10 easy Halloween makeup looks to wear for your last-minute party

The devil, perennial as ever, returns in its most streamlined form. Popularised by Danielle Marcan, this year’s look swaps prosthetics for a single red lipstick and an eyelash curler pressed into service as a horn stencil.

Stamp on two small horns above the brows, tidy up the lines, and finish with the same crimson lip. It takes minutes to master and delivers maximum payoff – a clever reminder that the devil really is in the details.

The skeleton remains the patron saint of last-minute costumes, always ready to rattle some bones with minimal effort. There’s a reason this look never fades: it’s graphic, universally recognisable, and can be pulled off with a steady hand and whatever black liner in your makeup bag.

Apply a black liner to a toothpick and then mark evenly spaced lines for the jaw teeth. Add small white highlights if you want the teeth to pop. Pull the hair back and keep the rest of the make-up minimal. It is fast, recognisable and somehow much cleverer than a thrown-on mask.

In the name of the spooky season, we shall declare: the ‘clean girl’ makeup is dead. RIP. Who killed her? Well, Zara Larsson’s makeup artist Sophia Sinot might have something to do with it. The kaleidoscopic, glitter-encrusted stage looks Sinot has been crafting for Larsson have taken the Internet by storm, and they make a perfect, high-impact Halloween makeup look.

​The best part of recreating it? There are no rules, really. Just grab your most colourful eyeshadow palette and a jar of face gems, and let your imagination guide you. Finish off with a hibiscus in your hair and a Y2K-inspired outfit, and you’re all set.

Not everyone wants to channel scary skeletons, ghoulish zombies or vampires dripping with freakishly real-looking blood for Halloween. That’s not to say you don’t want to steer your makeup away from everyday predictability. Enter gothic glamour, a sultry yet bewitching beauty look defined by dark smoky eyes set against a neutral base. Take a page out of Bella Hadid’s playbook and brush your lids with sweeping, smudged wings harnessing the darker side of your eyebrow palette – think deep plums, browns, blues and blacks.

​Keep brows and skin pared-back for the eyes to do the talking, or go full gothic goddess with vampy lips. All-black outfit non-negotiable.

Want the skin of a killer this Halloween? Well, you don’t have to turn into a vampire. In fact, all you need is a dewy foundation, liquid glitter and powdered glitter (or shimmery highlighter). Blend the liquid glitter with your foundation, then apply. Next, using an eyeshadow brush, tap more glitter across your whole face for a light-reflecting, luminous finish. For maximum impact, leave the rest of your makeup minimal.

Maddy knew who she was from a very early age… That is, one of the most iconic characters in Euphoria. In honour of the smash-hit series’ third and final season airing this year, we’re channelling Maddy Perez, post-Euphoria High. While in the third season, the makeup, dreamt up by Donni Davy, was more toned-down than before, perhaps reflecting how the characters had grown up, Maddy retained her signature dark and fierce aesthetic.

​Razor-sharp, double-winged eyeliner, smoky lids, defined brows and heavily lined lips – preferably in deep nude or red hues – are central to her vixen look, referred to in some corners of the Internet as ‘feral glam’. Round out the look with a perfectly coiffed raven wig (unless you’re already dark-haired), oversized sunglasses, sleek, body-skimming clothes and stilettos.

Related: ‘Euphoria’ makeup artist Donni Davy implores us all to add glitter this Halloween

We can always count on the Met Gala to deliver looks worthy of our Halloween moodboards. Among them, Anok Yai’s Black Madonna -inspired masterpiece, complete with statue-esque, metallic skin and frozen, faux tears running down the cheeks. While Yai’s look came together with the help of special effects artists, we can cut a few corners when recreating it at home.

​Slick back your hair with gel and create a warm, sculpted complexion. Brush your lids with rich brown and golden hues, carrying the palette over to your lips. No need for face paint – just take a pigmented gold eyeshadow and apply it across your face and Cupid’s bow. As for the tears? Grab small face gems and dot them around your eyes, tracing the paths tears would fall.

‘Bloody’ lips are one of the most low-effort, high-impact Halloween makeup looks. What you’ll need: lipsticks in two different shades of red – one lighter, one darker – and a high-gloss lip oil, also in red. Start with the lighter lipstick and apply generously, smudging around the lips; no need for precision here. Follow with the darker shade on the inner part of the lips for an ombré effect. Finish with the lip oil for that glistening, bloodied effect.

Cat makeup for Halloween is a classic, but this year, we’re heading to the jungle, where big cats rule, with a leopard-inspired look.

​Start by creating exaggerated cat eyes, extending the liner from the inner corners of your eyes, too. Accentuate with faux lashes. Swipe your lips with warm chocolate hues, and bring more warmth to the face with bronzer. Using a liquid black eyeliner, outline spots across your temples and cheekbones, filling them in with high-pigmented brown eyeshadow or contour stick. Add a touch of the same shade to the tip of your nose, too.

Clown makeup might seem like one of those intricate, time-consuming looks, but this one you’ll master in minutes.

After you’ve created the base (we recommend going strong with the eyes), take your mascara and start dapping horn-like shapes upwards from your eyebrows towards your forehead and downwards from your lower lashline to your cheeks. Connect the latter with the corners of your mouth, and bring the look together with black lipliner and black face gems. Finish with a scarlet-red lip gloss.