Wickedly Beautiful: Hyderabad’s Halloween mood

—Halloween is just around the corner, and Hyderabad’s fashionable crowd is already getting into the spirit of all things creepy and crawly. Right from metallic eyes, neon nails, ghostly makeup, and even some DIY costumes. This year, it’s not just about scaring people; it’s also about having a good time and looking cute while doing it.

It’s all about statement looks that blend glamour with spooky drama

Spooky glam

This year’s Halloween vibe is louder, bolder, and definitely more glamorous. “This Halloween, the beauty scene is going bold and creative — thick metallic eyes, holographic skin, and neon liners paired with 3D cat-eye nails, chrome tips, and glow-in-the-dark nail art. It’s all about statement looks that blend glamour with spooky drama,” says Tanya Bansal, owner of Tanya Bansal Makeup Studio and Nail Design.

Even costume stores are buzzing with excitement, shares G Rajender Goud, proprietor of Alankriti Costumes and Makeup in Chandanagar, “The bookings actually started about 15 days ago. Since Halloween falls on the 31st, people usually begin making their reservations around that time, roughly two weeks in advance,” he says. Talking about how people experiment with their Halloween looks, she explains that the choices are endless. “People usually buy all kinds of Halloween-themed outfits like horror masks, skeleton dresses, and other spooky costumes. Halloween is quite unique because everyone wants a different look. They love to mix and match masks, capes, and face colours, and even use accessories like fake ears or tongues for a completely horror vibe,” he adds.

Meanwhile, fashion enthusiast Sharon Aishwarya says this Halloween feels more open-ended than ever. “I think the themes this year are far too many. A few that come to mind would be Nostalgia/Y2K with 90s and early 2000s fashion, Pop-culture icons from your favourite movies and TV shows and of course, Horror!” she shares.

Eerie makeover

Character-inspired looks are clearly stealing the show this year. Tanya reveals, “We’re planning a few Halloween looks that are more fun than scary and are inspired by characters like Wednesday Addams and Maleficent. The idea is to keep it stylish with bold eyes, shimmer, and glow-in-the-dark nails, so it feels festive and glam rather than spooky.”

At Alankriti, Rajender says horror-inspired makeups are still everyone’s favourite. “Ghost makeup! They’ve become incredibly popular among people during Halloween. These days, everyone’s going crazy for the look; from blood-related patches to eerie details, everything is in trend,” he laughs, adding that his expert team handles all the wild requests with ease.

Sharon, on the other hand, believes you don’t always have to splurge to stand out. “If you can’t spend money on your whole outfit, you could try to spend at least on one part of your outfit — like a statement piece if you will. If you can’t do that either, there’s always DIY fits. I have created a lot of DIY outfits with the clothes and makeup I had. I didn’t have to spend any of my money as well. A safe outfit idea would be to go dressed like a zombie. All you need is some paint,” she says.

Eerie makeover

Character-inspired looks are clearly stealing the show this year. Tanya reveals, “We’re planning a few Halloween looks that are more fun than scary and are inspired by characters like Wednesday Addams and Maleficent. The idea is to keep it stylish with bold eyes, shimmer, and glow-in-the-dark nails, so it feels festive and glam rather than spooky.”

At Alankriti, Rajender says horror-inspired makeups are still everyone’s favourite. “Ghost makeup! They’ve become incredibly popular among people during Halloween. These days, everyone’s going crazy for the look; from blood-related patches to eerie details, everything is in trend,” he laughs, adding that his expert team handles all the wild requests with ease.

Sharon, on the other hand, believes you don’t always have to splurge to stand out. “If you can’t spend money on your whole outfit, you could try to spend at least on one part of your outfit — like a statement piece if you will. If you can’t do that either, there’s always DIY fits. I have created a lot of DIY outfits with the clothes and makeup I had. I didn’t have to spend any of my money as well. A safe outfit idea would be to go dressed like a zombie. All you need is some paint,” she says.

Whether it’s a nostalgia-fuelled Barbie, a spooky Dracula, or a glow-in-the-dark Wednesday Addams, Hyderabad’s Halloween style this year is proof that fashion can be as thrilling as any haunted tale: equal parts eerie, elegant, and effortlessly chic!

— Story by Darshita Jain