Hey friends!

This upcoming week is one of my all-time favourite holidays: Halloween! I absolutely adore the 31st because not only is it a somewhat non-traditional holiday, but you get to be creative and dress as absolutely anything you want — and absolutely no one will question it!

Now, if you’re like me and EXTREMELY busy, you may not have had a lot of time to put thought into what you’re going to be this year, and that’s okay! If you want to dress up and have no idea what to be, or decide really last minute to go out this Halloween, I’ve got you covered. All the looks I’m sharing take an hour or less, and all of them can be done with supplies you have at home.

As someone who has attended a whole lot of costume parties in my lifetime — both for Halloween and not — I’ve gotten used to putting together costumes on the fly. There’s sooooo many articles out there on last minute Halloween costumes, but many of them are about outfits, not makeup. I’ve always found the thing that really nails any look for me is almost always the makeup, and the outfit can actually be rather secondary (especially if you’re just throwing together things you already have in your closet). So without further ado, check out some makeup looks you can use to look like you put heaps of effort into this years costume, even if you really didn’t!

The Joker

This one is going to be HUGE this year. The key here, if you’re going to make this costume stand out, is really nailing the makeup. The best part about this look is if you’re not a pro is the messiness only adds to the look! To really sell this costume, be sure to add a green wig or hair paint, as well as whatever clothes you can find that replicate Joaquin Phoenix’s iconic Joker suit.

Pennywise

2017’s classic revamped! If you didn’t get a chance to rock this costume when “It” first came out two years ago, now’s your chance. Drawing on the lipstick may seem daunting, but no one will be able to tell if it’s not perfectly symmetrical. Finally, to really amp up this look, add some cool colour contacts of your choice, a red wig or hair paint, and your best clown costume!

Dead (Insert Costume Here!)

This one is a classic I decided to leave up to your interpretation. Any costume can be made creepier by adding a “dead” element to it, or you can even just go without any additional costuming and just the makeup! To start this one off, the most important element is the fake blood. Back when I was a film student, I had to do all my SFX makeup myself. While I’m no expert, I’ve certainly picked up some tips and tricks.

First of all, I’m going to share with you guys my personal recipe for fake blood that you can make at home! It’s edible too, so you can use it in/around your mouth — and it’s only two steps! All you’re going to need it chocolate sauce and food colouring, mix it together and voila! It looks incredibly real. If you need to thicken the consistency, add clear hair gel. To really add to the look, add black makeup underneath wherever you want the “source” of the blood to appear, and add purple, red and orange eyeshadow around the edges to mimic bruising.

For face makeup, all you’re going to need is a lighter foundation shade, and some grey/purple eyeshadow to mimic under-eye circles and a chiseled cheekbone look. To spice up this costume, you can go the classic route of making it a dead schoolgirl (like my costume above!), cheerleader, etc. or just add a twist to any other costume you were planning to wear! Coloured contacts and wigs really help to take this look to the next level as well.

Alien

SUPER on brand if you were into the whole “Raid Area 51” vibe this year. Make your silver eyeshadow look just like metal by wetting your brush before you apply it. You can really take this look in any direction you want in terms of secondary colours — you can opt to keep it all silver, or add green, blue, or even pink depending on what exact look you’re feeling. To top it off, add some glitter freckles like I did above if you’re into it. If you want, add a hat and boots to create a Space Cowboy; I did this last year and it was beyond fun! To bring this costume together, be sure to add metallic sliver EVERYTHING to your outfit — and maybe even a wig!

Leopard Cat

A classic, but make it fashion. Being a cat seems so basic until your makeup takes it up to the next level — if winged eyeliner is your forte, amp it up with some crazy liner and smoky eye! If you’re not into the basic cat costume, turn it on it’s head by adding a leopard print vibe — it’s a lot easier than it looks and looks SO CUTE irl. This costume is so simple, really, just add cat ears and an outfit of your choice and just like that, you’re ready to go!

Hope you guys all have a fantastic Halloween, whatever your plans may be! If you got any last minute inspo from this post, I’d love to see how your looks turned out! And if you’ve put together something elaborate and super creative, I’d love to hear them. Halloween is the best because the possibilities are endless — it’s all so individual and completely up to you!

So have a great week loves, and happy Halloween! Stay tuned for next weeks post — and I’m sending you all positive vibes so you can start November off right.

Stay spooky,

Meredith