How To Nail The Joker Makeup Look This Halloween

If there’s any Halloween costume that’s stood the test of time, it has to be the Joker. The comic book villain has been a pop culture icon since he was first introduced in the Batman comics in 1940 – and with every new iteration of the character, in books and on screens, the buzz around his signature look only grows. And this spooky season, we’re determined to master his signature look. Here’s how to do Joker makeup at home, plus some more clown makeup ideas to try out this Halloween.

How To Do Joker Makeup

There are 38 renditions of the Joker across TV, film and comic books – so you have plenty to choose from. To get your started, we’ve outlined the three most recent onscreen portrayals of the Joker, with tips on how to do each makeup look from start to finish.

(L to r) BRENDAN GLEESON as Jackie Sullivan and JOAQUIN PHOENIX as Arthur Fleck in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Scott Garfield/™ & © DC Comics, Warner Bros.

Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker

Leaning into the Arthur Fleck’s backstory, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker looks more obviously clown-like than previous renditions of the character. Inspired by Italian opera clowns, it consists of blue diamond shapes around the eyes, red eyebrows and a big red smile – which proceeds to get more gritty and smeared as the story progresses. Give the look a go with our guide below:

1. Prepare The Face: Start with a clean, dry face. Apply a layer of white grease paint using a damp sponge. Ensure the coverage is uneven and blotchy to mimic the Joker’s chaotic look. Leave about an inch below your hairline unpainted for a natural transition.
2. Set The Base: Use translucent powder to set the white paint, preventing smudging throughout the day.
3. Create The Eyes: Using blue water-activated paint, apply drippy diamond shapes above and below the eyes. The top triangles should start from the beginning of the eyebrow and extend towards the middle, while the bottom ones should begin at each corner of the eyes, with one eye appearing longer and drippier than the other.
4. Define The Nose: Mix red and black paint to create a dark red shade. Outline and fill in the tip of your nose, giving it a slightly exaggerated shape.
5. Shape The Eyebrows: Use red face paint to create exaggerated eyebrows. Draw them in a circular shape with a short arch for a more expressive look.
6. Paint The Smile: For the signature Joker smile, use red paint to outline your lips, extending the smile up towards your cheeks. Fill in the smile but keep it messy; imperfections enhance the character’s chaotic nature.
7. Add Finishing Touches: Lightly smear some of the painted areas (eyebrows, triangles, and smile) with your finger to create a worn, drippy effect. This adds to the overall dishevelled appearance of the Joker.
8. Style Your Hair: If your hair isn’t green, consider using green hair spray or wearing a green wig styled back with gel to achieve that wet, messy look characteristic of Phoenix’s Joker.

Jared Leto’s Joker

While not the star of his own film, Jared Leto’s Joker is still a popular choice come Halloween planning. This rendition of the Joker has a striking and more modern aesthetic, diverging from traditional representations of the character. His makeup look involves a mix of bold colours, dramatic features and a touch of chaos. Here’s how to replicate it at home:

1. Prepare The Face: Start with a clean, dry face.
2. Block Your Eyebrows: Use a glue stick to flatten your eyebrows against your skin. Apply translucent powder over the glued eyebrows until they are completely covered and dry.
3. Create The Base: Mix white foundation or face paint with a little bit of your regular foundation for a pale, spooky skin tone. Apply this mixture all over your face, ears, and neck using a sponge. Set the base with translucent powder to ensure it stays in place.
4. Define The Eyes: Apply taupe eyeshadow all over the eyelids and under the eyes. Use a mix of red and black eyeshadow along the lower lash line to create depth. Blend well. Accentuate the crease with medium brown eyeshadow and darken it further with dark brown eyeshadow for more intensity. You can also use black eyeshadow to enhance the overall depth around the eyes.
5. Add Tattoos: Use black body paint to create tattoos on your arms and face. Common designs include “Damaged” across the forehead and various symbols on the cheeks. Blend a small amount of foundation over the tattoos to integrate them into your skin tone.
6. Apply Red Lips: Use red lipstick to create a rough application on your lips. For added dimension, mix red and purple lipstick, applying it roughly as well. To create depth, dab a bit of black eyeshadow in between your lips.
7. Style Your Hair: Use green hair spray or wear a green wig styled back with gel to get Leto’s slicked back Joker hairdo.

Heath Ledger’s Joker

Perhaps the most iconic Joker look of the 21st century, Heath Ledger’s take on the character was all dirt and grit. Consisting of a patchy application and smeared facial features covering thick scars, the unevenness of the look was a reflection of the character’s chaotic unpredictability. Try the look for yourself here:

1. Prepare The Face: Start with a clean, dry face.Apply white grease paint or face paint all over the face, neck, and ears. Leave the area around the eyes bare for now.
2. Set The Base: Set the white base with translucent powder to prevent smudging.
3. Create The Eyes: Apply black grease paint or eyeshadow around the eyes in a rounded, messy shape. Extend the black makeup slightly beyond the natural eye area for a more sunken look. You can also smudge and blend the edges of the black makeup for a worn, imperfect appearance.
4. Carves The Scars: Use spirit gum to apply scar wax or latex to create raised scars extending from the corners of the mouth.
   Shape the scars into a Glasgow smile, curving upwards towards the cheeks.
5. Paint The Smile: Once set, paint the scars with red face paint or lipstick, blending outwards for a raw look. Apply red face paint or lipstick messily to the lips, extending slightly beyond the natural lip line.
6. Finishing Touches: Use black face paint or eyeliner to draw thin, cracked lines radiating from the eyes and mouth for added texture. You might also want to apply a light dusting of green eyeshadow around the eyes and on the forehead for a sickly appearance.
7. Style Your Hair: Mess up your hair and spray it with temporary green hair colour, for the signature Joker look.

3 More Clown Makeup Ideas To Try This Halloween

Looking to go beyond the Joker? Here are three more makeup ideas that will ensure you are the scariest clown of them all this spooky season.

1. Pennywise

The Joker might be comic book royalty, but the reigning clown of horror has to be Pennywise. Stephen King’s demonic creation got a terrifying makeover in the IT movies, with Bill Skarsgård taking on the titular clown under layers of prosthetics and face paint.

2. Traditional Circus Clown

There’s a reason people have a fear of clowns – and it all stems from the bold looks adopted by the circus. A traditional circus clown relies on bold colours and shapes that exaggerate facial expressions and emotions. Keep it to the classics, or dive into goriness with dark colour and some fake blood.

3. Harley Quinn

One for the duo costume planners out there. Harley Quinn has just as many faces as he Joker does, meaning you can mix-and-match your villain team as much as you want.

Featured image: Warner Bros. (cropped)