Come October 30th, you’re one of two types of people: You’re either Halloween-ready with an entire look laid out from head to toe (yes, including accessories), or you’re someone who isn’t that into the holiday but willing to put together a last-minute look. Regardless, Halloween is the perfect time to pull out your most elaborate makeup looks—so if you’re missing a costume, or want to elevate what you already have, here’s your cue to find your glittery eyeshadow and black lipstick.
Whether you prefer to lean into the spooky vibes or into the sweet ones, you can recreate killer Halloween glam with the makeup you already own, so don’t worry about frantically shopping for face paint or fake blood (unless you want to go the extra mile). What you will need a lot of, however, is inspiration. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best Halloween looks you can recreate with ease in the eleventh hour.
Ahead, find our top 65 makeup ideas, from classic skeletons to trending pop culture references. No matter your aesthetic or skill level, you won’t find any tricks here, just treats.
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Everyone will be fawning over this cute, fall look that’s a breeze to replicate. Pick your fave neutral eyeshadow palette and highlight the inner corner of your eyes in white, then create an inverted triangle down the side of your nose. Apply a light brown shadow on the outer side of the white triangle using a blending brush to give dimension. Then, use white liner on your waterline and a brown pencil to overdraw your brows and shade the tip of your nose. Finish off your look with a shimmery almond eyeshadow and a pink lip gloss.
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David Bowie's lightning bolt makeup is an iconic look from the cover of his Aladdin Sane album. Show your love for Ziggy Stardust by creating the red and blue bolts with face paint, then separate them using a black liner. Apply highly pigmented pink shadow around your eyes, nude blush along your cheeks, and finish with a metallic mauve lip.
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Effortlessly slay this stunning look in no time with gold cream eyeshadow. Pat it across your lids, lips, and cheeks and blend out for a more diffused look. Then, create a smoky blue eye and apply the perfect winged eyeliner to finish. Add a pair of gold false lashes for extra goddess vibes.
This flirty feline look is so simple to create that you easily could throw it together using essentials in your makeup kit right meow: black liner, fake lashes, and shadow. Using a black pencil, draw on your whiskers, nose, and freckles, then line your top lip. Apply a light brown hue from the creases of your eyes up to your brow line. Pop on some cat ears and maybe even a tail, and get ready to strut.
Conjure up some magic with this enchanting look. Choose your must-have colorful shadows, blush, and wispy false lashes. Sweep the hues across your lids, upwards to your brow crease, and along your lower lash line. Then add a pop of color to your cheeks with your fave blush, and apply clusters of lash extensions for added drama.
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Lean into classic spooky-season vibes with this wicked werewolf look. Here, the key is to fluff up your brows and define your eyes with a dramatic cat eye. And, for an extra special-effects touch, you can use a burgundy liquid lipstick to add fake blood and scars.
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Not only is this banana look super cute, but you’re almost guaranteed to be the only one rocking this fruitful glam. Grab some yellow eyeshadow and add a healthy dusting to your eyelids and cheeks. Then grab a brown eyeliner to create some spots. Easy and quick, this look is sure to leave you ripe with compliments.
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As intimidating as this black swan look is, it’s actually pretty easy to replicate with makeup you already have. Use a black eyeliner to create cat-eye frames around your eyes, then fill in the space with black eyeshadow. Adding a white liquid eyeliner on top helps give your look that feathery effect, but if you want to be a little extra, extend your wing with a black faux feather.
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The latest season of Bridgerton stole our hearts, and this makeup look brings us right back into the romance. To emulate the Diamond of the Season, opt for a pastel purple eyeshadow and baby-pink blush. Put a royal twist on your glam with pearl details.
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Whether you prefer the original Willy Wonka or one of the (now many) reboots, you can’t deny that Violet Beauregarde is an iconic character. She also makes an easy Halloween costume, so long as you have a palette of blue and purple eyeshadows (like this one from GAME BEAUTY). Turn yourself violet by dusting the mix of shadows across your nose and eyes, and finish off your look with a mouthful of bubblegum.
