Modern Mermaid Halloween Makeup

I'm gonna be honest with you guys: I've never really gone “all out” for a Halloween costume. Usually I’ll just do something where I can wear clothes I already have, maybe DIY a little floral crown or steal my dad's old cowboy boots, but nothing that I'd ever be too embarrassed to wear to Target.

But y'know what? I think Halloween is a really fun excuse to get creative. And my friend, Katie, is increeeedibly talented at getting creative with makeup.

Um, told ya! Katie is a licensed esthetician and a makeup artist at Sephora. (If you've been reading for a long time, you might remember her from this post!) She's going to share a little about how she achieved this killer look.

Step 1: "Apply an eyeshadow primer to the eyelid and set with a matte nude shadow. Then, with a fluffy brush, apply a matte peach shade to the crease. Afterward, apply a darker pink to the inner and outer corner with the same fluffy brush, taking extra care with blending. The key is to gradually go from lighter to darker in the inner and outer corners to create the "halo" effect. I went from light pink to a deep purple. Then, taking a white liquid liner, create a wing and fill the wing in until the white is completely opaque. After the white liner, you can apply mascara or lashes if you so choose."

Before moving on to the scales, Katie highlighted the tops of her cheekbones, tip and bridge of her nose, her cupid's bow and above her brow. Don't be afraid to go overboard — mermaids live under water!

The sneaky-smart makeup artist trick here is to use fishnet pantyhose to create the look of scales. Brilliant, huh? Katie achieved this look using lime, green and teal shades. This surprisingly isn't difficult to achieve, but you'll want to pay attention to how you use your brush. Katie says you'll get the most texture and color payoff if you use patting motions instead of swiping the color over the fishnet.

The last step is adding purple lipstick, which Katie topped with a little more of the purple shadow, to set it and enhance the color. In Katie's words, "Voila! You're a mermaid!"

Personally, I think one of the things that makes this look SO fun on Katie is her mermaid hair. If you're into the pastel hair trend, a mermaid would definitely be a fun look for Halloween. Isn't she just gorgeous?! I love how this look turned out so fun and bohemian — definitely a 2016 mermaid, although I've gotta be honest and say I love the traditional Ariel look too. (Also I just googled and discovered The Little Mermaid was released in 1989. What?! How!)

You guys can see more from Katie on her Instagram; she lives in Springfield, MO, and she's available for freelance work! Oh, and if you feel like this whole mermaid thing is an "Expert" level and you're a little more of a beginner... I relate to you. We'll have another look coming soon!

Products used: Benefit "Stay Don't Stray" Eyeshadow Primer, Inglot Peach Matte Eyeshadow, Makeup Geek Duochrome Eyeshadows in Blacklight and Rockstar (for eyes and highlighter), Urban Decay Electric Pallet for Lime, Green and Teal Scales, Suva Matte White Eyeliner, Gerard Cosmetics Lilac Moon Lipstick