If you’re in the market for a Halloween costume idea that’s guaranteed to be the cat’s meow, allow us to point you in the direction of a cheetah or leopard makeup look. This feline-inspired makeup idea will leave you ready to prowl the jungle—or the coolest Halloween parties, at the very least. Grab a pair of leopard or cheetah ears and your go-to black eyeliner, then read on for a step-by-step guide on how to do this easy leopard Halloween makeup look.
STEP #1: PERFECT YOUR COMPLEXION
You want your cheetah Halloween makeup to last all night, don’t you? Of course! That’s why it’s important to put the effort into creating a spotless (for now) base for your look. Start by applying a makeup primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base, to smooth and blur imperfections. Then, build the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation, Lightweight up to full coverage for a fierce, flawless base worthy of the queen of the jungle.
STEP #2: CONTOUR AWAY
We’re not done with your base just yet! Your leopard makeup look calls for sculpted features courtesy of contouring. Swipe the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Longwear Foundation Shaping Sticks along the hollows of your cheeks, jawline, down the sides of your nose, and onto your temples in a hue that’s one to two shades darker than your skin tone. Buff and blend the cream formula out with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender for a seamless look.
STEP #3: DEFINE YOUR BROWS
This Halloween makeup look is meant to convey a fierce, feline aura, and bold, defined brows are a must to do just that. Use the L’Oréal Paris Unbelievabrow Longwear Waterproof Brow Gel to shape and fill in your eyebrows. First, use the doe-foot applicator to fill in any sparse areas. Then, sharpen and perfect your shape with the angled brush. Blend and smooth out your eyebrow makeup by finishing with a few sweeps of the spoolie.
STEP #4: ACCENTUATE YOUR EYES
Before we dive into the details of your eye makeup, start by swiping an eye primer onto your lids. Then, it’s time to create a brown smoky eye. Using the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Pocket Palette Eye Shadow in Boudoir Charme, apply either of the medium brown shades onto your lid. Deepen your look by popping the darkest brown shade into your crease and along your lower lash line. Then, brighten things up just slightly by applying the lightest shade to your inner corner.
STEP #5: WING IT
What’s a leopard or cheetah makeup look without cat eyeliner? With the help of the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Flash Cat Eye Waterproof Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner in Black, line your upper lash line and wing it out.
STEP #6: COAT YOUR LASHES
Next up: lashes! Apply a few coats of the L’Oréal Paris Bambi Eye Waterproof Mascara, Lasting Volume to boost volume and length.
STEP #7: CREATE YOUR SPOTS
Now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for—creating the leopard spots that are key to pulling off a leopard Halloween makeup look! And you’re in luck; doing so is actually surprisingly easy. First, use a small eye shadow brush to dot the L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Eyes Shimmer Liquid Eye Shadow Makeup in Bronze Light wherever you’d like a spot to be located. Don’t worry about your dots being perfect! Then, grab your black liquid eyeliner and make varying “C” shapes around the dots. The key to making your spots look natural is to switch up the “C” shape enough for perfectly imperfect spots. Then, add a few random black dots here and there for an even more realistic pattern. Pull up a picture of the real deal for inspo if needed!
Editor’s note: Once you master making leopard spots on your face, keep this skill in your back pocket. Leopard and cheetah prints also make for one of the easiest nail art ideas because they only require the ability to make dots of varying shapes and sizes. Who would have thought?
Check out our article, Animal Print Nails: How to Do Leopard, Zebra, and Cow Print, for a step-by-step tutorial on leopard print nails, plus a few other animal-inspired designs.
STEP #8: MAKE IT GLOSSY
To complete your makeup look, give your lips a glossy finish with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 8 HR Pro Gloss in Barely Nude.
STEP #9: SET YOUR LOOK
Not so fast! You don’t want your spots to budge, so make sure you set your leopard makeup look before heading out the door. Spritz on the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray and Set Make-Up Oil-Free Setting Spray in “X” and “T” motions to do just that.
Next up: Try another feline Halloween makeup look with help from our article, How to Create a Chic Cat Makeup Look for Halloween.
