A Guide to Halloween Makeup

Halloween is a fun time of year where you get to dress up as someone or something that you are not. Many of us like to grab a costume, grab some face paint, and have a great night. However, there are certainly some things that you should put on your body and things that you should not. I ’m going to cover some of the basics for makeup on Halloween to help you avoid reactions to the wrong products and so you can look your best on Halloween night (and yes, I have tried all of the products I’m suggesting myself)! 

1. Body Paint ONLY 

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A lot of people figure that any paint will do on Halloween. I’m here to tell you that that is absolutely INCORRECT. Body paint is the only type of paint that should ever go on your body. While it may be easier or cheaper to just grab that tempera or acrylic paint from the dollar store I promise your skin won’t thank you for it.  Body paint can be purchased online or at any Halloween store or party store in town (even Walmart has proper paints for your skin!), so take that extra step! In addition to being safer, your look will be so much better with paint that moves with your skin rather than cracks and peels off throughout the night.

2. Know what type of body paint you want to use

Body paint, like any beauty makeup, has different paints for different skin types and circumstances. I’ll let you know a few of my favourites so that you can pick what’s best for you (many of the brands I’ll list though)

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a) Water-based paint

This one is absolutely best for sensitive skin. This type of makeup is great for full coverage and only needs a little water to activate- otherwise it stays completely dry (which means it won’t get everywhere!). My favourites are Wolfe FX paints, Graftobian and Mehron Paradise paints for water-based. 

b) Cream makeup

This is the makeup you will usually see in a Halloween store and is the most economical. It’ll do a nice full-coverage but tends to be pretty heavy on the skin and will trap moisture, It’s great if you’re only out for a few hours- just be careful not to touch it or you’ll smear it! I like snazaroo or Spirit Halloween’s brand if I ’m going to use cream-based makeup. 

c) Grease paint

Grease paint is oily to the touch and takes a lot more makeup to get full coverage. Because of that, I find grease paints are best for a look that requires a bit more of a translucent makeup. When I use grease paints I prefer Graftobian’s. 

d) Alcohol based paints

The last one I’ll go over is alcohol based paints. Alcohol based paints are great because you can control the opacity by adding more or less alcohol, so they’re great for spooky looks that require bruises or veins because you can make it look like it is under your skin by diluting it more. The downside? Alcohol paints require a 99% alcohol activator or they stay dry (like the water based paints) and are super expensive. My favourites are by Studio F/X. 

3. Fake Blood

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Yes, fake blood is makeup. Much like makeup there’s multiple types of fake blood (too many for me to cover really!) and you need to know which one will give you the look you want for your Halloween masterpiece. I’m just going to go over the ones you will likely find in a Halloween store and if you want to know more have a look online! 

a) Stage blood

This is your stereotypical, runny blood. Great for open wounds, fresh cuts, etc. If you really want to up the gore factor, throw this stuff in a spray bottle and spray it all over you. The effect is amazing! 

b) Blood Gel

Blood gel is a thicker type of fake blood than stage blood. The biggest draw is that it isn’t as viscous, so rather than seeming like you got sprayed with blood or dragged yourself through blood, this blood can drip more consistently and in one place. Great for isolated wounds. 

c) Blood Paste

The thickest of all of the bloods we’ve talked about, blood pasts is almost like molasses in consistency. This is the blood you want to use if you’re trying to get it to stay in one place- like in a deep wound. This is also the darkest in colour- you’ll probably want a makeup spatula to apply this one! 

There’s a lot more to Halloween makeup than people might think- from making sure that you’re safe, to making sure that your look is scary as can be there’s plenty to consider. Hopefully this article helps with that! 

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