8 low-effort makeup looks to wear to your last-minute Halloween party

Few pop culture figures have captured fashion’s collective fixation in 2025 quite like Labubu. Part high-fashion absurdism, part internet inside joke, the collectible toy had half the industry enthralled while the other half wondered if we had all lost the plot. Either way, the fuzzy-haired creature makes for a timely Halloween reference.

Start with a pale base and fever-pink cheeks, then exaggerate the painted-on Cheshire smile until it comes across as slightly unsettling. The fuzzy hat is optional.

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.

This year's vampire has shed its lace collars and Transylvanian theatrics. Inspired by a blood-soaked Hailee Steinfeld in Sinners, this look replaces gothic lace and contact lenses with something far more human... and far more unnerving. Reach for an era-appropriate silk slip, opt for a bouncy bob, and finish with a certain sanguine-ladened beauty look.

Begin with a clean, pale base and darkly rimmed eyes. Smudge a deep wine-red lipstick across the mouth, letting it blur, and finish with some fake blood dripping unevenly down the chin for that post-feast finish. Keep the rest of the skin luminous, almost saintly. The contrast makes the sin all the more convincing.

Somewhere between cabaret nostalgia and Swiftian pop spectacle sits this season’s most wearable performance piece: the classic Showgirl. Feathered and flushed, this year it is anchored by one unmissable detail: the perfectly painted (Swift-approved) red lip.

Start with a velvety base and a soft dusting of powder to keep the spotlight shine in check. Sweep blush high across the cheekbones and into the temples. A dusting of shimmer to the lids and, finally, Taylor's traditional crimson pout. Feathers in the hair are welcome but not required.

It may be part two, but we’re still holding space for Elphaba and Glinda. Wicked’s leading pair remain as relevant as ever, and is easily translated into an instantly recognisable Halloween costume.

For Elphaba, keep things green. It is up to you how committed you are, whether emerald eyeshadow or verdant body paint. If you're dressing up as Glinda, you have to give pale sparkling pink a go. It is a non negotiable.

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.

Chappell Roan’s maximalist makeup is no passing phase, tapping directly into our renewed appetite for 1980s-inspired makeup. Her signature technicolour cheeks and unapologetic shimmer dominated this year, and her Grammy sweep only sealed the deal.

Start with bold pink blush, swept well beyond the apples of the cheeks and up to the temples. Add electric blue eyeshadow and don’t be afraid to layer glitter wherever it catches the light.

With Robert Egger's Nosferatu, cinema’s original vampire arrived this year to influence Halloween die-hards everywhere. The modern version presents the perfect costume: a pallid, sleepless, and quietly obsessive Lily-Rose Depp. Hauntingly beautiful, she (and this movie) saw horror stripped of theatrics, feeling real enough to keeps us up at night.

Start with your lightest foundation and a touch of grey shadow to hollow the eyes. Slick the hair back into a precise centre part and, if you’re committed, add the faint suggestion of Nosferatu’s clawed silhouette along the cheekbones. A simple white night gown (dust-off your Lucia look) completes the ensemble.