25 clown makeup ideas for some major Halloween inspo

If you have coulrophobia (fear of clowns is real, people), look away now. If not, clown makeup is shaping up to be one of the most popular ways to nail the Halloween assignment if social media is anything to go by. Whether your vibe is creepy or cute, with a little creativity, there's endless ways to make the look your own.

The best bit? The basics are simple: points above the brow and below the waterline, a rounded button nose and an exaggerated lip line. All of which are easy enough to do. From there? Anything goes. You could inject a little fun with pops of neon brights or make it cutesy with soft pastels, cherry cheeks, gems and glitter. You could go gothic, grunge with a moody colour palette, or all-out gory-psycho with creepy smiles and fake blood. The choice, is yours.

While it's always been a classic look for Halloween, the clown aesthetic has been gaining momentum in recent years, helped along by TikTok where Halloween makeup is pretty much the biggest event on the #beautytok calendar. The before and after transitions make a major impact, the design allows for some seriously quirky and clever interpretations and, the OTT trend can really help secure that Main Character Energy.

At current count, #clowncheck has over 2.6 billion views and #clownmakeup has a further 2.5 billion. Super-influencers like Avani Gregg and Abby Roberts credit some of their success to the statement-making Halloween looks that helped highlight their creativity and enable them to stand out. In fact, Avani has previously referenced her clown check makeup as a turning point for her platform.

So, if you fancy giving clown makeup a go for this year, we've rounded up our favourite takes on the look to get you inspired, alongside easy tutorials to nail the brief.

Beginner clown

Makeup content creator, @dmarinabeauty showed followers how to create an easy, beginner clown makeup look. She recommends: “black eyeliner to draw long triangles under ur [sic] eyes.” She says to “contour ur nose into a circle to replicate a clown nose.” The key she says is in the highlighting. Next, “extend the corners of your mouth” and “go in with black eyeshadow just in the corners,” she says. Then to finish, “add blush and ur done.”

Easy clown

Another super simple example is the triangle eye look created by @ohmygeeee.

Glam clown

Want to look a little creepy, but mainly glam? Creator, @emblawigum hits the perfect blend. Her tutorial shows a gem-encrusted Pennywise-esque look, complete with smoky eye and red lip which – bonus – won't scare the living daylights out of your mates. Win-win.

Sad clown

The sad clown (also known as the Pierrot) is its own whole category. And even though it's supposed to be melancholy, it's pretty funny seeing your friends living their best life while their makeup makes them look perma-glum. Like applying TikTok's sad filter IRL. Creator, @jaenidemilice has just the tutorial for you.

Soft-rock clown

Pumpkin clown

Circus clown

Pennywise

Neon clown

Creepy-cute clown

Grunge glitter clown

Gory glam clown

Purple glitter clown

Zip face clown

Painterly clown

Water paint clown

Queen of hearts clown

Butterfly clown

Gangsta clown

Infrared clown

Glam Pennywise

Spider clown

Bloody clown

Peekaboo clown

For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk