Still don't have a costume? Empty Pools, Sweet Mutuals, Medrona Redhawk, and more will spark creative inspiration (and haunt your dreams)
Document asked our favorite makeup enthusiasts to show off their Halloween looks. Browse spooky, beautiful creations for last-minute inspiration and embrace transformation this All Hallows’ Eve.
Empty Pools, based in New York City
Document—Describe the character you’ve created. Where do they live? What’s their astrological sign? If they were a type of candy, what would they be?
Empty Pools—The character I’ve created is some sort of contemporary zombie pirate who’s coming to rob your apartment. He lives in the sewer under St. Marks Place and doesn’t have an astrological sign because no one knows when he was born. He would most likely be a chocolate gold coin because that’s what he collects from his victims every Halloween.
Document—Tell us a makeup-related horror story.
Empty Pools—One time I spilled a whole bottle of Pros-Aide in my apartment; anyone who uses this stuff would understand why this is so terrifying. It’s basically cement for your skin.
Document—Reveal your most impressive trick.
Empty Pools—I think my most impressive trick seems to be my use of custom temporary tattoos on my face. It’s almost become something I’m known for at this point, and I don’t see many other artists utilizing them in the same way as I do.
Sweet Mutuals, based in Savannah, Georgia
Document—How did you create your look? Describe your process and materials.
Sweet Mutuals—I wanted to do something very contrast-like. Having a dramatic smokey eye with the childlike whimsical rhinestones reminded me of the two different styles of Halloween costumes. Halloween tends to be either childlike and colorful or seductive and dark. I started with my eyes so I could figure out the specific shape without messing up my foundation. After my foundation, I started placing the rhinestones. I tried to randomize the different flowers with the circles. I also wanted to make sure the colors scheme was random. Originally, I wanted to do a clear, glossy lip, but I wanted to bring the dark vibe back into the look and make it look unified.
Document—Describe the character you’ve created.
Sweet Mutuals—I have created a wooden creature who is on their way to the Annual Flower Festival. They live in a dark mossy forest that is filled with shimmering evergreens. But, once a year, various types of flowers bloom in the middle of the forest. Creatures from all over the forest gather to witness these rare beauties. My creature would definitely be a Taurus. The type of candy they would be York Peppermint Patties.
Document—Where should you wear this look?
Sweet Mutuals—Wear this look to a theatrical event—like a Masquerade Ball. Instead of hiding behind a plastic mask and feathers, use your face as a canvas to showcase your beauty. I would love to pair this with a dark green ballgown.
Document—What is your makeup secret weapon?
Sweet Mutuals—My makeup secret weapon would have to be gloss. I feel like a glossy lip makes a look ten times more powerful. I wouldn’t be Sweet Mutuals without my signature glossy lip!
Medrona Redhawk, based in Las Vegas
Document—What is the inspiration behind your makeup style?
Madrona—My abstract makeup is mostly inspired by shapes or patterns I would draw before I even started doing makeup. My concrete makeup is inspired a lot by light fixtures and buildings or cities in general.
Document—Describe the character you’ve created for us.
Madrona—They would probably live in a dormant volcano or at the bottom of the ocean, and they are DEFINITELY a Gemini! If they were a candy they would be [Choward’s] Violet Mints.
Document—Where should you wear this look?
Madrona—Probably trick-or-treating.
Document—Pick a spooky soundtrack to get ready to.
Madrona—’Jellybones’ by The Unicorns
Sgàire Wood, based in Scotland
Document—Describe the character you’ve created. Where do they live? What’s their astrological sign? If they were a type of candy, what would they be?
Sgàire—I feel like he lives in France, in, like, Les Mis-kinda times. He’s probably a Sagittarius (like me!) He has a lover in every port so he definitely travels a lot. He’d be a Werther’s Original. Smooth and creamy.
Document—You live in Scotland, where would you wear this look? What does your ideal Scottish Halloween night look like?
Sgàire—I would wear this look to a fireworks display so I could close my eyes (my real ones at least) and pretend I was at the Storming of the Bastille. Or maybe I’d do something indoors instead because the costume is mostly cardboard and if I’m in Glasgow it’ll probably rain.
My ideal Scottish Halloween would be spent in a remote corner of the highlands dancing around a big Samhain bonfire. With no clothes on.
Document—What’s your most impressive trick?
Sgàire—I’m really good at picking last-minute Halloween costumes for people based on what random stuff they have lying around the house. Kind of like on Ready Steady Cook. I get a real kick out of it. That’s a trick, right?
Khai, based in Columbus, Ohio
Document—What is the inspiration for this look and your overall makeup style?