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If you’re constantly being told that your makeup is a work of art, then this costume is for you. Use a range of eyeshadows (or face paints, for a more opaque look) to make your face look like an actual painting. Asymmetry looks best here, so don’t stress about matching up each paint stroke.
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This one’s for the horror (and sparkle) enthusiasts. Put an upscale twist on the classic Chucky makeup look by using silver rhinestones as stitches—which you can create with a red eyeliner or red liquid lipstick. For glam that’s scary shimmery, use red rhinestones in place of a red eyeshadow.
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Embrace the campiness of spooky season with this Elvira makeup. Despite her nickname, Mistress of the Dark, this makeup look goes full ’80s with bright pink blush and a detailed blue eyeshadow. Here, try using your blush as contour—that way, you’ll end up with a sculpted look that doesn’t look muddy.
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Throw it back to the early ’00s with this fun makeup look. Multicolored eyeliners work best for drawing out these iconic logos, and a pair of long falsies brings the drama. To complete your costume, add some butterfly clips to your hair and put on your favorite pair of Juicy Couture sweatpants. Don’t forget to accessorize with a matching purse from the era!
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How sweet is this Halloween look? Easy to replicate (even for makeup beginners), this glam only requires a dusting of bright green eyeshadow and a sketch of a small strawberry. What makes this glam pop, however, are its strategically placed false eyelashes, which give your eyes a cartoon-like effect. Apply the top strip as you would normally, and then add the bottom strip to the outer corner of your bottom lash line, dipping it down before connecting the other end to the inner corner.
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With all the new Hunger Games movies coming out, it’s the perfect time to embody its protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. So long as you own some vivid eyeshadow colors and a metallic shade, you can recreate this glam with ease. Do your best Capitol impression by mapping out your eye look with your shadows first, and then clean up the edges as you outline with a black liquid liner. A fluttery pair of falsies will make your look pop even more.
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If you’re looking for Halloween makeup that’ll look good in all your party photos, opt for Pamela Anderson’s signature glam. Her iconic ’90s look has it all, including a glossy pink lip, thin eyebrows, and most importantly, a sultry smoky eye. Before you dive into her eye look though, try thinning out your own brows—sans razor—by brushing them upward with a stick of glue to flatten them. Next, cover them with foundation and draw on the shape of your choosing.
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Your friends will be green with envy (or ivy?) when you pull out this glam. Channel the poisonous Batman villain by switching out your usual bronzer with a dark green eyeshadow, and then get to sculpting those cheekbones. Add a shimmering green eye look and dark green lipstick, and you’re ready to hit the town.
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Harley Quinn is a classic costume, but with Joker: Folie à Deux coming out this October, you can’t go wrong with its namesake character. After donning your best purple suit (or, more relatably, T-shirt), use a purple shadow to create diamonds around your eyes, then add the Joker’s signature scar smile with red lipstick and a red lip liner. You can run a green mascara through your eyebrows and hair for good measure.
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Groovy, baby! Throw it back to the ’60s with this gorgeous glam that errs more on the sweet side than spooky. The star of this show is a dramatic eye look complete with false lashes—extra points if you add individual ones to your bottom lash line. If you don’t want to do a cut-crease look, as shown here, creator @beatsbylizzie has plenty of funky, go-go-inspired looks you can replicate.
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For an instant pixie look, grab all the earthly colors in your makeup kit. Decorate your eyes with green and white eyeshadow, and don’t forget to add some sparkle. You’ll look straight out of a garden fairytale, especially if you add some pearl accessories.
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Take a cue from Sydney Sweeney and channel the ’80s. Glittery eyeshadow and pouty pink lips will help you bring the Pretty in Pink vibes, while big hair lets everyone know what era you’re stepping out of. Make sure to tease your hair as high as it can be, and keep a detangler handy for after the party ends.
