OK guys. We’ve just got October 3rd out the way ("On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was"), which means there’s only more iconic Mean Girls quote coming-up next. You know the one, and it’s about getting all dressed up for Halloween.
Only, every year, buying a new Halloween costume can be costly. And that’s bloody scary in this climate. So, we’ve brainstormed how to do fancy dress, with all the style and without the boujee price tag.
Instead, these Halloween ideas can be achieved with make-up and a few props.
You’ve got all the trusty lotions and potions to hand in your make-up bag to carry out these 20 simple Halloween makeup looks.
Halloween witch make-up
For decades, the witch has been our Halloween go to. You just need to nab your nan’s broom, a hat, a pair of novelty spiderweb tights and a velvet or lace dress. All low-cost. Sorry, nan.
YouTuber, Maryam Maquillage, is killing the classic favourite, with dark lipstick and green eyeshadow.
**Halloween cat make-**up
Nothing says Halloween like a pair of questionable cat ears you’ve had knocking around the house since your early Ariana Grande stan days.
Chantal Pippa has used just seven products - includingfoundation, concealer, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipstick and powder - to pull together this easy kitty look. Essentially, it’s all done with pencil and liquid eyeliner. Pur-fect for the last-minute leavers amongst us.
Halloween devil make-up
If you own a red dress, the only props you need are some horns, maybe a pitchfork and you’re ready to go.
Jasmin Cattreya’s Halloween devil make-up is quick and easy, you just need a lot of red products.
Halloween vampire make-up
Twilight. It’s been a while. If you’re Team Edward, and ever wondered how to do vampire make-up for Halloween, grab your highest-collared vintage dress, a pair of fake fangs and watch this tutorial.
Joanna Marie Kutkina vampire look is super-simple, and you can just get yourself a bit of fake blood to make it more extreme.
Halloween mouse or rabbit make-up
It’s been a decade since Lady Gaga strutted around in mouse ears, or since those River Island double pom pom hats were in fashion (if you still have those, great).
But YouTuber Pretty Casual cleverly uses her hair to make bunny ears. Her five-minute tutorial is super easy Halloween make-up and another great one for the last-minute ladies.
‘I’m a mouse, duh!”
Eleven from Stranger Things Halloween make-up
There’s no doubt about it, Millie Bobby Brown is the cutest. Her character from Stranger Things, Eleven, has a signature look: the nose bleed.
Thanks to Estrada Sisters, she's revealed how to recreate the look and luckily you don't actually need to have a nose bleed to achieve the iconic look.
The Joker from DC Comics Halloween make-up
Whoever you’re emulating Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix or Jared Leto - a can of green temporary hairspray, a cool suit and braces are great places to start.
We’ve had a little gander at the tutorials, and it turns out, the dudes do it better on this one. Our favourite is by Ben French MUA. Still, this easy Halloween makeup is unisex, so crack on, girls!
You’ll probably need to get some cheap face-pants for this look too.
Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians Halloween make-up
OK. We know Emma Stone did an amazing job in the new one, but we’ve gone OG here and found a tutorial for the 1961 animated version of our favourite villain, Cruella De Vil.
YouTuber Sara did say this look took over an hour to create, so make sure you give yourself more than enough time. Grab your fur coat, a pair of red gloves and a cigarette holder and you're good to go.
If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will.
Halloween skeleton make-up
If all you’ve got is a pack of black and white face paint, Mel Fidel has got you covered.
Plus, if you own a pinstripe suit or waistcoat, you can even go as Jack Skellington from The Nightmare before Christmas. Or, if you’ve got a straw hat and a red handkerchief, you can try Uncle Héctor Rivera from Disney’s Coco.
Halloween butterfly make-up
A random fact we love is that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.
And there’s nothing more varied in colours, patterns and shapes than a kaleidoscope. So, going as a butterfly for Halloween gives you total free reign over this look.
YouTuber Raggedy Royal’s look uses yellows, oranges and purples, but these can be played with. It’s mostly achieved through a lot of eye make-up and cute little butterfly dots.
