You may be here because Halloween is around the corner, or maybe Halloween is every day in your soul. But clown makeup has so many more purposes! You can use it to disguise yourself at the flower shop, you can use it to scare a child, or a favorite of mine; use it to unlock an alter ego….therapy can only take us so far. Let’s get to it.
Clown Makeup Essentials
Here's what you'll need to achieve your clown makeup look:
Core Supplies:
- Makeup Sponge or Makeup Brush: Essential for applying white makeup and touching up any mistakes.
- Powdering Puff: Used for applying setting powder and can also be a fun accessory.
- White Clown Makeup:
- Ben Nye Aqua Paint Cloud White (Water-Based): Recommended for beginners due to its ease of application.
- Ben Nye Clown White (Oil-Based): An alternative if you tend to cry easily.
- Setting Powder:
- Ben Nye Super White Powder: Helps to set the white makeup, preventing smudging and smearing, especially if you sweat.
- Color Palette:
- Caran D’Ache Palette: Water-based makeup crayons that are versatile for painting details.
- Fake Lashes: To help your eyes stand out amidst the makeup.
- Black Eyeliner:
- Crayon/Pencil: Ideal for creating eyebrows or freckles.
- Marker/Pen: Better for detailed work like hearts or teardrops.
- Mascara: For thickening eyebrows and enhancing eyes.
- Lipstick: Available in various colors like red, pink, or black.
Extra Makeup Products (Optional):
- Colored Liner: For adding details and outlining lips.
- Rhinestones: For added sparkle and embellishment.
- Colored Hairspray: To change your hair color temporarily.
- Red Nose: A classic clown accessory.
How to Do Clown Makeup
This section will guide you through applying your clown makeup, from the base to the final details.
Understanding Clown Archetypes:
- Joey Clown Makeup: Typically uses white, black, and red.
- Auguste Clown Makeup: Features a white face with colorful accents, but generally avoids glitter.
Step-by-Step Application:
Step 1: Start with a Clean Face
SIMPLY PUT: WASH YOUR FACE. Strip yourself! We need a clean slate here. So go wash your face and let last night’s mascara and tomorrow’s depression wash down the drain.
Step 2: Get Your White Makeup Ready
SIMPLY PUT: MIX YOUR WHITE MAKEUP WITH WATER. If you are using Ben Nye Aqua Paint Cloud White (water-based), mix your brush or sponge in water and then with the makeup. The consistency should be like watery paint. You can mix the water and makeup on your hand before applying to your face to work out the consistency. If you are using an oil-based makeup like Ben Nye Clown White, apply it directly.
Step 3: Apply the White Makeup
SIMPLY PUT: COVER YOUR FACE IN WHITE MAKEUP. Once you’ve gotten a good consistency, start applying directly to your face. Don’t be afraid of it, get after it! The more white you have the more “clowny” you’ll look. Try adding a bit extra on your nose, as this area tends to rub off quickly.
Step 3.1: Apply the Setting Powder (Optional at this stage)
If you choose to only set your white makeup at this point, apply the setting powder with your puff. Pay extra attention to your forehead, nose, and chin, as these areas tend to lose makeup the quickest. This step can also be done after all colors are applied, but be aware that it may dull the vibrancy of the colors.
Step 4: Do Your Brows
SIMPLY PUT: COLOR THEM AND PUT MASCARA ON THEM.
- Coloring: Use your water-based color crayons from the Caran D’Ache palette. Dip the crayon in water, dab off excess, and draw over your brows. Don't aim for perfection; if you go too far, gently smudge with a damp tissue and reapply white makeup if needed.
- Mascara: Use the mascara brush to "highlight" your eyebrow hairs by applying mascara in the opposite direction of hair growth, making them look thicker and more dramatic.
Step 5: Do Your Eyeballs
SIMPLY PUT: ADD SOME COLORED EYELINER, EYESHADOW, AND ADD FAKE EYELASHES.
- Eyeliner and Eyeshadow: Use your water-based color crayons. Apply as eyeliner just under your tear duct line on the bottom and above your lashes on top. Smudge into the white base if needed. For eyeshadow, cover your lids with the crayon and keep your eyes shut until it dries.
- Fake Lashes: Apply fake eyelashes. You can enhance the eyes further by adding black eyeliner to your tear duct line and just above your upper lash line.
Step 6: Do Your Lips
SIMPLY PUT: PUT SOME COLOR ON THOSE SUCKERS. You can use any lipstick you would like.
- Two-Tone Look:
- Outline your lips with red eyeliner and fill them in. For larger-looking lips, draw slightly outside your natural lip line.
- Apply black lipstick to the inner parts of your lips and blend with your finger into the red. Add more red liner if needed.
