The best Halloween makeup looks are the ones you can actually finish before the party starts. So this list is sorted by time and skill, not by how dramatic the photo is. Pick the row that matches your evening, then read the two or three looks in it. Every one of these Halloween makeup looks works with a normal kit plus one black liner, except where it says face paint.
Slicked Back Long
Messy Space Buns
Jet Black
BurgundyPick the look by how much time you have
Be honest about the clock. A full skull takes an hour with a mirror and a steady hand. A vampire takes ten minutes and a dark lipstick. Match the look to the time you have, and the result looks intentional instead of rushed.
| Time you have | Skill | Looks that fit | Needs face paint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 minutes | Beginner | Vampire lite, cat eye and red lip, cute ghost, doll | No |
| 20 to 30 minutes | Comfortable with liner | Deer, cat, fairy, half skull, glam vampire | No |
| 45 to 60 minutes | Patient, good light | Sugar skull, full skeleton, green witch, clown | Yes for the last two |
If you want the hair to match, our guide to hair ideas by season covers how darker autumn shades and slicked styles change what makeup reads well.
15 Halloween makeup looks, easiest first
1. Vampire lite
A deep berry or oxblood lip, a thin wing of black liner, and a dusting of cool powder over your usual base. That is the whole look, and from ten feet away it says vampire. The full version, with shadowed eyes and a paler base, is in our vampire makeup guide.
2. Cat eye and red lip
Not a cat costume, just the classic combination pushed further than you would on a Tuesday. Extend the wing past the outer corner by a finger width and choose a true red lip rather than a soft one. Works with any black outfit.
3. Cute ghost
White or very pale foundation one shade lighter than your skin, a lot of translucent powder, pale pink lip, and two small blush circles high on the cheeks. Round, soft, and done in five minutes.
4. Doll
Oversized round blush, a small pouty lip drawn just inside your natural line, and a few lower lash lines drawn with liner under the eye. The lower lashes are the part that sells it, so draw four or five short strokes rather than one thick line.
5. Deer
Brown contour blended high on the cheeks and along the nose, a black liner nose tip, white dots along the brow bone and under the eyes, and a warm brown lip. It photographs well and stays comfortable all night.
6. Cat
Black liner nose tip, three whisker lines each side, and a smoky eye that flicks up at the outer corner. Keep the lip neutral so the eyes carry it.
7. Fairy
Shimmer everywhere: a soft pink or lilac lid, highlighter on the cheekbones, brow bone and the tip of the nose, and a glossy pink lip. Add a few tiny rhinestones on the outer cheek if you have lash glue.
8. Half skull
Skull on one half of the face, your normal makeup on the other. It is the most flattering skull because half of your face is still yours, and it takes half the time. Full instructions, with the classic and skeleton versions, are in our sugar skull makeup guide.
9. Glam vampire
The vampire lite look plus a proper smoky eye in plum or black, a sharp contour, and a glossy dark lip. This is the version for a dinner party rather than a costume party.
10. Modern witch
Black winged liner, a deep purple or black lip, and a strong brow. No green skin. The three witch versions, including the green one, are in our witch makeup guide.
11. Pop art
Bold red lip with a black outline, black liner around the whole eye, drawn on lashes, and a few black dots on one cheek to suggest print. Loud, quick, and it reads instantly.
12. Mermaid
A blue or green shimmer lid, scales stamped on the temples with fishnet held against the skin and shimmer pressed through it, and a glossy lip. The fishnet trick takes one minute and looks like it took twenty.
13. Sugar skull
The most photographed look on this list. White base, black eye sockets with a petal border in color, a drawn on nose triangle, and stitched lips. Plan an hour the first time.
14. Green witch
Full green base is face paint territory. Blend it past the jaw and onto the neck, contour with a darker green, and finish with a black lip and heavy brows.
15. Clown
Also face paint, and the one that benefits most from a reference photo. White base, defined red mouth shape, and a pair of exaggerated eyes. Keep the design simple and symmetrical; complicated designs smudge first.
How to test a look before you buy the palette
A look that suits the model in the tutorial can sit differently on your face. Deep lips change how a jaw reads, a heavy smoky eye can close a small eye, and a pale base flattens some skin tones and flatters others. Test on a photo before you shop.
HairGlam's Makeup Studio already puts 36 makeup looks on your own photo, including a black smoky eye, a winged liner, a glitter lid, a classic red and a deep plum lip, which covers most of the easy rows above. The new Halloween Studio has every look on this list and 24 more, skulls, vampires, witches and sugar skulls on your own face, and your first 4 are free. See the look on your own face in HairGlam before you commit to a palette.
Hair matters too. A slicked back long style turns the vampire lite look into a full costume, messy space buns make the cat or doll look read as playful, and a temporary jet black or burgundy shade changes every look on this list. All of those render on your photo in the app today.
Make it last the night
Thin layers set with powder beat one thick layer every time. Prime the lids before any colored shadow, set cream liner with a matching powder, and blot the lip once before the second coat. Carry a small compact and a lip pencil. Take a photo at the start of the night in the light you will be in, then fix what the photo shows rather than what the mirror shows.
Try any Halloween look on your own face
Your first 4 Halloween looks are free. 39 face paint and costume looks, no mess, nothing to wash off.
Character names describe costume looks only. HairGlam is not affiliated with the shows or films mentioned.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest Halloween makeup look for a beginner?
How do I make Halloween makeup last all night?
Can I do a Halloween makeup look without face paint?
How do I know if a look will suit my face before I buy anything?
Read next
Hair ideas by season: what to change in fall, winter, spring, summer
Vampire makeup: an easy look in 6 steps, and the hair that sells it
Witch makeup: 3 looks from easy to full green, step by step
Sugar skull makeup: the classic, a half skull and a skeleton version
Halloween hairstyles: 14 easy looks that finish the costume
