The nights are drawing in. The weather is on the turn. It must mean Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means? Halloween makeup!
To help you get started, here are some of the most creative and easy Halloween makeup ideas to spark some creativity.
We’ve also given each tutorial a “difficulty rating” out of five, to give you an at-a-glance idea of which are the best easy Halloween makeup ideas, and which will require a bit more effort.
Halloween makeup ideas
Feel free to scroll through the full list, or click the links below to jump straight to the tutorial.
︎ Easy Halloween Makeup Looks
- Scar Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 1
- Queen of Hearts Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 1
- Wonder Woman makeup – Difficulty rating: 2
- Violet Beauregard Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 2
- Jack Sparrow Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 2
- Mermaid Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 2
︎ Medium Halloween Makeup Looks
- Cat Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Glam diamond skeleton makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Fairy Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Fortune Teller Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Neon Skeleton Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Clown Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Bat Halloween makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
- Dripping Candy makeup – Difficulty rating: 3
︎ Difficult Halloween Makeup Looks
- Scar Halloween makeup (Lion King) – Difficulty rating: 4
- Halloween Witch makeup – Difficulty rating: 4
- Sally Nightmare Before Christmas tutorial – Difficulty rating: 5
- Melted pumpkin makeup – Difficulty rating: 5
︎ Cat Halloween makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
A cat costume is an absolute Halloween favourite and if you’re opting for a feline look this October, this cat Halloween makeup tutorial is purrrfect (sorry.)
Brianna Fox is renowned for her makeup looks, not only because they’re stunning but because she teaches them in an accessible and easy-to-understand way. This cat Halloween makeup tutorial is no different.
The eyes look more complicated than they are, and there is scope for this makeup to be a bit rough around the edges because it just adds to the overall effect, so don’t worry too much about nailing it exactly.
We recommend NYX Warm Neutrals palette (£16) – as used in the video; Illamasqua Liquid Eyeliner (£21); W7 Hollywood Bronze and Glow (£4)
︎ Scar Halloween makeup tutorial: Lion King
- Difficulty rating: 4
There are more than 4,400 searches every month for “scar Halloween makeup” and it’s not entirely clear if people are searching for “scars” or “Scar from Lion King.” So we’ve found the best Halloween makeup looks to cover both bases!
First up is this incredible transformation in which YouTuber dope2111 turns herself into the evil, power-hungry lion from Disney’s Lion King classic. It consists of smokey brown eyes, Scar’s distinctive scratch and a fair bit of contouring to transform the shape of the face. It’s not easy, but it’s not as difficult as it looks and it will certainly stand out from the regular Halloween makeup looks!
︎ Scar Halloween makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 1
Secondly, we have a simple, last-minute easy Halloween makeup look which creates the appearance of scars across your face. In the video, the makeup artist shows you the technique for a single scar but you could repeat this technique across your face, neck, hands, arms and wherever you want!
It does involve buying scarring liquid (it doesn’t actually scar your skin) but this is the key if you want realism. Otherwise, your scars can look a little cheap and cheerful.
We recommend Mehron Scarring Liquid (£16.99); Martine Cosmetics Velours Matte Pink Lipstick (£14.95)
︎ Sally Nightmare Before Christmas tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 5
Our son is *obsessed* with The Nightmare Before Christmas and for Halloween 2021, he asked us to dress up as Sally from the film. This was the Halloween makeup tutorial we used and it turned out fantastically.
It is fiddly, time-consuming and requires blue face paint. We had the rest of the products in our makeup collection already but you also need a white pencil and blue eyeshadow.
And it went down a storm during Trick or Treat so we’ve linked our version below to show you what’s possible, even if you’re not a makeup artist!
This year our son has asked us to be the Grinch…it’s not even the correct holiday but who are we to argue!?
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We recommend Snazaroo Blue Face Paint (£4.80); By Beauty Bay Midnight 9 palette (£7.50); Morphe Blank Slate Liquid Eyeliner (£12)
︎ Melted pumpkin tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 5
We love this combination of Halloween’s favourite centrepiece – the pumpkin!
This pumpkin Halloween makeup looks fun, and it’s fun to create too. We also love how easy it actually is, if you’ve ever carved out a pumpkin it will be easy for you. The outline is key here and using makeup pencils like white, brown and black will bring out the pumpkin shape.
Using orange face paint for the pumpkin will work wonders and the effect of the melted skin on one half of the face can be easily created by using 3D gel. The great thing about this is that it can be easily applied to the skin, just make sure that you read the instructions on how to set the 3D gel. It really does look like the skin is melting off.
