The Best Halloween Makeup Products to Stock Up On, According to Pro Artists

From rainbow pigments to freakishly real-looking fake blood, pro artists reveal the best Halloween makeup products to help you transform.

The Best Halloween Makeup Products to Stock Up On, According to Pro Artists

Each October, as spooky season looms, makeup artists brace themselves to bust out their kits, flex their skills, and push their creativity to the max with their best Halloween makeup products. A pop icon. A gothic vampire. A cinematic villainesse. You name it, they've got the tools and techniques to make it happen—not to mention, the authority on the must-have paints and pigments to bring a fully-realized makeup look to life. From graphic rainbow palettes to freakishly real-looking fake blood, here pro artists reveal the best Halloween makeup products to help you transform this year.

Donni Davy

Danessa Myricks Colorfix Neon

Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm

"Halloween is all about transformation and, in my opinion, super fun makeup that you wouldn’t typically wear every day. For color, I love the Color Fix line by Danessa Myricks Beauty. I use these mostly for eye makeup, but they are designed for all over the face use, including lips. These are ultra long-wearing and incredibly vibrant. I apply them with regular makeup brushes and find that various sizes of flat concealer brushes work particularly well. The best way to remove these paints from your face would be with a cleansing balm, Banila Co's cult-favorite Clean it Zero cleansing balm is great, and I’d suggest a good old-fashioned makeup brush cleaner, like Cinema Secrets, to clean your makeup brushes."

Donni x Face Lace Eye-Lectric

"For a super fast and easy transformative look, I love a stick-on makeup product, like my Donni x Face Lace decals. I collaborated with UK-based Face Lace to create three different eclectic designs that come in various materials like black glitter and a highly reflective iridescent. The best thing about face decals is that they don’t require any makeup skills, and you can use them as they are, or customize them by cutting them and making your own unique designs. For example, I like to take the 'SPIKED' design, chop off the two big end spikes and wear them like a double wing. I recently wore this exact look to the Emmys!"

Charlie Riddle

Viseart 08 Editorial Brights SlimPro

"This is my go-to palette not just for editorial, but to create a variety of fantasy looks. These shadows are so pigmented and they blend out so well. You can really create almost any creature or character. I’ve used this palette in the eyebrows, for contoured '80s blush, mermaids to goblins. Because the quality of these shadows this is a product that will carry over beyond Halloween for a wash of colored shadow to even using as eyeliner."

Victoria Beckham Bitten Lip Tint

"These VB lip tints are the perfect sexy vamp lip that wear really well through the night. I love doing a few coats to really amp up the stained effect and then placing more product right in the middle for a truly bitten look."

Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow

"Stila's liquid eyeshadow in Diamond Dust is the perfect shadow to add an instant wow factor that’s so easy to use. It’s Studio 54 on the lids. It’s a fully pigmented eyeshadow with heavy glitter particles so it adds the perfect amount of drama for a ’70s disco queen."

Fara Homidi

MAC Pro Palette Paintstick x 12

Kryolan 9292 Ultra Setting Vaporizer

"MAC's Pro Palette Paintstick x 12 is the ultimate multi-use palette and is great for a multitude of Halloween looks (alien, feline, monster, abstract shapes, etc.). I love how creamy and easily applicable it is, so it should be easy to use even for beginners. Pro tip: Kryolan has a setting vaporizer spray you can use to set the final look."

Kryolan F/X Blood

"Krolan F/X Blood is my favorite fake blood for Halloween because it dries completely, is smudge-proof, and has a sheen that makes it look perpetually wet!"

Grace Ahn

MAC Face & Body Foundation in White

"I love MAC's Face & Body Foundation in white for a smooth and sheer lightening of the face for any zombie, clown, and spooky makeup base. It can be built up to a more opaque white base, too."

Physicians Formula The Perfect Matcha Green Tea Cleansing Balm

"Physicians Formula's The Perfect Matcha cleansing balm is one of the best for getting off all layers of makeup. It melts everything away in almost one wash!"

Alana Wright

Kryolan Aquacolor Palette 24 Colors

Bioderma Sensibio

"Kryolan's Aquacolor palette is one of my favorite products to use for Halloween because it comes with 24 water-activated shades. The color possibilities are literally endless for face painting ideas or a cool eye look. It has an extremely smooth, super pigmented application yet can be removed simply with Bioderma and face wash."

MAC Mini MAC Pigment

"I love MAC's Pigment range because of the array of vibrant colors and textures that are offered, from matte acid yellow to metallic silver. It comes in small packaging, yet provides quite the colorful punch. I’m a sucker for a multi-use product that can be mixed in with most mediums to create anything such as liners, shadows, colored mascara, and body makeup. It’s best to be removed with a two-step process using a wipes and cleansing oil."

Romy Soleimani

Diamond FX 12 Color Palette

MAC Mixing Medium Gel

"I use the Diamond FX Face Paint palette with MAC Mixing Medium or water... it dries fast and it’s great for detail work like spider webs, veins, or dripping blood. I stay away from anything too greasy or it will get everywhere."

Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

"To remove makeup, I like Bobbi Brown's cleansing oil because it melts it away, but is still gentle. If you’re really going for it with makeup, you might need Albolene balm cleanser—that’s more hardcore."

Beau Nelson

MAC Chromcake

Makeup By Mario Master Metals Eyeshadow Palette

"MAC's water-activated cake makeup is great for Halloween because it’s easy to use and is flexible on the skin, so it doesn’t crack like some makeup can if you're using it to completely change your skin color to something like blue or green! The Makeup by Mario Master Metals palette is also a great option for Halloween looks because when you mix it with the activator, you can get incredibly metallic looks that are almost mirror-like in finish."

One/Size Go Off Makeup Dissolving Mist

"For taking things off, I love Patrick Starr’s spray-on makeup remover. It melts everything! It’s also great for cleaning color out of your makeup brushes. You’ll have to wash them as normal after, but they get the stubborn pigments out easily."

Val Harvey

Ben Nye Master Creme Palette

"Makeup is such an important element to bringing a character to life that I start there first before I even pick out my costume. I start with Ben Nye Master Creme palette because they layer beautifully and create a great base if you're painting your entire face. You can use the 12 colors on their own or mix them together to create the shade you’re looking for to nail your character."

Morphe The James Charles Palette

“For me, Halloween is the time of year where I can lift creative boundaries and have the most fun living out a fantasy for the night. This palette is perfect for sparking my imagination when I choose my costume. It has all the vibrant tones and dark shades I need in one place to do a scary look, sexy look, and everything in between!"

Kira Nasrat

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow Palette in Candeur Et Seduction

"I am such a big fan of the Les 4 Ombres Multi -Effect Quadra Eyeshadow Palette in shade 364 Candeur Et Seduction by Chanel. It’s such a beautiful palette to have on hand and you can create so many versatile looks with it. We all can use a red palette for Halloween, from romantic costumes with exaggerated rose eyes to a zombie with deep red eyelids."

This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Lauren Valenti