Zombie makeup: an easy step-by-step tutorial

Good zombie makeup is mostly shading, not gore. Pale skin, shadows in the wrong places and tired, sunken eyes do the work; fake blood is optional. Everything below uses products you probably own already. Whatever you use, make sure it is meant for skin, and patch-test anything new a day before Halloween (Saturday, October 31).

What you need

• Foundation two or three shades lighter than your skin, or white cream face paint.
• Grey and muted green-blue eyeshadow for the hollows.
• Dark brown, plum or purple eyeshadow for the eyes and veins.
• An eyeliner pencil in brown or purple, or a fine brush.
• Translucent setting powder and, if you have it, setting spray.
• A sponge, a fluffy brush and cotton buds. Fake blood is optional; a few drops is plenty.

Look 1: easy zombie makeup in 10 minutes

1. Prep and patch-test. Start on clean, moisturised skin. Test any product you have not used on your face before on the inside of your arm a day ahead, and skip it if it itches or reddens.
2. Pale base. Apply a foundation two or three shades lighter than your skin, or mix a little white cream paint into your moisturiser. Keep it thin and take it over the ears, neck and hairline.
3. Grey-green hollows. With a fluffy brush, sweep grey or muted green-blue eyeshadow into the hollows: temples, under the cheekbones, the sides of the nose and along the jaw. Blend until there are no edges.
4. Sunken eyes. Pat dark brown or plum shadow all around each eye and blend it outwards into the socket. Keep products off the waterline.
5. Grey lips. Blot a little base over your lips to knock out their colour, then press on a touch of grey or purple shadow.
6. Set it. Press translucent setting powder over everything with a puff, then mist with setting spray if you have one.

That is a complete simple zombie makeup look. Mess up your hair, wear something old and you are done.

Preview the look first

Not sure how pale or how grey to go? Try the AI zombie filter with one photo: it turns you into a zombie in a 15 second video with music, so you can see the colours on your own face before you buy anything. Every account gets its first video free, no card needed.

Preview my zombie look

Look 2: the classic walker

Start with the easy look, then add these steps for the full zombie makeup tutorial version.

1. Deeper contour. Go back over the cheek hollows and temples with the darker shadow so the face looks thinner.
2. Veins. With a sharpened purple or blue-grey pencil, draw a few thin, branching lines at the temples, neck and wrists, then soften them with a fingertip. Three or four are enough.
3. Dirt. Stipple brown shadow with the torn edge of a sponge along the hairline, jaw and hands.
4. Hair. Backcomb it, add dry shampoo for a dusty look and leave a few strands across the face.
5. Optional blood. One small drip at the corner of the mouth, using a skin-safe product kept away from the eyes. It can stain fabric, so test it on your costume first.

Look 3: the turned partner

This is the zombie from the zombie hug trend: sad and gentle rather than scary. Keep the easy base, add faint blue-grey veins at the temples and a little grey under the eyes, and leave out the blood entirely. Wear your normal clothes, lightly torn and dusted, so you still look like yourself. One partner does the makeup, the other stays human; the zombie couple costume ideas show how to build the pair. Cloudy contact lenses are optional; only wear lenses that an eye-care professional has fitted or approved for you.

Common zombie makeup mistakes

• A thick, pure-white base. It cracks and looks like a mime. Go thin and slightly grey.
• Stopping at the jaw. Take the colour over the neck, ears and the backs of the hands.
• Hard edges. Blend every shadow until you cannot see where it starts.
• Too much blood. A little reads as zombie; a lot reads as a mess and stains everything.
• Non-cosmetic products. Craft paint, markers and household dyes do not belong on skin.

How to make it last

• Use a primer, then build thin layers and press powder between them.
• Finish with setting spray and keep your hands off your face.
• Carry a mini kit: powder, one dark shadow and cotton buds.
• At the end of the night, melt it off with a cleansing oil or micellar water instead of scrubbing.

Pair it with a costume

For clothes, see the zombie Halloween costume ideas, or go formal with the zombie bride costume. Dressing up as a pair? Make a zombie couple video to post with your costume photos, or give your dog or cat the treatment with Zombie Pet AI. No makeup at all? Upload one photo and let the AI do it; your first video is free and pricing lists the rest.

Turn my photo into a zombie