Three easy Halloween makeup looks from Glow Up MUA Axel

A man with his face painter three different ways: as an aged, green Frankenstein's monster, as a white skull and as an orange and black scary pumpkin face. With green hair

Axel A D Brown was one of the final three on series 5 of Glow Up. Their background is in drag, sci-fi and nerd culture. This means Axel's take on using make up to create glamorous creatures and creepy monsters is perfect for this time of year.

There’s something special about Halloween that allows people to let their guard down and fully express themselves, Axel says. "Nobody really cares what you’re doing because everyone’s crazy and weird looking.”

BBC Bitesize asked Axel to show us how to create three seriously spooky glow-ups.

How to paint a frightening Frankenstein’s monster head

Skip image gallery

Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 1
Start with a clean, moisturised face. This will help you when it comes to makeup removal later as this is a full-on green look
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 2
Green, white, red and black makeup is all you need to complete this look. Try mixing these colours together to create highlights and contours
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 3
Using micellar water and cotton buds is a great way to clean up your lines
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 4
Frankenstein has a unique shape to his head, so feeling out the hollows of your face can help you figure out where to place your contours

How to paint a petrifying pumpkin face

Skip image gallery

Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 1
Cleanse and moisturise before putting makeup on. This can help prevent build up on your skin and breakouts when using heavier makeup like this
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 2
Go full-on with the orange face paint and get ready to do some more line work. Use a fine paint brush and if you're worried about wobbly lines, try holding your elbow while you draw as this can steady a shaky hand
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 3
Using a black eyeshadow can give really cool shading effects that are more subtle than full-on face paint
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 4
Finish off the look with some green hairspray. Don't worry if you don't have any - you can achieve the same look with a green water-based paint, just add clear hairspray to help it stay on all night

How to paint a seriously spooky skeleton face for Halloween

Skip image gallery

Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 1
Clean and moisturise, as before
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 2
Getting an even white base is key to getting a good foundation for the makeup
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 3
Use regular, thin, paint brushes to do your line work
Image source, Axel A D Brown
Image caption,
Step 4
You can use any eyeshadow colour to add shadow, or even bright colours to give it a cool, visual twist

What’s the best starting point for a look?

Makeup artist Axel paints a man's face red and bluey-grey to look like a monstrous creature

Axel loves to do makeup looks based on creatures and monsters. “Whenever I'm sketching out ideas, the first thing that comes to me is usually a colour combination that intrigues me," Axel says.

Axel's makeup brain then moves immediately to "what would that look like on somebody's face?" They then start to build more depth into any character idea by creating each one “a storyline, an idea of what's happening or who these people are”. Axel says this really brings a look to life.

Prosthetics for beginners

Adding prosthetics to a more basic makeup look can really up the fear-factor. Axel suggests starting off with things that are very easy to buy.

“ and cotton wool can go a long way.”

They suggest applying a layer of the latex, adding some cotton wool which should stick to it but still be mouldable, then add colour with makeup: “You can make scars from that, gashes or boils. You can really do a lot.”

From fake blood to fashion

Since appearing on Glow Up, Axel has been busy on a variety of big projects including a gory horror film. As the lead makeup artist they designed a rig of tubes, hidden under prosthetic skin, so when characters were "attacked", fake blood could spurt out of their fake wounds.

Axel has also been working on makeup for the catwalk show of fashion designer, Jean Louie Castillo. This also has the spook factor Axel says. "He [Jean Louie] loves to have special effects makeup creating ghouls that walk the runway. It's very gothic, very edgy, and right up my street.”

Whether you're welcoming trick or treaters on your street, or off out to a ghoulish party, BBC Bitesize hopes you find the perfect inspiration to get your spook on this Halloween.

All episodes of Series 1 to 7 of Glow Up are available on BBC iPlayer

This article was published in October 2025