Halloween makeup tutorials are filmed in the first twenty minutes of a look’s life. The party is the next five hours: sweat, drinks, hugs, a borrowed couch, and whatever the lighting does to red. Then comes removal, done tired, usually with a baby wipe, which turns out to be the wrong tool for fake blood.
On the calendar: for an October 31 party, the FDA’s patch test, a dab on the wearer’s arm 24 to 48 hours ahead, has to start by October 29. The American Academy of Dermatology’s longer test runs seven to 10 days, so it starts around October 21. Near the eyes: no fluorescent or glow-in-the-dark paint, and no costume contact lenses without a prescription. The details are in the safety rules.
Pick Your Kit
If you only do three things: mist Barrier Spray on bare skin before anything red goes on. Wear drying blood if you’ll sit on someone’s furniture, and keep syrup blood for the mouth. Take it all off with IPM first, then lathered soap, never wipes.
| Kit | What’s in it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Vampire / mouth blood | Mehron Stage Blood, Barrier Spray, Neutral Set | ~$51 |
| Other people’s house | Fleet Street Drying Blood, Barrier Spray, Neutral Set | ~$72 |
| Add a drip on cue | Mehron Stage Blood with capsules | ~$10 |
| Add a wound | Mehron Coagulated Blood | ~$11 |
| Add color | Mehron Paradise AQ Basic Palette | ~$40 |
| Add bruises that survive dancing | Graftobian F/X Aire Injury palette | ~$76 |
| Add a prosthetic | Pros-Aide set, IPM remover | ~$36 |
| Add crepe hair or a nose | Mehron Spirit Gum & Remover kit | ~$13 |
Ben Nye rates Neutral Set at 50 to 100 applications per ounce, so the powder outlasts several Halloweens.
Read the Base, Not the Word “Stage”
The label on a bottle of fake blood tells you almost nothing. Ben Nye Stage Blood and Mehron Stage Blood are corn-syrup formulas that never dry. Graftobian Stage Blood is water and carrageenan, and Graftobian says it dries to a brown crust like real blood.
Syrup blood: wet, glossy, and the one for your mouth
Mehron says its Stage Blood never dries down and stays thick and gooey, so it transfers onto everything you lean on. Ben Nye and Mehron both say theirs is safe in the mouth; Ben Nye’s is mint-flavored, and Mehron says you can “swish it around, spit it out.”
Mehron Makeup Stage Blood, 4.5 fl oz, Bright Arterial
Corn-syrup blood that stays glossy and never fully dries. Mehron rates it safe in and around the mouth, so this is the vampire-bite and drip-from-the-lip bottle. Bright Arterial reads as fresh and shows up from across a room.
Drying blood: the one for someone else’s house
Alcohol-based drying blood goes on wet and sets as a film. PPI says its Fleet Street Bloodworks Drying Bloods “stay moist looking, even when dry” and don’t migrate as the night goes on.
PPI’s own page doesn’t say “not for mouth,” but retailers list the blood as alcohol-based and PPI ships it as a hazardous good. Keep drying blood out of your mouth and away from your eyes.
Fleet Street Bloodworks Drying Blood, Fresh, 2 oz
Alcohol-based film blood that dries in place and still looks wet. The pick for a wound that has to survive a crowded party without printing onto upholstery. Pricey per ounce, and strictly external: not for the mouth.
Water-based “squirt” blood sits between the two. Mehron says its Squirt Blood drips and runs naturally, then dries, darkens, crusts and cracks over time.
Gel, coagulated blood and scab paste: blood that holds a shape
Gel blood (Ben Nye Thick Blood) holds a shape you can still sculpt; put it on with a stainless steel spatula. Mehron says its Coagulated Blood is the thickest it makes and won’t drip, and that it dries slightly to stay in place.
Mehron Makeup Coagulated Blood, 1 fl oz
Mehron's thickest blood: a sticky gel that stays where you put it instead of running. Use it to fill cuts, build clots and scabs, and give a wound depth that syrup blood can't hold.
Scab pastes dry in place. PPI’s Fleet Street Blood Pastes go dry to the touch, and PPI’s trick for making them look fresh again is a little K-Y on top.
Mouth blood, specifically
“Non-toxic” on a label doesn’t make a blood safe to put in your mouth.
- Mouth-safe per the maker: Ben Nye Stage Blood and Mehron Stage Blood. Kryolan says its Supreme Blood Internal “can be swallowed without hesitation,” but Kryolan colors its bloods with dyes such as azorubine, which is not on the FDA’s list of approved color additives, so check the ingredient list on the US label before it goes in your mouth.
- In the mouth, but don’t swallow: Kryolan Film Blood internal “should not be intentionally swallowed,” and because of its alcohol content it shouldn’t go near the eyes.
