Halloween is the perfect time to experiment with bold, spine-chilling looks, and nothing captures the spooky spirit like creepy doll, zombie, and skull makeup. These classic styles combine creativity, artistry, and eerie detail to create unforgettable transformations.
Whether you’re going for cracked porcelain, undead glam, or haunting skeletal chic, there’s a tutorial for every skill level. From vintage doll eyes to realistic zombie textures and artistic skull contours, these makeup ideas are ideal for parties, costume contests, or photoshoots. Let’s explore 24 creepy-yet-stunning tutorials that bring your haunting Halloween fantasy to life—one brushstroke at a time.
1. Broken Porcelain Doll
Transform into an eerie, fragile doll with Broken Porcelain Doll makeup. Begin with a flawless, pale base to mimic porcelain skin. Using a fine black eyeliner or face paint, draw thin, irregular cracks across your face, focusing on areas like the cheeks, forehead, and around the eyes.
Add doll-like rosy blush and exaggerated, fluttery false lashes to contrast the cracks, enhancing the delicate yet haunting effect. Finish with a soft pink or nude glossy lip for a touch of innocence. The broken lines give a chillingly realistic “cracked doll” effect, making this style perfect for those aiming for a creepy-yet-delicate Halloween transformation.
2. Classic Zombie Look
Bring the undead to life with the Classic Zombie Look. Apply gray, green, and purple tones to create the illusion of decaying, lifeless skin. Contour your cheeks to appear hollow and add dark circles around the eyes for a sunken, gaunt effect.
Use fake blood sparingly around the mouth and chin to mimic a freshly risen-from-the-grave appearance. Enhance with smudged eyeliner and muted lips to complete the frighteningly realistic zombie aesthetic. This traditional look is a Halloween staple, offering a terrifying yet timeless undead vibe.
3. Half Skull Glam
Create a striking dual effect with Half Skull Glam makeup. On one side of your face, contour sharply with black and gray shades to mimic hollowed cheekbones, black out the nose, and outline teeth along the jawline. On the other half, keep your skin glowing and fresh with foundation, blush, and shimmer for a polished, glamorous contrast.
The blend of skeletal structure and beauty makes this look both artistic and dramatic, ideal for those wanting a Halloween makeup that’s edgy yet elegant.
4. Doll Eyes Illusion
Give your face an unsettlingly sweet doll-like appearance with Doll Eyes Illusion. Use white eyeliner under the lower lash line to enlarge the eyes and apply false lashes on both top and bottom lashes for exaggerated, wide-eyed effect.
Add rosy blush to the cheeks and glossy pink lips to enhance the innocent, childlike charm. The overall look combines innocence with subtle creepiness, perfect for anyone wanting a striking, memorable doll-inspired Halloween style.
5. Bloody Marionette
Channel the eerie charm of a puppet with Bloody Marionette makeup. Draw thin, precise marionette lines extending from the corners of your lips down to your chin.
Deepen the illusion with black or red eyeshadow, and add small cracks or fissures on the cheeks to mimic worn porcelain.
Finish with glossy lips to add contrast against the haunting details. This style captures the unnerving effect of a doll controlled by invisible strings, blending playfulness with horror.
6. Glamorous Skull Queen
Elevate traditional skull makeup with a touch of royalty using Glamorous Skull Queen. Use shimmering silver or gold to highlight and outline skull features like cheekbones, temples, and jawline. Blend dark shadows around the eye sockets and nasal cavity for depth, and accentuate bone structure with highlighter to create dimension.
Pair with glitter, rhinestones, or metallic accents for a regal, spooky effect. This elegant twist on a skull look balances glamour with horror, perfect for anyone wanting a hauntingly beautiful and sophisticated Halloween transformation.
7. Muted Zombie Bride
Transform into a hauntingly romantic undead bride with the Muted Zombie Bride look. Start with a pale foundation as your base, then add faint gray and green tones to create the illusion of decaying skin.
Lightly contour areas like the eyes and temples for subtle hollowness, and add delicate hints of purple or blue to mimic bruising. Style your hair in soft, loose curls and accessorize with a torn or vintage-style veil to complete the bridal effect. This look strikes a balance between eerie and elegant, perfect for dramatic Halloween photos or themed events.
8. Painted Porcelain Doll
Create a chilling contrast between beauty and brokenness with Painted Porcelain Doll makeup. Begin with a white or very pale base foundation for a flawless, porcelain-like finish. Apply soft pink blush to the apples of your cheeks and a classic red lip for traditional doll appeal.
Using a fine brush and black eyeliner or face paint, draw delicate cracks extending across your cheeks and forehead. The juxtaposition of smooth, glowing skin with fractured lines produces a hauntingly beautiful effect that’s perfect for close-up photos.