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Even those who are afraid of clowns can admit this glam is so cute. Blotted red lips and a cheeky flush—with a red nose to match—make this Halloween makeup a classic last-minute savior. If you skip the white base, all you need is a blue eyeshadow and red lipstick.
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Part Western, part galactic, this space cowgirl costume will have you ready to lasso in all the compliments. For this glam, reach for your most iridescent eyeshadows and highlighters, and start piling them on your eyelids and cheekbones. Then, add some extra sparkle with rhinestones, glitter, and any other sparkles you might have.
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Facts: Aliens are here—and thanks to their space blue eyes and contoured lips, they’re totally gorg, too. Recreate this look by drawing an elaborate wing on top of blue eyeshadow, and don’t be afraid to reach for the stars (figuratively and literally).
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“Tell me about it...stud.” Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves. Channel your inner Sandy with this look that’ll swoop up all the attention. Swipe a bold matte red lip with staying power—you’ll need it to outlast all your dance moves. Keep your cheeks light on the blush and bring up the focus to your eyes with a set of extra long, curled false lashes, like MI BEAUTI Magnetic Eyelashes + Eyeliner. Consider this an easy Halloween makeup look that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser!
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Feeling a little witchy? There’s no time better than spooky season to show off your dark side. Sculpted cheekbones are the key to pulling off this Maleficent-inspired look, so get ready to sculpt those babies sky high. Grab a contouring palette (such as CITY COLOR COSMETICS Contour Palette), suck in your cheeks to find the hollows and contour upwards towards your ears. And don’t be light handed. Drama here is a major vibe. Top off your look with an exaggerated smoky eye to emit all the Grimm fairytale vibes.
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When it comes to last-minute costumes, a devil may be the most common go-to, but it also never fails. If you’re rocking a pair of horns for the night, set your look on fire with some easy red eye makeup and smudged kohl-lined eyes. For your eyes, reach for a creamy red eyeshadow (we love SURATT BEAUTY Shu Iro Lid Lacquer in Red) and layer, layer, layer. To go all out, use a red face paint all over, and add some black rhinestones to your look for some spooky sparkle.
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Creator Jenn Lea proves that a classic, fiery red lip and a killer wing is all you need to portray this iconic beauty. Use large rollers for bombshell volume, slightly overline your lips, and keep your skin matte to bring Marilyn’s classic old Hollywood glamor into 2021. And if you’re not blessed with a short blonde bob—just wig it.
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Nineties nostalgia is hitting us hard lately—and we’re looking to channel our favorite decade any way we can. Give a nod to the grunge trends that influenced everything from makeup to hair to fashion, and more with this bold, black eye, and lip look. Keep your skin matte with minimal makeup and bronzer, smoke out your eyes (and don’t hold back!), and coat your lips in the darkest lipstick you can find (such as BELLE EN ARGENT Auteur Matte Lip Color in Light and Angles). Then, slick your hair to one side and throw it back to the ’90s, baby.
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Grace Kelly’s Insta feed will give you enough Halloween and beauty inspo to last through the afterlife. This easy-to-create angel wing points for wow factor and simplicity. Reach for your most shimmering shadows and add some stick-on gems (you can use eyelash glue to secure them) across your brows, lids, cheekbones–anywhere you want to shine. Then, top it off with some wings and/or a halo and grace everyone with your ethereal presence.
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What’s more refreshing than a watermelon—especially with cold weather around the corner? Take a cue from Beauty by Tay and create a makeup look that’ll bring everyone back to their favorite season. All you need are three eyeshadow shades: pink, green, and black (or black eyeliner), plus your prettiest pink lipstick. Don’t forget to dot those seeds onto each of your eyelids and cheeks for a look worthy of a thousand likes. This VIOLET VOSS Fruit Sorbet Mini Palette has pretty much everything you need.
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Butterflies are one of our favorite Halloween makeup looks because they can be accomplished at almost every skill level. Go all out with butterfly elaborate wing eyes, or get playful with bold colors and add butterfly accessories to your hair. There’s no wrong way to channel this gorgeous creature—you’re metamorphosis awaits.
