Autumn is undeniably here, which means one thing… Halloween is looming!
This spooky celebration is thought to have begun as a Gaelic harvest festival called Samhain, a night when the souls of the dead were able to cross back to the land of the living.
By the 18th century the practice had spread to England and been adopted as a Christian ceremony called ‘All Hallows’ Eve’. In the 19th century, Scottish and Irish immigrants took their ancient Celtic traditions across the Atlantic, where the Americans quickly embraced Halloween (as it had then come to be called). In fact, it was they who introduced one of the now-iconic elements of the holiday – the carved pumpkin.
But the UK has now claimed back its supernatural celebration, and Halloween is an increasingly huge event in our yearly calendar.
I’ve made no secret of the fact I’m pretty rubbish at anything arty or crafty, so I figured there must be other parents out there also dreading having to whip up a suitably scary costume, and desperate for a stress-free solution.
So I called on professional face painter Amy to give me a step-by-step easy Halloween makeup look you can easily replicate at home with just three face paints – white, black and red – a sponge, and a paint brush (glitter finish is optional).
EASY HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL – BEFORE YOU START:
Do an allergy test first – try a bit of the face paint on your model’s wrist and leave for one hour to make sure there’s no reaction. Dampen your sponges. Sit them on a nice high chair or stool, with plenty of natural light so you can see what you’re doing. Secure hair with a headband to keep it off the face.
STEP ONE:
Using a damp makeup sponge (squeeze it out to make sure it’s not too wet) coat the entire face with a white base, including the lips. If you want a strong, solid white let it dry and apply a second coat, being careful not to get it in the hairline.
STEP TWO:
Use a stippling sponge (or lightly sweep a regular makeup sponge) to brush on some gaunt cheeks, sunken eyes and spooky shadows.
STEP THREE:
Wet a fine-tipped face paint brush (make sure it’s not dripping) and swirl it into the face paint to load the brush with colour. Carefully outline the vampire widow’s peak to the hairline and fill it in (you can use a bigger brush for this). Be confident – use strong lines and don’t worry if it’s not perfect, that will come with practice. Use feathery upward strokes to create the eyebrows, painting them just above the natural brow line.
STEP FOUR:
Clean the brush, or use a new one, and use it to outline, then fill in, the bright red lips (add a streak of blood running from one corner for extra-creepy oomph!). Add Dracula teeth and a battle scar on the cheek for the final flourish to your easy Halloween makeup look.
STEP FIVE:
If you want your vampire to have an extra dash of glamour, use festival face glitter – lightly sweep the fixing gel across the face, then use the short, thick brush to apply the glitter flakes.
And there you have it – an easy Halloween makeup look even the most craft-challenged parents can replicate at home. Happy Halloween!
READ: How to Carve a Halloween Pumpkin and Making Easy-Peasy Halloween Pumpkin Pie
This is brilliant. Thanks for the tutorial xx