As Halloween is approaching, you may be thinking, “Halloween costumes are just not for me.” Well, you’re not alone.
If you still want to spend Halloween with your friends, but not be the only one not dressed up, here’s a few ways to meet halfway without leaving too far from your comfort zone.
You don’t need a store bought outfit. Many costumes can be constructed from clothes you may have already.
There are countless DIY (do it yourself) costume videos made out of T-shirts or dresses that accompany simple face paint instructions.
However, if you aren’t comfortable wearing a costume, even if its homemade, you can get away with wearing your own clothes rather than spending time on your face paint or makeup.
There are plenty of ways to get a frightening costume without spending too much time or money on the look.
Some products to help you achieve looks like these include Ben Nye products, liquid latex, etc. and can be found on amazon.com.
You can add fake blood to your face or body for any costume to make the costume scarier. Ben Nye has “fresh scab” blood, which looks like real clotted blood and works well for special effects makeup with fake open wounds.
A zombie costume requires tattered clothing and grey-toned face makeup.
To create the illusion that you are dead or decaying, there are a few simple steps. You should use a foundation or base that is a few shades lighter than your natural skin tone and apply that to your face and blend it down your neck.
Deepen the hollows of your eyelid with grey and purple eyeshadows, almost like a bruised appearance.
Use the same shades under your eyes to make dark under eye circles and make it look like you haven’t slept in years.
Contour your features, just like you contoured your eyelids, to make your skin look sunken in.
Draw on fake veins or enhance pre-existing ones with the deep purple shadow, and use your finger to soften the lines.
Use a concealer or skin-toned lipstick to make your lips colorless and lifeless looking.
YouTuber IAmJustaMakeupLover has a video tutorial using drugstore products and a simple design to create a sugar skull image on her face. It is a quick and easy makeup-only costume if you run out of ideas or need a last minute one.
Sugar skulls typically are drawn with large circles around the eyes and include a design around that.
You can achieve this design with a black eyeliner.
As IAmJustaMakeupLover, or Olena, noted, sugar skulls should be symmetrical, so it does not matter which design you choose to do, as long as what you do to one side you do to the other.
You can get really creative with this look by adding multiple colors or unique patterns.
A more complex look is the melting face. For this look, do half of your face with regular foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, etc.
Next, hollow out one eye and a spot where a skeleton’s teeth would be.
After drawing skull features on half of your face, drip liquid latex over the edges between your regular makeup and the skull makeup. This will give the impression that your skin is melting off.
Desi Perkins has a great step-by-step video on how to do this on her YouTube channel DesireePerkinsMakeup.
If you are not into scary costumes, try one inspired by social media.
Snapchat filters are a really easy DIY costume.
You can start by taking a selfie using the desired filter as a guide for your makeup look.
Youtuber Rclbeauty101 has videos of her recreating snapchat filters with makeup.
You can easily use this as a costume idea. For example, the pop-art filter from Snapchat is a fun costume for anyone.
To achieve this look, enhance your features.
Use a black eyeliner pencil to trace the contours and perimeter of your face.
Outline your lips with the black eyeliner and fill it in with red lipstick or any color of your choice.
Use white paint for the parts of your face that would be highlighted in the light.
Paint black or white dots all over your face and neck as a final step to make the appearance of a 2D costume.
You can try the rainbow vomit filter by using face paint or eyeshadow.
Create lines going from your mouth down your neck in rainbow order.
Add a bright pink blush on the apples of your cheeks, and make your eyes look bigger by creating a new lower lash line further down than your natural one, using white eyeliner and false eyelashes.
If you want to use snapchat’s popular dog filter as a costume, all you have to do is draw the ears and tongue on cardstock paper, paint on the dog’s nose and enhance your makeup.
If you really run out of time, you can just wear solid colored clothing and a pair of animal ears and you’re done.
Face paint is optional, but you can make this costume as detailed or as plain as you desire. Some common costumes include a dog, cat, or mouse.
If you have a favorite TV show or movie character, you could always recreate their signature look for your costume.
You could be a makeup artist for halloween; just wear all black and do your makeup as if you are going to prom, and carry a makeup brush or bag with you. Happy Halloween!
Amanda Braatz can be contacted at abraatz@kscequinox.com
