11 Fantastically Dramatic Halloween Makeup Ideas

When October rolls around each year, it can be easy to get so intent on finding the perfect costume that you forget another integral part of the holiday: the magical power of Halloween makeup. On the one night of the year when it one is actually encouraged to don a bizarre disguise, cosmetics shouldn't be an afterthought. In fact, turning your face into a canvas for expression should be high on the list of Halloween priorities, only taking a backseat to the quest for the best candy. After all, a cat costume could easily be mistaken for an especially seductive workout ensemble without the requisite whiskers, pink nose, and cat eye.

However, Halloween makeup is not a BB cream-and-lip-balm laden walk in the park. When your goal is a theatrical effect, all of the rules regarding subtlety in makeup must be thrown out the window in order to achieve a truly dramatic look. Case in point: if you choose to channel a Walking Dead zombie on Hallow's Eve, the last thing your audience should be telling you is how luminous and beautiful you look. Here are 11 spectacular, striking makeup looks to suit your 2014 costume. As number five's muse Effie Trinket would say, "May the odds be ever in your favor" while attempting these intricate looks.

1. ELDERLY WOMAN MAKEUP A LA HEIDI KLUM

I personally don't see the attraction of dressing up like an elderly woman for Halloween, as I'll only submit to the costume when I actually am 90 years old. However, after Heidi Klum stunned the world with her own version of the aged costume in 2013, the getup became an unexpected hit. If you too desire to speed up the aging process for one night, this Ben Nye makeup tutorial contains everything — and I do mean everything — you need to channel the look with cosmetics.

2. JENNIFER LAWRENCE AS MYSTIQUE IN X-MEN

Though the incredibly talented artist in charge of this tutorial was gifted an airbrush kit complete with blue pigment to capture the look of Mystique in X-Men, one could easily nail a similar effect with a sponge and blue body paint. However, bear in mind that this costume isn't for the faint of heart; Lawrence was upfront up the infinite hours she spent in the makeup chair to execute this look each day, and even simply painting one's face in the manner of Mystique will cost you an hour or more. However, the effect is spellbinding — and unexpected.

3. BLACK SWAN MAKEUP

Rarely is a costume sinister and beautiful in equal parts, but Natalie Portman's doomed ballerina in Black Swan is one of the exceptions. Sculpted cheekbones, crimson lips, and boldly lined eyes produce an alluring and utterly riveting effect, which is perfectly captured in this handy makeup tutorial.

4. FROZEN'S ELSA MAKEUP

There's no shame in adoring the film Frozen; if you don't know the chorus line of "Let It Go" by heart at this point, you may want to log more quality time with your Spotify account. And if you adore the bright-eyed, cartoonish quality of Elsa's makeup, you'll love the uber-feminine effect this makeup tutorial lends to your face.

5. EFFIE TRINKET FROM THE HUNGER GAMES

I wouldn't deem Effie Trinket's Hunger Games makeup particularly pretty, but then again "pretty" isn't the point of the look, as fans of the series know. But it is a fabulously fun look to try out for Halloween, made especially enjoyable by the use of fuchsia shades in this Birchbox tutorial.

6. POP ART COMIC BOOK MAKEUP

If you have upwards of an hour to spend on your makeup and an obsession with vintage pop art, try transforming yourself into a graphic Lichtenstein woman. The most important facet of the Pop Art makeup effect is creating sharply defined angles and emphasizing to hyperreality facet of the look. And do not, by any means, use red pigment to create the pointillist pattern on your face. The YouTube tutorials which instruct you to do so often result in the makeup artist appearing as though they've contracted the chicken pocks, which is decidedly not the desire outcome.

7. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES' CATHERINE MAKEUP

At this point in the show's history, possessing an unhealthy obsession with The Vampire Diaries is akin to admitting you enjoyed Full House during your childhood: it's addictive, and a completely comprehensible dependency. And if you're willing to put in the time, you can channel the late and great Katherine's masquerade look from several seasons ago, complete with vixenish ruby lips and seductively shadowed eyes thanks to the talents of makeup connoisseur Tanya Burr.

8. GAME OF THRONES Makeup

Unless you've been living under a media-proof rock for the past year, you've doubtless heard of the television and book sensation that is Game of Thrones, as well as the makeup sensation known as Michelle Phan. The two combine forces in this incredibly simple makeup tutorial for those who wish to look like dragon-wrangling royalty on Halloween.

9. WALKING DEAD MAKEUP

If you love cosmetics but don't mind looking less than gorgeous on Halloween, you've met your match in a zombiefied Walking Dead character costume. In this sweet video, AMC offers a few tricks of the trade in creating an undead look that's sure to frighten anyone who gets in your way on the holiday.

10. MALEFICENT MAKEUP

This makeup look may evoke the look of a misunderstood villain, but Malificent's sharp cheekbones, heavily emphasized eyes, and crimson pout are the makings of one extremely beguiling look.

11. WICKED'S ELPHABA MAKEUP

If you're looking to go green for Halloween, no look is more outstanding than Elphaba from Wicked. In this ultra-useful video by the crew behind Wicked, viewers are offered a taste of how to achieve Elphaba's otherworldly glow.

Image: YouTube