Easy Halloween Make-Up Looks To Spookify Instantly

At Beauty Daily, we love swooning over elaborate, deeply detailed Halloween make-up looks. But let’s be honest – not all of us have the time (or skill) to pull off a full face of prosthetics. 

Whether you like to keep it simple like us, or prefer more intense scary Halloween make-up, you’ve come to the right place. The way to cheat the system is to pick out one or two details from a complex Halloween make-up look and strip away all the rest. In our opinion, it also makes the make-up seem more modern and even a bit glamorous.  

Whether your Halloween costume is cute or creepy, whether your make-up skill level is beginner, intermediate, or advanced, you will surely find some easy Halloween make-up ideas you love in our edit below.

Basic Halloween make-up

Quick & easy zombie make-up

Going down the zombie make-up route? Take inspiration from this AW22 beauty look on the Louise Lyngh Bjerregaard runway show. Instead of going all out (with fake teeth, gashes, etc.), focus solely on the eyes.

In essence, this look is a smokey eye, but with exaggerated shadows under the eyes. 

1. Use an eye pencil like the Clarins Waterproof Eye Pencil in 01 Black Tulip, £21 along the waterline and the top and bottom lash lines. Use a small brush to smudge the colour. 
2. Next, use matte eyeshadow in cool brown and taupe shades to diffuse the black. 
3. Use a bigger eyeshadow brush to blend the browns along the insides of the eye socket. Then, focus the darker shades on the inner and outer corners, and lighter ones on the centre of the eye. 
4. Skip mascara and leave your brows untouched. If you’re up for some experimenting, you can soap them down and stipple some concealer over them to make them disappear. 
5. Make-up artist Bea Sweet also used a matte white powder along the cheekbones and the top of the nose to make the eyes seem more sunken. 
6. To finish, you could wear some coloured contact lenses. And, of course, feel free to add a flesh wound or two across the face.  

Easy clown make-up

If you’d rather be more of a glam clown than a scary clown, this minimalistic look by make-up artist Celine Bernaerts could serve as inspiration. 

1. Use a liquid or gel eyeliner in a deep red shade to create the graphic shape on the eyes. Choose a thin eyeliner brush to get the shape right. 
2. Dip a cotton bud in some make-up remover to correct mistakes and perfect the shape of your eyeliner. 
3. With a dark kohl pencil, line the outer half of the lower waterline. Then, apply two coats of mascara. 
4. Line your lips with a red lip liner, and then apply a deep crimson shade of lipstick all over. Preferably, choose one with a matte finish like the Joli Rouge Lipstick Refill in Joli Rouge, £19. 
5. Finish with some blush and highlighter applied on the high points of the cheeks. 

Sexy Halloween make-up

Vampire make-up

We love this vampire make-up look by make-up artist Vera Kovaleva that’s spooky and stunning. It features pale skin, a version of TikTok-famous ‘siren eyes’ and some fake blood. Easy-peasy. 

1. Grey foundation is optional. But we recommend going a few shades lighter for your base make-up to ensure you look sufficiently pale and bloodless.  
2. For the eyes, use a black pencil liner like the Waterproof Eye Pencil in Black Tulip, £21, to create an exaggerated cat-eye shape, extending a wing on both the inner and outer corners of the eyes. Lightly fill the waterline too. 
3. Pat a gold eyeshadow on the centre of your eyelids and the lower lash line. 
4. Apply mascara and flattering lip colour, topped with gloss. 
5. To complete the look, you only need some fake blood smeared around the mouth and some coloured contact lenses. 

Cute Halloween make-up

Cat Halloween make-up

For a basic cat make-up look, start with clean skin, apply foundation, and set with powder. Define eyebrows, use neutral eyeshadow, and create winged eyeliner. Apply mascara or false lashes. Draw a small triangular nose with black eyeliner, add optional whisker dots and extend lines from the nose. Overline lips, fill with dark lipstick, and optionally add whiskers. Contour for a feline effect.

Leopard Halloween make-up

Create a basic leopard Halloween make-up look with a clean face. Apply foundation and set it, then add leopard spots using brown or black eyeliner or face paint. Outline your eyes with a dramatic winged eyeliner, adding a flick for a feline touch. Enhance the eyes with mascara or false lashes, and use bronzer to contour your face, focusing on cheekbones and nose. Draw a black triangle on the nose for a cat-like appearance and finish with a neutral lip colour. Optionally, add cat ears or paint them on for extra flair.

