7 Fairy-Makeup Designs For an Ethereal Halloween

  • Want to cosplay this Halloween with fairy makeup? We've got all the beauty tips you need.
  • Amp up your fairy makeup with glitter and gems.
  • A celebrity makeup artist gives us a breakdown of how to do fairy makeup at home.

Between characters like Tinkerbell from Peter Pan, Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, there are few magical creatures quite as ubiquitous in pop culture as the fairy. Perhaps that's why Halloween always has us wanting to sprout wings and discover a pocketful of fairy dust. And to fully pull off the fairy look, fairy makeup is a must. And it doesn't have to be wildly intricate — shimmer and eyeliner are the keys to pulling off fairy makeup yourself.

If you, too, are enticed to cosplay a fairy this Halloween, we have all the fairy-makeup inspiration you need right here. And for expert makeup tips, we turned to celebrity makeup artist Margina Dennis. Keep reading to discover how to do fairy makeup just in time for Halloween.

Fairy Makeup: Pink, Shimmery, and Freckled

This sweet fairy look is all about bringing out the pinks in the model's cheeks and lips. To achieve that light shimmery highlight around the eyes, Dennis recommends this water-based eyeshadow from Absolute New York. Simply dab the product on your lids or in the corners of your eyes and blend out with your fingertips or a brush.

We also can't get enough of those exaggerated freckles. If you don't have them naturally (or even if you do), amplify them with a brow pencil in a brown or auburn color like this one from NYX. The technique? Press the brow pencil into the skin, then do one gentle dab with a sponge to diffuse. Dennis says you could also pick up an actual freckle pen from Colourpop.

Fairy Makeup: All About the Liner

This natural fairy look accentuates the eyes with not one, not two, but three swipes with a rich, pigmented red liner. Instead of using a pencil, Dennis says to get yourself a super-thin brush. Get the brush nice and saturated with a shadow, like this one from Clionadh Cosmetics, then swipe on your lash line, just atop your eye crease, and from your bottom eye crease out in an upwards direction toward the other two lines.

Fairy Makeup: Bold Lashes

This look is defined by the model's lashes that stretch almost all the way up to her brows. Dennis recommends lashes from Miss A. To make the eyes pop even more, she recommends a little rule breaking: stack two lashes on top of each other.

Fairy Makeup: Glitter and Gems

You can't get much more magical than these gorgeous glitter swoops. To find eco-friendly glitter that's safe to use around the eyes, Dennis says to look to Etsy. Her favorite vendors are Blingee Thingee and Luminosity Eco Glitter. To achieve these pink and yellow hues, try this Golden Hour bundle. This primer is Dennis's adhesive of choice. Apply it to your eyelids, brow line, and cheekbone, and place the glitter on top.

Fairy Makeup: Subtle Embellishments

The makeup for this fairy look is relatively natural. The light eyes and deep lips would work for just about any workday or brunch out. Of course what makes it magical (aside from the floral headpiece) are the tiny pearls in the corners of the model's eyes. To find those, look to Blingee Thingee for a set of faux pearls in a range of sizes. For adhering the pearls and other gems, Dennis says to use Pros Aid Cream Adhesive.

Fairy Makeup: Dark and Mysterious

We love this powerful, sultry fairy look with black embellished fairy brows and a matching lip. If you want to re-create the drama, start by adhering these black gems above your brow line. For the red shadow that encircles the eyes, try a glimmering multichrome shadow.

To re-create that perfect, dynamic pout (in any color), Dennis applies just a touch of powder highlighter right to the center of the top and bottom lips.

Fairy Makeup: Glossy Lips

To achieve the full fairy lips pictured here, start with a lip liner from Kiko Cosmetics — which Dennis loves since it's great for blending — tracing just outside of the natural lip line. Then fill in with lipstick and gloss — she recommends this one from L'Oreal because it adheres well to the lips but isn't sticky.