9. Black & White Skull
For a classic and striking look, go with Black & White Skull makeup. Use a stark white base to highlight key areas and black face paint or eyeliner to contour hollow eyes, define the nasal cavity, and create teeth lines along the jaw.
Add subtle gray shading to enhance depth and dimension. This monochrome style is bold, timeless, and easy to photograph, making it ideal for parties, costume competitions, or moody Halloween settings.
10. Glam Zombie Glow
Bring modern glam to the undead with Glam Zombie Glow makeup. Start with pale or muted zombie-toned skin and add metallic green, silver, and purple shades to your contours for a luminous, otherworldly effect.
Highlight cheekbones, temples, and the brow area with iridescent shimmer to achieve that “glowing-from-the-grave” finish. The combination of shimmer and subtle gore creates a high-fashion, party-ready zombie aesthetic perfect for anyone wanting an edgy twist on traditional horror.
11. Cracked Doll Face
Give your doll makeup a hauntingly realistic twist with Cracked Doll Face. Begin with a smooth, pale base to emulate porcelain. Using a fine eyeliner or face paint brush, draw detailed, natural-looking cracks extending outward from the eyes, forehead, or lips.
Keep the lines irregular and delicate for authenticity. The result is an unsettling illusion that your doll face has shattered, perfect for close-up photos or creating a creepy yet elegant Halloween statement.
12. Skeleton Butterfly
Combine eerie skeletal contours with whimsical beauty in the Skeleton Butterfly look. Start with standard skull detailing—hollowed eyes, blacked-out nose, and contoured cheekbones—then extend colorful butterfly wings from your temples using black outlines and neon or metallic paints.
Blend shades like purple, pink, and blue for the wings, adding depth with highlights and shimmer. This creative hybrid merges the macabre with delicate artistry, making it ideal for makeup artists or anyone looking for a unique, eye-catching Halloween design.
13. Bleeding Eyes Doll
Create a disturbing yet captivating effect with the Bleeding Eyes Doll makeup. Use a pastel or pale base to keep the face innocent, then draw fake blood dripping from the corners of the eyes to simulate tears of gore. Add rosy cheeks and soft lips to enhance the doll-like charm.
The stark contrast between sweetness and horror gives this look a memorable, unsettling impact, perfect for anyone wanting to stand out in a crowd.
14. Fiery Skull
Turn your skull into a blazing spectacle with Fiery Skull makeup. Begin with standard skull contouring and add layers of red, orange, and yellow face paint around the eyes, temples, and cheekbones to simulate flames.
Blend the colors for a realistic fiery effect, ensuring the transitions are smooth and vivid. This intense and dramatic design is perfect for performers, themed events, or anyone looking to create a striking, high-energy Halloween look.
15. Glam Undead Zombie
Elevate traditional zombie makeup into high-fashion territory with Glam Undead Zombie. Apply a pale or muted base with subtle bruised or gray undertones. Use metallic or shimmery eyeshadow around the hollowed eyes and temples to add dimension and shine.
Lightly dust iridescent glitter on key areas to create a runway-ready undead aesthetic. This fusion of gore and glamour makes the zombie look polished, stylish, and perfect for parties or themed fashion-forward Halloween events.
16. Creepy Rag Doll
Bring a playful yet eerie charm to your Halloween look with the Creepy Rag Doll makeup. Start with a pale or neutral base to create a doll-like complexion. Draw stitched lines across your cheeks, mouth, and even forehead using black eyeliner or face paint, giving the appearance of sewn-together features.
Add large white dots to the apples of your cheeks to mimic the exaggerated rosy look of a classic rag doll. Use bright colors for the lips and eyes to enhance the toy-like effect. This style is whimsical, slightly unsettling, and perfect for those wanting a fun, character-driven Halloween aesthetic.
17. Sugar Skull Elegance
Celebrate life and death with a Sugar Skull Elegance inspired by Día de los Muertos. Begin with a white base over the entire face to emulate a skull. Using vibrant colors such as reds, blues, oranges, and purples, paint intricate floral designs, swirls, and patterns around the eyes, forehead, and chin. Highlight with rhinestones or gems on cheekbones and temples for a sparkling, ornate finish.
Pair this makeup with floral hair accessories or a crown to complete the look. This style is culturally meaningful, highly detailed, and perfect for those who want a beautifully haunting, artistic Halloween transformation.
18. Zombie Schoolgirl
Turn an innocent costume into something eerily captivating with Zombie Schoolgirl makeup. Apply pale foundation and blend purples, blues, and greens around the eyes and mouth to mimic bruising and decay. Add fake blood or a subtle wound near the cheeks or lips for realism.
