Haunted by Halloween

October 12, 2010 12:57 PM

Halloween is sneaking up fast and I need some help with makeup ideas and sources. Every year my niece and I create a Halloween costume for her. It's a fun tradition, She has frequently been something princess related, but this year she is going as a ghost. (She is 15)

She is fair, but we want to create a pale, creepy effect. I am thinking about using pale/white foundation, with some gray to create lowlights, and hollowed cheeks. I found Manic Panic's powder cream foundation, and some liquid foundation that looks promising here.

The other thing I have been thinking of trying is just using an iridescent powder to create a luminous effect, rather than using a foundation.

Obviously, I don't want to invest a lot of money, since this is a one-time thing, but I would love some ideas. I would rather purchase this makeup at a local box, rather than ordering it with the risk of it not arriving on time.

We purchased some clothing items at Goodwill to create the costume, so don't think a few holes cut in a sheet. There are a couple of cream colored items I am altering for her. One is a layered skirt, and the other is a crinkled skirt out of a sheer-ish silk we will be altering into a top, similar to what was done here.

Thanks!

posted by annsunny to clothing, beauty, & fashion (7 answers total)

I think you're on the right track. I think any sort of very pale to gray facial makeup will work, and I'd do the iridescent powder on top.

I'd suggest light veiling and crepy fabrics for the costume, too -- more grey, and other pale colors is a great look. Keep it consistent . . . all of her should be pale and grey/silver, including her hair/hat and shoes.

There are some very cool female ghost looks if you use your google fu in "images" and take a look at the results of "ghost costumes." I especially like looks like those for women in the top two rows of images.
posted by bearwife at 1:39 PM on October 12, 2010

Youtube is your friend for makeup tutorials. I just spent some time browsing Halloween tutorials, and I didn't see that many 'ghost' ones but I did see a few for Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (blue tones on super-pale) and a few for ghosts that used brown to shade and contour.

You can totally ignore their suggestions of brands and just pay attention to shades and solid/cream or liquid/powder for Halloween, but be aware that a lot of drugstore brands don't have as much pigment in them, with the exception of HIP.
posted by cobaltnine at 1:52 PM on October 12, 2010

I think this look would be quite effective. It looks like the colors used are white foundation (all over) with pink around the eyes and black to highlight the eyes, nose and mouth.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:54 PM on October 12, 2010 [1 favorite]

One of the more popular makeup tutorial people on YouTube just posted a quick ghostly/undead look the other day; it's definitely pale and she does a great job with hollowing out her cheeks & eyes.
posted by Fui Non Sum at 3:23 PM on October 12, 2010

Another suggestion to hit up YouTube. I found some great tutorials for fake bruises for last Halloween.
posted by radioamy at 7:08 PM on October 12, 2010

These are great so far!

What's a good retail store for this type of makeup? I have perused my local Target and Walgreens already.
posted by annsunny at 7:33 PM on October 12, 2010

You will love this page. Great how to information.

Also, here's a very affordable source for ghost makeup. Amazon also has a lot of choices for face paint.
posted by bearwife at 10:16 AM on October 13, 2010