Halloween is one of the most fun times of year: How could it not be, as a holiday fully dedicated to dressing up like your favorite characters and wildest fantasies? And just like the rest of us, celebrities go all out every year without fail, adorning over-the-top costumes that ranged from wicked to whimsical. But perhaps the most impressive parts of these looks are the elaborate beauty moments that accompany them. Every year, celebs experiment with some of the most creative hair and makeup transformations we’ve ever seen, be it mystical sparkles, sultry, vampy looks, or dramatic tributes to niche references. From Sabrina Carpenter to Beyoncé to the Kardashian-Jenner family, it seems almost every big star has an unforgettable look (or several) from over the years.
Ready for some spooky inspo? Keep scrolling to see 36 of the best celebrity Halloween beauty looks of all time, sure to help you level up your costume.
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Sabrina Carpenter
Cheeky pop icon Sabrina Carpenter keeps being on tour around Halloween, making the perfect opportunity to show off an array of festive looks. Here, she dresses as a Playboy bunny with the signature ears and a glitzy bodysuit, but it’s her blurred soft glam makeup and tousled curls that really take the costume to the next level.
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Suni Lee
Those looking for a lighter balletic twist can take inspiration from Olympic champion Suni Lee. For her White Swan look, a glittery smoky eye, ethereal highlighter, and glossy lips go a long way in further elevating her tiara and feathered costume.
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Beyoncé
Beyoncé has been known to pull off an epic Halloween costume. In 2018, she debuted three looks–including Olympian Flo Jo, actress Lisa Bonet, and singer Toni Braxton. To embody Braxton, Beyoncé recreated the pixie cut and red lip the icon wore for her debut album cover.
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Joan Smalls
Halloween is about having fun, and Joan Smalls did just that. The model dressed up as a vibrant furry monster, wearing a bright pink wig and a blue lip and eye combination.
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Charli D’Amelio
Like many with a dance background, Charli D’Amelio turned to a classic Black Swan costume for Halloween—and her beauty look truly took center stage. From the graphic, textured eye look to the classic red lip to the spooky stage-makeup shoulder detail complete with feathers, every element here brings the drama.
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Zoe Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz may just be the coolest nun we’ve ever seen. Here, the actress intricately swooped her baby hairs and accentuated her eyes with smoky eyeshadow.
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Heidi Klum
Since 2000, Heidi Klum has been hosting her annual Halloween party, and each year she shows up in a costume that tops the last. In 2015, she transformed into Jessica Rabbit using prosthetics and completing the look with the character’s iconic red hair and purple eyeshadow.
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Gigi Hadid
Model Gigi Hadid took us back to the 50s with her Grease-inspired costume, dressing as Sandy. In the classic film, Olivia Newton-John wore her hair in bouncy ringlets, completing her look with a red lip and smoky eye. Celebrity makeup artist Erin Parsons and hairstylist Jennifer Yepez teamed up to help Hadid create a modern-day version of Sandy.
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Rosalía
Last year, Rosalía put a gory spin on Magdalena Bay’s Imaginal Disk album cover for her makeup-forward Halloween look. To recreate it, the hardest part will likely be cutting a CD to fit your forehead: Otherwise, the makeup skews minimal and ethereal, save for the dramatic fake blood drip.
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Lupita Nyong’o
Just like us, Lupita Nyong’o is a fan of the movie Clueless. The actress dressed up as Dionne Davenport, sporting the character’s signature braids and a red lip.
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Khloe Kardashian
Khloe Kardashian tapped into her inner superhero for Halloween 2016, going as Storm from X-Men. Justine Marjan styled the stark white hair, while Hrush Achemyan created this striking makeup moment.
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Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner celebrated Halloween as a forest fairy. The model wore her hair in cascading waves by Jen Atkin, and Mary Phillips created her golden glam using products from Iconic London.
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Josephine Skriver
From her gory wounds to her retro hairdo, model Josephine Skriver’s costume was a Halloween masterpiece.
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Ming Lee Simmons
Rather than turning to drawing on a nose and whiskers, Ming Lee Simmons turned to making her features more catlike for this impressive Halloween makeup look. Some smart contouring around the nose and elongated eyeliner took her neutral glam into feline territory—not to mention the fangs she sported.
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Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian has professed her love for Cher many times. In 2017, West and her best friend Jonathan Cheban dressed as Sonny and Cher. For the look, she wore her bone-straight black hair and thick, vivid lashes.
