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One classic Halloween costume that will never go out of style is the cat. Many of us probably relied on this costume at some point during childhood (I was a cat when I was eight), and it remains a cute and fun look into adulthood. One year in college, I went as a “party animal” and did basic cat makeup with a birthday hat. Another year I was a “cat scan” and wore cat ears and glued barcodes to my sweater. If you’re looking for something unique DIY looks to inspire you this October 31, Parade consulted five makeup artists to get them all Cat Halloween makeup tips and tricks.
With thousands of TikTok and Instagram followers each, these experts know how to help their beauty looks translate to a broader audience. No matter your current makeup skill level, you can achieve any of these costume concepts. And the cool thing about going as a cat for Halloween is there are a lot of directions you can take that idea. You could be a classic cat, jungle cat, fictional feline character from a movie and so on.
Halloween is all about having fun, and you’ll have a blast recreating these 10 purrfect cat makeup looks—or even putting your own spin on the inspiration you get here.
Related: Everything To Know About the History of Halloween—Here’s How It All Began
10 Best Cat Halloween Makeup Ideas, According to a Makeup Artists
1. Classic Cat Makeup
Aurelia Mae (@aureliamaemakeup on TikTok and Instagram) leveled up this classic cat look with the inclusion of 3D whiskers. But, still, she says, “The cat look is an easy and achievable look for even beginners or someone who needs a quick Halloween look to throw together. You can make it as intricate or as simple as you like.”
“The key to any cat … is going to be a good eyeliner,” she reveals, sharing that she used Anastasia Beverly Hills Waterproof Matte Liquid Eyeliner ($22) for this look.
Aurelia started the look with her regular makeup base, then used the eyeliner to add a dramatic wing to her eyes—emphasizing the inner corners for the cat eye shape. She also used the liner to draw on a black nose, fill in her top lip and add some small freckles around the corners of her mouth.
“My favorite part about this look is the whiskers,” she tells Parade. “You can easily draw whiskers on, but if you want to go the extra step to really catch people’s eye, you can simply take fishing line and a black sharpie to create real-life whiskers.”
She attached the black fishing line whiskers via eyelash glue and then finished the look with two sets of them Kiromiro half lashes ($9), stacked together. See Aurelia’s full tutorial on TikTok.
Related: ‘I’ve Perfected the Look of Reindeer Makeup—Here’s How To Do It Yourself’
2. Cheshire Cat Makeup
Hope Landre (AKA @hoperenee_mua on TikTok and Instagram) used mainly eyeshadows for this iconic Alice in Wonderland character. First, she used a purple shadow to draw triangles around the outer sides of the face and to fill in the eyebrows. Then, she added pink shadow to the eyelids and the sides and middle of the nose, as well as the blended into the edges of the purple triangles.
For these shades of pink and purple, try the Makeup Revolution Reloaded Red Alert palette ($7), their Desert Desire palette ($30) or even the ColourPop Fade Into Hue palette ($35). Landre says that “a colorful eyeshadow palette” is one of the keys to reproducing a good Halloween look.
After adding the color, she used it NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil ($6) in white to line the eyes and make them look larger. Then, she used NYX Epic Ink liner ($10) to draw triangles on the inner eye corners for a cat-like shape.
Finally, for the large black smile, Landre used a liner pencil in black to draw it—you can try it NYX Slim Eye ($6) pencil. And she added teeth with a water-activated stage paint (the Mehron Paradise Makeup AQ ($17) in white is a good option).
Ultimately, Landre says, “Reference photos will be your best friend to accurately recreate any look!” And you can watch her full Cheshire Cat tutorial on TikTok.
Related: 90 Halloween Trivia Questions and Answers for the Scariest Day of the Year
3. Leopard Makeup for Halloween
Landre also created this chic leopard look and started by creating the spots. She drew uneven half circles with black cream paint and filled the centers with orange. You can do the same with a face paint palette. Then, she created a dramatic wing with the NYX Epic Ink liquid liner ($10), and brought the inner eye corner line down along the nose down with black cream paint.
You can finish the look by coloring your top lip and the bottom of your nose black. Watch Landre’s full tutorial on TikTok.
4. Tiger Makeup
Another jungle cat option for Halloween is a tiger—which is also on theme thanks to the orange and black motif. Makeup artist Amber Pitkin (@amberpitkin on TikTok and Instagram) created this one that you can replicate at home.
Pitkin started with face contour (you can also do your body, if you’re so inclined) using orangey eyeshadows. She used the Bright Matte 42 Color Palette ($30) from Beauty Bay. They say she used it Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel ($18) to create a dramatic cat eye with extended inner corners. For the stripes, she combined the gel eyeliner with Inglot Duraline ($16)—a liquid base that you can add to makeup products.
“Mixing the gel eyeliner and Duraline makes the eyeliner glide on much more smoothly and will make it waterproof so it doesn’t budge all night,” she tells Parade.
