The Purge giveth, and The Purge taketh away (but, like, more taketh away). And while anyone who has ever watched The Purge franchise is definitely way more mentally strong than I am—truly that sh*t terrified me, as do all Halloween movies—even I, a scaredy cat, can recognize a 10/10 Halloween costume when I see it. Enter: Purge makeup. If you’re someone who loves doing a little somethin’ somethin’ on Halloween but isn’t into the whole head-to-toe costume life, miiiight I suggest channeling your inner chaos with some Purge Halloween makeup instead?
Whether you wanna pull from the classic O.G. Purge or its four (!) sequels, there’s a ton of highkey terrifying makeup ideas to play around with for Halloween 2021, starting with my five favorites below.
Okay, will this be the easiest Halloween makeup look you ever see or try? No. But if you don’t even consider trying at least one next-level makeup look in your Halloween-loving life, can you really call yourself a spooky season fanatic? In this Purge makeup tutorial, Madalyn Cline uses a wild mix of string, glue, body paint, patience, raw talent, and gifts from the Halloween gods to create a truly amazing Halloween look.
Ah, 2016—what a terrifying time all in itself. So let’s remind everyone of what life used to be with this Purge: Election Year Halloween makeup look from Leslie Aileen, who first draws her lines with NYX’s White Eyeshadow Base before tracing them with fluorescent neon-pink eyeshadow, and finishing with a final white line on top with white eyeliner. The result? A super-realistic neon effect.
Oh, and the best part of this Halloween look? It’s drawn over your usual makeup, so you can customize your base to look as ~sultry~ or as natural as you want.
Okay, if precise little lines, lots of glue, and confusing prosthetics (ahem, Hollywood SFX-level makeup in general) aren’t your speed, I highly recommend giving this look from Starring Shameka a try, which perfectly depicts the candy girl from The Purge: Election Year (I’m not scared; you’re scared). Think of it as a mix of your usual makeup…with some finger-painting with a ton of fake blood gel. You know—just a casual day.
Heads up that this look from Madeyewlook isn’t actually a mask—it’s straight-up makeup, which you can DIY with a mix of brown and black eyeshadow palettes, brown liquid liner, white eyeliner, blush, and, you know, a few additional products and patience. Honestly, just watch the tutorial, because I promise it’s not as hard as it looks, as long as you’ve got some time to experiment.
Oh, you wanted one more professional-level Purge makeup look for Halloween? Great, because here it is, compliments of makeup wizard Bonnie Corban. Though this tutorial is definitely on a level 10, rest assured that you can totally skip the mouth-glued-shut step (because, you know, we love a good Halloween cocktail) and focus instead on recreating the American flag face paint—which, by the third time you re-watch this tutorial, seems slightly easier than you’d think. Slightly.