- If blending is challenging, add more red on top of the black for an ombre effect.
Step 7: Add Some Details
SIMPLY PUT: MAKE IT YOUR OWN! This is where your black eyeliner or any other color comes in handy to personalize your look.
- Detail Ideas:
- Draw little black hearts in the corners of your eyes.
- Draw droopy triangles under your lower eyelid.
- Add freckles.
- Draw a sun on your forehead.
- Draw a red dot on your nose instead of wearing a red nose.
- Draw an outline of a teardrop on your cheek under your eye for a sad clown look.
- Draw eyebrows above your existing eyebrows.
- Draw lines exploding out from your eyes like stars.
- Add smile lines.
- Draw over your natural wrinkles to emphasize them.
- Give yourself very red cheeks.
- Add a mole.
- Paint big hearts over your eyes.
- Draw eyeballs on your eyelids for a creepy effect.
Step 8: Apply the Setting Powder
SIMPLY PUT: USE YOUR PUFF TO APPLY THE SETTING POWDER. Setting powder keeps your makeup in place but can make colors appear hazy. To maintain color vibrancy, apply setting powder before Step 3. If applying now, use your puff to gently dab powder everywhere, being careful around your eyes to avoid dulling fake lashes. Start with your forehead, then nose, cheeks, and chin.
Tips for Darker or Creepy Clown Makeup
For a more sinister look, consider these techniques:
Halloween Clown Makeup Ideas:
- Add Bags Under Your Eyes: Use a black eyeshadow brush with a small amount of black eyeshadow applied in a sweeping motion from the inner eye to under the eye, stopping before the halfway point. You can also use a black eyeliner pencil to "highlight" these areas by drawing a line where the eyeball naturally sinks in and blending it with an eyeshadow brush.
- Add Wrinkles: Squish your face to find natural wrinkles. Use a thin eyeshadow brush or black eyeliner pencil to draw or fill in these wrinkles with black eyeshadow. Blend with a brush to avoid harsh lines.
Clowns have undeniable range. They started as a symbol of comic relief but have become beacons of mischief (take Harley Quinn, for example) and even the antagonists of horror films (Pennywise is bone-chilling). That’s probably why they make such great Halloween costumes. If you’re not up for the head-to-toe Bozo the Clown get-up, you can still be party-ready with just a clown makeup look.
When preparing for clown makeup, decide what kind of clown you want to be: scary like Twisty, funny like Krusty, or cute. Prep your face with a hydrating moisturizer and layer on a coat of facial primer. The right primer will make it easier to apply a clown’s signature all-over white base without any blotchy areas.
Tools You Need for Clown Makeup (Alternative List):
- White face paint
- White translucent powder
- Black face paint
- Black powder eye shadow
- Red liquid lipstick
- Dense foundation brush
- Thin paintbrush
- Lip brush
- Small eye shadow brush
- Angled medium-sized face brush
Product Examples:
- RCMA Makeup The Original No Color Powder
- Mehron Makeup Color Cup Greasepaint in Black
- Mehron Makeup Paradise Makeup AQ Pro Size
- Armani Beauty Lip Maestro Liquid Matte Lipstick
Clown Makeup Tutorial (Alternative Method):
Step 1: Apply White Face Paint
Use a dense and flat foundation brush to paint your entire face with white face paint. Warm the product on the back of your hand before applying. Set the white face paint with a translucent setting powder.
Step 2: Add Black Details
Draw tapering triangles above your eyebrows and below your lashline in black face paint using thin paint brushes. Any cream product applied needs to be set with a powder. Layer black powder eyeshadow over the black face paint, adding water if needed, using an eyeshadow brush.
Step 3: Create Your Creepy Lip Look
Start with the lip outline. Position your lip brush at the center of your bottom lip and glide it upward along the bottoms of your cheeks. Repeat for the top lip, starting at your cupid's bow. Fill in your lips with a bright red liquid lipstick. For an extra touch, sweep on a bright red blush onto your cheeks.
If you don't have white face paint, you can use the lightest concealer you have. For Pennywise's look, use red eyeshadow shades, red lipstick and lip liner, black eyeliner, and mascara. Start by applying pale face products all over, including eyelids and lightly over lips. For eye makeup, layer red shades in the crease and lighten the middle, with thick-winged liner and black along your waterline. Mascara helps eyes pop open.
Pennywise has lines on his face that outline where his mouth opens. Outline these in grey eyeliner first, then go over them with an eyeliner pencil. For added pizzazz, make little devil horns instead of straight lines through your brows. Layer lip liner and lipstick around the tip of your nose to get the right shade, then match your lips to the rosy hue.
