Halloween Makeup Tutorial: Cat

Bring out your animal side with a Broadway-stage-worthy Halloween cat makeup look that only takes 30 minutes to create.
Adult Cat Costume

Cat Costume and Makeup for Halloween

To turn yourself into an adorable cat for Halloween, cover your face with a blend of dark and light foundations to create the cat-face shape. Darken brows and create a bold cat eye with black eyeliner. Then color tip of nose black and add line from the nose to upper lip. Color top lip black. Apply a black shadow to the black areas for a more extreme cat eye. Use a white cream pencil and draw a small triangle just inside the black of the inner point. Using a large makeup brush, apply white shimmery eye shadow to the light highlights all around the face. Then, use black liquid eyeliner to accentuate the eyes by following the existing lines. Use the liner to dot on about five whisker spots above the lips on each side and draw three whiskers going out beside the nose. Add fun false eyelashes, cat ears, a tail and a collar to complete the look.

By: Colleen Herman

Materials Needed:

  • foundation (several shades lighter than skin tone)
  • dark brown/orange foundation
  • black eyeliner pencil
  • black liquid eyeliner
  • bronze, black and metallic white eye shadow
  • false eyelashes and adhesive
  • nude lipstick
  • translucent powder and puff
  • flat makeup brushes
  • eye shadow brush

Apply Foundation

Using a makeup sponge, apply foundation that is several times lighter than skin to the nose, middle of the forehead, under the eyes, along the cheeks and down the chin (Image 1). Use a different makeup sponge and apply dark orange-brown foundation to all the areas not covered by the light foundation (Image 2). Use a third sponge and lightly blend where the two colors meet (Image 3).

Line Cat Eyes

Use a black eyeliner pencil to fill in the brows. Add sharper angles over the middle of the eyes to create a dramatic peak (Image 1). With black eyeliner, heavily line the bottom lash line and extend the line out past the eye (Image 2). Inside, extend the line a little down the inside of the nose. Line the top lash line and on the inside corner of the eye. Extend the top line to meet the bottom line (Image 3). With the pencil, cover the eyelid, extending out beyond the eye. Blend the lines with a small, flat makeup brush to make them smooth (Image 4).

Draw Cat Nose and Mouth

With a black eyeliner pencil, fill in just under the tip of the nose and on the inside edges of the nostrils. Then use the same liner to draw a line from the nose down to the lips (Image 1). Fill in the point of the Cupid's bow on the lips, then cover the top part of the upper lip with black. Extend the lip line out past the natural edge and curl up slightly (Image 2). Avoid rubbing the lips together. Cover the inside of the bottom lip with nude lipstick (Image 3).

Set Makeup

Use a translucent powder to set makeup in place (Image 1).

Applying Cat Makeup

Setting Halloween Cat Makeup With Powder

To turn yourself into an adorable cat for Halloween, cover your face with a blend of dark and light foundations to create the cat-face shape. Darken brows and create a bold cat eye with black eyeliner. Then use eyeliner to fill in just under the tip of the nose and on the inside edges of the nostrils. Then draw a line from the nose down to the lips. Fill in the point of the Cupid's bow on the lips, and then cover the top part of the upper lip with black. Extend the lip line out past the natural edge and curl up slightly. Avoid rubbing the lips together. Cover the inside of the bottom lip with nude lipstick. Use a translucent powder to set makeup in place.

Intensify the Eye

Apply a black shadow to the black areas for a more extreme cat eye (Image 1). Use a white cream pencil and draw a small triangle just inside the black of the inner point (Image 2). Using a large makeup brush, apply white shimmery eye shadow to the light highlights all around the face (Image 3). Then, use black liquid eyeliner to accentuate the eyes by following the existing lines (Image 4). Use the liner to dot on about five whisker spots above the lips on each side and draw three whiskers going out beside the nose.

Finishing Touches

Add fun false eyelashes, cat ears, a tail and a collar to complete the look.

Woman in Cat Costume

Fabulous Cat Halloween Costume

To turn yourself into an adorable cat for Halloween, cover your face with a blend of dark and light foundations to create the cat-face shape. Darken brows and create a bold cat eye with black eyeliner. Then color tip of nose black and add line from the nose to upper lip. Color top lip black. Apply a black shadow to the black areas for a more extreme cat eye. Use a white cream pencil and draw a small triangle just inside the black of the inner point. Using a large makeup brush, apply white shimmery eye shadow to the light highlights all around the face. Then, use black liquid eyeliner to accentuate the eyes by following the existing lines. Use the liner to dot on about five whisker spots above the lips on each side and draw three whiskers going out beside the nose. Add fun false eyelashes, cat ears, a tail and a collar to complete the look.

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