We tried: getting a zombie makeover ahead of October's walking dead events

(Okay, I secretly loved this one, especially pulling up at traffic lights and scaring the living hell out of fellow Canberra drivers.)

Whether it's for themed horror walk Operation Shit Your Pants, Halloween or the Canberra Zombie Walk, there are so many reasons to get your zombie on in Canberra next month.

Ahead of an influx of the walking dead to the ACT in October, I enlisted the help of special effects make-up artist Jessica Dencio of Gruesome Beauty to achieve the ultimate zombie look.

Here are Jessica's top tips for transforming yourself into a zombie from a post-apocalyptic world.

Zombies are deathly pale humans, not ghosts or ghouls. Many people make the mistake of buying white face paint or using baby powder as a base but Jessica says it's all about the lightest foundation you can find.

A cheap foundation tube in ivory or fair ivory is perfect.

If you're a contouring obsessive, you're going to look incredible as a zombie. It's all about sunken eyes and grossly protruding cheek bones.

"So whatever contouring you'd normally do, do the same thing but like 100 times over," Jessica says.

"Don't forget go really dark under your chin to make your face look really severe and really pop."

Genius, right? Zombies spend most of their time walking through woods, thick forests and even wading through rivers. So it's natural that they drag leaves, sticks and dirt with them wherever they go.

"When you're a zombie and you're walking through the bush and leading with your face, dirt is naturally going to get caught up in your hairline," Jessica says.

She recommends buying fake dirt online or going into the backyard and finding actual dirt and rubbing it into your hairline. Make sure your face is fully finished first though.

A zombie's hair is wild and untamed but not in a witchy way. Don't make the mistake of teasing your hair - it'll look too dry and wispy. Instead, buy a tonne of cheap conditioner and run it from the roots to the ends.

"You want it to look greasy as hell - like you've you haven't washed it for years and like you've walked through mud and water and it's still damp," Jessica says.

"Soak the roots in as much conditioner as you can. You can do some minor teasing on the ends just to make it look unkempt."

The blood's the most fun and also the most crucial part.

For perfect face splatter, buy some fake blood in a small tub and dip in a cheap toothbrush. Get the head of the toothbrush really soaking before running your finger along the bristles to create a fine spray across your entire face. Also good for your hands and arms if they're exposed.

If you're getting ready with a friend, cover their hand in fake blood and have them grab at your throat area. It will make it look like your poor last victim really struggled.

When it comes to blood-splattered clothes, lay your outfit on the ground outside and shake the fake blood up and down in stripes, like a bottle of holy water being sprayed on someone possessed. Use this clip from The Exorcist as inspiration.

Pretty sure my kids have PTSD after I arrived home without telling them I was being made into a zombie.

I pulled into the driveway around 6pm (as usual) and they came running out to the car to kiss me (as usual). They saw their zombie mum sitting at the steering wheel and stopped dead in their tracks (no pun intended) before bolting back inside screaming. I thought it was hilarious - they've been sleeping with the lights on ever since.

Operation Shit Your Pants, October 7 & 8, Paintball Sports ACT, Fairbairn Pines, Pialligo. Tickets and more information at www.operationblackhawk.com

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