Halloween Beauty Tutorial: Morticia Addams
A Morticia Addams inspired Halloween look. (Photo:Ben Ritter / Makeup: Keri Blair for MAC / Hair: Nate Rosenkranzusing Alterna Hair Care at Honey Artists)
I have to admit, my Halloween costume was a bit uninspired. I toyed around with the idea of going as a Kardashian, but couldn’t settle on which one (tough decision), so I headed over to Pinterest and after a quick scroll, landed on Morticia Addams. I actually watched the 1991The Addams Family movie starring Anjelica Huston a lot as a kid and always loved her edgy, goth-but-glam look. Plus, anything with a red lip usually makes me happy. And after watching MAC Senior Artist Keri Blair turn Joanna Douglas into Jem, I knew I was in good hands.
For a look like this, patience is key, as it takes a lot more makeup than you would think to transform into the head of the Addams manor. “Trust the process,” says Blair. “With this makeup, it has stages of what the heck are we doing here?” I’ll be the first to admit that seeing yourself with super pale skin and half an eyebrow can be a bit unsettling, but it’s worth it in the end for this spooky transformation (no one in my family recognized me when I sent around the photo — the sign of a successful transformation). Here’s how to get the look:
Brows
Brows play an important role in this look, but don’t reach for the bleach just yet. A glue stick is all you really need to recreate your arches. Blair recommends starting by cleaning your brows with a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol before going to town with the glue. Grab a classic Elmer’s Glue Stick (the purple one is great because you’ll know when it’s dry) and apply the glue over your lashes using the end of a makeup brush or a popsicle stick. Press the glue into your brows, making the surface as smooth as possible to create a base for you to apply makeup over. To get Morticia’s slightly 90s, over-tweezed look, the glue should cover most of your brows. Let the glue dry completely before covering with foundation or eyeshadow. After covering the glue with foundation, use a dark brown pencil, like MAC Veluxe Brow Liner in Deep Dark Brunette ($21) to draw in your new arches.
Face
To get Morticia’s pale complexion, Blair mixed together MAC Face and Body in White with C1 ($27) and a bit of foundation that was close to my natural shade. For this look, you don’t want to look like a ghost, just really pale, so adding in a peach color is key. Blair suggests applying the foundation mix using a sponge and to make sure you bring the color down your neck to reach the neckline of your costume.
Next, it’s time to contour. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve never contoured or been contoured before this shoot. Blair used a mix of MAC Powder Blush in Taupe ($) and MAC Eye Shadow in Scene ($) to get the look. Start by using a regular contour brush and then go through with an eyeshadow brush to sculpt the hollows of the cheek.
Eyes
The key to Morticia’s intense grey and white eyes is starting with a light color base. Blair used MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna ($22) and applied it all over the lid and up to the brow bone that was covered with the glue stick. Then she applied layer of MAC Eye Shadow in Gesso ($16), a matte white, over the base. Next, take a dray grey shadow, like MAC Eye Shadow in Print ($16) to carve out the crease and elongate the eye using a tapered brush. It’s important to follow the first half of your natural crease and then move the line up towards the browbone and out. Blair used MAC Liner in Smolder ($17) to line the inner waterline and then rubbed the liner into the bottom lashes for a slightly smoky effect. Lastly, Blair used MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack ($17) to create a winged look, following the upper lash line.
Lashes
For some extra oomph, Blair applied false lashes (MAC Cosmetics 7 Lash, $17). The key with falsies is first, to measure your lashes and make sure they fit your eyes (trimming if needed) and second, to give your adhesive a little bit of time to sit out and get tacky. Blair used Duo, a medical grade adhesive, which takes a long time to dry. It’s great because you have time to play around, but it also means you should let it sit out in the air for about five minutes so you’re not late to your party waiting for your lashes to stay put.
Lips
Blair used MAC Lip Pencil in Brick ($17) to elongate my top lip and thin out my bottom lip. Morticia is not a matte red lip girl; it’s all about something shiny, glossy, and glamorous. Blair used a combination of MAC Lipstick in Brave Red and Cockney ($17).
Hair
When it comes to hair, you want something long, black and straight. Blair applied a little bit of the foundation mix to the part in the wig to make it blend better into the pale look she had created.
Nails
Throw on a set of press on nails, grab a red rose and a sharp pair of scissors, and you’ve completed the transformation.
Related:
Halloween Beauty Tutorial: Pop Art
