Make It Up Monday - 4 Ghoulish DIY Tricks for Halloween Makeup

Posted by Heather Coopersmith on October 30, 2017

It's October 30th, and you need some last minute Halloween costume ideas! Don't let Hallow's Eve get you down. Following on from last week's stage makeup and Halloween inspo, I'm here to give you some spooky tips on how to use household items or stuff from your makeup kit to help you get your 'spook' on!

1. Fishnet Stockings

If you would like to become a mermaid, take a fishnet stocking and cut it width wise. Place it over your face, and you have a fish scale template to work with! Use your imagination to highlight, contour and apply makeup over the netting to create your mermaid look. The sky's the limit with this one. Remember to try and stretch the stocking out and over when removing so you don't disturb your makeup application. This is a super fun and easy idea for Halloween!

2. Eye Pencils

I think most of us may have a GladGirl Be Eye Beautiful - Retractable Pencil in black or a GladGirl black liquid liner in our makeup kit. If you want to be a cat or a skeleton take one of these and make those whiskers and a cute cat nose or black-out your eyes and make creepy skeleton teeth. Just get a picture of what you like and try your best to interpret your very own version. The possibilities are endless! Let your creativity flow and see what you can come up with for a unique look! Image credit: Lydia Murphy @mua.lydia

3. Gelatin

Yes, this is an oldie, but a goodie! I remember playing with gelatin in makeup school, and it's a great and easy way to make burns, scars or mutilations. If you are wanting to be a mangled-up horror show then this could be the stuff for you! If you have some Knox Gelatin in your pantry - then awesome! If you don't, it's probably only two to three dollars at your neighborhood market or Target. Take one teaspoon of Knox Gelatin and one teaspoon of hot water, mix with a popsicle stick or plastic knife until it gets to be a bit thicker in consistency and you start seeing a gelatinous mass created (add in a drop of food coloring to change the color). Once you have the consistency right, you may apply it with the popsicle stick to your face and/or body - wherever you wish your wound to be (make sure the mix is not too hot for your skin). Please have a clean and washed area before applying. Once you have laid down your wound, and while it's still malleable, you can form it and move it a bit before applying your makeup over the top. Use lipstick for blood or add little bits of tissue on the skin and into the wound for added gross factor. Then, stipple on makeup with a sponge or brush to make it look as nasty as you wish! This is old-school, but so effective!

4. Liquid Latex

Last but not least is liquid latex - which is what most strip eyelash glue is made from. Get your Glad Lash Strip & Flare Lash Glue tube out and let the fun begin! This product gives me all the Halloween feels because it's inexpensive, yet so effective. You can use it for many different applications, like:

• peeling flesh
• weathered skin
• pimples
• bullet wounds
• scars

First, take the glue and play with it on the back of your hand to get a sense of how fast it dries and how you wish to work with it. In a sense, latex peels away when dry so if you apply it to your skin you can wait a few seconds to a minute then start manipulating the product to mimic peeling flesh. Simply dab on and let dry. Once you're happy with the effect, you can apply makeup blood to the area to give it life! Then, all you have to do to clean it up is get some coconut oil and rub on it a little to gently peel off the skin completely. If you are feeling extra inspired, you can use all of these suggestions to make your own Halloween creation or just one or two to bring on the macabre. Let me know all about your Halloween costume makeup ideas in the comments below... Fade to the sound of "Thriller" in the background...