Halloween is a night for tricks, treats, costumes and makeup. Learn some great techniques for applying and removing your halloween makeup.

Start with clean skin

First begin with a clean face. Most FX artists recommend a good astringent to remove facial oils followed by a cold water rinse to close the pores. An extremely thin coat of vaseline at this point will aid in makeup removal.

Find a place in front of a mirror with a good light source. A good comfortable chair would help. Ensure there are no sources of flame near the makeup.

Decide if there will be any prosthetic pieces such as scabs, scars or areas where the face will be built up. I like to apply them first, as the spirit gum adheres better to a clean face.

Enhance the effect with prostetics

Start with any of the prosthetic devices you want to add, scars, warts, nose etc. Where the device will go, apply spirit gum to both the face and the device. Allow the spirit gum to get tacky before applying the device.

If using latex, apply a base coat of latex and gradually build the area. For scars, apply a thin layer of latex then cover with a single piece of tissue, repeat the process until the scar is formed. For Zombie skin, mix oatmeal with corn syrup and apply gingerly to the face.

Another effect with latex is to cover an area then gently pull back part of the latex, this gives the impression of dead, rotting skin. It takes some practice so try fiddling with it until you're satisfied. Remember, sometimes mistakes can turn out to be the best effect.

Foundation Make-up

When you're satisfied with the build-up or prosthetics, apply a foundation makeup. The color will depend on the required outcome, white for vampires, gray for corpses, red for devils, green for witches and goblins, blue for a frozen look.

The foundation should be applied lightly rubbing on face then patting to blend the makeup. With the foundation applied it's time to highlight and shadow. A makeup brush will assist in even coating.

Use texturing to create special effects

Makeup can be applied to form different textures. A makeup brush when brushed gives a smooth appearence, but using the brush in a dappling motion can make different effects.

Front load the brush with a light color, the back with a darker shade and dapple the brush stroke to give an uneven, weathered look. Texture can be created using a sponge or coarse texturing sponge.

Use Shadowing to create planes and angles

Shadows emphasize the face and highlights are nothing more than an exaggeration of the facial features. Shadows employ a darker color, highlights a lighter color.

With a handheld light, shine the light at various angles on your face. You'll immediately notice the shadow areas, sunken areas and lines.

To shadow, take a darker color than the foundation and apply it to the areas you want to shadow, such as the cheeks, temple, below the eyes, and above the chin.

Zombies have areas around the eyes shadowed to give that sunken look, while vampire and goblins tend more towards the cheeks.

Highlighting natural features to give a scarier look

Take a moment while sitting in front of the mirror and pucker in your mouth and squint hard to tighten the facial muscles. This will show the lines of your face, wrinkles and features.

These are the areas to highlight. Remember, the brighter the highlight the more you'll look like a fantasy character.

For witches and goblins wrinkles are especially highlighted.

Body Painting to create a total illusion

Want a whole new look for that Halloween Party? Body painting can provide a costume by itself.

The best example of this is "Mystique" in the X-men Movie. The body becomes the canvass using brushed or airbrushed techniques.

Modesty can create some drawbacks as the costume is often skimpy or non-existent and melded with the body through airbrushing.

Time is a consideration as makeup like this takes hours but the total effect is sure to amaze onlookers.

The final step is setting the makeup

As you know from your daily makeup routine, the final step in any makeup design is to set the makeup.

Anyone who has tried to wear makeup while acting in a haunted house or going to a party can tell you that unset makeup wil run with sweat, ruining the makeup in a matter of minutes. The key is to set the makeup.

There are many commercial products but nothing is cheaper and works as well as baby powder. A simple dusting of baby powder will keep the makeup fresh and set throughout the night. Baby powder is also especially useful for creating the look of age in zombies. A good powdering of the hair and clothing provides instant aging.

Have fun this Halloween, and don't scare too many people!