by Sue Perez | Featured Contributor
Jack O’Lanterns, black cats, flying bats and witches brew. Creepy ghosts, nine legged spiders are some of the things I wish for you. Tasty cookies, frosted candies, chocolate covered dreams in your hands. It’s Halloween again and new makeup trends! Are you ready to play my friends? ( insert evil grin here or loud cackling laughter )
Playing Dress Up
If your like most people you wait until the last minute, sometimes even up to the day, searching for a Halloween costume. That is why I like parties. You can plan in advance and really create a cool costume. A few years ago a colleague who had lost a family member to brain cancer started a fundraising event on Halloween. It was such a fun way to get together for a good cause, have some drinks and dance around while looking fiendishly cute. Being a professional makeup artist you would think I live for this holiday. Sure, I enjoy dressing up and being creative, but I love creating the makeup looks on other people as you will see on the links below. But first, this is a snap from the event a couple of years ago. I was inspired by Dia De Los Muertos which means Day of The Dead and it’s a traditional holiday in Mexico where loved ones honor their deceased.
No Sewing Machine Required
Unlike costumes, which need to be measured and fitted, makeup on the other hand fits everyone. And there is no assembly required. You won’t need to dust off your sewing machine and shop for fabrics and pull all your hair out screaming when you mess up. I think finding the right costume, one that makes you look and feel good is the biggest challenge. The makeup is the fun part and this look demonstrates how lovely and effortless a simple well placed Peacock feather can make. Or how about this adorably cute look which took me about fifteen minutes and a steady hand. False strip eyelashes in both of these looks made the impact. You don’t really need a lot of material to make a stand out halloween costume, just some ideas, planning and inspiration.
Trending for Ideas
Of course a three second Google search will reveal the most popular costumes this year but what if your not cool playing a character? I think there are many ways to create and conjure the most unique and exciting fantasy costume. My creativity comes from pictures. This visual inspires so much excitement! She is a goddess, strong and fearless. She has mastered her environment as she kneels on the ocean, harnessing fire and manipulating the air. Every element is hers to command and she absorbs it’s energy and manifests all of it’s power.
Power in Self Expression
It’s fun to create a fantasy and express yourself in it, draw on the powerful positive energy from a photograph like these and see how it can plays into your own life. ( swords not included ) Everyday we are bombarded with bad news and depressing headlines. Halloween is a holiday where you can play dress up and be as weird as you want to in the name of having a good time. Looking at inspiring images can also awaken the energy we need to adopt and manifest our dreams. Weird, or strange, odd and mysterious, embrace all the qualities that make you unique. Expressing who you really are can be beautiful.
Sue Perez the Dynamic Video Coach- is an Emmy Award winning television makeup artist with 3 decades of video production experience-both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Some productions and shows include NBC4NY, New York Live TV, Open House, Sunday Night Football, HBO, The Doctor Oz Show and Law and Order SVU.
She created her own company Beautyphonics in 2014 to bring highly
skilled education to other beauty professionals and brands seeking her expertise. Her first book Beneath the Makeup-12 Lessons to Empower and Inspire You became available on Amazon in the spring of 2019.
Sue has been a beauty expert contributor on topics from wellness and beauty to makeup products for Dermstore, Oprah Magazine, and Fab Fit Fun and a featured contributor for SheOwnsIt.com a website that celebrates female entrepreneurship with monthly creative, uplifting and success driven content.
In March of 2020 she stepped into her business full time working with women entrepreneurs who needed personalized beauty sessions and consultations over teleconferencing and Zoom.
In October of 2020 she pivoted her brand and launched a 5- week program to answer a need in the marketplace for entrepreneurs who were seeking more direction with improving their image, content creation and brand messaging on video with Dynamic Video Blueprint.
Her interview for the apple podcast Field Guide to Awesome by business coach Trina Serrecchia is inspiring and she offers her views on mindset challenges, finding confidence and why she is so committed to helping women entrepreneurs to step into their power and unleash their brands on video.
Her most recent interview was for LATINAS on CUNY-TV, Sue talks about the importance of your image over Zoom and shares her best advice for making your presence memorable online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MhNNLResyE&t=1040s