An African Inspired Halloween

Wearing masks for Halloween or masquerades affords us the luxury of being someone else; free from everyday conventions.  We were all drawn into the movie Eyes Wide Shut because of the secrecy and duality of the veiled members who performed a sexy sadistic ritual.

In most rituals and ceremonies however, especially in traditional African cultures, men and women wear masks to escape their human identity and to transform and become one with the spirit represented by the mask.

Now I don’t know about you, but the idea of being free and rebellious with no one knowing, sounds like my type of seance.  And what’s the perfect time of the year for this shameful yet euphoric type of behavior? Halloween.

This Halloween I’ve decided to mask my American self and become my true African self.  Although many African mask and ceremonies are considered taboo because people sometimes fear what they don’t understand, I plan to turn the artistry of the mask into a powerful, ‘back to my roots’ experience.  I just have one problem, I don’t own a mask and the masks at Halloween stores don’t come close to looking like genuine African masks.

Thus, to tap into my creative spirit, I did some magazine flipping and came across these beautiful images in New African Magazine.  The Africa Unmasked article features beautiful African women with make-up and hair inspired by traditional African mask.  With natural hair, these artistic looks are easy and affordable to achieve, and will definitely catch peoples attention.

Click Here for an African make-up tutorial.

~NatuRebel