You’ve cleared the bathroom counter, queued up the tutorial and finally gotten that first sweep of purple eyeshadow exactly where you want it. Then your hand slips. One shaky line, and the sharp, symmetrical look you’ve been picturing for weeks starts drifting sideways. The party is looming, and there’s no way to fix it without wiping out everything you just built.
It’s the most universal fear in Halloween makeup, and it’s why one makeup artist starts with an unlikely tool from her kit. Hope Landre (@hoperenee_mua on TikTok and Instagram) maps out her designs in a nude lip liner before she touches a single dark product, as Parade previously reported. That way, if something goes wrong, it goes wrong in a shade that barely registers.
With Halloween falling on Saturday, Oct. 31, there’s not a lot of time left to practice. Whether you’re planning a witch, a cat or a creature entirely of your own invention, this small pre-step can take the panic out of face painting, especially if you’re not a professional. Here’s how Landre’s method works, why it makes so much sense, and what other makeup artists featured on Parade say can help you pull off a look you’ll be proud to show off.
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Why Nude Lip Liner Is the Smartest Way To Plan Halloween Makeup
Landre’s go-to witch look leans heavily on eyeshadow, which she uses to build both a winged liner effect and a purple gradient. But before she commits to any of it, she sketches the design out in a nude lip liner “in case of mistakes,” according to Parade‘s witch makeup roundup.
The logic is easy to see. A nude pencil line sits close to the color of skin, so a wobbly first attempt doesn’t leave a streak of black or violet you have to cover up. You get to try the shape, step back, adjust and try again before the real color goes on.
That matters because Halloween makeup is high stakes in a way everyday makeup isn’t. You’re building a character, often for a single night, and the finished look is the whole point of the costume. Drawing first and committing second takes some of the pressure off.
Related: The Clever Lipstick Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner
How To Map Halloween Makeup With Lip Liner, Step by Step
Here’s the process Landre follows for her purple and black witch look, with a few practical notes added.
- Choose a nude lip liner. Pick a shade that’s close to your natural skin tone so the guide lines stay subtle. (This is a practical tip, not one Landre specified.)
- Sketch the design. Lightly draw the wings, shapes or patterns you want, and redraw until you like them.
- Outline with liquid liner. Landre traces her designs in a waterproof liquid liner.
- Blend with eyeshadow. She softens the lines with shadow. She suggested brands like Makeup Revolution, ColourPop or Morphe.
- Finish the lips. For this look, she drew black pencil in the center of the lips and blended it with purple lipstick.
For a starter kit on a budget, Landre recommended “a colorful eyeshadow palette, liquid eyeliner and pencil eyeliner.”
Related: The 5-Second Trick That Lets You Use Less Concealer, According to Makeup Artists
More Halloween Makeup Tips From Pros Featured on Parade
Landre isn’t the only artist with smart strategies. Several others featured in Parade‘s previous Halloween coverage offered advice that pairs well with a mapping step.
Keep the base routine familiar. For an Elphaba look, makeup artist Abbey Strohmeyer suggested following “your traditional makeup routine, but using green tones instead of skin tones,” per the witch makeup story.
Paint cracks freehand. Piper Nelson, who created a “cracked witch” look, said you can skip a rigid face mask by painting the cracks over a green base with liquid eyeliner. That kind of freehand line work is exactly where a light sketch first can help.
Make liner last. In Parade‘s cat makeup roundup, makeup artist Amber Pitkin said mixing gel eyeliner with Duraline helps it glide on smoothly and keeps it waterproof, so it “doesn’t budge all night.”
Don’t overcomplicate it. Ann Roth, who created an orange witch look, said she keeps the makeup simple for an elegant style and adds black pencil dots for an “elegant, mystical flair,” according to the witch makeup story.
The Takeaway for Your Halloween Makeup This Year
The best part of Halloween is that it’s a night to step outside yourself. A few minutes spent sketching your design in nude lip liner first can help you do that with a lot less worry. If a line goes wrong, you haven’t lost your whole look. You’ve just learned where to redraw it.
Adapted from Parade’s “How To Create 10 Spellbinding Witch Makeup Looks, According to Makeup Artists” and “The 10 Best Cat Makeup Looks for Halloween, According to Makeup Artists,” both by Martha Sorren
Related: The Lipstick Trick That Will Make Your Lip Color Last 10x Longer
Sources
- Hope Landre: @hoperenee_mua on TikTok and Instagram
- Abbey Strohmeyer: @theabbeystrohmeyer on TikTok and @abbeystrohmeyer on Instagram
- Piper Nelson: @piperartistry on TikTok and Instagram
- Ann Roth: @facemefaceit on Instagram and TikTok
- Amber Pitkin: @amberpitkin on TikTok and Instagram