Pixel Makeup Might Be the Perfect Low-Key Halloween Costume

[instagram align='center' id='BErYCoHL-FA']https://www.instagram.com/p/BErYCoHL-FA" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

Halloween is still mostly a month away, but if you're the kind of person who always scrambles for a last-minute costume, consider ditching the clothes part of the costume entirely. Consider: Pixel makeup, which asks only that you have a steady hand, some storage of cosmetics, and the ability to smugly say, "Yeah, I know it's awesome" over and over again to awed strangers.

"Pixel makeup" is a simple enough concept: Your face, but instead of using makeup to define your features, you instead "block" out focal points like your eyebrows, your nose, and your mouth to mimic the 8-bit pattern of early internet graphics. It's best depicted through, well, pictures:

[instagram align='center' id='BMPi5DBgmAo'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BMPi5DBgmAo[/instagram... align='center' id='BXxKcwHjVyB'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BXxKcwHjVyB[/instagram... align='center' id='BZfdoCLFgGq']https://www.instagram.com/p/BZfdoCLFgGq" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

You don't have to do your entire face:

[instagram align='center' id='BZof8Aqhhj5'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BZof8Aqhhj5[/instagram... align='center' id='uZbSpyOy3X'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/uZbSpyOy3X" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >... align='center' id='BH2f-T3jRFA'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BH2f-T3jRFA[/instagram... align='center' id='BMHvhKID65E'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BMHvhKID65E[/instagram... align='center' id='BL-VjjiBi4D'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BL-VjjiBi4D[/instagram... align='center' id='BLrr5cfjeZz']https://www.instagram.com/p/BLrr5cfjeZz" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

But you certainly can:

[instagram align='center' id='BG0RpTniwpM'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BG0RpTniwpM[/instagram... align='center' id='BMPbXMpguzx'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BMPbXMpguzx[/instagram... align='center' id='BHccN0YjQpV'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BHccN0YjQpV[/instagram... align='center' id='BLe76FOhrIh']https://www.instagram.com/p/BLe76FOhrIh" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

And you can experiment with the range of colors you apply to your skin:

[instagram align='center' id='BTgzILrBuIA'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BTgzILrBuIA[/instagram... align='center' id='gIcxwcEWey'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/gIcxwcEWey" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >... align='center' id='BTwsE2JhbGe'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BTwsE2JhbGe[/instagram... align='center' id='BMQTqbSjmEB'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BMQTqbSjmEB[/instagram... align='center' id='BMJ6MNKjNxd'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BMJ6MNKjNxd[/instagram... align='center' id='BQOTXOdjzv3']https://www.instagram.com/p/BQOTXOdjzv3" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

And if you're a fan of video games, you can use pixel makeup as a cheeky way to take your full costume to the next level:

[instagram align='center' id='BEj2Z_ZpWK1'][instagram">https://www.instagram.com/p/BEj2Z_ZpWK1[/instagram... align='center' id='BLaC6O2DiaM']https://www.instagram.com/p/BLaC6O2DiaM" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

And of course, square pixels aren't the only kind of pixel art out there:

[instagram align='center' id='BFPQoYLKfGr']https://www.instagram.com/p/BFPQoYLKfGr" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

Need a guideline for how to get this retro-digital look? Most of the posters have tutorials; you can start with the video below:

[instagram align='center' id='BZuttq9FLVu']https://www.instagram.com/p/BZuttq9FLVu" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

Follow Lilian on Twitter.