- Unresolved: Graftobian’s copy calls its Stage Blood mouth-safe, while a reviewer on the same page quotes the label as “not for mouth.” Treat it as external.
The fast vampire bite
Graftobian’s instructions for its vampire kit give the full face 30 to 45 minutes and end at the mouth. Short on time, the last steps of that sequence work on their own:
- Protect the skin below the lips. Use Mehron’s sponge method from the sealer section: spray Barrier Spray onto a sponge and dab it over the chin and the skin around the mouth, keeping it off the lips themselves.
- Lips, then powder. Graftobian’s kit puts its Maroon Creme Foundation on the lips with a brush, then powders the makeup down.
- Blood last. Graftobian’s final step: “Drizzle a bit of Stage Blood from the edge of the mouth.” Use a mouth-safe syrup blood (Mehron or Ben Nye Stage Blood), not the unresolved Graftobian bottle.
Mehron also sells blood capsules, clear dissolvable casings that hold its Stage Blood “for a realistic drip or gushing effect.” They contain gelatin, though the blood itself is vegan.
Mehron Makeup Stage Blood, 0.5 fl oz, with Capsules
A half ounce of Mehron's mouth-safe Stage Blood plus six empty capsules to fill with it, for a drip or a gush from the mouth on cue. The capsules contain gelatin.
Headed to a vampire’s ball? That blueprint’s host costume calls for good fangs, and this is the blood to wear with them.
Match the shade to the room
Mehron’s Bright Arterial reads as a fresh wound and carries at a distance; Dark Venous reads as a wound a few days old. Kryolan tunes blood to the lighting: bluish blood for warm incandescent bulbs, yellowish blood for cold LED light. Check yours under the bulbs you’ll actually be standing under.
Why Fake Blood Stains
Ben Nye Stage Blood, Ben Nye Thick Blood, Mehron Stage Blood and Graftobian Stage Blood all get their color from Red 40 plus Blue 1. Kryolan uses dyes such as azorubine to keep its bloods transparent. Kryolan is frank about the trade-off: “high-quality cosmetic ingredients are not automatically easy to remove from clothes.”
The labels hedge. Mehron: “Product may stain. Pre-testing is recommended.” Graftobian: “May stain some clothing.” Ben Nye says to spot test skin or fabric, while also claiming its blood “washes out of most fabrics with ease.” Test on a scrap of the actual costume.
Red face paint stains too. Ben Nye warns that MagiCake colors with red pigments “may stain skin after application.”
Pre-treat before anything red goes on. Mehron’s fix is Barrier Spray on bare skin first, including before its Paradise AQ paints. Ben Nye’s is a primer or moisturizer under red paints.
Skip the classic movie recipe. The Dick Smith formula used in The Godfather and The Exorcist got its realism from Kodak Photo-Flo, which made it run “over skin and soaked into fabric just like real blood,” according to Slate. Slate’s printing of the recipe lists the Photo-Flo as “(Poisonous),” so that recipe is never a mouth blood, and we found no tested low-stain home recipe. For outdoor parties, Graftobian also claims its water-based blood “will not attract flies,” unlike sugar-syrup blood.
Getting Blood Off Clothes and Carpet
Clothes: cold first. Kryolan’s method is to rinse with cold water before washing, then put detergent directly on the stain, and repeat if a yellowish or pinkish shadow remains. Kryolan says synthetics come clean more easily because the dyes can’t adhere as well to smooth fibers.
Carpet. Rug Doctor’s steps: blot with white paper towel, saturate with a grease-and-oil-fighting pre-treat, agitate from the edge of the stain in toward the center, spray-rinse and blot hard, then let it dry and repeat. We haven’t found a source we trust for grout or upholstery, so for the host’s couch, wear drying blood.
Making Makeup Last Five Hours
Prep: seal underneath
Ben Nye and Mehron both spray their sealers on before makeup, not just after. Mehron says Barrier Spray used first works as a mild moisture barrier that keeps oil and sweat from coming up through your makeup, and the same spray goes over the finished face. Ben Nye says Final Seal works before makeup too.
Mehron Makeup Barrier Spray, 2 fl oz
Mist it on bare skin before makeup as a sweat and stain barrier, then again over the finished look to lock it down. One bottle does both jobs. Removes with makeup remover, then soap and water.
Keep sealers off your eyes. Kryolan says its Fixing Spray “contains alcohol and should not be applied near eyes or mucous membranes.” The Ben Nye and Mehron pages give no eye warning, but all three are alcohol-based with similar acrylate film-formers, so we apply Kryolan’s caution to all of them. Close your eyes when you spray, and near the eyes use Mehron’s sponge method: Barrier Spray on a sponge, dabbed over the makeup. Ben Nye says to hold Final Seal at least 6 to 8 inches away, in a ventilated room.
