As Halloween approaches, many people begin to bring out their makeup products and artistic skills.

Though using store-bought masks is more convenient, it’s undeniable that the artists who take their time for the Halloween season are impressive with their makeup designs.

A well known costume for the holiday is a clown. Clown makeup has been around for a long time, but there are variations. 

For example, many people put a triangle above and below their eye, while others may just draw a line that connects at the lips, like the movie character Pennywise. It can be done with varying degrees of effort, making it a popular choice during Halloween.

Painting black eyeshadow around the eyes and becoming a skull face is also a popular look.

These particular makeup trends have one thing in common: face paint. Face paint gives the makeup a solid base for artists to build on. The paint also can have different uses, such as creating illusions.

But another product that helps with illusions and intensifies the scare is SFX makeup.

SFX, or special effects, is a type of makeup that enhances many horror-like qualities that normal face paint cannot. Usually, professional makeup artists would use these effects on actors and actresses, but it has become increasingly popular for Halloween makeup as well.

While not everyone can use special effects to improve their designs, simple techniques with basic makeup products can also look great. 

As an example, when Beetlejuice 2 was released, a new style of lip art was introduced on the internet. It involved people putting on bright green lipstick and adding black eyeshadow on top while scrunching their lips. 

One of the best parts of Halloween makeup is that a mistake can look intentional. For instance, accidentally smearing eyeliner or lipstick will go unnoticed because the holiday itself is known for being chaotic, so nobody has to be a professional makeup artist to create a design.