Wicked makeup comes in two halves, and they are best done as a pair. Elphaba is a rich, even green face with smoky eyes and a dark berry lip; Glinda is pink shimmer, rhinestones and a glossy bubblegum lip. One takes face paint and patience, the other takes twenty minutes. Here is how to do both, including the trick that keeps a green face from cracking.
Straight Long
Jet Black
Butter BlondeWicked makeup: Elphaba and Glinda, side by side
| Elphaba | Glinda | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Full green face and neck | Your own skin, glowing |
| Eyes | Dark smoky with a sharp liner | Rosy pink shimmer |
| Lips | Deep berry black | Glossy bubblegum pink |
| Extra | Sculpted green contour | Rhinestones on the cheekbones |
| Hair | Long, sleek and black | Soft blonde curls |
| Time | 45 minutes | 20 minutes |
For the rest of this season's character looks, see the trending Halloween costumes roundup.
Elphaba makeup, step by step
1. Prime everything
Moisturize, then use a primer on the face, ears and neck. Face paint grips primed skin evenly and comes off more easily at the end of the night.
2. Paint the green in thin layers
With a damp makeup sponge, press a thin layer of water activated green paint over the whole face, then the ears and neck down to the collar. Let it dry, powder it, and add a second thin layer only where the first looks patchy.
3. Sculpt with darker green
Mix the green with a touch of black or use a darker green, and contour under the cheekbones, at the temples, along the jaw and down the sides of the nose. This is what stops a painted face from looking flat.
4. Smoke the eyes
A black or deep plum shadow blended into the crease, a sharp black liner on top, and mascara. Keep the lid itself clean of green so the eyes stay bright.
5. Darken the lip
A deep berry black lip, lined first and pressed on. Then mist the whole face with a setting spray held at arm's length.
Glinda makeup, step by step
1. Glow the base
Your usual foundation with a luminous finish, then a soft pink blush high on the cheekbones and a champagne highlighter on top.
2. Shimmer the eyes pink
A rosy pink shimmer on the whole lid, a slightly deeper pink in the crease, and a touch of white shimmer in the inner corners. Curl the lashes and add mascara.
3. Add the sparkle
With a little lash glue, press a curved line of small rhinestones along the top of each cheekbone, from the outer corner of the eye toward the ear.
4. Gloss the lips
A bubblegum pink lipstick with clear gloss on top. Glinda is never matte.
The hair for both
Elphaba's hair is long, sleek and black, worn straight under a tall black pointed hat. Glinda's is soft, bouncy blonde curls. Both are easy to preview on your own photo before you buy a wig: a straight long style in jet black for Elphaba, and butter blonde for Glinda. For shades you might keep after the party, see hair ideas by season.
Taking off the green
Green pigment clings to the hairline, the brows and the edges of the nose. Melt it with a cleansing balm or oil before any water touches it, then cleanse normally. A little oil on a cotton pad lifts what is left at the hairline.
A quicker Elphaba
No time for full paint? Keep your own skin, do a green shimmer eye with a sharp black liner, a deep berry lip and a strong contour, and wear the hat. It reads as Elphaba next to a Glinda and takes about fifteen minutes. The classic storybook green witch, and two other witch looks, are in our witch makeup guide.
See yourself green, or pink, first
A full green face changes how every feature reads, and so does a lot of pink shimmer. It is the look most worth testing before you buy the paint. HairGlam's Halloween Studio puts both, Emerald Sorceress and Good Witch Glam, on a photo of your face in seconds. Your first 4 Halloween looks are free, on iPhone and iPad. Try Elphaba and Glinda makeup on your own face in HairGlam before you pick your side. If your friend would rather be Harley, our Harley Quinn makeup guide is the other big look of the year.
Try Elphaba and Glinda 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 paint my face green for Elphaba?
How do I stop green face paint from cracking?
What makeup does Glinda wear?
Can I do Elphaba without full green face paint?
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