The most popular Halloween makeup looks for men are a skull, the Joker, a vampire, a zombie and stitches. Even without makeup experience they take about half an hour, and the basic supplies are white and black face paint.

Looks10Time15 to 45 minutesBasicsWhite and black face paintDateSaturday 31 October 2026

What do you need for men's Halloween makeup?

Most men's Halloween makeup takes four supplies: white face paint, black face paint or eyeliner, red face paint and a makeup sponge. A sponge gives a more even result than a brush for anyone without makeup experience. Choose products made for use on skin.

What are the best Halloween makeup looks for men?

Skull

A man in black clothes lying on a white floor, wearing skull face makeup.
Skull makeup with black clothes, the most striking men's look. · Photo: T Leish, Pexels

The most striking men's makeup with a suit or black clothes.

  1. Cover the whole face in white face paint.
  2. Fill in around the eyes and the nostrils, in an upside-down heart shape, in black.
  3. Hollow out under the cheekbones with grey and draw the teeth from the lips across the cheeks.

Joker

Two men in white Joker face paint with red painted smiles.
White face paint, dark eyes and a red painted smile make the Joker. · Photo: Maheshwaran Shanmugam, Pexels

The look from Joker (2019), one of the most copied men's makeup looks.

  1. Cover the face in white face paint.
  2. Draw blue triangles above and below the eyes.
  3. Paint the lips and a smile running from the corners of the mouth up the cheeks in red.

Vampire

A man in a black suit and tie with pale skin and dark-ringed eyes.
Pale skin and dark eyes finish a Dracula look. · Photo: Errich Cross, Pexels

Pale skin and dark eyes, to finish a Dracula costume.

  1. Apply a light foundation or a thin layer of white face paint.
  2. Shade around the eyes with dark red or grey shadow.
  3. Draw a thin drop of blood from the corner of the mouth and put in fake fangs.

Zombie

A pale man with a wound on his neck looking out from a dark doorway.
A pale face and red wounds make the zombie look. · Photo: cottonbro studio, Pexels

A pale, tired complexion, finished with work clothes or a torn shirt.

  1. Cover the face in a grey or pale greenish tone.
  2. Hollow out under the eyes and the cheekbones with dark shadow.
  3. Add wounds on the cheek and forehead in red and brown.

Stitches

A man with dark eyes and a smeared red mouth in a dark room.
Dark eyes and a drawn mouth, a quick look with pencils and no face paint. · Photo: Lucky Photography, Pexels

The quickest look, done with eyeliner alone and no face paint.

  1. Draw a straight line from the cheek to the corner of the mouth.
  2. Add short crossing lines for the stitches.
  3. Add a little red shadow along the edges.

Half-face skull

A man painting one half of his face white with black lines at a table.
Half the face painted white, the base of a half-face skull. · Photo: Andry Sasongko, Pexels

Half the face as normal and the other half a skull, smart with a suit.

  1. Cover one half of the face in white face paint.
  2. Fill in around the eye and the side of the nose on that half in black.
  3. Draw the teeth from the lips towards the cheek.

Devil

A man with red face and body paint wearing horns and a pointed ear piece, outdoors.
Red paint and horns make the devil look. · Photo: Vintage Lenses, Pexels

A red face with horns, the easiest look to finish with a black suit.

  1. Cover the face and neck in red face paint.
  2. Draw arched black eyebrows and shade under the cheekbones with dark red.
  3. Draw a pointed goatee with black eyeliner and add a horn headband.

Werewolf

A person in a grey fur wolf mask with metallic claws against a black background.
A furry face and claws for the werewolf look. · Photo: Zinoviy Nudelman, Pexels

A furry face for a night in dark clothes and a torn shirt.

  1. Cover the face in a light brown base.
  2. With a sponge, dab darker brown fur along the cheeks and brow, running outwards from the nose.
  3. Blacken the tip of the nose and add red claw scratches on the cheek.

Frankenstein's monster

A close-up of a face with green face paint being applied with a brush.
Green face paint, the base of a Frankenstein's monster look. · Photo: Diego Asmad, Pexels

Green skin and stitches, finished with a dark jacket.

  1. Cover the face in green face paint.
  2. Draw a heavy straight brow and a stitched scar across the forehead in black.
  3. Shade under the cheekbones with dark green.

Scarecrow

A person in a black hat with straw-coloured hair and stitched lines drawn on the face.
Stitch lines on the face and straw-coloured hair make a scarecrow. · Photo: zona .exe123ph, Pexels

Stitches and straw, for a rough costume made from old clothes.

  1. Cover the face in a light tan base.
  2. Draw black stitch lines around the mouth and across the cheeks.
  3. Darken around the eyes and smudge a little straw-coloured shadow on the cheeks.

How do you do Halloween makeup with a beard?

On a bearded face the makeup goes up to where the beard starts. The beard itself can be brought into the look by colouring it lightly in black or grey, which is the easiest fix for skull and zombie makeup. Working face paint into the beard makes it hard to clean off at the end of the night.

How do you remove Halloween makeup?

Take face paint off at the end of the night with an oil-based cleanser, then wash the face as normal. Sleeping in makeup can irritate the skin. Testing a new product on a small patch of the inner wrist shows any reaction before the party.

Where to buy Halloween makeup

Tahtakale sells face paint and makeup supplies at wholesale prices. For a ready-made costume to wear with the makeup, Istanbul has Kostumpartim, where the code SAUCY gives 5% off. All the addresses are in where to buy a Halloween costume in Istanbul.

Quicker looks are in easy Halloween makeup, and costumes to match in Halloween costume ideas for men.