Pair this makeup with a school uniform or preppy outfit to create a juxtaposition of youthful innocence and spooky horror. The result is an engaging, story-driven look ideal for themed parties, cosplay, or creative Halloween storytelling.
19. Melting Doll
For a modern horror aesthetic, try the Melting Doll makeup. Begin with a clean, doll-like base and then use face paint or eyeliner to create the illusion of melting makeup—dripping eyeliner from the eyes, smeared lipstick, and blurred blush.
Blend edges subtly to create a realistic melted effect, giving the impression of decay or distortion. This design is both disturbing and artistic, perfect for anyone wanting a dramatic, edgy Halloween look that stands out in photos and at parties.
20. Crystal Skull
Elevate traditional skull makeup with the Crystal Skull look. Start with skull face paint—hollowed eyes, darkened nose, and skeletal cheekbones. Enhance the design by placing small gemstones or rhinestones along the cheekbones, forehead, and temples, following the contours of the skull lines.
Add shimmer or metallic highlights to accentuate the bones, giving your makeup a high-fashion, dazzling finish. This style is bold, glamorous, and perfect for those who want a spooky look with a touch of sophistication.
21. Grunge Zombie
Achieve raw, gritty realism with the Grunge Zombie makeup. Apply a pale foundation as a base, then use black, gray, and brown tones to smudge around the eyes, temples, and jawline for a dirtied, undead effect. Mess up your hair and lightly apply fake blood or dark pigments for a disheveled, freshly-risen look.
This style emphasizes authenticity over polish, creating a convincing zombie aesthetic with minimal tools. Perfect for fans of gritty, horror-inspired Halloween makeup, it’s simple yet highly impactful.
22. Haunted Porcelain Doll
Transform into a chilling yet elegant Haunted Porcelain Doll with this eerie makeup style. Begin with a flawless white or very pale base to create that porcelain-like complexion. Use fine black or gray lines to draw subtle cracks across your cheeks, forehead, and chin, giving the illusion of a delicate, fractured doll.
Emphasize the eyes by hollowing them out slightly with gray or muted shadows, adding depth and a ghostly quality. Soft blush on the apples of your cheeks can maintain a touch of doll-like innocence, while lightly glossy or muted lips complete the hauntingly beautiful effect. This look is perfect for those who want a subtle yet spine-tingling Halloween transformation that balances eerie sophistication with delicate artistry.
23. Electric Skull
Take classic skull makeup to the next level with an Electric Skull design that glows under blacklight. Start with a base of pale or neutral foundation, then outline the skull’s bones using neon paints such as bright pinks, greens, yellows, or blues.
Emphasize hollow eyes, the nose, and teeth with contrasting neon shades for maximum impact. Add additional details like geometric shapes or swirls to make the design more dynamic. This bold, high-energy look is ideal for Halloween parties, club nights, or any event where you want to combine spooky and futuristic aesthetics. The neon effect makes the skull instantly pop, giving a playful yet edgy twist to traditional skeletal makeup.
24. Bloody Glam Zombie
For a seductive and horrifying Halloween style, try the Bloody Glam Zombie makeup. Begin with a pale or slightly ashen foundation to mimic undead skin, and contour with gray, purple, or green tones for a hollowed effect. Apply fake blood strategically around the lips, cheeks, and chin to create a freshly injured or risen-from-the-grave appearance.
Balance the gore with glam elements: keep the eyes sparkly using shimmer or glitter shadows, and highlight cheekbones and temples for a luminous, polished finish. Add glossy or deep-toned lips to enhance the glam factor. This look perfectly fuses horror and elegance, making it ideal for late-night Halloween events or parties where you want to stand out as both terrifying and captivating.
How to Choose the Perfect Design and Color
Choose your Halloween makeup look based on your comfort level and desired intensity. For subtle spookiness, go with dolls or porcelain themes; for bolder effects, explore skulls or zombies. Black, gray, and red remain timeless, while neon or metallic accents modernize traditional designs.
Always test paints beforehand and use setting spray for long wear. Match your outfit’s theme to the makeup’s tone—romantic, eerie, or glamorous—to achieve cohesive and impactful Halloween artistry.
Conclusion
From cracked porcelain dolls to glimmering skulls and eerie zombies, these 24 Halloween makeup tutorials prove that horror can be both beautiful and bold. Whether you prefer unsettling realism or artistic expression, each design brings a new dimension to your spooky season style.
Perfect for parties, stage events, or creative shoots, these looks capture Halloween’s haunting essence with elegance and edge. So grab your brushes, unleash your inner artist, and bring these creepy, captivating characters to life this Halloween!