Khai—I didn’t really get my inspiration from anywhere specific; I googled some images of fairy makeup and honestly didn’t like what I saw so I made a makeup look of what I believed a fairy should look like. The eyebrows were an idea in my head I thought [of] the first time I tried it. (I like testing out a look before an event so I know I can do it for sure.) My overall makeup style is inspired by makeup on the runway what I see on Instagram. My biggest makeup inspos right now are Pat McGrath and @lordchyna!
Document—Describe the character you’ve created.
Khai—This character I’ve created is straight out of my imagination. It’s my adaptation of what I believe a flower fairy is. She lives in a butterfly garden where she protects and raises the butterflies. She’s an Aries just like me; she’s very protective over her butterfly family and will use her powers against any living being who tries going against her or the butterflies.
Document—Describe your ideal Halloween night.
Khai—My ideal Halloween night is being with all my friends dressed up, whether it’s at a party, out taking our younger siblings or cousins trick or treating, or we are just binge-watching scary movies.
Document—Pick a spooky soundtrack to get ready to.
Khai—Here’s my Playlist.
Untitled Queen, based in New York City
Document—Describe the character you’ve created. Who is she? Where do they live? What’s their astrological sign? If they were a type of candy, what would they be?
Untitled Queen—The character I’ve created is a version of me as a mummified peat bog body. A past life that’s been floating slowly beneath the sphagnum moss wetlands, with papery preserved skin and bits of hair. She was probably a criminal of sorts or a willing human sacrifice to the gods of pre-religion. She has no star sign. If she were a candy she would be that vintage, fat, tubular, pink round of double bubble gum still in its classic yellow and blue wrapper from the 1920’s that you find under the couch and still decide to put in your mouth.
Document—Pick a spooky soundtrack to get ready to.
Untitled Queen—Theme song from john carpenter’s Halloween.
Document—Tell us your scariest or funniest beauty horror story.
Untitled Queen—One time my friend and makeup artist Maxime Savage did my face for her YouTube channel and I ended up looking like Sophia the AI Robot. When I posted it, Sophia’s AI Instagram commented with a thumbs up. Also, we forgot to have the sound on so the interview and makeup had to be completely reshot.
Visqueen, based in New Orleans, LA
Document—Describe the character you’ve created.
Visqueen—This character is a loose representation of the Lone Ranger…but make it glam! Rhinestone Lone Ranger. Resourceful and opulent, she’s a Taurus. And in the typical Taurus fashion, I’d say this ranger is a family pack of Oreos.
Document—You live in New Orleans, where would you wear this look? What’s your ideal New Orleans Halloween night?
Visqueen—I would definitely prance around the French Quarter in this get-up, trolling some Bourbon St. tourists along the way. A Halloween night filled with catching the early drag shows and then performing a late-night-into-early-morning warehouse party is my plan this year and my ideal scenario!
Document—What’s a funny or unexpected item you bring out with you?
Visqueen—I am proudly back on my miniature obsession again, so my bag is home to a bunch of mini brands at all times. This week’s honorable mini-mentions are a baby Q-Tip™️ package and a small can of Spam™️.
Zah, based in Los Angeles
Document—Describe the character you’ve created.
Zah—The veil is thin, and they’re presenting a semi-human form. They are cursed but you are lucky. If they show themselves to you, are you graced? A reminder to not let fear eat away at you. It cannot fester like it has them. They are cold and seen. Highly visible invisible. You can only make contact with their left eye otherwise your spirit will be left looking.
Document—You live in LA, where would you wear this look? What’s your ideal LA Halloween night look like?
Zah—I do my makeup when I perform. An ideal Halloween for me would be performing an underground rave with strobes, blacklights, suspended bodies, and cobwebs everywhere. Somewhere secluded, but if you know, you know. Everyone in their elevated forms, contorting and losing themselves.
This look is an evolved reimagination of past looks.
Document—Pick a spooky soundtrack to get ready to.
Zah—‘To Love the Silence‘ by ZAH
Photos by Eric Lopez
Marcelo Gutierrez, based in New York City
Document—Describe the character you’ve created. Where do they live? What’s their astrological sign? If they were a type of candy, what would they be?
Marcelo—The character that I created for Halloween is my interpretation of the Joker. Basically, if Marcello had turned into the Joker, what would he look like? He is a Leo. If he was a candy, he would be a rainbow lollipop with gum in the middle.
Document—Reveal your most impressive makeup trick.
Marcelo—Fooling people into thinking I’m a bloodsucker with exaggerated, painted under-eye bags.
Document—Tell us your scariest makeup-related horror story.
Marcelo—Waking up to fake blood drops around my house and thinking it was real because I forgot I went out the night before with fake blood on.
