Simple Halloween Look! Weeping Nun Makeup

Okay, okay, we had to. When it came to picking this year’s Halloween tutorials, we couldn’t help but nod to American Horror Story, one of the most crazy-fun, frightening things you can watch these days. This character haunted us from posters and other promo materials for the FX show’s second season, Asylum, which aired in 2013. The image of a white-faced nun weeping black tears stuck with us all year long, so we decided to re-create the look and show you the steps. Grab a habit and follow along! Just remember, use only products that are safe for the skin and eyes.

You Will Need

nontoxic glue stick (like Elmer’s), translucent loose powder, white face makeup, white face powder, red gel eyeliner, red eye shadow, black eyeliner, latex sponge, makeup brushes, small spatula

Steps

1: First, you’ll cover up your eyebrows. The trick? Use a spatula to scoop and apply glue from a nontoxic glue stick over brows. We used Elmer’s Washable Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks (the product dries completely clear, so you’ll know when it’s dry).

2: Blend in and make sure all the hairs are pushed down and as smooth as possible—you want to mask all the texture. Let dry.

3: Dip brush in translucent loose powder and brush over eyebrows. If you see any stray hairs, apply another layer of glue.

4: Next, cover the entire face, lips, and neck. with white makeup or face paint. To get full coverage, use a latex sponge. You can use the sponge to cover everything, but if you’re working on someone else, you may prefer to use a brush under the eyes to get closer to the lash line, suggests makeup artist Brande Bytheway.

5: To set the paint, use white face powder (rather than the translucent loose powder) because it gives more coverage. Pour a bit of the powder onto the back of your hand, dip a brush in it, shake off the excess, and then apply all over the face, eyelids, neck, and lips.

6: Dip an angled brush into a red gel eyeliner to tightline the eyes (line between the lash line rather than the skin above the lashes). Lift lashes up and fill in the gaps between the lash hairs—try to get as close to the root as possible. Follow our tutorial here, and be gentle!

7: Use eye shadow in a similar red shade to help blend the color out.

8: Apply a black eyeliner to the water line. Add a thick layer of black below the eyes as pictured, painting on drops in different lengths down the face (We used Kryolan Aquacolor in 071 because it’s safe to use around the eyes and dries on the skin.)** **

9: Touch up the neck with white face paint.

What we used: Inglot Cosmetics Translucent Loose Powder in 218, Inglot Cosmetics AMC Eyeliner Gel in 72, Inglot Cosmetics Freedom System Eye Shadow in 382 Matte, Kryolan Aquacolor in 071, Inglot Cosmetics Kohl Pencil, Mehron Clown White, Ben Nye Super White Face Powder, Cover FX #140 Powder Brush, Anastasia Angled Cut Brush Small, Billy B Beauty Paint Brush 5

What are your favorite TV-inspired costume ideas? Share below!