Boo-tiful Halloween Makeup Tips

Does your Halloween makeup expertise consist of rubbing red circles on your best bud’s clown face (that turn out lopsided despite your best efforts)?

That’s why Cincy Chic is here to add more “boo” into your boo-tiful Halloween makeup this year. Chicsters like us don’t have to rely on those dime a dozen prepackaged makeup kits sold every October — for one, we’re not 5-years-old, and now that we’re grown, covering our face with makeup looking like melted crayons doesn’t hold the allure it once did.

Instead, we have some frightfully appropriate (yet grown up) makeup ideas so you’ll be unspookably chic when the night ‘o fright rolls around.

One way to jazz up your Halloween makeup is using false eyelashes. Even if you’re blessed with naturally long lashes, All Hallow’s Eve is the one night of the year you’re allowed to go a little crazy with your look, so bust out those falsies! False eyelashes come in all sizes and colors, so really the end effect is up to you! There are lashes covered in shimmer for the fairy look, made of red or green foil for a mod look and lashes constructed to look like spider lashes. The best part? They’re also friendly to the chicster on a budget — running from three to five bucks a pop make them gorgeous AND affordable.

If you’re more crafty in your talents, take Halloween as an opportunity to cultivate your inner Martha Stewart and decorate a mask. Masks are great because the very thought of them makes us think of Mardi Gras and intrigue — allowing you to hide your true identity for one night, which as we know, is the point of Halloween (candy excepted, of course). Head down to your local craft store and buy cartloads of fun decorations like glass stones, colored feathers, foam bats or anything that catches your fancy and goes with the theme of your costume. Make it even more fun by throwing a pre-Halloween decorating party for yourself and your friends so you can don personalized masks of mystery Oct. 31!

A third way to get your makeup as noticed as your costume is to say “buh bye” to those traditional Halloween makeup tips and “hello!” to fabulous and yes, Halloween-appropriate products you can find in any drugstore. You may be thinking, “What I have in my makeup bag will not work with my costume.” And you’re probably right. But plenty of brands make eye-popping colors perfect for Halloween, but not necessarily something you’d want to wear to the office.

For instance, L’Oreal makes H.I.P. (High Intensity Pigments) in a rainbow of colors from the brightest teal to the sultriest wine. They have the impact of MAC cosmetics without the drain on your wallet. A small amount goes a long way with these eye shadows because of their concentrated pigments. Let your imagination run wild. Going to the masked ball as a mermaid? Pick up the Teal loose eye shadow and swirl it over your eyes. A flapper more your thing? Pick up H.I.P.’s Visionary; a gold shadow so yellow it looks like it’s made of 24 karats!

L’Oreal has your eyes covered, and Revlon’s taking care of your lips, regardless of costume. For girly costumes like fairies, princesses or angels, Revlon’s Sugar products are your answer. Sugar is a frosted crystal top coat of pearly powder tinted with color you can layer over your lipstick or gloss. It comes in a variety of colors, including Snowflake, Sprinkled Pink, Pixie Plum and PeriTwinkle. For you lovely ladies out there showing your dark side this Halloween, Revlon makes Midnight Swirl gloss, which is a twist of deep glossy color mixed with black pearl shine. These glosses, which come in shades of red, wine and taupe, are literally swirled with a black pearly gloss resulting in a look fit for a witch, devil woman or seductress.

Now that you’ve covered your lips in sugar and your eyes in beautiful colors, it’s time for the rest of your face! Ornament yourself with rhinestones and glitter (depending on your costume, of course). Paste a semicircle of rhinestones around your eye, sprinkle some sparkle on your cheeks and go! Another option for scarier costumes is using black glitter or a stencil. Halloween stores carry stencils of Halloween-appropriate shapes such as bats, ghosts and gothic crosses. Use them to paint funky shapes wherever your skin shows!

Whatever your choice of makeup, remember to have fun — play with different colors, rhinestone patterns and lash lengths to achieve your perfect Halloween look. Have a spooky time!