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Imaan Hammam
Model Imaan Hammam enjoyed Halloween dressed as Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash. For her rockstar look, Hammam opted for a blue shimmery pigment on her eyes and a bright red lip.
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Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner was Christina Aguilera’s lookalike for Halloween in 2016. Jenner wore platinum blonde hair featuring black extensions inspired by Aguilera’s infamous “Dirrty” music video.
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Rihanna
In true Rihanna fashion, the singer put a twist on a classic skeleton costume. The star swapped the traditional black and white makeup for fluorescent pink face paint and a maroon lip.
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Ciara
Singer Ciara’s family all dressed as characters from Black Panther in 2018. The singer chose to be Nakia, who is played by Lupita Nyong’o in the film. Ciara wore her hair in beautifully braided Bantu knots, and for makeup, she opted for a subtle smoky eye.
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Taylor Hill
Model Taylor Hill decided to dress like the popular anime character Sailor Moon. Like the character, Hill wore her hair in two long blonde ponytails.
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Cardi B
Cardi B dressed up as Poison Ivy for Halloween in 2019. The rapper’s fierce look featured ivy leaves that framed her face, vibrant green eyeliner, and a show-stopping red wig.
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Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj put her own spin on the character Harley Quinn. Celebrity hairstylist Kellon Deryck styled the rapper’s platinum blonde wig in two pigtails that he dip-dyed blue and hot pink. Minaj’s makeup look featured pink and blue eyeshadow to match her hair and bold red lipstick.
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Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande’s 2019 pig nose costume was inspired by a 1960s episode of The Twilight Zone, “Eye of the Beholder.” Grande shared on Twitter that her glam team spent five hours applying prosthetics and prepping this look.
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Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato’s version of IT character Pennywise was absolutely killer. Celebrity hairstylist César DeLeön Ramîrez styled Lovato’s auburn hair into two messy buns. Makeup artist Judi took on the task of creating the singer’s elaborate red and white face makeup.
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Halima Aden
Model Halima Aden dressed as Maleficent in 2019. Makeup artist Meg Kashimura crafted Aden’s beautiful makeup look, which boasted a juicy red lip and dramatic eyeshadow. Mystically fierce nails by Julie K paired perfectly with her makeup.
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Normani
Normani paid tribute to Naomi Campbell by recreating one of the supermodel’s iconic 1991 photoshoots. Celebrity hairstylist César DeLeön Ramîrez and makeup artist Grace Pae handled the glam for the costume.
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Nina Dobrev
Sometimes celebrities dress as other celebrities. Here, Nina Dobrev showed love to Billie Eilish, copying the singer’s onetime signature green roots and nails.
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Hailey Bieber
Hailey Bieber drew inspiration from the classic film Space Jam for this costume, dressing as Lola Bunny. She styled her hair in a high ponytail and applied frosty pink makeup to her eyes and nose.
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Bella Hadid
Here, Bella Hadid dressed up as a glamorous version of Flintstone patriarch Fred Flintstone. The supermodel sported a pixie cut and a smoky eye for the look.
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Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey partied like a rockstar for Halloween 2019. The legendary singer rocked a long, shaggy wig paired with an electrifying pink lip and cool gray eyeshadow.
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Jordyn Woods
Jordyn Woods looked stunning as Cleopatra in 2019. Woods mimicked the Egyptian ruler’s signature eye makeup with thick eyeliner and accessorized her beauty look with eye-catching face gems.
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Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens always delivers memorable Halloween looks. For one of her costumes in 2020, the actress dressed as the Black Widow. Hudgens’ vampy glam Ivan Núñez used all MAC Cosmetics products, and her perfectly sculpted coiffure was styled by Tony Medina.
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Saweetie
Saweetie set the internet ablaze when she posted her RuPaul costume. From the larger-than-life hair to cheekbone contouring, her recreation of RuPaul’s look is absolutely spot-on.
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Kandi Burruss
Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Kandi Burruss dressed up as a fierce feline this Halloween. Special effects makeup artist LahLuvie painted Burruss’ face to resemble a cheetah.
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Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne put a sultry spin on Little Red Riding Hood with her 2020 costume. For makeup, she opted for a bold red lip and eyeshadow combination.
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Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion has discussed her love for anime on several occasions. In 2020, the rapper dressed up as Yumeko Jabami from Kakegurui. To create the look, she wore a red and black wig and did her own makeup using all Revlon products.
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