Mermaid Makeup Tutorial
The Genius Hack For Transforming Into a Beautiful Mermaid With Makeup

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Mermaids — hands down — are predicted to be one of the hottest Halloween costumes for the 2016 season. While we all want to be ethereal sea creatures IRL, on Halloween we have a legit reason to transform ourselves into the modern-day version of Ariel. Get into a sea siren spirit via shimmering scales on your cheekbones, ocean-hued eyed shadow, and a rainbow waves.
In case you aren't quite sure how to recreate this look yourself (even though you've watched countless Instagram and YouTube tutorials already), we've asked for help from MAC Senior Artist Keri Blair to take us through the steps to getting mermaid ready.
Step 1
Using a water-soluble glue stick and a spatula, cover half of your brow with glue. Start at the arch and work your way towards the ear. Later, you'll be covering this section with concealer to create a more Mermaid-friendly arch to your brow, and gluing down the hairs helps with the coverage. Editor's note: using a water-soluble glue stick means the removal process is easy later, you just need to wash it off with a makeup remover!
Step 2
Once the glue dries, cover the area with a creamy foundation like MAC Full Coverage ($34). Then, lightly powder the area to help conceal the hairs. This has created a base so you can draw on your own brow later.
Step 3
For the eyes, begin by using a cream-based eye product or primer to balance the lid out. Try MAC Luna Cream Color Base ($22). This will give you more intensity with the shadows. Keri suggests using a mix of greens, purple, and blues to mimic water, but you can choose your own colors. Always start with lighter shades as a base, and then layer on the darker hues. Keri also likes to keep frosted formulas focused on the lid and under the brow to help highlight and matte shades in the crease and any other areas you need depth.
Step 4
Grab a flat brush (for precision!). Try MAC's 239 Brush ($25). Use it to apply a teal shadow across your lid, from the inner corner out.
Step 5
Using a fluffy blush (which will help to blend out the darker shadow shades), layer on a brighter blue shade, from the crease up to the brow bone. We used Atlantic Blue ($16). Remember to blend both shades together at the crease.
Step 6
Finally, take a bold purple color, such as MAC Cosmetics Violet Pigment ($22), and apply it underneath the lash line to really make your eyes pop. For continuity, you can add a touch of the cream shadow that you started with (Luna is featured here) in the inner corner of the eye to highlight the area.
Step 7
Now that your shadow is in a good place, clean up any fallout with foundation and a fluffy brush. You'll want to use something that is longlasting since you'll be out all night, so try one like MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation ($34). Next, set everything with a powder to ensure it will stay.
Step 8
To finish the brows, use an angled brush and a brown shadow, like MAC Cosmetics Corduroy ($16). Lightly create a line above your brow, using the area that you had previously glued as a guiding point. The goal here is to give your brow more of a severe arch, and a bit more of a "costume" feel.
Step 9
Step 10
Using either a sponge or a dense brush full of purple shadow, tap on the product in a stippling motion on your cheekbones. Don't rub in the product because you don't want to move the fish net (which is why it's important to put it over your head, and not just hold it to your cheek). Once you think you've stippled on enough product on both sides of your cheeks, carefully cut the bottom of the fish net so you can remove it without smudging the product.
Step 11
To complete the eyes, layer mascara on your lashes. You can use a colored mascara for more of an oomph factor, such as MAC Cosmetics Zoom Lash in Plum Reserve ($10).