The Witching Hour — Create A Halloween-Inspired Look Without Going The Costume Route

Don’t feel like dressing up this Halloween?
Don’t feel like dressing up this Halloween?
If I had to pick a song to describe my relationship with Urban Decay it would be Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now).” Yes, my life with Urban Decay has been wonderful — after all, the brand has consistently delivered richly pigmented, multi-dimensional, striking eyeshadows that blend exquisitely, eye liners that glide right onto the skin and deposit budge-proof color, and rich and saturated lipstick shades that enable me to create a statement-making pout in a matter of instants.
If you spend enough time shopping for, reading about, or reviewing beauty products, chances are you’ll develop an eagle eye when it comes to spotting them while watching your favorite TV shows.
As women, we will usually literally try anything (mascaras, mascara-and-primer combinations, lash serums, falsies, lash extensions, and so on) in the hopes of achieving our ideal lashes, with the perfect length, curl, density, separation, and corner-to-corner volume.
A long time ago (okay, like 20 years ago), in a galaxy far, far away (well, an island in the Caribbean), a young girl watched Star Wars: Episode IV with her dad and made some pivotal life decisions: first, that she seriously needed to get some light sabers so she could properly battle against her brother when they got into arguments; second, that she’d now start wearing side buns like Princess Leia; third, that she’d one day go to space (an idea that she’d already entertained after a very special Punky Brewster episode involving astronauts); and fourth, that she’d find her own Obi-Wan to help guide her through life and teach her how to harness the force.
Though Taylor Schilling didn’t quite make our best-dressed list for the 2015 Emmys — something about the fit of her Stella McCartney gown seemed slightly askew, as if perhaps the waistline was too high on the tall actress’s frame — the sunflower yellow hue she chose added excitement to a pretty dull red carpet event.
Emma Roberts’ custom-made, pastel pink satin Jenny Packham gown hit all the right notes at the 2015 Emmys, the soft color and shimmering fabric highlighting the actresses’ peaches-and-cream complexion, the plunging neckline and pleated bodice adding just a touch of drama and sexiness to the otherwise classic silhouette, and the sun embellishment at the waist bringing attention to her tiny waistline.
Though the 3.1 Phillip Lim line is known for its sporty overtones and minimalist street chic aesthetic, the designer’s 10th anniversary collection stepped outside of the concrete jungle to applaud the wondrousness of nature, with a “Stop and Smell the Roses” theme that embraced dirtiness and organic colors and textures — so much so that the set incorporated mounds of organic earth.
Inspired by the decadent opulence of the 1970s and the Studio 54 crowd that informed Michael Costello’s Spring 2016 collection, NARS International Lead Makeup Stylist Uzo created a bold and daring pout for the designer’s NYFW show — but, rather than recreate the red pouts so prominent in the era, she brought the look to the modern era with a matte and icy-pink lip. The complexion, meanwhile, was given a soft but illuminated feel.
When designing her colorful, kinetic, decidedly urban Spring 2016 collection, fashion designer Nicole Miller found inspiration in New York City’s long-standing relationship with street art, sending down separates and dresses with prints that seemed plucked out of the pages of Subway Art or nodding to the elaborate mosaic designs found in subway station walls or outdoor library and playground murals.