mastered attaching the horn to stay on top of the head (which was no mean feat!) we then set about applying feathers and removing Holly’s eyebrows! What could go wrong?!
The Eyebrow Invisibility Cloak
Michael Davy, Eyebrow Wax, £3.95 is a must have to block out brows. It’s a simple process that creates huge impact. Just press a small amount into the brows and use your finger the flatten them down. I’ve done this on myself on many a Halloween event, especially for my Russian Doll look where I block out my actual brows, before pencilling them back on much higher up than they should be, to create this mannequin doll look.
The Base
For Holly’s unicorn base, I used the same sponge-blended Makeup For Ever, White Color Stick, Face and Body Grease Paint, £19.
The Eyes
I took a grey matte and dark blue eyeshadow and blended the eyeshadow outwards until I could blend no more! Ensure you take the eyeshadow up to and over the brows so they are totally disguised. I then applied a black gel eyeliner from a pot with a fine brush to create the multiple black flicks. I really like the freedom you get from painting with a brush from a pot and love the Illamasqua, Precision Gel Liner, £21. This Beauty Bay, Fine Liner Lip and Eye Brush, £1.55 is incredible value! I then added some false eyelashes and trimmed some top lashes, which I applied facing the other way to the lower lash line.
Glitter & Feathers
I used MUOBU, Biodegradable Chunky Hexagon Metallic Glitter, £3 on the cheekbones and forehead, which I applied with MUOBU’s, Peel Off Glitter Glue, £3.
The feathers were tricky and messy but it’s a game of layering up. I used a mastic glue here to ensure they stayed put! Keep cotton buds to hand and make sure you don’t get mastic on your fingers. This WRATH, Spirit Gum & Remover Duo Set, £7 set is a good buy .
The Lips
And finally, a glitter lipstick sets of the 🦄 look. This can be created easier by adding some fine glitter over the top of your regular lipstick.
Look 4: Wonder Woman
I love giving a well-known movie character a Halloween twist!
The Eyes
I decided to create a strong socket winged eye with glitter to match the Wonder Woman colours.
Start with the eyes for this look, so you can clean up your skin after with cotton buds and wipes as glitter application can be messy! I applied black liquid liner under the eyes and into the corner point and flicked it out. Exaggeration is what is required here to make impact and is the perfect time to use a pot and a brush!
Then apply glitter glue to the eyelid and add a fine, red glitter such as Screenface, Stargazer Glitter Shaker, £3.15. I find using my index finger the easiest way to navigate the application. I then applied MUOBU, Biodegradable Sky Blue Fine Glitter, £3 under the black line and graduated the fall of glitter to create a water fall effect.
Contact Lenses
Halloween contact lenses have powerful impact and are a quick way to change your face – as long as your comfortable putting in lenses! Patience and a good mirror are key! We’ve used defyeyes.co.uk and crazylenses.com in the past.
crazylenses.com
For everything else you may need in regards to Halloween check out Screenface London or Guru Makeup Emporium.
Happy Halloween!
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Patsy O’Neill
Makeup Artist and Beauty Consultant
@patsyoneillmakeup
