FORGET making a witches cape from a bin bag and layering on the eyeliner...Halloween fancy dress fans have been reaching whole new spooky levels in recent years.

So much so that some make up artists in the area are now booked up two years in advance.

It's thought the trend for a more extravagant look for parties around October 31 started with the James Bond film Spectre.

Mexican tourism officials were inspired by parts of the 2015 film, which were filmed in Mexico City and featured 007 chasing a villain through a Day of the Dead celebration in the historical centre, and as a result Mexico City held its first Day of the Dead parade, complete with floats, giant skeleton marionettes and more than 1,000 actors, dancers and acrobats in costumes last year.

And this year with Festival of the Dead shows in Liverpool and Manchester there's no sign of the sugar skull craze slowing anytime soon.

We took a look at some of the frightful creations on offer in St Helens this Halloween.

Click the gallery above to see their work and read more below:

Picture one to three:

Name - Andrea Baines

Age - 31 

Area I live - Whiston

Name of business - Make Up By Andrea

Instagram - @makeupwearingunicorn

Facebook - Make Up By Andrea

How long I have been doing make up - Since the start of 2017 after a major career change!

My favourite look for Halloween - Ice Queen

What I think will be the most popular - Creepy Clown after the release of the new IT this year

Picture four to six:

Your name: Charlotte Therese Dudley

Your age: 25

Area you live: Prescot

Name of your business: Charlotte Therese Makeup

Instagram/Facebook/website: @charlottetheresemakeup/ www.thecasualbanana.wordpress.com

How long you've been doing make up for:  3 years

Your favourite look for Halloween: I love doing Skeleton/Skull style looks and mixing them up with different styles and colours!

What you think the most popular look will be this Halloween: I think Clown makeup will be very popular this Halloween, and also anything with glitter!

Picture seven and eight:

Name: Kayleigh Appleton
Age: 21
Area: Parr
Business: Kayl Appleton Makeup
Instagram: kaylappletonmakeup
Facebook: Kayl Appleton Makeup
I have been doing makeup around 3 years, but only 1 year in the business and in a salon.
My favourite look this year for Halloween has to be pumpkins and clowns!
The most popular look this year I think will be penny wise the clown and/or skulls, skulls are always popular.
Picture nine and 10:

Name: Isobel Atherton 

Age: 25 

Area where I live: Haydock, st helens 

Name of business: ICA Beauty 

Facebook: ICA Beauty - Isobel Atherton 

How long I've been doing make up: 4 years now 

Favourite Halloween look: zombies and gory ripped faces.. the gory the better although I do like Edward scissor hands as well! 

Most popular Halloween look: I think this year it's going to be the IT clown with the film just coming out, but a zombie and a skeleton never grow old.. I always have men and women asking for this every year! 

Picture 11:

Name Liz Wilson

Age 23 years old

The Salon I'm based at for makeup is beauty aesthetics in Newton Le Willows, my business is called Elizabeth Charlotte Makeup which can be found on Facebook and Instagram as @ElizabethCharlotteMUA.

I have been doing makeup for the past 5 years and I am level 3 qualified.

My favourite look for Halloween is anything gory using special effects, I find it fun and it looks realistic! Equally I love fantasy makeup using glitter.

I think the most popular look for Halloween this year will be Pennywise the clown from the movie IT.