Spark

Now that we’re retired trick-or-treaters, it’s easy for Halloween to become an afterthought. If you have party plans, but saved your costume planning until the last minute – don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. (Don’t we always?!) Our team whipped up two creative makeup looks that are simple to do and don’t require any special products. Pay close attention and you just might win Best Costume! ;)

Roy Lichtenstein “Pop Art”

Halloween makeup doesn’t have to be scary to be impressive. This Roy Lichtenstein-inspired look may seem a bit daunting, but it’s surprisingly easy to pull off. (And you don’t have to be a makeup artist to do it!) Follow these steps and it will look like Lichtenstein drew you himself…

Directions:

Step 1) Start by prepping your skin with a mattifying primer. We recommend MAC Matte Créme Matifiante to reduce any shine.
Step 2) Apply a matte foundation and conceal any dark circles or blemishes. (Avoid setting your face with powder so it's easier to apply the dots later on.)
Step 3) Apply a bright eyeshadow over the entire lid. You can use any colour you want, just make sure it pops and will stand out against the rest of the makeup. Apply black eyeliner to the top of your lid, through the crease, and right underneath your eye to emphasize the shape. Finish with mascara on the top and bottom lashes. Feel free to add false lashes for a more dramatic look.
Step 4) Now it’s time for some contouring! We recommend using our photo for reference, or googling Lichtenstein’s work to give you a shape to follow. Start by drawing on your eyebrows with a long-wearing black gel liner. We used Blacktrack by MAC, and applied it with a small angle brush. To get that furrowed brow look, make sure the brows are sharply defined and thicker than normal. Add a few expression lines by furrowing your brows and filling in your natural lines. For your facial contours, outline the details of your face with a sharp black line. We recommend applying the same black liner down the side of your nose, in the edges of your nostrils, along your cheekbones, under your jawline, and just below the lip. Don't forget your neck!
Step 5) Apply a bright red lipstick all over the lips, and outline in black gel liner. Make sure to outline your lips after the lipstick is on to avoid any smudging. For an added highlight, take a bit of white face paint or white liquid liner, and apply it to your lower lip to give a reflective look.
Step 6) You’re almost done! It’s finally time to create the iconic Lichtenstein dots. You can choose to do either white or red, or a mix of both. To create the dots, we dipped the end of a makeup brush into white fluid liner and applied them evenly over the face and neck. Do your best to ensure the dots are the same size and evenly spread out. Take your time – this step will make or break the look!

Outfit suggestion: There’s no denying that the makeup IS the costume here. You can technically wear anything you want and create your own character, but we thought a retro ‘60s vibe would stay true to Lichtenstein’s era. We chose a black dress, and jazzed it up with red accessories to match the bright red lips. Don't forget the pearl accessories! To achieve this hair look, we made a deep side part and created loose, romantic waves with a flat iron.

Pretty alien

Studio 54 meets Area 51 in this mod-alien look. If you want to go as something cute and pretty, this costume would be a great option. The makeup is also quite versatile, and can be adapted into a fairy or unicorn, if you want to take it in another direction.

Directions:

Step 1) Start by using a yellow-based primer to neutralize your skin tone and reduce any redness. Even though it’s Halloween, you still want your skin to look flawless!
Step 2) Use a foundation that has a dewy finish to give your skin an ethereal glow. Make sure to conceal any dark circles or blemishes so your skin appears as even as possible.
Step 3) Apply a shimmery highlighter to the top of your cheekbones, along the middle of your nose, and in the centre of your forehead for an “extraterrestrial” glow. Set the entire face with translucent powder.
Step 4) For the eyes, we chose a shimmery white shade for the lid and applied a smoky taupe colour through the crease. Finish with a swipe of black liner and a few coats of mascara. Feel free to add wispy false lashes for a more dramatic look.
Step 5) Apply a pastel pink lipstick all over the lips.
Step 6) Run a light concealer through your eyebrows. This will act as a base and lighten your natural brow colour. Using a damp angle brush, apply a bright pink blush or eyeshadow (whatever you have!) and fill in the entire area. Continue doing this until you achieve the desired effect.
Step 7) Apply the same pink blush up your cheekbones using a fluffy blush brush. You want to create a ‘C’ shape on both sides of your face, hitting the temples and outer edge of your forehead. For an extra light boost, dust a cosmic silver highlight on the tops of your cheekbones.
Step 8) Finish off the look with space-friendly stars! We used star-shaped confetti to do this, and applied them along the outer portion of the cheeks with eyelash adhesive. You can also use regular stickers or white liquid eyeliner to draw on stars, dots, or whatever shape you like.

Outfit suggestion: For our “pretty alien” we wanted to combine a futuristic Jetsons vibe with a mod ‘60s twist. We chose Twiggy-approved staples: a basic black dress (preferably with a high neckline), a sheer cropped cami, pantyhose, and black knee-high boots. To keep the look extraterrestrial friendly, we added a glittery belt and silver cuff bracelets on both arms. For the hair, we added coloured hair extensions and parted the hair into two sections, making a bun on each side. What really brings the costume to life are the metal bun cages – how cool are these?! The metal details add a funky, sci-fi feel to the look.

Happy Halloween from the Spark team! Make sure to tag us on Instagram or Twitter (@StVitalCentre) if you recreate either of these looks. Our makeup artist, Geoff Amanonce, would love to see!

xo