Vampire makeup is the easiest Halloween look to get right because it is only three moves: a paler base, shadowed eyes and a dark lip. Everything else is styling. Here is the easy vampire makeup routine in six steps, three versions depending on how far you want to go, and the hair that turns the makeup into a costume.
Slicked Back Long
Slicked Back Bob
Jet Black
Blue Black
BurgundyWhat reads as vampire from ten feet away
Nobody at the party is looking at your blending. They see contrast: pale skin against a dark mouth and dark eyes. Get the contrast right and you can skip the fangs. Get it wrong, usually by going too white or too heavy, and the look turns into a ghost or a bruise.
The three things that carry it are a base one to two shades lighter than your own skin, a deep berry, oxblood or true black lip, and eyes with more shadow at the socket and under the lash line than you would ever wear to dinner. Our roundup of Halloween makeup looks sorts this against the other quick options if you are still choosing.
Easy vampire makeup in 6 steps
1. Lighten the base, do not whiten it
Mix a drop of white cream makeup, or the lightest foundation you own, into your usual base. Aim for one to two shades lighter, not white. Blend it past the jaw and onto the neck and ears so the head does not float above the collar.
2. Set it cool
Press translucent powder over the whole face. Then take a cool toned contour or a gray toned blush and hollow the cheeks, the temples and the sides of the nose. Vampires are drawn, not rosy.
3. Shadow the sockets
Sweep a matte plum, gray or black shadow into the crease and under the lower lashes. Keep the lid itself lighter so the eye still opens. Blend the edges softly; hard lines read as bruises.
4. Line the eyes
A thin black wing on the top lid and black pencil on the lower waterline. If you want more, smudge the pencil under the lower lashes with a small brush.
5. Darken the lip
Oxblood, deep berry or black. Line first, fill with the pencil, then press the lipstick on top so it lasts. Blot once and add a second coat. For a glossy version, add a clear gloss only to the center of the lower lip.
6. Add the drip, if you want it
One thin line of lip color from the corner of the mouth down toward the jaw, drawn with a lip brush. One is elegant; two looks like a nosebleed.
Three versions, from subtle to gothic
| Version | Base | Eyes | Lip | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampire lite | Your own base plus cool powder | Thin wing, plum in the crease | Deep berry | Office party, dinner |
| Glam vampire | One shade lighter | Full plum or black smoky eye, sharp contour | Glossy oxblood | Costume party, photos |
| Gothic vampire | Two shades lighter, matte | Black smoky eye smudged under | Matte black | Full costume, fangs |
Pick the row that matches the rest of the evening. The glam row is the most flattering on camera because the contour gives the face its shape back after the pale base flattens it.
Vampire hair: the part that finishes it
Vampire hair is sleek, dark and controlled. The makeup gives you the pallor; the hair gives you the menace.
A slicked back long style, wet and combed straight back with strong gel, is the classic. On shorter hair a slicked back bob does the same job. If you would rather keep the hair down, a deep side part with the heavy side falling across one eye reads as old Hollywood vampire, and straight hair reads darker than waves.
Color does a lot of the work, and our guide to hair ideas by season covers which of these shades you could keep into November. A temporary jet black or blue black makes the pale base look paler by contrast, and a burgundy shade echoes the lip. Any of these can be previewed before you buy a spray, which is the sensible order. The other Halloween cuts and updos, with the costumes they suit, are in our Halloween hairstyles guide.
Try the lip and the hair on a photo first
A black lip suits some faces and shrinks the mouth on others. A slicked back style shows the whole hairline and flatters a strong jaw more than a soft one. Those are things you cannot tell from a tutorial filmed on someone else.
HairGlam's Makeup Studio renders a deep plum lip, a black smoky eye and a winged liner on your own photo today, and the Hair Studio adds slicked back hair and a jet black or burgundy shade in the same render. The new Halloween Studio goes further, with a Glam Vampire look among 39 face paint and costume looks on your own face, and your first 4 are free. See the vampire look on your own face in HairGlam before you open the palette.
If the vampire feels too obvious this year, our witch makeup guide uses the same dark lip and liner with a very different result.
Try vampire 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
What do I need for easy vampire makeup?
How do I make vampire makeup look pale without looking gray?
What hair goes with vampire makeup?
Can I do vampire makeup without fake blood?
Read next
Hair ideas by season: what to change in fall, winter, spring, summer
Witch makeup: 3 looks from easy to full green, step by step
Halloween makeup looks: 15 ideas from easy to full glam
Halloween hairstyles: 14 easy looks that finish the costume
Sugar skull makeup: the classic, a half skull and a skeleton version