Skeleton Halloween make-up

For a skeleton Halloween make-up look, apply a pale foundation. Use black eyeliner or face paint to create sunken eye sockets, a triangular nose, and a skeletal grin with teeth. Add shading for depth and optional details like cracks or contours, and extend the design to jawline and cheekbones for definition. Practice beforehand, and consider adding dark eyeshadow for a more dramatic effect. 

Halloween doll make-up

Create a basic doll Halloween make-up look by applying a smooth, doll-like foundation and setting it with powder. Emphasise wide, innocent eyes with big lashes and bright eyeshadow, before drawing on a thin, curved line for eyeliner and add faux lower lashes for a doll-eyed effect. Use pink blush on the apples of your cheeks for a rosy glow. Create a small, cute button nose with a pink or red dot. Outline and overdraw your lips with a sweet, doll-like shape, adding a pop of colour. Consider drawing cracks for a spooky doll twist.

Halloween bride make-up

Want to rock a basic haunted bride Halloween make-up look? Apply a pale foundation for a ghostly complexion, enhancing it with grey or ashy tones. Use dark eyeshadows to create sunken, haunted eyes with smudged liner for an eerie effect. Draw veins or dark circles for a tired appearance. Opt for dark, bold lipstick to evoke a haunting allure, and tease hair for a disheveled look. Add some faux blood or black tears for a spooky touch. Accessorise with a tattered veil, and consider adding wounds or stitches for a more hauntingly bridal aesthetic.

Jester Halloween make-up

Achieve a basic spooky jester Halloween make-up look by applying a white base, and set it with powder for a ghostly appearance. Create exaggerated, dark and hollow eyes using black eyeliner and eyeshadow. Paint a wide, eerie grin with black lipstick or face paint, extending it to the cheeks. Add black triangles on the eyes and red accents for a sinister touch. Emphasise the brows with bold lines and points and consider drawing teardrop shapes or spirals for extra spookiness. Accessorise with a jester hat and costume for a creepy and playful transformation.

Easy ghost make-up

For an easy ghost Halloween make-up look, apply a pale foundation or white face paint for a ghostly complexion, blending it evenly. Create dark, hollow eyes using black eyeshadow or eyeliner for a haunting gaze. Opt for minimal eye make-up to maintain a spectral appearance. Apply a touch of white face paint or powder on the lips to maintain a ghostly pallor. Extend the white make-up to cover the neck and chest if desired.

More simple Halloween make-up ideas

Barbed wire lashes

Want to ditch the traditional black swan make-up to favour a more minimalistic variation? Try spotlighting just the eyes. Take inspiration from this theatrical look we can’t stop thinking about from the Dior SS18 show. To us, it’s a black-swan-meets-Tim-Burton’s-doll-face look. And you can tweak it to suit your costume.

All you need to recreate it is a liquid liner with a precise tip and a steady hand to draw on the faux lashes. If you aren’t blessed with the latter, don’t worry. Use a thin cotton bud dipped in some micellar water to sharpen up the edges and wipe away any mistakes. Keep the rest of the make-up light and minimal. 

A ’60s flower child

Transport yourself to the swinging sixties. Reach for pale, chalky pastel tones on the eyes. Apply them as a wash all over or create interesting shapes. Drawing flower shapes on the face was quite common in this era.

A ’70s icon

Alternatively, you could go ultra-glam with a maximalist, seventies-inspired look. Pair a bold eye with a bold lip and a statement cheek. Reach for electric shades of pinks and purples, bright blues and emeralds.

Morticia Addams

Both Morticia Addams and Wednesday Addams are classic Halloween choices. But the former is the more fun option, make-up-wise. Create a monochromatic smokey eye using all-matte eyeshadows. Raised, slim brows and red lips will complete the look. 

Spider make-up

Want to rock some easy spider web make-up? All you need is a good liquid or gel eyeliner formula to create this cute spider web eyeliner look. Just make sure the tool you apply it with (whether it’s a brush or the felt tip of your eyeliner) is fine enough to create the intricate details of the spider web. Some feathery false eyelashes will suit the look.

Next read: Try Black Lipstick & Dark Colours to Elevate Your Halloween Make-Up 

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