Pick the paint for the job
| Type | Examples | Survives sweat? | Comes off with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water-activated cake | Ben Nye MagiCake, Mehron Paradise AQ, Graftobian ProPaint | Only if sealed | Warm soapy water |
| Cream | Ben Nye Creme, Mehron CreamBlend, Clown White | Only if powdered, then sealed | Isopropyl myristate (IPM) remover, then soap |
| Alcohol-activated palette | PPI Skin Illustrator, Graftobian F-X Aire | Yes | Alcohol or cleansing oil |
Water-activated cakes are the easiest to remove and the first to sweat off. MagiCake dries matte without powder, but Ben Nye still recommends Final Seal on top.
Mehron Makeup Paradise AQ Basic Palette, Water-Activated Face Paint
Mehron's water-activated cake paint in a starter palette: wet the brush, paint, and it comes off with soap and water at the end of the night. Seal it if you'll be dancing. Check Mehron's label for which shades are approved for the eye area; fluorescent or neon shades never are, and Mehron's may-contain list for Paradise AQ includes the fluorescent Reds 21, 22, 27 and 28, so some ordinary reds and pinks may be off-limits there too.
Cream makeup gets powder before sealer. Ben Nye’s rule covers concealers and foundations too.
Alcohol-activated palettes are for bruises, veins and wounds that have to survive dancing. Graftobian says F-X Aire dries to a matte, waterproof finish that won’t smudge or flake until you take it off with alcohol or face cleansing oil. That’s the palette for the “recently turned” guest at a zombie bunker party, whose look has to hold until the last guest leaves. Keep them away from the eyes.
Graftobian F/X Aire Alcohol-Activated Palette, F/X 4 Injury
Six alcohol-activated shades for bruises, cuts and contusions, in a waterproof finish that stays put until alcohol or cleansing oil takes it off. The splurge in this guide, and the one to skip if your look is only blood. Not for the eye area.
Powder, and setting black and white
Ben Nye Neutral Set is a colorless powder that, Ben Nye says, helps limit how much sweat and oil affect the makeup. Sprinkle it on a puff, rub the puff together to spread it, press it onto the skin, and brush off the excess.
Ben Nye Neutral Set Setting Powder
Colorless setting powder that doesn't shift the color of whatever it's pressed over, which matters on white bases and bright paint. The step that lets cream makeup survive a sealer and a warm room.
For white, Ben Nye sets Clown White with Neutral Set, or Super White Powder for a brighter finish. For black, its clown guide draws detail in EP-9 Black Eyebrow Pencil and sets the finished face with Neutral Set. For black liner that won’t transfer, Mehron says its Mixing Liquid turns pigments into water-resistant, transfer-proof liquid paint, and markets a dry brush of it over lip color as a “transfer proof pucker” for a night of drinks.
Prosthetics: Spirit Gum vs Pros-Aide
Spirit gum is resin dissolved in alcohol, the classic glue for crepe-hair beards, noses and bald caps. Brush it onto clean, dry skin, tap it with a finger until it goes tacky (Ben Nye’s method), then press the piece on. A second layer holds harder.
Spirit gum isn’t one formula. Ben Nye’s contains copal and rosin, Mehron’s is shellac-based with no rosin listed, and Kryolan’s is copal. If one brand irritates your skin, another may not, and a patch test will tell you. Spirit gum is flammable. Never use it on eyelashes or chemically treated hair, per Ben Nye.
Mehron Makeup Spirit Gum & Remover Kit
Shellac-based spirit gum paired with its matching remover, for crepe hair, noses, ears and bald caps. Buying the remover in the same box means you're never tempted to peel a piece off dry.
Pros-Aide is a water-based acrylic adhesive from ADM Tronics. It goes on white; wait 20 to 30 seconds until it turns clear and tacky, then press the piece on from the center out. Vendors say it holds through water, sweat and moisture, which is the reason to choose it for a long party. Pros-Aide is also sold as “medical grade” and “hypoallergenic.” That’s vendor marketing we couldn’t verify as a regulatory status, and neither claim replaces a patch test.
Pros-Aide The Original Adhesive 1 oz with Remover 2 oz Set
The sweat-resistant water-based adhesive for appliances that need to stay put all night, bundled with the remover made for it. Goes on white, dries clear, and comes off without ripping skin if you use the remover.
Never peel an appliance off dry. Every manufacturer here says to work the matching remover under a lifted edge first.
