This Makeup Artist Has Created 1 Insane Halloween Look Every Day of October Since 2012
Some of us spend ALL YEAR trying to come up with what we’re going to dress up as for just one day — October 31. Yes, we’re talking about Halloween. There are so many choices like group costume or couples costume, buy or DIY and should the dog/cat also dress up this year? Now imagine if you had to come up with 31 ideas, one for every single day of October. That’s what Alabama-based uber-talented makeup artist and photographer Amanda Chapman has been doing ever since 2012. Amanda not only conceives and executes some insanely intricate, sometimes gruesome but always amazing costumes ideas, but she also photographs them and uploads them to her Flickr stream.
The reason why Amanda is so committed to creating these looks will warm your heart. Amanda’s husband, Greg, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August 2012. In order to keep the family morale up (the couple has two teenage kids), Amanda decided in September of 2012, that to help everyone “get their minds off” of Greg’s illness, for every day in October to create and photograph a costume for a character from a book or movie that she loved. The photo series “31 Days of Halloween” was born. She has been committed to the project for four years now — her Flickr stream is now a smash hit.
Impressively, Amanda is a self-taught makeup artist, learning most of her skills from trial and error as well as YouTube tutorials, and spends anywhere from two to five hours on her looks. Some of Amanda’s creations are so transformative, people don’t believe it’s really her in the image. But Amanda wants to say, “Yes, it’s me in every single makeup.”
We asked her what her favorite look to create was. Her response? “My most beloved character makeup that I have done in my 31 Days Of Halloween series is Edward Scissorhands. Johnny Depp happens to be my favorite actor and Tim Burton’s imagination is so dark and beautiful. While the makeup itself is somewhat subtle, the contrast between his innocent eyes and his deadly scissorhands was a pleasure to recreate. It was wonderful to be Edward for a day! ”
While Amanda has been at this for a number of years (and has gained a lot of fans along the way), 2015 marks a particularly special year because her husband Greg is recovering from chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. “This year it is more of a celebration because he’s come through this with flying colors,” Amanda shared. “This guy is my hero.”
You’re our hero, Amanda.
Check out her inspiring video interview with Flickr below.
What do you think of Amanda’s looks? Will you be trying any of these for your costume. Tell us in the comments below!
(Photos via Amanda Chapman)
