Spooky figures set to spring up everywhere!

Don’t wonder if you bump into shouting little witches, paper-bagged hobgoblins, people with rubber-masked faces and bed sheet ghosts these days. Yes, it’s Halloween time in Bahrain. Halloween is celebrated on the evening of October 31, which is the evening before the Christian feast of All Saint’s Day.

Nowadays, Halloween is also a festive season for kids offering fun and enjoyment to them. It is an occasion to dress up as little monsters, ghosts or witches for them. Over the time the custom of adults dressing up as demons changed and the children took over.

Clubs in Bahrain will be packed with party goers, dressed up like demons and witches. But it’s a daunting task for the make-up artists who create these horrifying looks. Divine Labor, a photographer-turned- makeup artist, is trained for Halloween make-up. A resident of Bahrain since 2010, she specializes in special effects make-up.

Usually, by the end of October she is busy with her own schedules, doing make-up for youngsters and even children and getting them ready for the Halloween day.

“It was in mid-2000 when I took the decision to pursue make- up as my full-time profession. Meeting my college mate, while doing my photography course, was the turning point in my life. “He owned a studio for make- up and encouraged me to come into this profession,” says Divine, who has undergone professional training from Grimas workshop, Holland.

She creates the atrocious looks with nothing more than a bit of make-up and the techniques she has acquired from the training. She has even a legion of fans here. Divine transmutes people into bloodthirsty zombies, creepy clowns and terrifying witches.

She takes 40 minutes to three hours to create these ‘quaint figures’. “I just loved the costumes and make-up, it really coins a creative series in me and excites to try and experiment different looks. For me Halloween has always been an exhilarating feel and I have adored it. Anything slightly creepy or gothic makeup draws me in like magnet,” she explains.

“In Philippines, we run lot many competitions, especially in malls, colleges and other places. But here I feel that the celebrations are club-centric. People go out in the night to the clubs to enjoy the Halloween day,” Divine observes.

Divine has participated in a contest titled, “Middle- East Beauty World 2015,” in Dubai. There she was the sole contestant, who successfully displayed a Halloween make-up, while others followed normal make-up such as bridal and natural make-up.

Divine feels happy when her clients see the transformation. She gets more energy through the feedback she gets from her clients.

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