How to Prevent Halloween Makeup Removal From Becoming a Horror Show

Both Rudder and Stewart agree that an oil-based cleanser is the best way to remove face and body paint. Oil breaks down water-resistant formulas, so it will dissolve that Mystique costume with ease.

Stewart recommends starting by pairing a wipe with an oil-based formula like Make Up For Ever Extreme Cleanser ($32). Remove excess residue by getting in the shower and scrubbing down your body with shampoo and a loofah.

Skin still stained? Stewart swears by men's shaving cream. "Let it sit for five minutes, then use your loofah to wipe it off," she said. Though it sounds strange, shaving cream is actually a powerful stain remover. Learn how to use it to get foundation spills out of your clothes.

Maybe you're experimenting with falsies for the first time for the holiday, or perhaps you're a seasoned pro stacking strips for an ultraglam lash look. Either way, you want to avoid a glue mishap, because the mere thought of pulling out real lashes is terrifying.

For stubbornly sticky glue, Rudder advises soaking a cotton swab with a biphase eye makeup remover like MAC Cosmetics' Gently Off Eye & Lip Makeup Remover ($22), then pressing it into the lash band.

"Begin to lift the lash strip from the skin by starting at the inner corner of the eye," she advised. As you slowly pull the band away from the skin, rub the remover-doused cotton bud below the strip to loosen any stray glue.

If you've accidentally glued your fake lashes to your real ones, remain calm. All you need is to add a second Q-tip to the aforementioned routine. Place the first cotton swab atop the false lash strip (where the glue is) and the other underneath your lashes, pressed against your natural lash line. With a gentle amount of pressure, wiggle the cotton buds in opposite directions.

"This soft massaging movement will saturate the lash from above and below and will cause the adhesive to release quickly," Rudder explained. Just be careful to not poke yourself in the eye!

Sparkles look stunning on the dance floor but are likely out of place in your office's boardroom. Thankfully, you can use an oil-based cleanser to help remove the bling. You'll still have some persistent flecks after washing, though, so Rudder recommends that you rely on a roll of tape.

"Depending on the tack level of the tape, you may need to press it against your palm to reduce its stickiness slightly," she said. (This is especially true if you plan on using the tape on the delicate skin around your eyes — you don't want the adhesive to pull too much!)

"Wrap the piece of tape around two of your fingers and press it on top of any stubborn specks," Rudder directed. They should lift right off.

If this process is too time consuming to complete on your entire body, Stewart recommends using a lint roller to most quickly cover large areas.

If your hair is naturally or dyed dark, you won't have to worry too much about removing a bright, temporary color from your strands. However, those with light hair — especially bleached to a platinum hue — may run into some issues trying to get the pink and blue Harley Quinn-esque tints out of their pigtails.

This is because bleaching causes the hair's cuticle to lift, stripping the natural color proteins. However, that strenuous process makes the hair weak and porous, leaving it susceptible to staining.

"It's hard to ensure that there is no staining on bleached hair," Stewart admitted, "but what I usually tell models to do is wash their hair with a grease-cutting dish soap." Just like it aggressively cleans your plates, the soap will scour your strands. "However, it strips the hair of any color or oil, so make sure you finish with a deep conditioner," she noted. Learn more about hair masks here.