You guys!! It’s Halloween time!!! My house is a-buzz with craft supplies and there is a steady stream of Amazon boxes trickling in with bits and pieces of my costume. At any given time, there is a spooky movie on TV. You can buy snack foods in the shapes of skulls and bats. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
When it comes to costumes, I like to make my own, but not in an intense cosplay way. Just like, the level below that. Details are important, but so is the ability to do some things “ok enough”. Here are some of my best tips for making your Halloween costume a hit!
Do Some Research
When planning out my costume, I usually obsess over my subject for a good week or so, then go to every thrift store, discount store, fast-fashion store, and craft store in town and just stalk until I can formulate my plan of attack. Is this intense?? Probably. But I firmly believe that to sell a great costume, you have to get some of the details nailed down. I also really believe, though, that you can get away with picking one or two key things to focus on, then edit the rest of your look to be “in the vein of” your character. You don’t have to create an exact replica. For example, in my Madonna Desperately Seeking Susan look, the jacket was the thing to focus on. I found a sparkly cardigan at a discount store, then used felt, duct tape, and a sharpie to complete the design. It worked out so great! The rest of my costume could be “pretty close to stuff Madonna wore in 1985”- a lace tank top, a bunch of necklaces and bangles, and some loose black pants. For Gracie Law, I spent the time on her head piece, which was made out of a fun foam duck hat and Christmas floral decorations, then didn’t spend as much time on the dress.
I also love researching and recreating makeup looks, and between YouTube and the ability to Google anything, you can find pretty specific resources. Big Trouble in Little China was super fun to re-create, and gave me an excuse (not that I need one) to watch the movie. One year, a group of us went as the Robert Palmer girls, and I found a tutorial by the actual makeup artist who did the look. Creating a Sasha Fierce eye look (see Bey below) was tons of fun. And speaking of makeup…
Use Decent Makeup
Weather you’re creating a beauty look or something more sinister, don’t rely on the crappy Halloween makeup kits you see- they will only leaving you feeling streaky, pilly, and sad. Now, I’m not telling you to pony up for a Flash Palette, but spending a few minutes taking inventory of your own stash (you might be surprised!), then supplementing in the Nyx aisle, may just pay off. I’ve already told you about how great their Primal Pressed Pigments are, and I also have to give a shout-out to their Jumbo Eye Pencils. If you are doing a look that requires a full white face, scribble on their pencil in Milk, blend it out, set it with either white shadow or colorless setting powder, and you will be ready to rock! Here’s three other pro-tips for you: if you are doing a black and white look, do the white parts first and leave the black parts open- this way you won’t get grey. Tip 2: use a primer! This will keep your face feeling like a face, plus keep your makeup from squiggling all over the place. Tip 3: Set any cream formula with powder!!!! Either a similar color eye shadow or translucent powder will work.
Dance Tights
Between pantless pop stars and super heroes, there are a lot of reasons to be pantsless on Halloween. There are also a lot of reasons that this is impractical. Let me let you in on a secret known by dancers, cheerleaders, and Hooters girls alike: DANCE TIGHTS. These are not your typical pantyhose: they are more like pants. Shiny pants that make your legs look like they are worth insuring for a million dollars. Plus, they are sheer all the way up, so you don’t get those “here is where the control top part starts” lines on your legs. Also! They keep you toasty warm on a chilling October evening.
My most important tip, though, is to just have fun!! Use Halloween as an excuse to play with a new look and really exaggerate it. Dance a ton, be safe, and take lots of pictures. Then share them with us!
What are you going to dress up as this year? Do you have any tips and tricks (and treats) to share?? Tell us below! xo