If you want to skip this step, the overall pumpkin vibe is great.
We recommend Mehron 3D Gel (£9.99) and Makeup Obsession Squeeze Me Shadow Palette (£4).
︎ Glam diamond skull tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
Halloween can be as glamorous as it is scary and this diamond skull look is to die for (excuse the pun!)
It looks effective and, believe it or not, it’s pretty easy to do, all you have to do is trace the skull outline of your own face. It’s very important that you have a thick black makeup pencil, if not you can use black gel eyeliner, but if you start with that pencil and use the gel eyeliner on areas you want to enhance will give the best look.
We love the use of purple here because it stands out and pops so much. But you can use other colours too if you don’t have purple eyeshadow to hand.
If you didn’t get to use any gemstones for the summer festivals this year then you can definitely use them on this look. This look takes a bit of time and there is no need to rush, just take your time with the outline of your skull and sticking on the gems and the look will come together.
We recommend 10 Sheet Face Gems (£8.99) NYX Professional Makeup Jumbo Eye Pencil (£5.50) and Huda Beauty Haze Obsessions Palette Purple (£22.95)
︎ Queen of Hearts Halloween makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 1
“Off with their heads!”
If you’re a big fan of Alice in Wonderland you know The Queen of Hearts is known for her cruelty, short temper and is very quick to give a death sentence to anyone that offends her. Yet she always looks flawless! That is why we think this glamorous makeup look is perfect for any Queen of Hearts out there – maybe minus the death sentence.
From the video you can see that all makeup products are from Revolution and we love that, it’s affordable and really long-lasting. This look revolves around the red smokey eye look and te best thing about is that if you make any mistakes it doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the ‘Halloween look’.
We love the heart shape of lipstick on the lips, too. This is a great last-minute, easy Halloween makeup look on a budget.
We recommend I Heart Revolution Red Velvet Chocolate Palette (£8.99); I Heart Revolution Eye Shadow Palette Cranberries & Chocolate (£8.99); Revolution Pro Lipstick Collection Reds (£7). You can never have too many reds.
︎ Fairy Halloween makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
A fairy is always a good costume/Halloween makeup idea as most of us have glitter eyeshadow palettes and blush-toned makeup products that we can incorporate into the look.
Although it seems an easy one to start off with, a lot of layering goes on here so patience is definitely required to recreate the fairy queen/princess the tutorial shows.
You’ll need sticker gems too – but this is where you can get fun and creative, freestyle, to finish the look.
We recommend the Shrine X ASOS Eclipse Individual Face Jewels (£8) and the Morphe Everyday Chic Artistry Palette (£24)
︎ Neon Skeleton Halloween makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
We see your scary skeleton Halloween makeup and we raise you…this super cool neon skeleton.
This beauty look requires contouring – slightly differently from how you might be used to though; you’ll need a mixture of pink and white face paints and black kohl to get this result.
Unable to find the right colour face paints to make this work? Make your own!
Get a fluorescent pink eyeshadow powder and mix it with a tiny bit of water to emphasise the pigment. You’ll also need to make sure your eyeliner pencil or gel is bold upon application too.
This Halloween makeup idea is easier than it looks. I mean it’s not easy, but it’s not as complex as it might appear.
We recommend the Sample Beauty Loose Eyeshadow Matte Pigment in Psychedelic (£5.95) and the Sisley Phyto-Eye Twist, 08 Black Diamond (£32)
︎ Glam Clown Halloween makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
The good thing about this particular contemporary clown Halloween makeup look is that, chances are, you’ll already have a warm-toned eyeshadow palette.
If not, Urban Decay’s Naked Heat Palette is a favourite of ours (there’s always one Naked palette you don’t have, as well).
Blending and confidence are your two skills here: it’s all about building up the warm, fiery shades around your eyes and then creating striking lines and shapes using your black kohl or gel liner.
You’ll probably use every variety of eyeliner for this look, as all the different types are useful in their own way, for shading and block tone to create the clown’s markings.
We recommend Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette (£34.40) and the MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline Gel Liner (£17.50)
︎ Halloween Witch makeup tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 4
This modern and slightly bohemian take on a Halloween witch makeup look is definitely a fun one to try, beauty-wise.
While it might not be the traditional look for a witch – as seen in shows such as Wicked, The Wizard of Oz or even Hocus Pocus – it is a contemporary alternative and one that should spark a lot of creativity.
Particularly if you’re a whizz at design with an eyeliner pen. We’d recommend pen over pencil or gel here, just for ease of application.
