BENGALURU: Scary ghosts, witches, pumpkins...the options for Halloween costumes are endless. With the feast on Sunday, Bengalureans are taking their game a notch higher this time to ace their looks. City stylists, makeup artistes and hairstylists have been approached well in advance for ways to look the best version of their favourite characters.
With Netflix’s Korean series Squid Games being the talk of the town, almost everyone wants to recreate looks from the show, say stylists. Be it the no-make up, two ponytail or the masked looks, dressing up like these characters is a favourite this year. Alice Li, hairstyle, makeup and hair colourist at Fairy Beauty Parlour, says, “From what I am seeing these days, a majority of people want a no-hassle, not-too-much work look. Squid Games’ no-makeup look is a favourite. It’s almost like a daily look.”
Kim Kardashian’s high and long-hair ponytail is another favourite this Halloween. Vanessa Fernandes, a senior salon director, BBLUNT Salon, says, “It’s important that one does intense shampooing and conditioning before trying any hairstyle. You need the hair to stay in place through the night. So use hairsprays that are good for your hair. Cruella de Vil’s (played by Emma Stone) look with big hair requires a lot of back combining. In order to get that right, use hotshot cold sprays so that you’ll get a firm-yet-flexible look.” And for Instagram-worthy pictures, use mirror shine sprays, she recommends, at the same time warning that these hairstyles require a lot of heat treatment which could damage your hair.
Audrey D’Souza, lead educator of hair, Lakmé Salon, lists some Halloween hairstyles. She says, “To create alien space buns (Carrie Fischer’s look in Star Wars), liberally apply glitter for an added astral effect. To pull your hair together, first prep with a leave-in conditioner, then blow-dry your hair straight and push it into a space bun. For shine and to hold, don’t forget to fix the buns with hairspray.”
For Maleficent’s look, played by Angelina Jolie, D’Souza explains, “If you don’t have a pair of devil horns available, you can still evoke Maleficent vibes with just your hairstyle. You can use rollers to create the foundation of the horn and simply wrap your hair around them. The second option is to coil two little, tiny buns on your head using the crown of your hair. For this one, make sure to pin them in place to preserve the peak of the horn.”
And if that’s not your jam, a tightly-curled raven hair look is in trend too. “You’ll need a centre parting after which you can curl your hair with an iron or foam rollers. Red lipstick and a red dress are great additions, you can also choose to draw exaggerated eyebrows for the drama,” adds D’Souza.
A Halloween look isn’t complete without nail art. Co-founder of Nailbox Sneha Bhagwat finds that Halloween is a time when people want longer, pointy and coffin-style nails. “Black, solid and matte-finish nail colour is what people opt for during this season. Even the glitter powders have a chrome finish. To keep it vibrant, people opt for multiple colours and styles on each finger.”
Stickers too add to the oomph factor. “Many clients are requesting pop-culture references for their nails which they want replicated. Just to keep it classy, they also opt for a sticky gel which is great for spider-like designs,” says Bhagwat.