Trick or treat: What you need for a beginner’s Halloween make-up kit!

SPOOKY season is upon us, and Halloween is just around the corner! Although the festivities and costumes are a good thrill, it’s not always so easy to create a Halloween make-up look, and the spooky make-up rocked by celebrities and influencers can be daunting to attempt at home. To make creating a jaw-dropping Halloween-look simple, here are a few supplies that you can get to start the process:

Astringent

An astringent is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. This isn’t technically make-up. But it’s an essential first step in creating a long-lasting look for Halloween. Make-up adheres better to clean skin, and the astringent will help remove those excess oils.

Here are some products that you can find at local stores that will help make your make-up last after application and cleanse your skin before application:

• Essence Instant Matt Make-Up Setting Spray
• Garnier Pure Active – Pore Purifying Toner Astringent
• Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Setting Spray
• Rimmel – Insta Setting Spray Fix and Go
• La Girl Pro Setting Hd Matte Finish Spray

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Cream-based make-up

This is probably the most popular Halloween make-up item. It’s easy to find and apply and often comes in kits designed for certain looks. While this makes make-up easier to apply, beware of these kits. You may be planning to wear this make-up over the weekend and find that you can’t get it off your face in time for work the next week! What you put on your skin always matters, and unfortunately, these kits often contain nasty ingredients that can cause an even nastier reaction. Stick with brands you know.

Here are some colourful products that can help you create the perfect Halloween look:

• Revolution Forever Flawless Bird of Paradise – contains blazing mattes, sparkling glitters, and soft-to-the-touch creamy shimmers
• Revolution Creator Halloween SFX White Base Matte Foundation
• Revolution Beauty London Creator SFX Metallic Face Paint Palette
• Revolution Creator SFX Face Paint Palette-Multi
• Revolution Creator SFX Halloween Fake Blood Jelly

Adhesives

Adhesives can be tricky at first but can also create some awesome Halloween make-up. They can be used to create a variety of special effects from wrinkles to gory head wounds.  You can use it to attach prosthetic scars and ridges and can also use it to build special effects from scratch. The most popular adhesives are liquid latex and corn syrup. Be careful with liquid latex – it’s ammonia-based and its vapours can burn your eyes. You can still use it – just let it vent a little before applying.

Here are some safe adhesives you can try:

• Makeup Revolution Creator Revolution SFX Liquid Latex
• Kryolan Liquid Latex Clear
• Paint Glow, Liquid Latex

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Prosthetics

Prosthetics can add an extra flair to your costume. You can add a wart, scar, or even (with some practice) a new nose! Most of these are rubber or latex, but you can also create your own with layers of adhesive-soaked tissue. As with any make-up, it’s a good idea to do a skin test first. A skin prick test, also called a puncture or scratch test, checks for immediate allergic reactions to as many as 50 different substances at once. This test is usually done to identify allergies to pollen, mould, pet dander, dust mites and foods. Beyond that, have a blast this year with your Halloween make-up!