Removal at 2am Without Wrecking Your Skin
The FDA’s advice: “Remove it the way the label says. If it says to remove it with cold cream, use cold cream.” The manufacturer pages add an order:
- Adhesive first. Press on a pad soaked in isopropyl myristate (IPM) remover and let it sit for up to a minute, per Ben Nye. Lift appliances from an edge with a cotton swab.
- Cream and alcohol paints next, with IPM or cleansing oil.
- Water paints and blood last, with soap, not wipes. Kryolan says to lather the soap vigorously and agitate gently, because the foam pulls pigment and dye out of the pores. Makeup wipes and baby wipes do the opposite: “the caring lotions in the wipes only push the dyes deeper into the skin.”
IPM Isopropyl Myristate, 4 oz
Plain isopropyl myristate, the active ingredient in the gentler pro adhesive removers. Breaks down Pros-Aide, spirit gum and cream makeup so they lift instead of pull. The one remover worth packing for the end of the night.
Ben Nye’s Remove-It All is straight IPM and fragrance-free. Its other remover, Bond Off!, is naphtha, a petroleum solvent. On tired skin, reach for IPM or Kryolan’s extra-mild MME Spirit Gum Remover first, and keep solvent removers away from your eyes. Mehron’s Spirit Gum Remover label says “Avoid use near the eyes.”
Then wash the way the American Academy of Dermatology says to: lukewarm water, fingertips, a gentle cleanser without alcohol, and a soft towel to pat dry. The AAD’s most relevant line at 2am: “Resist the temptation to scrub your skin because scrubbing irritates.” If your skin reacts, “gently wash the product off as soon as possible and don’t use it again.”
The Safety Rules
What’s allowed near your eyes
The FDA requires every color additive in a cosmetic, face paint included, to be approved for its specific use. The eye area is legally defined as everything within the bony ridges above and below the eye, including the brows, lids and lashes. Don’t use any makeup near your eyes unless it’s made for that use, and don’t share it.
FD&C Red 40 and Blue 1, the dyes in the Ben Nye, Mehron and Graftobian bloods above, are both approved for the eye area. That approval covers the dye, not the product, and none of these bloods is labeled for use near the eyes. According to the FDA’s novelty makeup guidance, eight fluorescent colors are approved for cosmetics, and “None of them are allowed for use near the eyes.” Luminescent zinc sulfide, which the FDA calls “the only luminescent color approved for cosmetic use,” is approved for limited use, and the FDA says “it’s not for every day and not for near your eyes.” In a blacklight room, keep UV-reactive paint on your cheeks, jaw and body. Our blacklight guide covers which fluorescent colors can go on lips and how to tell approved glow-in-the-dark makeup from craft glow paint. The FDA also says kohl (kajal, surma) is unapproved for cosmetic use in the US.
Patch test, and start earlier than you think
The FDA says to test makeup “at least 24-48 hours in advance” on the wearer’s arm. The AAD’s test for skin-care products you use every day is longer: a quarter-sized spot on the inner arm “twice daily for seven to 10 days.” Test adhesives and removers too; Mehron’s remover label asks for it.
Costume contact lenses need a prescription
The FDA says all contact lenses should be prescribed by a doctor, including decorative ones. They’re medical devices, and the FDA says infections from them can cause blindness, “sometimes within as little as 24 hours.” The American Academy of Ophthalmology says selling them without a prescription has been illegal in the US since 2005, and that “The ‘one size fits all’ claim is misleading and dangerous.”
Don’t buy them from a Halloween store, gas station, beauty supply or flea market, and don’t share them. The FDA’s warning signs: redness, eye pain that doesn’t go away, and decreased vision.
Craft paint and craft glitter
No regulator we found says “acrylic paint is unsafe on skin” in those words. The FDA’s rule is that color additives must be approved for their intended cosmetic use, and craft paint isn’t sold as a cosmetic, so nothing in it carries that approval. That’s our reading of the rule.
Glitter follows the same logic. The FDA’s example of an unapproved combination is “holographic” glitter: aluminum, an approved color additive, bonded to an etched plastic film. Buy glitter sold as cosmetic. The practical risk is fallout into the eyes, which Mehron addresses by mixing its glitter with Mixing Liquid for what it calls “zero fallout.”
Related Resources
For red lighting and warm versus cool bulbs, see the Halloween lighting guide. For looks worth the effort, the costume inspiration gallery sorts ideas by approach, makeup-led looks included, and our adult costume ideas pair makeup with a few bought pieces for monsters you can still drink in. To show the finished look off, our photo booth ideas cover placement and backdrops, and the costume contest ideas and running a costume contest guides cover judging. Skipping face makeup entirely? Try the best Halloween masks or best adult costumes. The party safety tips cover the rest of the night.
