Like many people with a love of black clothing, I’m hella excited about Halloween! Sure, pumpkin spice anything makes me projectile vomit, but I totally admit I do a whole year’s worth of shopping while all of the truly awesome makeup, costume gear, and decorations are out on display. Yes, I’m a weirdo! And of course, the most important decision right now is “What am I going to be for Halloween!?!?” No All Hallow’s Eve getup is complete without the perfect makeup to top it all off. Personally, I really suck at doing makeup - I always end up looking as if I’ve been run over by a bus full of drunk nuns dressed as Courtney Love. But there is hope for the hopelessly lost who want to look like a pro!
Halloween Makeup How-To for Those Who Need a Little Help
1) Get hands-on help. Last year, our very own Jill Conway took a trip to Busch Gardens so that they could put their scariest Halloween makeup on her. She was set and ready to enter one of their haunted houses as an actress, if she wasn't terrified of haunted houses herself. We learned a lot, including that you can use just about anything for makeup, even green food coloring for your teeth! Check out all of the fun she had getting dolled up for a haunted house below!
2) Phone a skilled friend. My friend Chrys is EXTREMELY talented at creating amazing, unusual looks for very little money. Here are some of her words of wisdom: “Use a variety of makeup (drugstore to MAC). For simpler looks, you can actually do a lot with common makeup products. And, you save a lot of money by thinking outside of the box. Eyeshadow can be used to contour, liquid eyeliner can be used to draw stitches or create hairlines or textures on the skin, etc. For full face makeup looks, I tend to use Snazaroo, which is a water-based face paint - it's inexpensive and easy enough to find at craft stores or online. I prefer water based face paints to start with because they dry to the touch but still remain blend-able. They don't turn into a greasy mess on your face like some other products. I'm also a fan of bathroom/ kitchen cabinet effects. I've created a lot of burns, zombie bites, etc., using common household items like tissue paper and gelatin. You can also be creative with how to achieve certain textures. For instance, the burlap look of my scarecrow makeup was created by first using a straw-yellow color base over my whole face, and then holding a fishnet stocking right across my skin and dusting a darker but complimentary shade of powder over it. Remove the fishnet and, there you go.” (Isn’t she great??).
3) Pray to St. Internet for Inspirado. There are literally millions of how-to vids on YouTube and Pinterest available to use for guidance and inspiration. (I literally had to YouTube how to do a smokey eye.) My favorite website (besides 813area.com, of course), is Pinterest, where you find metric buttloads of scary, sexy, cheap, easy makeup tutorials. Fish scale lips? Sugar skull Harley Quinn? Fairy godmother Donald Trump? Literally, whatever you can think of, and tons of clever ideas you would never think of in a bazillion years, is all there just waiting for you!
BEST TIP: Once you select your look, do a minimum of two trial runs BEFORE the big party with the makeup and character you choose. Don't wait till it's time to get ready for the party! Everyone's face is different, so you may need to tweak certain aspects of your idea to get the look you want. You also want to make sure the products you're using are going to work well together. Stores like Ulta and Sephora are good for trying out ideas because they allow you to use testers in the store before you buy. Just because something isn't labeled as (and overpriced as) "Halloween Makeup" doesn't mean you can't use it as such. Now go forth and enjoy those Halloween parties (just don’t drink and drive)!
There is SO much to do this year in the Bay Area! Check out our list of Halloween Things to Do in Tampa. It's the biggest list on the web, covering every event we could find from family-friendly to adults-only Halloween events.
Stop feeling like a loser & follow these Halloween makeup how-to's - and no matter what, have some freakishly weird fun this Halloween!
