Warning issued to anyone using fake blood this Halloween as experts reveal what to use instead
Guys, it’s almost that time of year again - Halloween parties are starting to pop up in our calendars, and the same question is on everyone’s lips: who or what are we going to dress up as?
For those of us who love a good costume, 31 October feels like Christmas. However, I’ve learned the hard way that it’s easy to slip and end up looking ghoulish for way longer than one night.
A few years ago, I dressed up as Stephen King’s Carrie, so of course, I had the iconic pink dress, tiara, and bouquet of flowers, complete with an absolute bucket of fake blood poured over myself, because you go hard or go home.
While I have to say, my costume looked great, I soon realised that I’d make a monumental error by being tempted by 99p fake blood from the supermarket. Six tubes for that cheap, I had no idea what was in them, but you can’t say no, right?! Wrong.
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An unknown number of margaritas later at my friend’s Halloween party, the night came to an end, and it was time to wash off the blood and get ready for bed.
However, as I’m sure you could have guessed by now, I was horrified to discover that not only had it left red splotches on my face, but it had also stained the two front sections of my blonde hair bright pink.
In denial, I rushed back in the shower and aggressively shampooed three times, but to no avail - it was clinging on for dear life.
I had to rock the pink for a good few weeks and pretend it was purposeful, before I eventually ended up getting a hairdresser's appointment, where even my stylist struggled to remove it, so she opted for a darker blonde on those areas.
This whole ordeal taught me a very important life lesson - not to use random products on my hair and skin, especially when I haven’t checked the ingredients.
So, as we’re edging closer to Halloween 2026, I spoke with a dermatologist and makeup artist about the dos and don’ts of spooky season - including what you should be buying instead.
Makeup artist Gen Waring, founder of Waring Makeup, told Tyla: “Sometimes cheaper cosmetics might not perform accurately. In terms of quality and longevity, the makeup might not last as long as a high-quality, professional-grade product would.
“If you’re really worried about your makeup looking good for a longer event, like not cracking or flaking off, this is when you would want to spend a little more for the staple brands like Kryolan and Mehron.”
She warned that another potential risk with lesser-known, more affordable options is the additives they use to make their makeup cheaper, which can lead to potential irritants or staining because they opt to use a less costly ingredient in the product.
Gen advised: “I would always recommend that you research any brand you’re not familiar with to make sure they’re following proper safety standards when it comes to formulating their makeup, as there have been some recent stories of products substituting ingredients with unsafe materials.”
Additionally, it’s super important to check the expiration date on Halloween products. It can be tempting to simply pull out last year’s box of face paints and fake blood; however, this could leave you with some unwanted skin problems.
Speaking on behalf of Cult Beauty, consultant dermatologist Dr Steph Arnold explained: "In my experience, Halloween products will only have a safe 'period after opening' date of three to six months, so you probably shouldn't be using the stuff left over from last year.
"Bacteria and fungi are microscopically tiny, so you can't see them with the naked eye. Contamination can occur while the product still looks and smells 'fine'."
She warned: "The risk lies in the fact that these are makeup products that you only pull out occasionally, so they are usually old and have usually not been stored optimally.
"The eyelid skin is much thinner and more fragile than the rest of the body, and so reactions tend to occur there more quickly and more severely."
So, which products should you wear for Halloween?
Tyla spoke with Rina Teslica, a beauty expert at Cult Beauty, who advised: "You don't need a box of once-a-year face paint to create a show-stopping Halloween look.
“Everyday makeup you already use and know your skin gets on with can do the heavy lifting."
She recommends:
- Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré (£21.99, Cult Beauty): A multitasking moisturiser that doubles as a primer, so bold pigments glide on more evenly
- Blood-red lips and drips: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in 'Red Carpet Red' (£29.50, Charlotte Tilbury) or Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in 'Elson 2' (£35.10, Lookfantastic)
- Stitches, cracks and graphic lines: NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner (£9.99, Cult Beauty)
- Face-paint-style colour: Danessa Myricks Beauty Colorfix (£24, Cult Beauty). A multi-use, highly pigmented cream colour for eyes, cheeks and lips
- Set it: Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray Travel Size (£13.20, Lookfantastic)
As for fake blood, Waring recommends Ben Nye’s Stage Blood (£19.89, Amazon), explaining: “Their studio-grade products are often safer to go for, as they can often stain a lot less.
“I like a drier-blood appearance, and they have different versions: you can get dried blood, old blood or fresh-blood colour.”
However, she advised: “I think the key is applying a face primer and/or base makeup before fake blood rather than putting it directly on the skin, making sure you wipe it off after several hours of wear, and double cleansing.
“Having a protective layer underneath fake blood is definitely more important than the type of fake blood. I believe fake blood can always stain clothing, though.”
How to remove your Halloween makeup
Teslica warned that no matter how tempting, “Never sleep in it. Use a cleansing balm or oil to melt through heavy pigment without scrubbing, especially around the delicate eye area.”
The beauty expert recommends ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (£25.60, Boots) or the Medik8 Lipid-Balance Cleansing Oil (£35, Cult Beauty).
You can follow up with a soothing balm such as La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 (£8.25, Lookfantastic).
Teslica concluded: “Clean brushes and sponges the next day with MAC Brush Cleanser (£15, Cult Beauty) before they go back in your makeup bag.”
Madison Burgess