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. 

If you like to keep it simple like us, 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 Halloween make-up look you love in our edit below.

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 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.  

Read: Instant Halloween Face: Black Lipstick & Dark Colours Will Elevate Your Look

Clown Halloween 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. The Melt Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in Burnish, £18.75 would be perfect for this. 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. 

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. 

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. 

Read: Eyeliner 101: Hacks,Tip and Techniques From The Experts 

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.

Read: 9 Eyeshadow Palettes To Upgrade Your Looks

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. 

Read: Celebrity Halloween Costumes: Our Favourite Looks

Spider web eyeliner

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