A Creepy Clown Makeup Tutorial For Anyone Looking For Last-Minute Ideas

Inspired by Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

Oct 25, 2023

I love Halloween.

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I was born on Halloween weekend (October 27th, it’s coming people!) and that my parents brought me home on Halloween day.

When I was really little, a few of my birthday parties were Halloween-themed. My siblings and cousins bobbed for apples (I was an infant so, unfortunately, could not participate), and while I couldn’t tell you if anyone else dressed up, my Nana showed up in a pink gorilla costume. Iconic lady that she was.

As I’ve gotten older, Halloween has just gotten better. (Yes, even though I can’t trick-or-treat anymore.) I buy the candy I will actually eat (eliminating unnecessary waste in the process - yay environment), and I get to dress up as a duo with my husband! I really enjoy our Halloween tradition, too. On the actual holiday, we stuff a few bite-size pieces of our favorite candy into our coat pockets, and walk around our neighborhood, snacking and enjoying the cool fall evening, people-watching for the best costumes.

Over the last few years, we’ve saved dressing up for family get-togethers. For a COVID-friendly outdoor Halloween gathering, we went as the energizer bunny and a battery. Last year, we were Violet and Willy Wonka. This year is a surprise.

But it’s good, guys. Really good.

But, Mark won’t dress up as something scary (at least, not yet… I’m working on it) because he doesn’t want to creep out the kiddos in our family. Bless his considerate heart.

I’m not so considerate (haha).

I love all things creepy and scary around Halloween. I love watching scary movies and going to “haunted” attractions. I would absolutely dress up as something scary. One day I’ll get him to agree on a Freddy versus Jason moment, or Pennywise and Georgie.

But that day is not today.

So until then, I’ll just experiment with costume makeup and post my efforts on social media. Starting today (technically yesterday - if you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my reel), with a creepy clown makeup tutorial.

Pennywise the clown from the 2017 film adaptation of IT was my inspiration for this look. I haven’t read a ton of Stephen King (I read Carrie and loved it), but a good chunk of his titles are on my to-be-read list. IT topping that sublist. I really enjoyed the movies and found Pennywise to be an excellent representation of evil.

I also do a really solid Pennywise impression. So, that’s a fun trick.

Last weekend, I had a free afternoon and decided to recreate his look, using only the products I had on hand. Luckily, Pennywise’s color palette is pretty simplistic. I didn’t have white face paint, so I opted for the lightest concealer I had, searched my collection for a palette with red eyeshadows, grabbed some red lipstick and lip liner, black eyeliner, and mascara, and was ready to go.

Here’s the full list of products I used to get this look, but of course, you don’t need to use the same products I did. As long as you have similar colors, you’re set!

MORPHE X JACLYN HILL The Jaclyn Hill Palette Volume II
Shades used: Certified, Livin’ My Best, Crazy, Next
Hard Candy X Wednesday Addams Liquid Eyeliner
Shade used: Black Is My Happy Color
MAC Studio Fix Every-Wear All-Over Face Pen
Shade used: NC15
MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Light-Capturing Self-Setting Concealer
Shade used: 12
Kylie Cosmetics Matte Lip Crayon
Shade used: Subtle Flex
Maybelline Color Sensational Ultimatte Slim Lipstick
Shade used: 288 More Auburn
Rare Beauty All of the Above Weightless Eyeshadow Stick
Shade used: Compassion
ONE/SIZE Fantasize Lifting & Lengthening Mascara
Shade used: Black

Step One: Create Your Base

I always start my Halloween makeup looks with a smooth canvas for the colorful chaos that is to come. In this instance, that meant getting my complexion as pale as possible, because I didn’t have white face paint to play with. I chose the lightest face products I could find in my collection and applied them all over, including on the eyelids, and lightly over the lips.

Step Two: The Eerie Eyes

When I looked up “Pennywise Makeup” on YouTube to get a better idea of my direction, there were some conflicting strategies. Some people did all-white lids, others did all-red. I ended up doing a combination of both, heavily layering red (though what I had on hand was more purple) shades in the crease and lightening up the middle, with thick-winged liner and black along my waterline. Mascara was a must, too. This helped make my eyes pop open.

Step Three: Fine Lines

Pennywise has some serious lines on his face, but these aren’t scars like the Joker’s; they outline where his mouth opens and reveal what’s referred to in Stephen King’s world as the “deadlights,” lights that, once you look into them, you die. They begin at the corners of his mouth and creep up his cheeks to his eyes, and extend over his brows.

To make sure I got the shape right, I outlined them in grey eyeliner first, then, when satisfied, went over them with an eyeliner pencil. I liked the contrast of the colors, as the grey layer underneath gave them a shadowed finish. Instead of making straight lines through my brows, I made little devil horns for some pizzazz.

Step Four: A Red Lip and Matching Nose

Pennywise is a clown, after all. I layered a few products (lip liner and lipstick) around the tip of my nose to get the right shade, then just matched my lips to the super rosy hue.