9 Products for a Quick and Easy Halloween Makeover

Halloween is just around the corner, which means it's time for my usual panic about what to wear to my friend's annual party. I think Halloween is one of those days that you either love or absolutely hate. I am definitely a lover, but tend to opt for something quick and easy as my makeup transformation skills are pretty slim (if you want some serious inspo, check out Phee instead).

So I thought I'd pull together a few bits that can help transform you into a Halloween Queen with minimal effort needed. Perfect for a low-maintenance look or one that you can throw together with a black outfit and feel like you're part of the costume crew...

For the eyes, Make Up For Ever's lash range is second to none. Their regular lashes are great, but I think they really come into their own with the more outlandish styles. The purple and black ombre lashes would look great paired with a more colourful eye, or provide a pop of colour against something more smokey.

If you're after colourful shadows to make an impact, then Urban Decay's Moondust palette is the one to go for. Each of the ten shades is packed full of glittery, bold pigments, which transfer onto the lids with ease. The Vego and Element shades would work nicely for a more sparkly version of Harley Quinn style makeup, or why not layer up more for a rainbow effect.

MUA is also a great brand to go for for affordable options - their Elysium Shadows palette gives you everything you need for a smokey eye and the blue shades help to add something a little different from the usual black and grey. I've also picked out their Velvet Lip Lacquers from the Luxe range as they last for absolutely hours on the lips! Although Iced might not be a shade you'd use on a daily basis (although I do quite like a blue lip!), the formula is amazing and I'd definitely recommend trying some others post-Halloween,

MAC's Liptensity lipsticks are a new favourite of mine (full review here), so I thought that the Blue Beat shade was well worth another mention. There's been an unintentional blue lipstick theme with this post, but I suspect it's a colour that most of us would never dream of wearing day to day, so Halloween gives us a chance to wear something more unusual. Blue Beat is much deeper than MUA's Iced and has a rich, creamy formula that won't leave you with dry lips halfway through your party. If you want to stay away from all the blue, the Ciate's Lip Velvets are also a great pick as they're long wearing, but comfortable on the lips and the deep berry shade I've chosen can easily be worn again and again over winter.

When it comes to hair, I think it's a bit tricky if you're not dressing up as a specific character and have a full on costume/wig. Toni & Guy's Black Widow spider clip looks appropriately spooky enough, but gives you a lot more freedom in terms of styling. I'll be weaving mine in among a lot of braids and backcombing this Halloween, but it would work equally well clipped onto a hat or even as a broach as an extra costume addition.

Last up is the nails! Models Own's HyperGels will give a traditional Halloween vibe with its glossy black finish, although I'm definitely drawn to Orly's new Mulholland collection for something a little different. Meet Me At Mulholland has ALL the copper glittery vibes about it, whereas Hillside Hideout is more mauve, shot through with a golden shimmer.

Are you a Halloween fan? What will you be dressing up as this year?

*contains PR samples