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Whether you have a love of snakes or they trigger your flight or fight mode, you can’t deny they’re perfect for Halloween. When you don’t have time to go full serpent mode, a couple of eyeliners will do. Use white, black, brown, yellow, green—any shade you like and paint winding shapes down your face, then fill them in with color and shapes for a ssssuperb (we couldn’t help it), makeup moment.
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Take a walk on the wild side with a tiger-inspired eye look that’ll put you in the spotlight. And the best part? You’ll be Halloween-ready before you can say roar. Just blend brown and orange shadows across your lids. (COLOURPOP COSMETICS Pressed Powder Shadow in Tangerine Dreams is the perfect hue). Use an eyeliner pencil or liquid liner to draw on triangular shapes and lines up to your brow bone, and add mascara for some flutter.
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We’ve got 101 reasons why we love this Dalmatian-inspired eye look, but we’ll stick with the basics: it’s super fun, eye catching, and easy to achieve. Reach for white eyeliner or creamy white eyeshadow, blend it all over your lids, then use black eyeliner to draw on spots wherever you want. Precision isn’t necessary to make them look natural. Pop on a black lipstick and you’re ready to go.
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Of all the Harley Quinn-inspired costumes we’ve seen, this one wins our hearts because you can literally create it with anything in your makeup kit. Seriously, if you have a combo of blue, pink or red eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, eye pencil—you’re set to start swingin'. Just blend color like crazy (from a palette like NOMAD COSMETICS Berlin Underground Eyeshadow Palette) over each lid to create a wash that goes from below your cheekbones to above your brow bones. Keep your skin super matte. Add some pigtails and ribbon, or dust color onto your hair if it’s light. Then, accessorize as you wish.
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Sure, a Tinker Bell costume is expected. But what about a garden fairy? This look is so easy and it can be a ton of fun sourcing props and accessories for. You can focus on easy makeup, grabbing the pinkest of blushes, pearlescent highlighters, and maybe some pearl or rhinestone accents too. Likely, you’ll have all the essentials in your makeup bag. For the finishing touches, you can go to almost any craft store or scoop up these floral pieces from Amazon to adorn around your ears. Attaching with lash-glue works best!
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One word: Hilarious. Go as Marge Simpson and you’ll have the crowd in fits (just like us). This look is a surefire crowd pleaser that requires minimal effort. Once you’ve got the blue wig down, reach for some yellow body paint (try MEHRON Makeup CreamBlend™ Stick in Yellow). Then, top your cheekbones and collar bone off with NYX SFX Creme Colour in Goldor any hold highlighter for some extra dimension. And, don’t forget to define your brows so they don’t disappear into the background.
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Face it—we’re all magical unicorns on the inside. That’s why we’re beyond obsessed with this ethereal look that’s everything we wish we could wear to our 9-to-5. Load up on the shimmer (we’re talkin’ all over your bod) and opt for eyeshadow shades in the pastel range to emit those “I’m riding above the clouds,” vibes. We recommend IBY BEAUTY Enlightened Eyeshadow Palette to skill this like a pro. Sweep the “Haiku” shade across your eyes, and blend Dragon Fruit around your cheeks, temples and forehead with a dense-bristle makeup brush for this unicorn inspired flush. Finish off your look by using a white eyeshadow stick to draw on some extra sparkles.
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Consider this the G.O.A.T. of last minute Halloween costumes. We love this look because it's so easy to recreate, and looks good no matter what you wear with it. Start with a smoky brown eyeshadow and finish off by swiping some fake blood (or red liquid lipstick) across your bottom lips.
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Who doesn’t love a powerful female character? This take on Marvel’s Storm channels serious superhero royalty (and is hella cool). Here, it’s all about the eyes. Reach for a mix of gunmetal grays and silver shimmer to create a deep smoky eye. Then, top off your look with long winged liner (we love KALEIDOSCOPE COSMETICS Obsidian Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner) for creating extra long flicks. Add some extra light highlight to your brow bone and exaggerate your brow arch for an icy look.
