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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.

With Halloween coming up, I thought I would write this week’s article on a few ways to use makeup to get spooky. If you don’t have a costume, this is an easy way to turn an average outfit into a a costume! Although two-dimensional makeup does not look as realistic as it could if you used prosthetics, it is pretty simple and gives you a lot of creative liberty to make your own original looks.The first thing I’m going to show you guys is how to make a bruise. I’m using my Kryolan Bruise Wheel, which is a professional cream makeup set that costs around $40. You can definitely find similar products for much less at a costume store or you can even use lipsticks from the drug store as long as the colors match. 

I started with a blank area of skin and used green to create a base. You want to apply lighter colors first so that everything blends well. I patted this color on with my fingertips. Don’t worry about keeping things too precise or rubbing it in; real injuries have indefinite borders. 

Next I applied purple in a patting motion to whichever parts I wanted to look more severe. Again, patting with your fingertips is really important to create the most realistic effect. Start with a little bit and you can build it up for more intensity. 

The final step is to add a little bit of a deep red in the spots you want to look most severe. This looks like blood coming to the surface and it makes the bruise look really gruesome. I made a small bruise, but you can place them wherever you want and change the size/ shape according to whatever look you have in mind. 

Next, I’m going to show you some different ways to make cuts. The first one was extremely simple. I applied the same deep red that I used before to the rough side of a sponge (not a makeup sponge—a real, dish-washing sponge) and I dragged it along my skin to create the texture of a scrape.

To intensify this look, you can take a thin makeup brush or paintbrush and widen the size of some of the scrapes. 

You can also use a black shade to create the look of scabs, but as I mentioned earlier, this isn’t as realistic as it could be because it is only two-dimensional makeup. 

The last thing I did was, using the same brush, I extended the ends of the cut and widened it to create a huge gash.Then I painted on some stitches with that same brush and the black I used to make the scabs. If you make the edges of each stitch slightly curved, they will look more realistic. If you have fake blood, you can apply some along the border of the cut and along the stitches to make it look more like an open wound.  I hope this was helpful (and not too disgusting!) and I hope you all have a great Halloween!

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Danielle is currently a Public Relations major at Hofstra University with a minor in Drama. She is passionate about poetry, politics, and all things cosmetics-related. She is originally from Los Angeles, California and though she misses the sunny weather, she is loving New York. She also has a slight addiction to caffeine and good Mexican food.
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Rachel is a senior at Hofstra University where she majors in journalism with minors in fine arts photography and creative writing. The Rochester, NY native is involved in several organizations on campus including the Hofstra chapters of Ed2010 and She's the First. She is also an RA in a freshman residence hall. Rachel has interned at College Lifestyles, Cosmopolitan, The Knot Magazine, and is now interning at Us Weekly. She hopes to someday fulfill her dreams of being an editor at a magazine. Until then, she is a dreamer, a wanderlust and a lover of haikus. Follow her on Twitter for silly and sarcastic tidbits @rcrocetti!