On every other day of the year, Anthony Nguyen does makeup for celebrities like Adele, Katy Perry, Camila Cabello, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera, Jessie J and Lil Nas X just to name a few; for major publications like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and Rolling Stone; and for international campaigns for beauty brands like MAC Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills and KVD Beauty.
On Halloween, the Los Angeles-based makeup artist transforms into his own high fashion interpretations of well-known movie characters like Edward Scissorhands, the Na'vi from Avatar, Hades and the Evil Queen from Snow White. This year, Nguyen became Beetlejuice, but inspired by the London punk scene of the '70s and '80s.
Nguyen gave PAPER an exclusive look on how he transformed into the mischievous ghost, below.
What inspired you to blend Beetlejuice with the '70s/'80s London punk scene for this year’s look?
I did a bunch of sketches on how I wanted to interpret Beetlejuice. His character is gritty, chaotic and full of mischief, so it was clear to me to portray his attitude in a punk fashion. I’ve always loved the '70s and '80s London punk scene and fashion, so I drew a lot of inspiration from Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen for Beetlejuice’s costume design. I wanted to keep it regal and structured but contrast it with super punk hair and makeup.
What makeup techniques and products did you use to achieve this?
I did a few makeup tests, and it was challenging to find the perfect shade of green I was looking for that didn’t pull yellow or look too literal. So a technique I used for the shading was a cream special effects bruise palette which made for smooth blending. It had the perfect swampy green I wanted. I also wanted to incorporate Beetlejuice’s moss and grit on his face in a fashionable way, so I handmade a pair of bottom lashes by individually gluing different pieces of dried moss. Lastly, I wanted elements of asymmetry throughout the overall look, such as the lapel on the coat, so I opted for two different colored contacts to make the makeup pop for an additional gothic touch.
Were there elements from this punk era, like iconic makeup looks or fashion pieces that influenced the design?
Punk hair and makeup really influenced the overall design. Beetlejuice’s iconic hair is bald on top and party in the back. Originally, I was going to opt for a bald cap with a wig, but it felt and looked too “Halloween” doing that. So to go with the London punk theme, I wanted to tie in a Chelsea haircut with a swampier green. We added a baby bang piece and sides which definitely took the glam to the next level. To go with the theme even more, I shaved my head razor bald to make this look more authentic. Thanks to my talented hairstylist friend, Larry Dean McDaniel, who’s a wizard and brought the wig magic all to life! To top off the punk glam, I bejeweled my face with metal studs and piercings.
What were the most challenging parts of creating this look?
Every year for Halloween, I like to bring an element of high fashion to my costume and glam. The most challenging part of creating this look was to find the balance between theatrical and high fashion without making it look too “Halloween,” and Beetlejuice was a character that could easily go too on-the-nose, and I wanted to make sure I had my own fashion interpretation on it. Also, shaving my head bald for this and waiting for it to grow out is also challenging lol.
What’s your creative process for conceptualizing Halloween looks each year?
Each year, I choose a character that inspires me. I like to dissect the character on what makes them iconic and memorable and look into references on how I can adapt those main elements into high fashion. Watching films, going to museums, the runway, sourcing fabric and music inspires me to reimagine the characters direction. I’m an extremely visual person, so I sketch out many different versions of the costume, makeup and hair, and pull many video and mood references on how I want the character portrayed for its full fashion fantasy. Shout out to my brilliant photographer friend Brian Ziff who brings all of this to life every year and director Casey Curry on video!
Photography: Brian Ziff
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