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The best part of Halloween season besides candy and costume parties? Movie marathons, of course. This Hocus Pocus inspired look conjures up all the childhood memories of the Sanderson sisters. Besides a killer wig, and a witchy ‘tude, all you need to make this work is a set of seriously plumped up lips. Grab a rusty brown matte lip lacquer such as NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes) and draw an exaggerated Cupid’s bow that extends beyond your natural lip line. Use the same technique to swipe outside your lower lip line too.
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Pay tribute to 1960’s pop art with this hella cool (and totally DIY friendly makeup). All you need is what you’ve already got in your makeup kit. Use a creamy black liner to pencil in lines of movement and outline all of your features (just like Shania here). Then top it off with a pink liquid lipstick and matching polka dots all over your face. The trick to this look is not to be too precise so your makeup looks like a moving sketch.
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Our spidey senses are tingling! This Spiderman inspired makeup is beyond cool and so easy to recreate with minimal effort. All you need is some blue and red shadow and a little creativity. Start by creating your webs with a thin liquid liner, then fill in your with a red and blue split shadow look.
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How cute is this ghost makeup look? Plus, it’s easy! First start with your normal makeup routine. Next you’ll need some white liquid eyeliner, a black liquid or felt tip eyeliner, and black lipstick. Don’t take drawing the ghosts so seriously, have fun with it! The more open you are to organic shapes, the easier the process with feel. Top your ghosts off with two eyes and a mouth using your black eyeliner and create the perfect pout with your lipstick!
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Do you love candy corn? Why not try this makeup look and really make your eyes pop! You’ll need white, orange, and yellow eyeshadows. Make Up For Ever carries their high impact eyeshadow in just about ever color. Next you’ll need to make all of your candy corn friends and sparkles. For this you will just need some colored liquid liners, we suggest this set from Amazon for all your Halloween makeup looks.
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Obsessed with horror films? This Freddy Krueger look is perfect for you! To make things easy, grab every red makeup item you own! We’re talking red eyeshadow, eyeliner, and red liquid lipstick. Oh, you’ll need your brush collection too. To create all the ‘burns’ - this creator used red eyeshadow and shading techniques while making organic shapes that fit together almost like a puzzle. This will take some practice but you can definitely nail it. Just don’t forget setting spray!
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If our Pop Art makeup suggestion felt a little too advanced, try this artsy comic book look instead. You’re basically sketching out your natural features while adding in exaggeration through color. If you needed an excuse to buy all of Glossier’s new eyeliner pencils, this Halloween makeup look is it!
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This is by far the coolest Cheshire Cat makeup look we’ve ever seen. You’ll want to start with a light base of white face paint. This will make your purple colors really pop. Grab those purple and bright pink blushes you never get to use and go absolutely wild creating bold lines as you sculpt your cheekbones. Fill in your eyebrows with purple eyeshadow or liner. For the eyeliner, it looks like this creator chose to do pink and yellow on the top with a black lash-line. For the lower lash, a white lash-line outlined with black.
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This makeup look thrives on looking irregular or not perfect. Grab your face paint again! You’ll mostly be using green for your skin, purple on your chest, and black to create any lines and iconic Frankenstein stitching. This creator actually used the Epic Wear Eyeliner from NYX.
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Channel Cassie from Euphoria with this look. Complete your makeup routine and really emphasize your blush for a nice swash of color. We recommend BENEFIT COSMETICS Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain. Draw mini wings and a halo of sky blue and adhere the pearls with lash glue on your eyelids. If you need rhinestone help or inspiration, check out Euphoria’s MUA Donni Davy on Instagram.
