11 Pro Secrets to Taking Off Your Halloween Klaudia Tirico
You finally found the Halloween costume. And it just might require body paint, all-over glitter, hyperbolic lashes or gruesome add-ons. But when the party’s over, the last thing you’ll want to do is scrub off your Halloween. Luckily, we thought this through for you and found the most gentle and effective ways to get off everything from fake nails to bloody gashes. Bwa-haaa-haaa!
If your costume requires full body makeup, stick to water-based body paints instead of oil-based ones – they will be much easier to wash off. Reds, blues and black paints are notorious for staining the skin so use a deep cleansing oil to lift the pigments, followed by a shower with body exfoliator and buffing gloves.
Temporary tats are made to withstand soap and water, but there are two options for getting them off without irritation: rubbing alcohol or baby oil. Soak a cotton pad with alcohol, then place it over the tattoo for 30 seconds to break down the adhesive. Then rub away the remainder with baby oil and another pad.
Many hair chalks and aerosol can dyes are made with ingredients that bind color to the hair, stain and dry out hair. Remove the color with a clarifying shampoo, followed by a deep conditioner. For stubborn dyes, wash your hair a second time with dish soap, which can lift more dyes.
If you’re staying out for after hours trick-or-treating, pack makeup removal wipes. Opt for hydrating and nourishing ones, which help prevent irritation and redness after suffering through hours of caked-on color.
Falsies are easiest to peel off with tweezers, but stubborn lash glue can stay on your lashes for days. We recommend a few swipes of eyelash adhesive remover to get rid of the sticky leftovers.
Makeup removers that target the eye area allow for fuss-free removal without irritation or burning. Press a soaked cotton pad against closed eyes to dissolve makeup, then gently swipe off.
You can bet your brushes will look like they’ve had a run-in with RuPaul. All that makeup, especially the oil-based formulas, create skin warfare if they’re not properly cleaned. To avoid breakouts, wash your brushes before bed and let them dry overnight.
Glitter has a sneaky way of finding its way into your towels, carpets and hair. And sticking in annoying places for weeks. To prevent a hostile sparkle takeover, gently lay a strip of tape over sparkled areas to lift glitter off of the skin. Repeat this a few times before wiping off the excess with a face wipe. We recommend Scotch tape for the face and larger, stickier packing tape for the body.
Prying off fake nails is one of the most masochistic post-Halloween activities - and damages your nails. For a kinder, gentler removal, soak your nails in 100% acetone for a few minutes (until they fall soft), then gently scrape off the surface of the nail with a wooden cuticle pusher. Once your fake nails are off, hydrate your nail bed with a nourishing nail oil.
If your costume requires adhesive scars, welts, or other gruesome add-ons, use a gum-adhesive remover to get everything off without irritating the skin.
Waterproof makeup is made to last all night, but getting it off can also take all night. To avoid damaging skin with harsh scrubbing, try these waterproof, pro-approved removers, which models use when they have back-to-back fashion shows.
