A brush with Halloween

Many of the trendiest characters require special attention to the face to achieve the desired effect. The good news is, once you've got that down, the rest of the costume is likely already in the closet. "Zombies are the biggest costume category for 2011," said Ressa Tomkiewicz, spokeswoman for Party City. "That's partly because vampires are falling out of fashion a little bit. Consumers are looking for the Hair extensions newest dark creature to personify." Part of the appeal of zombie looks, which are proving popular among adults and boys, is that any character can be zombified — nurses, rockers, day traders, teachers. "This is where makeup comes into play," Tomkiewicz said. Costume stores have expanded makeup kits for Halloween. But the face is such a focal point this year that some adults are calling in professionals. "We've already started booking up," M.A.C. Cosmetics senior artist Jane McKay said in September. "The Saturday night parties will be crazy."Adults: Gashes and lashes "Halloween is becoming more and more popular for adults," Tomkiewicz said. According to a National Retail Federation report released in September, Americans will spend $1 billion on children's costumes in 2011, up from $840 million last year, and $1.21 billion on adult costumes, up from $990 million last year. About Feather hair 68.6 percent of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween, up from 63.8 percent last year and the most in the federation's nine-year survey history. Adults like to buy a la carte items to create costumes that are both economical and can be customized, Tomkiewicz said. So Party City added more mini-kits this year containing, say, peacock wings and a mask, or peacock clips for shoes, to which some adults might add a tutu, leggings, blue and green makeup and false lashes, which abound in a rainbow of colors and embellishments at beauty stores such as ULTA as well as M.A.C. "Lashes can be used for creating a lot of characters," McKay said. "Many times you want your features larger than life. Lashes help achieve that." Everyday toiletries can add up to some of the most dramatic looks. The pale skin of a zombie can start with sunscreen containing zinc, McKay said. "Then you have to create feather extension the gore."Teens: Cue the scary movie The remake of "Fright Night" pumped fresh blood into the vampire genre. To get the look, celebrity makeup artist Kela Wong, who has done the faces of "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson and "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert, applies foundation in the lightest shade (she likes Cover FX shade E0), then follows with the lightest powder. (And remember, no real vampire would forget the neck!) Then she adds brownish foundation (Cover FX B65) under the cheekbones and around the rims of the eyes. "The lower you go, the more of a sunken, sleepless look you'll get," she said. Finish with a wine-stained, matte color tapped onto lips and around eyes. Another past favorite, Lady Gaga, hasn't gone away either. This year Gaga's "Judas" video is sure to bring a few blackened brows, elaborately lined eyes and jeweled fingernails.