Halloween And The Powers of Costume Makeup
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. There are so many things to love about it: the crisp fall air, scary movies, pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, and parties. But above all else, my favorite part of Halloween has to be the costumes. A well done Halloween costume is a spectacle to behold. I absolutely love when people go all out with their costumes, fully commit to their character and are unafraid of being loud, zany, and over the top in their style. A good costume has a transformative power that has always enthralled me. I love how a costume can allow you to slip into a new identity for a night, all thanks to the power of clothes, makeup, and a great attitude.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
In particular, costume makeup has always been the element of a good costume that intrigues me the most, perhaps because it is the most out of my wheelhouse. While I love doing my makeup everyday, my skill level is nowhere near the talented people who can do costume makeup. I was especially in awe of costume makeup last October, when I went to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. The level of detail and realism in the scare actor’s makeup was amazing. Looking at the amazing and terrifying makeup looks got me curious about the origins of costume and special effects makeup.
According to an article about the history of Halloween makeup, Halloween makeup got its start due to horror films from the 20th century. Films like Frankenstein, Wolf Man, Dracula, and Mummy were highly influential to costume makeup and could be partially credited to the popularity of costume makeup as an element in people’s Halloween costumes. As the years have progressed, Halloween makeup has become increasingly complex and impressive. The copious amount of horror films that have been released since the early 20th century have shown the array of creative skill that special effects artists have. Aside from the work of makeup artists in the film industry, Halloween makeup has also become more present online.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
Makeup historian Gabriela Hernandez, who is quoted in the article mentioned above, notes that the internet has provided a space for highly creative and talented makeup artists, as well as provided access to tutorials for makeup beginners. “‘...as techniques become more accessible, you will see more pro-looks at your Halloween parties,’” Hernandez stated. It’s very true that social media applications like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have made extravagant and complex costume makeup more common.
What I love most about Halloween costumes and makeup is that they allow people to feel fully comfortable in being themselves. When doing makeup for your Halloween costume, you can truly explore the extent of your imagination. You can make yourself look terrifying, beautiful, disgusting, or all three at once, and still feel fully comfortable. In general, that is why Halloween is a special holiday to me. It’s a holiday that embraces the unusual and the bizarre, one that allows us to be as weird as we want to be.
Strike Out,
Georgia Witt
Editor: Amia King
Saint Augustine
Georgia Witt is a blog writer and poet for Strike Magazine, Saint Augustine. She loves reading, writing, fashion, nature, and collecting CDs. She hopes to work in the publishing or journalism field after college. You can reach her at georgiawitt3000@gmail.com.
