3 Easy Last-Minute Halloween Beauty Looks You Can Create in Under 10 Minutes

By Jesa Marie Calaor

Updated on 10/5/2021 at 12:05 PM

Getty | Elizabeth Fernandez
Getty | Elizabeth Fernandez
  • Creating a Halloween makeup look doesn't have to take a long time.
  • The key is choosing the right multipurpose products and palettes.
  • A makeup artist walks us through three quick last-minute Halloween makeup ideas.

Whether you had no intention of spending time on your Halloween costume or find yourself scrambling for ideas the day before, you have options. Memorable Halloween looks don't necessarily require tons of time and materials. In fact, some of the most interesting and eye-catching ones can be created with just makeup. We've asked makeup artist Ioana Goodwin for three costume ideas you can create in under 10 minutes.

While the looks she selected can take just a few minutes to create, Goodwin shared her secrets to making sure they last through all of the evening's Halloween festivities. She preps the skin by gently exfoliating with a peel if needed (her go-to is the SkinFood Pineapple Peeling Gel ($12)), moisturizing (she likes lightweight creams that are potent with hyaluronic acid, like The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA ($8)), and using a hydrating primer (her favorite is the NYX Professional Makeup Hydrating Jelly Primer ($17)).

After she applies the makeup, she sets it using both a powder and a spray. She said that she prefers loose powders and the NYX Professional Makeup Matte Finish Setting Spray ($9), which mattifies the skin once it dries down.

Check out her picks for the best time-saving Halloween beauty looks, ahead.

Last-Minute Halloween Costume: Pennywise the Clown From It

Costume: Pennywise

The keys to re-creating the horror film's terrifying clown antagonist are white base face makeup, bright red lips, and lines running down your face. Goodwin said your first step is to lay down a layer of white water-activated face paint. (We like the Kryolan Aquacolor in TV White ($15) for this.) Then, using a highly pigmented bright red liquid lipstick like the NYX Professional Makeup Liquid Suede in Kitten Heels ($7), draw lines starting from above each of your eyebrows down to your eyes. Then continue the lines from beneath your eyes to connect to the corners of your lips. Using the same lipstick, swipe a layer of red across your lips.

To make the look even scarier, Goodwin recommended adding expression lines. "I would accentuate those around the eyes, the forehead, and around the mouth," she said. She suggested using black eyeliner and brown shadow.

Last-Minute Halloween Costume: Cheshire Cat

Costume: Cheshire Cat

For Goodwin, the most striking feature of Alice in Wonderland's Cheshire Cat is its wide mouth. To create the mouth, use a creamy eye pencil in black to draw the outline β€” which should extend from ear to ear β€” and the features of the teeth. Then, you can fill in the area with creamy eye pencils or colorful matte eye shadows of your choice. Goodwin said to make sure to keep the lines of the mouth as crisp and clean as possible.

We love the wide range of color options in the Morphe X Jaclyn Hill Palette Volume II ($39) that make achieving this look easy.

Last-Minute Halloween Costume: Vibrant Skeleton

Costume: Skeleton

To create a skull costume, Goodwin offered one pro tip: "Look at a picture of the skull and try to draw the eyes, the jaw, and the teeth."

She suggested using water-activated face paint (like the Kryolan Aquacolor ($15)) for the all-over hue you choose for your face. To create the lines, she recommended using a black eyeliner before buffing it out with brown eye shadow. It gives the look "smokiness and dimension," she said.