We recommend the Pixi Dream Shadow Palette (£28) and the Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Diamond (£16)
︎ Fortune Teller Halloween Makeup
Difficulty rating: 3
Well someone might as well try to tell us what the future is going to look like!
This Halloween makeup tutorial has opted for purple – a classic colour when it comes to fortune-telling and crystal balls – but any colour can be used, so if green or blue is more your colour, feel free to experiment.
The key is to develop the tone of the same hue with your eye makeup, mixing it up between matte, cream and glitter. You can discover which colours suit you in our What eyeshadow goes with your eye colour? guide.
Match your lipstick, too – this is where the colour purple might be easier to come by.
Right, you’re ready. Please predict a better 2023.
We recommend the Huda Beauty Precious Stones Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette Amethyst (£25) and Illamasqua Antimatter Lipstick in Techno (£10)
︎ Glowing Jack Sparrow Halloween Makeup Tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 2
We love this Jack Sparrow smokey eyeshadow look!
This look will make an impact and will suit anyone that isn’t ready to go all out with a big transformation because the glamorous makeup look is still there, it’s just a heavy-duty smokey eye look.
We think this is a lovely glowy look, the great thing about this is that there will be no need to buy any additional makeup – we are pretty sure we will have this in our makeup draws.
Just make sure you have plenty of black eyeliner, eyeshadow, shimmer eyeshadow and loose glitter.
We recommend NYX Glitter Goals Palette (£28) and MAC Galactic Glitter (£16)
︎ Mermaid Easy Halloween Makeup Tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 2
This look is not quite The Little Mermaid, but we think this mermaid Halloween look is like a mystical fantasy.
This iridescent/chrome look will suit any skin tone and you just need two high pigmented shimmer eyeshadow colours that will pop!
All that is needed is an old pair of fishnet tights, a good blending brush and a great setting spray. The base of this makeup is your normal foundation along with your everyday concealer, then you’re set to go.
We recommend Huda Beauty Obsessions Precious Stones Eyeshadow Palette Amethyst (£25), Makeup Obsession Sweet Like Candy Eyeshadow Palette (£5) and NYX Duo Chromatic Lip Gloss (£7)
︎ Bat Eyeliner Makeup Tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
Halloween makeup doesn’t have to be all ghosts and zombies, we think Halloween can also be glamorous!
What’s fun about this look is that it can be so creative with your liquid eyeliner, we also think if we happen to make a mistake with our eyeliner – it’s all part of the “Halloween” look.
What we really like about this look is the eye-popping orange eyeshadow along the brow bone. The orange part of the eyeshadow can be any colour that will match your outfit. Halloween is such a great time to experiment with makeup and create whatever you like.
We recommend KVD Vegan Beauty Tattoo Liner Trooper Black (15.30) and Tatti TL4 Faux Me Minx Lash (£9.49)
︎ Dripping Candy Makeup Tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 3
If you like sweets then we have the perfect tutorial that will make you look extra sweet on Halloween. This tutorial is super pink and we think it’s irresistible.
It is easier than it looks and you can break out your pastel eyeshadow palettes to create this sweet pink eyeshadow look.
To get that vibrant pink background we highly recommend using face paint along with the different colour sprinkles. We think this look can be versatile, you don’t have to use a pink base if you opt for using white it will stand out more with the different colour sprinkles.
Although we know that we’d have already eaten hundreds and thousands within 10 seconds. So we suggest painting the sprinkles on your lips too.
We recommend CCbeauty Professional Face Paint Oil for Adult (£17.99) and Harley Quinn X Makeup Revolution Daddy’s Little Monster Eyeshadow Palette (£8)
︎ Wonder Woman Pop Art Makeup Tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 2
We love the look of this pop art makeup tutorial.
Simple strokes can make such a big impact and this look is about highlighting and shading the right areas of the face to make it stand out.
The vibrant red lips really stand out and we love the warm brown along with the glittery gold eyeshadow look. If you can’t find white ink to highlight the face, you can use a white eyeshadow on a wet brush or better still using face paint will be a great option.
We recommend e.l.f Expert Liquid Liner Jet Black (£3) and MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colour (£17.10)
︎ Violet Beauregarde Halloween Makeup Tutorial
- Difficulty rating: 2
If you love purple as much as we do, this is such a great, and easy Halloween makeup look. The idea of being creative with the eyeshadow is appealing and the violet nose is a feature piece.
Keep a handy pack of bubble gum with you when rocking this look, pop on a blonde bob wig and you’re set!
We recommend: Makeup Obsession Sweet Like Candy Eyeshadow Palette (£5) and Morphe 8S Stellar Impact Highlighter Palette (£17)
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