Prepare your Halloween costumes with easy-to-apply special effects

Special effects makeup can transform you into a zombie or even a pig. Photo: Li Lin/GT

If your Halloween costume doesn't scare people stiff, then you are not trying hard enough, is the attitude of 24-year-old Rong Lu. Dressed in blood stained clothes, with nasty bite marks on his neck and a decaying face, Rong is proud of his transformation into a walking dead zombie.

"I think this is how I'd look if I was turned into a zombie after being bitten," said Rong, who created the look through the use of special effect makeup.

Rong has been practicing special effects by himself since 2011, and Halloween night is the one time of year when he gets to show off his artistic skills to friends and family. The accessibility of online tutorials from special effects artists means that Rong is not alone in learning these skills, which many young people are taking an interest in, especially during the Halloween period.

"The materials needed for these costumes might be cheap and common, but the effects can be excellent," said Rong. "The only professional thing you have to buy is silicone liquid glue, a material frequently used to create the effect of rotting and wounded skin."

To design bite marks on his face, Rong applies a small piece of thin plastic membrane with a cut in the middle, and then covers the edges with a concealer.

"Then you can tuck in some toilet paper scraps soaked with fake blood to create the effect of swelling," said Rong. "The fake blood can be self-made with red ink and honey, or you can buy some edible food color to make it more realistic."

Scary outfits and gory disguises are commonly copied from characters in horror movies or TV shows. Rong believes zombie outfits will be popular this Halloween due to the sensational US TV series The Walking Dead, which tells the story about a zombie apocalypse.

But the Halloween makeover is more than just being scary and disgusting. Li Bingrui, a professional makeup artist at Beijing Pangta International Culture Development Co. Ltd, a company that specializes in special effects makeup, told Metropolitan that Halloween costumes for women can be fashionable and sexy.

"You can easily apply attractive Halloween makeup at home with a few additions to your makeup kit," said Li. "For example, dressing up like sexy figures such as a blood-sucking witch or a scary nurse from Silent Hill (a popular horror video game and movie) will make you an adorable and cute little monster among other ugly ghosts at Halloween parties."

To achieve this spooky, yet sexy look, Li recommends the purchase of some relatively professional tools such as special paints for body painting, in addition to professional concealer and glue for special effects makeup. These items can be easily purchased on taobao.com.

"The makeup for the blood-sucking witch is one of my most favorite designs," said Li, who described the steps to create the look. First, use red body painting oil instead of original lipstick to give a more bloody effect. Then draw two teeth-like marks on the lower lip with white body painting oil. Second, use strong eyeliner and eye shadow. To finish the look off, use makeup to embellish some fake blood on the corners of the mouth.

Makeup is not the only way to create a Halloween look though, with masks and other decorations also available online. These accessories, however, can be far more expensive than homemade costumes. For example, a scary nurse outfit from Silent Hill costs between 60 yuan ($10) to 800 yuan on taobao.com.

The availability of these professional accessories in makeup and costumes could result in an influx of zombies, vampires, witches and other grisly ghouls invading your neighborhood this Halloween. Beijing residents, beware!