MAKEUP RULES: Halloween mask-erade

October 23. 2013 9:33AM
By Bobby Walsh (The Real King Bob) Weekender Correspondent 

Still can’t decide what to be for Halloween? Get inspired and create yourself a mask. Once again, you don’t need to go out and spend a lot of money to create this look; in fact you don’t even need a costume, just some everyday makeup you or someone you know has laying around.

To create a mask, research a character you want to recreate, whether it be a horror villain or someone from the Disney realm. Pick apart some of that person/thing’s most popular attributes that will distinctly draw attention to them, making it easy for people to recognize which character mask you have created.

One example is a mask I did a few Halloweens ago: Jack Skellington. I completely blacked out my eyes with black eyeliner and eye shadow and drew the shape of his eyes. I then took his distinct mouth design and used that as the outline for the mask, and filled the rest in with white eye shadow. To finish the look, I threw on a Santa hat I had laying around from the previous Christmas.

Another example is a “Finding Nemo” mask. Simply take the colors of Nemo, which are orange, black and white, and draw a clown fish design or pattern on or around your eye area and finish with an orange bow in your hair, perhaps leaving the one loop of the bow bigger than the other to represent Nemo’s underdeveloped fin.

Another look could also be as simple as wearing a black cape with black clothes and painting the Batman symbol as a mask across your eyes or creating a masquerade-inspired mask with glitter and gemstones outlining it - the possibilities are endless.

I recommend using a white eye liner to trace and draw your inspiration on your face or to mark where stones or any appliqué will go. For more information and tutorials, I suggest checking out Goldiestarling on Youtube. She also has a variety of inspired masks for Halloween that are simply done with everyday makeup. Make sure to set your mask with a makeup setting spray, like Urban Decay All Nighter, to guarantee longevity for the night.

Tip: Try creating fun shapes or designs with paper and string and attach them to your face to give the appearance of wearing an actual mask, or to better develope the character inspiration.

Trick: Use a template cut from paper or a store-bought eye mask and trace the design onto your face to get a more accurate shape and design.

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