Stranger Things makeup gives you a look for every level of commitment. Vecna is the showstopper, a raw, cracked red face threaded with dark veins. Eleven is the ten minute version, with a buzz cut and one famous nosebleed. Cursed Max sits in between, with clouded eyes and dark veins. Here is how to do all three, step by step, with paint and shading only.
Stranger Things makeup: three looks, three levels
| Look | Time | Skill | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eleven | 10 minutes | Beginner | Fake blood, a buzz cut or wig cap |
| Cursed Max | 25 minutes | Comfortable with liner | White liner or lenses, gray and dark shadow |
| Vecna | 60 minutes | Patient, steady hand | Red face paint, dark brown and black, fine brush |
For how these compare with the other characters of the season, see the trending Halloween costumes roundup.
Vecna makeup, step by step
1. Paint a raw red base
Prime the face and neck, then sponge on a thin, even layer of a reddish flesh tone face paint. Let it dry and powder it. It should look sore and raw, not bright red.
2. Map the cracks
With a fine brush and dark brown paint, draw branching cracks across the forehead, cheeks and jaw, like dried earth. Vary the thickness: thick trunks that split into thin roots.
3. Add depth to every crack
Fill the deepest cracks with black, then run a thin line of a pale highlight along one edge of each crack. That single highlight line is what makes flat paint look raised and textured.
4. Sink the eyes
Shade the eye sockets with dark brown and black, blended softly outward, so the eyes look deep and hollow.
5. Crack the lips
A pale, grayish lip color, then fine dark cracks drawn across it. Set everything with setting spray.
Eleven makeup and costume
The easiest Stranger Things makeup. Keep the skin bare and a little pale, add a touch of gray under the eyes so they look tired, and draw a single thin trickle of fake blood from one nostril toward the lip. The hair is a very short buzz cut; a skin toned wig cap works if you are not cutting your hair. A pink collared dress, a denim jacket or a yellow and blue windbreaker finishes it. You can see a buzz cut on your own photo before you commit to the clippers.
Cursed Max makeup
The cursed trance look is eerie rather than gory. Gray pale skin, dark bruised shadows around both eyes with fine dark veins drawn outward, cracked pale lips and a few freckles. For the milky eyes, use white eyeliner on the waterlines, or white costume contact lenses if you already wear lenses and have them fitted properly.
Taking off a full painted face
Vecna's paint needs a gentle removal. Melt it with a cleansing balm or oil first, work it in with your fingertips, and wipe with a warm, damp cloth before you cleanse normally. Fake blood can stain lighter skin for a few hours, so remove Eleven's nosebleed with oil as well, and patch test any fake blood or paint on your inner arm the day before if your skin is sensitive.
Build a group costume
Stranger Things is one of the best group costumes of the year: one Vecna, one Eleven, one cursed Max, and anyone else in 80s clothes. If your group prefers a different family, our Wednesday Addams makeup guide has the Addams side covered, and our Halloween makeup looks list sorts fifteen quicker looks by time and skill. A zombie look also sits well with the Upside Down theme.
For more on how hair finishes a costume, including slicked and messy 80s styles, see our hair ideas by season guide.
See Vecna on your own face first
A full red, cracked face is the biggest commitment of the season, and it is worth seeing before you spend an hour painting it. HairGlam's Halloween Studio puts Cursed Vines, 80s Psychic and Cursed Trance on a photo of your face in seconds. Your first 4 Halloween looks are free, on iPhone and iPad. Try Stranger Things makeup on your own face in HairGlam and pick your character.
Try Stranger Things makeup 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
How do I do Vecna makeup without prosthetics?
What is the easiest Stranger Things makeup?
How do I do cursed Max makeup?
Can I try these looks on my own face first?
Read next
Hair ideas by season: what to change in fall, winter, spring, summer
Trending Halloween costumes 2026: 10 character makeup looks
Wednesday Addams makeup: the deadpan look, braids and all
Halloween makeup looks: 15 ideas from easy to full glam
Corpse Bride makeup: pale blue skin, stitches and huge dark eyes