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This look requires a little bit of drawing skills. All you need are gel eyeliners or facepaint and blush for this. Oh, and your signature red lipstick if you please. Start by creating the ‘patches’ on areas of the face where you want them to be. We suggest the one on the nose, one on the forehead, and another on your cheek. You can create wear with black eyeliner and add stitches with the white eyeliner. Don’t be afraid to dabble your brown face-paint to create definition.
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Avatar blew us all away with the amazing special effects in theaters. But you can create this makeup look yourself, it’s super easy. Grab a light blue, dark blue, white, and pink face-paint and a couple of makeup sponges. Don’t forget rhinestones and a flower (or leaf!) crown for the finishing ethereal touches.
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The Little Mermaid is an unforgettable Disney movie. What better way to pay tribute than being the wicked sea monster Ursula? Her glowy purple skin and bold black eyebrows and mole are iconic! Plus, it’s a great excuse to wear sparkly red lipstick. This is another look where setting spray is an absolute MUST!
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Tell us you’re a ‘90s kid without telling us you’re a ‘90s kid… we’ll go first. This Bratz Doll makeup from @shardidthat is giving us major nostalgic energy. Keep in mind, this special effects eye paint only works when your eyes are closed, so save this look for the Gram, not your Halloween party.
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We can’t talk about Halloween without mentioning The Addams Family. To get us ready for Halloween, @makeup.lois went goth with pigtail braids like our favorite angsty teen.
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For all those makeup minimalists out there, this celestial (and easy!) Halloween makeup was made for you. Well, technically it was created by @whos.katrina, but you get the point. The black and orange color palette keeps this makeup look on theme, while the geometric wings and star stamps give it a modern twist.
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We’ve all seen those photos of the elaborate skeleton makeup all over our feeds this time of year, but unless you’re a total makeup pro, that level of special effects is not realistic. Instead, this easy skull Halloween makeup can give you the same spook-tacular vibe. All you’ll need is a black eyeliner pencil—we recommend a kohl pencil, like ITEM BEAUTY Lucky Line Gel Liner in Black, rather than liquid for this look—and a bright eyeshadow to highlight your outline with.
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Who says Halloween makeup has to be corny? This devilish winged eyeliner look is so glam, we’re almost tempted to wear it all year round. To make the devil tail above your cut crease super easy to create, use the same red liquid lipstick from your lips with a skinny eyeliner brush (think of it like an acrylic paint). Try F.A.R.A.H Matte Liquid Lipstick in Farah.
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Animal Halloween costumes will never go out of style, but we’ve all seen the cat whiskers and bunny ears. This giraffe rendition not only feels fresh and new, but it’s also super easy to DIY. Yes, even the giraffe ears. Use a brown face paint (or even a browny-nude liquid lipstick will work) to stamp on the geometric giraffe shapes, then still with deep neturals over the rest of your face.
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Carving your cheekbones > carving pumpkins. There, we said it. Channel the former with this warm, bronzed jack-o-lantern look that requires minimal makeup skills to recreate. Pop on an orange smoky eye, then use your go-to black liquid liner (or black liquid lipstick if you have one!) in a zig-zag formation over your lips.
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You probably know how to do a winged eyeliner look for your eye shape, and you might even experiment with double liner looks, but these webbed wings from @els___makeup take graphic liner to the next level. We’re not going to lie, this level of intricacy will take some practice. While you’re working on perfecting your spider web design, we love TRESLÚCE BEAUTY Line It Up Edge Corrector to quickly clean up any mistakes.
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Twiggy: One word is all it takes to recall an image of the iconic ‘60s makeup look that is just as chic today as it was decades ago, as @baysapphire proves. The key to nailing this famous look lies with the lashes. Spiky lower lashes are a must as well as fluffy, full top lashes (fake the look with a set of falsies). You also get instant bonus points for a black cut crease and classic Twiggy side part.
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Somewhere between chic French clown and Queen of Hearts lives this makeup look from @stephmeroo. It’s playful; it’s mod; and it’s totally easy to recreate for Halloween. Just grab your favorite shimmery shadows and get to coloring.
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