DIY by M·A·C: Three Surreal Faces to Paint for Brussels Halloween

This Halloween, The Standard, Brussels is diving headfirst into the dreamlike — and a little nightmarish — world of Belgian surrealism. Forget melting clocks and floating bowler hats — we’re exploring the stranger, deeper corners of the subconscious. A night where the Greenhouse turns into something dreamlike and disorienting: shadows stretch, reality bends, and the dance floor becomes an alternate dimension.

It’s not just a party (though Bradley Zero will make sure you forget what time is). It’s a full-scale ode to Belgium’s rich artistic heritage — where art, fashion, and illusion meet under one perfectly peculiar umbrella.

To bring this eerie elegance to life, the hotel tapped Tom Eerebout (Lady Gaga’s stylist and master of the avant-garde) and photographer Michaël Smits (whose lens has captured designs from Fragille, NATAN, and Christian Wijnants). Together, they created a series of hauntingly beautiful visuals that reinterpret Halloween through a surrealist lens — with every look styled using pieces from fashion graduates at CAD, De Mode Academie, and La Cambre.

And what’s a surrealist fantasy without makeup to match? 
Enter M·A·C Cosmetics Belgium, led by key artist Jessie Lefler, who designed three fantastical looks that you can recreate at home. 

Outfit secured and ready to get surreal? Lock in your ticket for an unmissable night here.

Ghostly glamour with a touch of cinematic horror.

1. Erase the ordinary.
   Smooth a layer of Elmer’s Glue across the brows (yes, really) and lock it in with Studio Fix Translucent Powder. Conceal until your brows have completely disappeared into the ether.

2. Summon your ghostly glow.
   Blend Skinfinish Lightstruck Liquid Highlighter in “Glacial” with Paint Stick in “Pure White” for a luminous, bone-white base. Apply with a dense brush for a glassy, spectral finish.

3. Bleed into red.
   Paint the lower half of your face and neck in Paint Stick “Basic Red”, sealing it with Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick “Feels So Grand.” Think: a vampire who’s been spending too much time at the Louvre.

When the eyes have it — everywhere.

1. Draw your second self.
   Sketch a realistic eye somewhere unexpected (forehead, cheek, neck) using Chromagraphic Pencil NC15/NW20. Fill it in with neutral tones from the Paintstick Palette and add depth with Studio Fix 24H Concealer.

2. Define the stare.
   Outline with Brushstroke 24H Eyeliner and shade softly with Eyeshadow in “Scene.” Add a pop of iris color around the pupil for uncanny realism — Dali would approve.

3. Bring it to life.
   Draw tiny lashes with black eyeliner, highlight with White Paintstick, and, for true 3D surrealism, glue on a False Lash “Idol Lash.” The result? Disturbingly chic.

A celestial take on skeletal — where bones meet stardust.

1. Trace your structure.
   With Eye Kohl “Fascinating”, sketch faint bone-like contours along cheekbones, jaw, and temples — the gentle suggestion of anatomy beneath divine light.

2. Illuminate with metallics.
   Trace over your map with Dazzleshadow Liquid “Silver Surfer”, letting the lines vary in width for an organic, otherworldly shimmer.

3. Adorn and ascend.
   Finish by applying gemstones along the metallic lines with Duo Eyelash Adhesive. Think less Halloween skeleton, more celestial deity caught between worlds.