To celebrate Halloween, we asked some of our Dazed Beauty Community members to create a unique artwork inspired by our favourite season. The season of transformation and self-expression through the power of make-up and costume
"Halloween last year inspired me to bring my demons to life. They are playful. There were many opportunities to experiment, the holiday passed but the mindset carried. I'm coming to terms with every nook and corner of myself. Now I see every day as an opportunity to transform. Introducing new characters and stories to express, giving birth to new life. To foster my identities, I welcome room to learn and grow. I'm comfortable being a spirit. Recalling ancient memory. Away from Halloween, visually exploring my identity and taking risks has its own importance that is constantly evolving." – Zah, musician
"Halloween doesn’t mean a lot for me but I love it because I see a lot of people, artist or not, express themselves and have fun. Personally, I don't need Halloween to wear a costume or play with transformation. As an artist, every day can be Halloween if I want. But it's beautiful to see people enjoy it and feel free to express something they can't express every day." – Laetitia KY, artist
“I've never really associated what I do with Halloween. I do really enjoy the holiday, but making this type of work during the month of October automatically makes it fall under the umbrella as 'for Halloween' which isn't really the context I want to be attached to what I make. Regardless of that, or the campy nature of themed costumes, I do think having a day where everyone can let their guard down together, shed their usual daily uniform and embody a new identity for a night may inspire some to experiment further with their looks.” – Austin Smith, artist
"Halloween is a day for scaring people, but something scares me more than ghosts, and more than just on one day. That fear is of cockroaches and it scares me 365days of the year – Yuyi John, artist
"To me Halloween is a day off. I never do any of my friends make-up. As a rule." – Isamaya Ffrench, make-up artist
"Serpent lips made from Medusa's hair. All images and video content is by me and modelled on my own lips. My rationale: Medusa's image has been adopted by many feminists as a symbol of female rage, they are able to see their own anger reflected in her face. A woman who could turn men to stone with one glance, she strikes the perfect balance between the deconstruction of gender bias and the femme fatale. I like to think the only reason men turn to stone when they look into her eyes is because they have trouble facing all that she embodies, her power, and the truths she carries from the experiences in her past. Here are her hair serpents worn as a lip makeup. Happy (feminist) Halloween!" – Bea Sweet, make-up artist
"Halloween is all about self-expression to me. I believe that we all have multiple layers to our personalities, and for me, Halloween is the best time to reveal alter egos and to break free of insecurities. It’s also a great time to step out of your comfort zone and to try something that you wouldn't normally on any other day. The possibilities are truly endless!" – Mimi Choi, illusion make-up artist
"Halloween is a time to let the presence of past spirits fuel your creative expression and to allow yourself to push the boundaries of your own image. Every year I find myself using this day to conjure up any hidden energies (good or malevolent) and wear their markings. It’s a powerful day." – Cupid, artist
"With my lip art I want people to see them and feel something. Some of my works are pretty disturbing and make some people feel sick but Halloween gives me the perfect excuse to do disturbing and crazy lip art without shocking people too much." – Neea Kuurne, make-up artist
"Normal people wearing 'Normal People Scare Me' t-shirts scare me." – Hatti Rees, artist
"My every day is special, not only Halloween." – Dain, illusion make-up artist
“The best part of Halloween is that the celebration never has to end” – Princess Gollum, artist
"For me, Halloween is an opportunity to jump over the fence from reality to fantasy.” – Sofie Petersen, make-up artist
"Because I live in Israel, Halloween is basically another lame-ass school day for me, but to me Halloween is that one time of the year when, if you’re too shy or too scared of what people think of you for the rest of the year, you just let yourself loose and make your strangest fantasies come true without having to be afraid of the social consequences, and it’s a beautiful thing to see!" – Rotem Lutsky, drag artist
"Well I live with snakes and lizards
And other things that go bump in the night
‘Cuz to me everyday is Halloween
I have given up hiding and started to fight
I have started to fight" – Malina Stearns, make-up artist
“I love Halloween because of the candy and the way Halloween stores smell like makeup and rubber masks. Oh and because it’s the only time of the year you get to see a hundred and one creative ways to make a cat costume look sexy.” – Juan Alvear, nail artist
"Halloween is a time when we are engulfed by fear. For me, it’s an important process to confront. You should follow your fear, not run from it. The sooner you can face any demons, growth will shortly follow." Athena Paginton, make-up artist