15 Halloween Makeup Looks You Won't Even Need A Costume For
When Halloween is right around the corner, it's officially crunch time. Skip the precious minutes you were planning to spend browsing online for last-minute costumes and forking over cash for expensive expedited (but still not guaranteed) shipping. Instead, get creative this Halloween and stock up on makeup for costume-free looks. You don't need to be Picasso reincarnated or a beauty expert to nail these DIY looks.
If you already have a bright eyeshadow palette handy, you're 10 steps ahead. Per Byrdie, you can draw inspiration from licensed cosmetologist Ariel Lebron's starry Instagram post and channel your zodiac sign (as pictured above). To get the full effect, just add glitter and go. For the ultimate timesaver, Teen Vogue recommends going with a classic look. Wednesday Addams is a fan-favorite, and only requires a quick look through your makeup bag for neutral-toned makeup.
To really sell your look, match your makeup to the aesthetic you're going for. Here are 13 more Halloween makeup looks you can pull off without a costume.
Disney villain-inspired Halloween makeup
When in doubt, turn to TikTok for all of your Halloween makeup needs. Makeup artist Kathryn Denny channeled iconic characters for her TikTok Disney villains series. "Lion King" fans, rejoice — her Scar look is easy to replicate and calls for mostly neutral colors. To get the look, prep your eyelids with primer and apply a thick, vertical line of foundation over one part of your eyebrow until it appears separated. Fill in your brows so that the contrast stands out, then layer with black, brown, and orange eyeshadow.
In her TikTok tutorial, Denny carefully blends her eyeshadow until she gets an ombre effect, then lines her waterline with lime green eyeshadow. While you can technically skip this step if you're not a fan of bright colors, the hint of green is a nice shoutout to Scar's eerie eyes. After you apply your foundation, blush, and highlighter as usual, play up the evil villain vibes by dabbing black lipstick on your upper lip only.
Live like another Disney villain for the day with an Ursula-inspired makeup look. To embody everyone's favorite sea witch, self-proclaimed makeup enthusiast Chloe used a handful of products in her TikTok makeup tutorial. After dabbing on lavender eyeshadow, she used black liquid liner to draw Ursula's tentacles on her lids before doubling her lines with purple liner. Add even more magic to your outfit by drawing on her enchanted shell necklace.
More Disney makeup tutorials
If villains aren't your cup of tea, you can also celebrate Halloween like a true Disney princess. In her TikTok beauty tutorial, makeup artist Zatese Brown brought out her inner Belle using bright yellow eyeshadow, strategically placed glitter, and bold lashes. Add a single rose for a finishing touch.
For a full transformation with minimal products, show up as the character Disgust from Disney and Pixar's 2015 film "Inside Out." TikTok user Beautygurumo nailed this look in her video by rocking a full face of green makeup topped off with a matching wig. Her deep plum lipstick complements her lavender scarf. For more "Inside Out" favorites, Beautygurumo filmed tutorials for each of the Emotions. Each look is costume-lite and requires a few key items to stand out. The trick is to match your wig to your makeup.
To imitate Sadness, you'll need two different shades of blue for your face makeup, as seen in Beautygurumo's video tutorial. Pick up an electric blue wig from your nearest costume shop and a pair of glasses. Pair with the coziest cream sweater, and you're all set. As shown in another video from the beauty TikToker's "Inside Out" series, Joy's face color is the only one that doesn't match her hair. If you're planning multiple events this weekend, you can recycle your blue wig and go as Sadness one day and Joy the next. A final swipe of pink lipstick will tie the look together.
Weather-inspired makeup looks
Per Cosmopolitan, the cloud makeup trend is all over social media for 2021. You can approach this look from different angles. Refinery29 pointed out that on the runway, makeup artists kept it simple by drawing an outline of a cloud around their models' eyelids using pencil or gel liner. What's great is that you can tweak this trend to fit your personality. If you consider yourself a makeup connoisseur, TikTok user Chelsea Bananas' cotton candy skies video will satisfy your sweet tooth.
For a twist on cloud makeup, draw a sunny outline on your cheeks using black liner, as seen on TikTok makeup vlogger Siri. If you're pressed for time, you can even forego the clouds altogether and play up your golden look with metallic eyeshadow and sun-shaped earrings.
Stay on the weather wave, and put your blending skills to the test by rocking all of the colors of the rainbow on your eyelids. According to her comments section, TikTok user Lauren B. Brown used beauty brand Morphe's blending brushes to bring her look to life. Copy this look by starting inward and applying the light-colored eyeshadow first. Then, gently blend in the darker tones on sections of your lids. Complete your rainbow aesthetic with colorful hair clips.
Long live the '90s
The 1990s was a distinct time for fashion and makeup. Take a trip down memory lane by transforming yourself into the millennial favorite Bratz doll. In her makeup video, TikTok user Lenkalul used winged eyeliner and an exaggerated pout to turn herself into the Cloe Bratz doll. Pulling this look off is simple. You can use any choice of eyeshadow as long as you give yourself a bold lip and brow. For bonus points, chunky boots or sneakers will take your not-costume to the next level.
And '90s makeup is always on trend. Pay tribute to the late goddess of R&B Aaliyah with Iamxcleo's neutral makeup video. For Aaliyah's signature brown lip, she used NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream in Berlin and black lip liner. The two-toned lip is the peak of '90s perfection. If you're brave enough to bring back the '90s brow, you can underemphasize their thickness using concealer.
Up the ante with these spooky makeup looks
The Zoe Report rounded up makeup looks for those of us who spent too much time brainstorming what to wear. Take a page out of Instagram makeup artist Karima's book, and go as the Clown Prince of Crime by picking up green and purple eyeshadow from your favorite drugstore (via Instagram). Use the green shadow to color in your eyebrows. Complete your look with The Joker's iconic bold red lip.
When it comes to Halloween, liquid liner is your best friend. Instagram makeup blogger Laurwongs went the minimalist route and created spiderwebs. To perfect her spooky look, use liquid liners in two different shades, and slowly trace spiderwebs around your eyes. In the caption of her tutorial, Laurwongs shared that she used Colourpop's wine collection liquid liner for her webs. Creating this look requires a steady hand, and maybe some practice before October 31.