Don’t want to be bothered with dressing up this Halloween? Wear your costume on your mouth! Makeup artist Ryan Kelly (@RyanKellyMUA), who is famous for her amazing lip art, created this spooky tutorial that gives you two choices: a chic gray ombré look that can be worn alone for a subtle scare or transformed into a bone-chilling skull with just a few extra steps. “Remember to have fun with it and use a straw when you go out!” she says. –Marie Lodi
Here are Kelly’s instructions for turning your lips into a ghostly work of art.
1. Prep lip with a hydrating lip primer (like Vaseline), blotting enough so your lips are moisturized but not slippery.
2. Use a black lip or eye pencil to trace the outline of your lip slightly above your natural lip line.
3. Fill in the outer corners of the lips with black pencil, blending with a brush or fingers to create a softer outline while leaving the center open.
4. Apply a blob of white liquid lipstick or regular lipstick to the center of the lips, then press lips together.
5.Using a makeup sponge or fingertips, lightly tap to blend, creating an ombré effect.
6. Clean up around the outside of the lips with concealer using an angled brush.
Spooky Skull
1. Starting with the gray ombré lip, add another layer of white lipstick to the center of the lip so it creates a brighter, light bulb-esque shape.
2. Apply and blend black liner outside of the white to form a skull.
3.Using black liquid eyeliner, draw two circles on the center of the upper lip for eyes, two mirrored, obtuse triangles underneath for a nose, and a few small lines on the bottom lip to mimic teeth.
4.Use a brush around the skull to blend out and refine the shape.
5.If needed, clean up once more around the outside of the lips with concealer.
Photos courtesy of Ryan Kelly
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
