Homemade Halloween Makeup
Celebrating Halloween by making costumed door-to-door visits for treats dates back to the Middle Ages. In the United States, October 31 ranks as the second-most commercially successful holiday, according to the HalloweenExpress.com's Costume Blog. Adults and kids often rely on makeup to add finishing touches to their costumes, but expensive store-bought supplies may contain harsh chemicals, leading some people to choose homemade face paints and special effects makeup.
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Artificial Blood
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HalloweenHowl.com shares a recipe for fake blood that uses 16 ounces of white corn syrup, one ounce each of red food coloring, detergent and water, and one drop of blue food coloring. To create artificial blood that's a bit thicker and darker -- with an overall gorier look -- you can add peanut butter to the mixture. This straightforward and safe blend will stain the skin, but a thin layer of petroleum jelly applied before the "blood" makes for easier cleanup.
Bruises
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Fake bruises, scars and dark spots on the face as well as other body parts create a realistic, creepy look. MakeupNotebook.com's recipe for homemade eye shadow -- using a powder base, powder binder, and blue, grey and green mica pigments -- also works for gloomy skin effects. Baby powder serves as the powder base, while distilled water operates as the binder. Putting on baby powder before and after applying the eye shadow delivers a more aged, bruised appearance.
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Face Paint
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A base of homemade face paint consists of two tablespoons of cornstarch and one tablespoon of solid cooking shortening, according to DLTK's Halloween Activities for Kids website. Adding one drop of food coloring at a time, especially when mixing two colors, helps make a custom shade. Applying a light layer of petroleum jelly lessens the chance of staining the skin.
Wounds
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A mixture to form wounds, scars or warts requires two tablespoons of boiling water and one ounce of plain gelatin, writes Jennifer Taggart on The Smart Mama website. The ingredients, once stirred, need to sit for several minutes before you pour it onto waxed paper. When making wounds, you must quickly mold the thickened mixture into the shapes you desire, lest it dry out and not be malleable enough to mold. Taggart notes that corn syrup will safely bond gelatin "wounds" to the skin.
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References
- Halloween Howl: Homemade Halloween Makeup Recipes
- FamilyCorner.com; Homemade Halloween Makeup, Bruises & Blood; Amanda Formaro
- DLTK's: Homemade Makeup Recipe
- TheSmartMama.com; Jennifer Taggart; Non Toxic Homemade Halloween Makeup; November 2009
- Makeup Notebook: Learn How to Make Eyeshadow
- Halloween History: History of Halloween
Resources
- Photo Credit Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images