Watch Pitkin’s tiger transformation on TikTok for inspo—you could even wear it fake fangs ($19) to really add to the look.
Related: 50 Silly, Spooky Halloween Games for Kids That Are Hauntingly Easy To Pull Off at Home
5. Realistic Snow Leopard Makeup
If you want a full-face makeup look this Halloween, this realistic snow leopard (seen here on Pitkin) is a great option.
Start with a full white base using Mehron Makeup Clown White ($20). Pitkin recommends applying the paint with a paint brush and then blending it smoothly with a damp sponge. For the detail work (heavily lined lids, a pink nose, black lips and black fur spots), she used Mehron Makeup Paradise face paints ($16). Then, she added some shading with the Beauty Bay Bright Matte 42 Color Palette ($30).
You can see the full transformation on TikTok.
6. Low-Key Snow Leopard DIY Look
If a full face feels a little much for your desired Halloween costume, you can try a more low-key snow leopard look like this one courtesy of Britney Saenz (AKA @britneyydoesmakeup on TikTok).
Saenz started with a white base in the spots where you’d normally contour (as well as around the eyes and along the nose). She used the Create Paint from James Charles’ brand Painted in the shade “Ghosted” ($15). The next step is to shade the white areas with darker eyeshadow and contour the nose. She used palettes from theBalm Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow Palette ($42). After that, paint on white spots with white and outline them in black. You can also add dramatic cat eye liner with the inner corners drawn down slightly along the nose.
Watch her full tutorial on TikTok.
Related: 36 Spooky Halloween Food and Drink Recipes for the Ultimate Halloween Party
7. White Tiger Makeup
You can replicate Saenz’s white tiger makeup look with the exact same products as the leopard—so if you and a friend want to split the makeup costs, you can each pick one look and do them together. It follows almost all the same steps too—just swap the spots for stripes.
First you add white face paint—Saenz says you can use the UCANBE Athena paint palette ($23) to execute these steps. Shade with eyeshadow using theBalm Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow Palette ($42). You can draw stripes along the sides of your face (and down your neck, if you wish) and add dramatic black liner with downturned inner corners and set with a translucent setting powder.
Watch the full tutorial on Instagram.
8. Simple Cheetah Makeup
Rounding out the jungle cat options is this cheetah look from Soph (AKA @contentbysoph on TikTok and Instagram).
Soph has a clever hack for getting the spots just right—stamping them on. To create this cat look, start with your regular makeup base, and then you can use a powder puff wrapped in plastic wrap as a base for you to draw on the spots.
“You can stamp the pattern onto your skin, then retrace any lines that need more definition,” she tells Parade. “It’s a super easy way to keep the spots consistent and even.”
For the powder puff, Soph used the one from Huda Beauty ($15) and drew the spots with it Mary Kay Gel Eyeliner ($29). After stamping the pattern, you can use a tan cream concealer to color in the black spots. You can add a cheetah print headscarf ($10) to finish off the look.
See her tutorial on TikTok.
Related: 30 ‘Star Wars’ Costumes for Halloween 2025 That Are the Best in the Galaxy
8. Scratched Cat
This makeup look, also from Soph, is on the spookier side thanks to the fake bloody scratches. She created the look with a credit card and a fork to draw the red lines—using the fake blood from the COKOHAPPY Halloween makeup kit ($15).
“Deepen the lines with a toothpick by adding extra fake blood and a touch of eyeshadow for dimension,” Soph says.
Then, color in your nose and top lip with a black eye pencil and draw whiskers with a liquid liner. She used the Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner from Rare Beauty ($21).
You can watch her tutorial on TikTok.
10. Last-Minute Cat Makeup Idea
Sometimes, we get invited to a Halloween party last minute, and that’s when a quick classic cat look can come in handy. For this look, Soph used the Estée Lauder Long Wear 24H Eyeliner ($32), Patrick Starrr Ultimate Blurring setting powder ($36) and Winky Lux blush ($19).
Use the eyeliner to create an exaggerated cat eye—emphasizing the inner corners—then color in the nose, the top lip and add some whiskers. Soph made a heart-shaped nose for a little added flair.
“Lightly dip the circular cap into the setting powder, then press it onto your nose to create a heart outline,” she says of the detail. “It’s much easier than trying to draw the heart freehand and gives you a perfect guide for tracing.”
Then, add the blush to your cheeks and bottom lip. Throw on a pair of cat ears ($5), and you’re ready to go!
Watch Soph’s tutorial on TikTok.
Up Next:
Related: ‘I Transformed Into Cindy Lou Who for a Holiday Party—Here’s Exactly How I Did It’
Sources:
Aurelia Mae: @aureliamaemakeup on TikTok and Instagram
Hope Landre: @hoperenee_mua on TikTok and Instagram
Amber Pitkin: @amberpitkin on TikTok and Instagram
Britney Saenz: @britneyydoesmakeup on TikTok and Instagram
Soph: @contentbysoph on TikTok and Instagram
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Life section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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