It’s spooky season! As we get closer and closer to October 31st, if you haven’t found one already, you’re probably already panicking trying to find the perfect costume. But don’t fear! Even if a costume continues to elude you, makeup can be a wonderful replacement, and we’ve got plenty of suggestions to help you get inspired. 

Eyeshadow 

If you’re a beginner when it comes to this kind of makeup, or don’t want to commit to a full face of Halloween makeup, experimenting with your eyeshadow is a good option. You can experiment with a super glam look to celebrate the season of dressing up or, a classic go-to for a lot of people is to use a very fine precision brush to paint cobwebs on their eyelids and a small spider climbing down the side of their face. You can also add little bats to your eyelids or at the end of some winged eyeliner if you’d like. The options are really endless.

Appliqués 

One step up from just doing interesting eyeshadow, is using appliqués. Essentially, this means using tweezers and a skin-safe adhesive to apply different things to your face like butterflies, bats, ghosts, rhinestones, or other things that can really enhance your look. These looks often look best when paired with interesting eyeshadow and face makeup that really complements the appliqués that you’ve added. For instance, garden-inspired makeup paired with a few leaf appliqués.

Clown

You can go for the classic clown that you may see at a carnival or fair, experimenting with bright colours and shapes. Or, you can go a little creepier, bringing out your inner Pennywise or other killer clown. Clowns are a great option if you want to go for something that covers your full face, but isn’t too difficult. There are plenty of tutorials and templates available online, and you can use a basic face paint kit from the drugstore to pull off so many different and unique looks without having to break the bank on makeup. 

Jack-O-Lantern 

Another simple one like the clown, all you really need for this kind of look is orange and black face paint, and maybe some other colours if you’re feeling fancy. You can take inspiration from the classic look, or you can experiment a little bit with some more original designs. Also, like the clown, you don’t need to splurge on expensive makeup for this kind of look, as basic face paint will do the job just fine. As for your outfit, an all black look is perfect to allow your makeup to shine. 

Animals 

It wouldn’t be Halloween if there weren’t a few critters going around, trick-or-treating. Again, you have a lot of options, from cats, to bunnies, to leopards, to bears. This option is not only great for beginners, as you can pull off a lot of different animals with very little paint, or you can really go all-out if you’re looking for more of a challenge. 

Skull

There are a lot of templates and tutorials online that you can follow, and there are many different versions you can do, from sugar skulls to hyper-realistic skulls, to half-face skulls over your mouth. Skulls are a little more difficult as there is more attention to detail required and colour needed, however, if you’re up for a challenge, skulls are a great one to try. They can also be paired with a lot of different costumes, from bright dresses to match a sugar skull, to a biker outfit to match a look that’s a little darker.

Beetlejuice 

To coincide with the release of the movie, we’re sure to see a lot of Beetlejuice-inspired characters this year. You can, of course, go for the main man himself, or any of the other characters who inspire you. This one may be a little tricky, as replicating movie makeup isn’t for beginners, but if you’re up for the challenge, this is a very fun option. It’s also important for this look to pay attention to what the characters wear in the movie, as you’ll want to replicate them as best you can so that people are sure to know who you are. 

Lauren Schwartz | Staff Writer