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21 Crazy Halloween Makeup Looks to Steal from Comic Con

By Rebecca Jennings
Photography by Bryan Sansivero
  • Princess Jasmine: Top silver cream eyeshadow with a darkened eyebrow. Contour away!
  • Medusa: Use silver cream eyeshadow or body paint to draw reptilian scales all over the face, then add an exaggerated cat-eye.
  • Kyoshi Warrior from Avatar the Last Airbender: Cover the face entirely in white powder or body paint, then sweep a dramatic red (lipstick works!) over the lid, and top with a black outline.
  • Poison Ivy: Cover the lid in red eyeshadow, then use eyelash glue to attach silk leaves to the brows. Line the lips in a deep burgundy, then blend.
  • Poison Ivy, take two: Craft a floral headress out of silk leaves. Add a dramatic smokey cat-eye and overdrawn red lips.
  • Wounded elf: Use liquid latex to create a super-realistic looking gash — here's a good tutorial on getting started!
  • The Riddler: Sweep a green shadow over the lids and under eye area, then outline with a purple question mark. Use the same purple on the lips.
  • Mr. Freeze: Cover the entire face with opaque white powder or paint, then top with electric blue lipstick. For an even spookier look, add white contacts.
  • Cheshire Cat: Paint the entire face in magenta powder or paint, then add a mask-like layer of purple. Draw the nose with pink lipstick, then top with whiskers and an exaggerated mouth with black eyeliner.
  • Cheshire cat, take two: If you'd rather not cover your face in pink paint, opt for a more subtle purple smokey eye, topped with a nose, fushia lips, and whiskers.
  • Jem from Jem and the Holograms: Draw neon pink, jaggedy-edged shapes around both eyes, then line with glitter.
  • Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad version): After powdering your face, add a messy smoky eye (like you've just woken up after a long night) then sweep with pink and blue eyeshadow. Then, draw a tiny heart on your cheek.
  • Harley Quinn (vintage version): Same deal, just more precise — cover the face in white, then draw a black mask shape and add black lipstick.
  • Madd Moxxi from Borderlands: After powdering your face, line the eyebrows, eyes, and lips with black liquid liner, then fill in with red lipstick add a circular-shaped cheek.
  • Sally Skellington: Use blueish gray powder to cover the face, then add a dark smoky eye, burgundy lips, and dark blue stitches.
  • Ariel: Use turquoise shadow on your lids and under eye area, then add mascara, exaggerated blush, and a red lip.
  • Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy: This one's fairly obvious, yes? Just go absolutely ham on green body paint.
  • Fairy: Craft a floral headress by attaching embellished silk flowers to a headband. Finish with blue eyeliner and a glossy red lip.
  • Spider-Gwen: Sweep icy silver shadow over the lids and under-eye area, then add dramatic black liner. Line the lips with dark burgundy liner, then sweep bright red lipstick on the inside. Add cobweb details.
  • Sully from Monsters Inc: Draw icy blue lines around the face, then add clumpy false eyelashes. Draw teeth on the outside of your lips, then use black liner to fill in the inside of the mouth.
  • Cruella de Vil: Powder the face in white, then use black liner to draw a severe brow and under-eye liner. Cover the lids in blue shadow, then create an exaggerated cupid's bow on the lips.

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New York Comic Con took over NYC last week (in case you were wondering why you passed more bizarrely dressed characters than usual on your way to work), bringing more than 150,000 fans to the Javits Center. And while the festival wrapped up last Sunday, it happened to be handily scheduled right around the time you're starting to think about a Halloween costume. Inspiration, anyone?

Take it from these fans: The cat ears you bought at Duane Reade last October 31st aren't going to cut it. Above, find 21 crazy-cool makeup and hair looks we saw at New York Comic Con, plus easy tips on how to recreate them at home. Included in the mix: Disney princesses, badass superheroes, and two versions each of some of the most popular costumes from the festival: Poison Ivy, the Cheshire Cat, and Harley Quinn.