These Fantasy Face Paint Designs Are Basically Magic
Kids will love transforming into the unicorn, mermaid, or dragon they were always destined to be with these easy face paint how-tos!
Sarah Burns

Making your kids into fantastical beasts is easier than you think! (Maybe they're halfway there already? We know a lot of kids who are absolutely convinced they're unicorns. Who are we to argue?)
Follow these step-by-step face painting instructions to transform your children into incredible mythical creatures — the better to scoop up magical amounts of Halloween candy! These designs work well for both kids and adults, but grown-ups should do the actual makeup application. Parents who are new to face painting might want to check out our Complete Guide to Halloween Face Painting before you begin.
Unicorn

Magical, elusive, graceful...When it comes to fantasy creatures, the unicorn is at the top of almost every list.
Colors You’ll Need:
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Yellow
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White
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Pink
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Blue
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Optional: additional colors for stars; metallic face paint and/or glitter

1. With yellow, outline horn, and fill in.

2. With pink, make two triangles above your eyebrows.

3. Outline the pink triangles in white.

4. Add flowers to the base of the horn. These flowers are just a small dot of yellow, surrounded by 5 dots of pink or blue.

5. Add some star freckles. Alternatively, you could also use sparkly star stickers, or gemstones.

6. Optional: Complete the look with some metallic face paint or glitter.
Dragon

Fierce, friendly, or fire-breathing: part of the fun of being a Dragon is deciding what kind you’ll be!
Colors You’ll Need:
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White
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Black
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Dragon color of your choice (we used green — but you could also be a purple, pink, or red dragon!)

1. With white, draw and fill in a triangle with a curved-up tip for a horn on the nose, and two or three horn shapes over both eyebrows. Remember, horns are sisters, not twins, they don’t need to be exactly the same.

2. Add more white triangles pointed down along either side of the lips for teeth, and paint two teeth pointed upward on the bottom lip.

3. With any color other than black or white, create a triangle shape with the bottom point the the chin, and the other 2 points extending past the eyes; round the corners at the eyes along the eye sockets. Fill in around the white horn on the nose, and under the horns over the eyebrows, and feather out the sides into little points. This doesn’t need to be perfect, and actually looks better when it’s not!

4. Use black to outline the face, horns, and add details as shown.

5. Add highlights with white.
Mermaid

Longing to sing a siren’s song? This step-by-step is worth all the treasure in the sea.
Colors You’ll Need:
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Light color of your choice (other than white)
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Mermaid color of choice (we used purple, but blue or green are also swish!)
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Black
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White

1. Use the mermaid color of your choice to fill in the forehead in a half circle shape. Give the shape points, like a crown.

2. Add a white dot at the outside corner of each eye, and on your forehead between the eyes.

3. With a light color, add a diamond shape on either side of the eye, with the white dots as the point; make the diamond on the bottom of the center dot so it points down towards the nose.

4. Add scale and shell details in black.

5. Add highlights in white.

6. Optional: outline eyes in black, and add some metallic highlights, glitter or gemstone embellishments.
The Sun

No gray skies to be found, with a sunny face like this around!
Colors You’ll Need:
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Yellow
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Light Blue
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Orange
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White
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Optional: Gold glitter or metallic gold face paint

1. Add some rosy blush to the cheeks.

2. With yellow, make a circle in the middle of the forehead, and fill it in.

3. Add rays around the sun in yellow.

4. Blend light blue around the eyes, or just along the brow.

5. Add an outline to the sun and the bottom of the rays in orange.

6. With white, draw clouds on cheeks, and add white highlights to sun and rays.

7. Optional: add gold glitter, or metallic gold face paint
The Moon

Stargazers, we see you: Always waiting for nightfall, hoping to be entranced by an ocean of glittering stars and colorful galaxies. Here’s a tutorial that'll have you over the – well, you know.
Colors You’ll Need:
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Black
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White
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Pink
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Blue
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Silver, or light gray
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Optional: Glitter or metallic silver face paint

1. Draw a white circle in the middle of the forehead.

2. Blend black into the forehead, around the white circle, and down the bridge of the nose.

3. Alternate dotting pink and blue across the cheeks and nose. Blend the colors together.

4. Add stars across the cheeks with white.

5. Go over the moon on one side with metallic silver, or light grey face paint.

6. Optional: Add some glitter to your galaxy!
Learn How to Make Animal Designs With Face Paint!
Transform into a puppy, a fox, a deer, a zebra, or a tiger with these easy animal face paint designs!
How to Fix Mistakes, Troubleshoot Streaks, and Easily Wash Off Face Paint
All the basics, all in one place — read up on Face Paint 101 before Halloween!
Make Spooky Halloween Designs With Face Paint
Transform yourself into a zombie, a skull, a creepy doll, a pumpkinhead, or even a horned monster with these spooky face-paint how-tos!

This cool STEM craft project for families is a surefire conversation starter and imagination stretcher. Watch out, you never know who'll get zapped next!
Amanda Kingloff

Roll up your sleeves, cause we're about to get clazy!
Sarah Burns

Kids can learn more about the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States and make their own book of poems with this craft!
CAMP Stores

Kids can get to know STEM superhero Ada Lovelace — and rock a little bit of her trailblazing style with this cool project!
CAMP Stores