Jigsaw from Saw Halloween make-up
If the nine Saw movies don’t give you the heebie jeebies, we don’t know what will. YouTuber Roxette Arisa has done a simple makeup tutorial, but made Jigsaw sexy. Thank goodness for that.
In his words, let the games begin!
Chucky from Child’s Play Halloween make-up
This ‘80s movie is the epitome of creepy. If you don’t know, Chucky is actually a serial killer, who escaped death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll. Yep, and to continue murdering people. Great.
Costume wise, it’s actually super nifty, as all you need is a denim pinafore or dungarees and a stripy tee. Prop wise, a fake knife would come in handy. Please don’t use a real one! Plus, this costume is great for redheads, otherwise a can of red temporary hairspray will help.
Elle James transforms herself into the creepy doll on her tutorial. She even painted his top and dungarees on, which is wild.
Halloween deer make-up
Doh! A deer, a female deer. Well, that could be you this Halloween but FYI it involves a bit of body make-up too.
This tutorial by The Make Up Chair looks super complicated, but it’s actually way easier than it looks.
Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family Halloween make-up
It’s time to channel your inner Kourtney Kardashian and go super goth girl, with Wednesday Addams.
If you have a long sleeve LBD (little black dress) with a white collar, perfect. No worries if you don't, you only need to buy a white collar and put it over a black dress, which is what Kayla Hagey does in her tutorial.
Hair wise, a couple of pig tails. Duh, duh, duh, duh *click click*
Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Halloween make-up
A bratty child is pretty terrifying. For a Violet Beauregarde costume, all it requires is some blue make-up and a blue hoodie, or ideally full tracksuit.
You could even fashion your own prop, by making a golden ticket. Don’t forget to take a pack of Hubba Bubba sour blue raspberry gum with you. You’ve got to be popping bottles and blowing bubbles all night.
Halloween mermaid make-up
If you own any metallic blue, green or lilac outfits, a little bit of mermaid make-up for Halloween could transform it into a whole costume.
YouTuber Rhiannon Claire uses a pair of old fishnet tights to create fish scales in her tutorial.
Halloween alien make-up
A little bit of alien make-up could have you looking out of this world. Get it?
All you need is a pair of glittery boppers, and there is a lot of flexibility on the outfit. Jackie Ann has got the secret to extra-terrestrial life in her tutorial.
Halloween pumpkin make-up
You know, it’s not every day dressing-up sexy. Sometimes, you just want to be a round, orange vegetable. And no, we're not talking about our bad fake tan.
What is more iconic for Halloween, than a pumpkin?
YouTuber Dope2111 makes this amazing pumpkin inspired look, and you could partner this with a black leather dress or a funky orange one. A green hat could also work, to be your pumpkin root.
Halloween fairy make-up
Fake pixie ears are fun to wear. OK? Let’s face it. So, any excuse to get those on, with a cute pixie dress, and you’re suddenly a spooky fairy. Korie Reynolds uses green glitter and fun foliage to turn herself into a modern, rock and roll Tinkerbell.
Halloween scarecrow make-up
Again, the outfit is super easy – you just need a pair of dungarees, a check shirt, and to get your hands on a straw hat.
You could even rope in a friend to be your Dorothy.
So, there’s twenty simple Halloween make-up looks, from cute fuzzy animals, movie icons, magical creatures and even a vegetable.
Some of the team have shared their favourites.
Deputy Section Editor, Lily Smith, used Kayla Hagey’s tutorial to dress up as Wednesday Addams last year. She said, “I loved the Wednesday Addams one because it’s super easy and you can use pretty much everything you already have in your makeup bag, and it really finishes off the costume.”
New and Entertainment Writer, Millie Payne’s favourite look is Eleven from Stranger Things. She even admitted, “I am often not the most creative when it comes to Halloween, so I love how simple it is to recreate her look. Plus, Stranger Things is such a phenomenon that everyone should be able to guess who I am! The neutral eyeshadow also gets a big tick from me.”