Make-up yourself magical for Halloween

I must confess, I absolutely love Halloween. The minute October starts I'm already thinking about this year's costume, and over the years I must have done everything from fairy to witch and goblin to zombie.

It goes without saying that make-up is essential to any Halloween costume, as it can help you look frightful or ethereal, depending on which look you're going for.

For me, Halloween is an excuse to swap sophisticated for scary, and I love getting the fake blood out and jumping out at my grandkids around the house, not to mention my husband Paul – although he's not so keen!

However, Veronique Henderson, creative director at Colour Me Beautiful, advised that people ditch the traditional Halloween terror this year, and instead go for a more beautiful, high-fashion costume.

"Make it magical, not scary," she advised.

"Take inspirations from the catwalks, but make it your own."

The expert also commented that headgear can work wonders, noting that accessorising hair with combs, pins and feathers are a great way to go. You can then follow this theme with your make-up.

"Think birds of paradise or Rio de Janeiro’s fiestas," suggested Ms Henderson.

When thinking about magical Halloween make-up, creamy silver eye-shadow both under the eyes and on the lids can work a treat.

A pale foundation always looks a bit eerie, but swap your blusher for glitter so your cheeks sparkle like an ice queen's.

Make your eyes pop with a bright eyeliner – pink or purple will work a treat to achieve an enchanted look, and go for nude lips to keep the attention on your peepers.

If like me, you're finding it difficult to swap scary for sweet, your make-up should be a little bit different.

Hooded eyes are a must for a sultry but scary look, and this can be achieved by blending grey eye shadow in with black. For a more chilling vibe, swap the dark eyeshadow for a blood red, and smudge some of this under your eyes too.

Heavy black eyeliner and mascara are an absolute must for a traditional Halloween look, and if you want to go all out, why not team this with some plum matte lipstick?

Posted by Margo Hunter