Every year when Halloween rolls around, usually people pick out a costume and wear it and have a great time. But, if you are a beauty guru, much more intense planning will go into your costume than what clothes you’re wearing. As Halloween looks take over Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube, during September and October, the anticipation slowly builds to the big day. Lipstick, eye shadow, glitter, contacts, lashes, fake nails, every little detail must be perfect, or it won’t work. This also requires a fair amount of practice, which takes a lot of time, but it’s always time well spent. Here are a few of the things that I know all you beauty addicts look forward to master beyond the holiday.

1. Lashes

There’s just something about putting on fake eyelashes that always make me feel like the ultimate Diva. So naturally, on Halloween, a strong lash game is ALWAYS necessary in a completed look. Whether the lashes have rhinestones, feathers, or just a kick ass shape they add the perfect flair to every look.

2. Contouring

You’ve probably all seen contouring, and strobing, take over the internet and the makeup industry in the past years. Contouring is the structure of your entire face. If your contouring is crappy, then your face just won’t have that same perfect base. It’s the most important part of your face, and on Halloween that gets taken to the max. From a zombie look, to trying to imitate a celebrity, it’s much harder to pull off that convincing and rich consistency in your costume without good contouring. On "normal" days, just brush some color along your cheeks for some extra "oomph!"

3. Dramatic Lips

What’s the point of Halloween if you can’t go crazy in the lipstick department? I wore black lipstick this year, and I would gladly wear it everyday if it was as fun to wear it as it is to wear on Halloween. That pop of color on your lips is usually the focus of the look, unless you happen to be doing something about the eyes, but a fresh gloss or nude lip is always an important accompaniment with a natural look anyway, so even if the costume you’re wearing is a more natural approach, you can still look like a fierce glamazon. No explanation needed how to transfer this into everyday looks...simply just own it!

4. GLITTER

Bitches love glitter, and there is always a special place in my vanity for all of my shimmery accents. You can add glitter to literally any costume, and it will make you feel like a princess. Last minute costume you threw together? Glitter. Mermaid costume? GLITTER. Hillary Clinton? Glitter! Achieving that glamazon-level Halloween costume usually requires some sort of glitter, even if it’s just a striking highlighter. I mean, who doesn’t want to wear rhinestones all over your face every day?!

5. Eyeliner, all of the eyeliner

I think Halloween is probably that one day a year almost every girl wears eyeliner, and it’s usually a cat eye. Pairing your glitter and flawless contouring with a striking liner is imperative in a dramatic smoky look, and on Halloween your eyeliner game needs to be so strong you don’t notice anything out of place throughout the night and get distracted by it. There’s nothing worse than taking a fire selfie with your friends and seeing the end of your cat eye is fuzzy and looks like it was drawn on with a dull crayon. If you can master a sassy eyeliner look for Halloween, you can master it for a GNO too!

6. Acrylics

OK, fake nails are my personal favorite part of Halloween. I usually have claws throughout the year, but on Halloween I can have my nails decorated however I want, and as long as I want them, and no one can say a damn thing. Acrylics are that final touch that really ties your entire costume together. I would consider acrylics the shoes of your beauty look. You can look awesome without them, but your balance will be off without your nails done. An incredible dress needs the perfect pair of shoes to accompany it, as does a glamazon look.

Halloween is such a fun time of year. It’s a gorgeous part of fall, and dressing up is a great way to show off your personality, and your makeup skills. I’m already planning my costume for next year, since seeing everyone’s amazing looks this year was so inspiring! Now we wait for the makeup holiday of the year...only 52 weeks left!