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Wednesday Addams Halloween Costume Idea

We have tickets to an upcoming production of “The Addams Family: The Broadway Musical” and we can’t wait to see it! We are musical theater fans and enjoy the soundtrack, so I am excited to see how the songs all fit in.  The Addams Family is a fun and festive group Halloween costume idea.  Wednesday Addams would also be easy to put together and looks great even going solo.  If people aren’t familiar with the Addams Family characters, you’ll still look like a creepy doll just perfect for Halloween.

Her costume is super easy: a short black dress or black sweater and skirt combo, and the must have is the white collar showing.  You probably have something in your closet that will work.  If not, take a quick trip to the thrift store or a click on the image below. And because it’s a real dress and not a cheap costume made from thin fabric, you would probably wear it again! So much better than buying a costume sold in a bag.  Pair the outfit with black opaque or striped tights and funky black shoes.

 

wednesday addams dress

 

Black gothic shoes

 

bows with skulls

Here’s a helpful tutorial for the hair and makeup:

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Cosplay Disney Costumes General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes for Women Makeup Tutorials

Disney’s Frozen Elsa Costume and Elsa Makeup

 

My girls ran across this Elsa makeup tutorial a few days ago and I wanted to share it with all you Frozen fans! Makeup is one of the 6 magic ingredients in a creating a custom costume, so you want to be sure you have thought about the makeup design to go with your costume.  She does a great job of explaining how to do Elsa Makeup including a helpful tip on how to make your eyes pop with false eyelashes.  Who knew you could use 2 pair on each eye? Slip on an Elsa wig and a beautiful sparkling blue gown and your Elsa Halloween costume will be the big hit this year!

To learn about the other 5 magic ingredients in creating a costume, purchase my ebook, “How to Design and Create a Halloween Costume” .  Available for viewing on nearly all electronic devices with this Kindle App.

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General Halloween Makeup Theater Tutorials

Old Age Stage Makeup Tutorials

It’s surprising how many shows end up having at least one character in aged makeup, so I thought I’d post a few tutorials showing old age stage makeup, including the last one which shows a simple technique for making the hair look gray.  They each show the techniques slightly different–some are better at showing the design, some emphasize product, and some are better at showing the technique.  When learning anything, it’s often helpful to get a few different opinions, so take a look and then go for it.  The key is using your actor’s own wrinkles as the design and then blending the shadows and highlights. The process is basically the same for males and females.

Please comment below or on my Facebook Page, The Costume Resource, if you need costume or hair and make-up help with a specific show you are doing.  I’d love to help out!

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Couples costume Dresses General Hair Halloween Costumes Halloween Costumes for Women Makeup Movies Period Costume Refashioning Shoes Tutorials

The Roaring 20’s: Great Gatsby Costumes and Flapper Costumes for Women

This page is for all you who need a costume for a Great Gatsby, Flapper, or Roaring 20’s event.  You will see a brief overview of 1920’s costume ideas along with links to 1920’s fashion images and tutorials for hair, makeup, and 1920’s clothing.

When assembling a costume, I always consider 6 magic ingredients to make sure you look put together:

  • Hair
  • Clothing
  • Makeup
  • Shoes
  • Accessories
  • Props

Here’s the breakdown for each of these 6 magic ingredients in a women’s 1920’s costume:

Hair: Bobbed or cropped to fit under the close fitting cloche hats, waved

Link to 1920’s hair styles

20’s Inspired Fashion 

Clothing: Straight-line chemise style, sleeveless, dropped waist or no waist at all, hemlines near the knee to make dancing the new dances like the Charleston easier, straight bodices with flattened chests.  Sashes, bows, lace, beads, artificial flowers, feathers, and fringe adorned the dresses. If you would like a bit more coverage, wear a cap sleeve layering tee or wide-strap tank camisole and bike shorts, spankies, or leggings underneath the dress, although that will alter the look some.

blue flapper dress
Click image to view in Amazon
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Couples costume Family Costumes General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Makeup Tutorials

Last Minute Homemade Halloween Costume: Skeleton Shirt and Skeleton Makeup Tutorial

The countdown to Halloween is on!  Hopefully your costumes are ready to go, or maybe they’ve even been worn already to Halloween parties over the weekend.  It seems like there are some years my kids are wearing costumes for nearly a week leading up to Halloween.

We used to attend a big family Halloween party that my brother and his family hosted the weekend before Halloween, complete with a haunted house set up in the garage.  It was LEGIT. Sadly they moved to the East coast, so no more fun family Halloween party.

We often attend a big Halloween carnival hosted at a local community center, but this year it conflicts with the Fall Carnival at our church, so we’ll attend the church party where my teenager gets to handout candy and host carnival games for the kids as they trick-or-treat among the classrooms and do a cupcake walk. Meanwhile the adults chat over a chili dinner and everyone goes home happy.

So far this year, one of my kids wore a unicorn costume to Buddy Day at karate last Friday, went to an informal Halloween party at a friend’s house as a hippie, and another daughter went as the Cat-in-the-Hat to her acting class.  These are not even their “REAL” Halloween costumes.

I digress.

In case you don’t have a costume ready and need something quick, here are two tutorials that show different methods of cutting up a t-shirt to look like a skeleton.  This would be fun to do for an individual, a couple, or a family.

The first shows a more precise method with a template, and the second video shows a much easier way.  I would cut the shirt using the freehand method from the second video, but print out the template from the first to visualize the cuts so there’s not as many as the second shirt.  It looks cool, but not as realistic as the first.  Watch them both and see which one you like. Pair up these easy-peasy skeleton shirts with black jeans and skeleton makeup. Quick, stylish, done.  This is the kind of costume every teenager wants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MFrkYPaqj4

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Boy Costumes Couples costume Ethnic costumes Family Costumes General Girl costumes Group costume Hair Halloween Costumes Halloween Costumes for Men Makeup Theater Tutorials

How to Make a Toga Using a Bed Sheet or Curtains: A Quick Homemade Halloween Costume for Couples

A friend messaged me asking for some ideas on a toga costume for her and her new fiance. (Congrats Lauren!)

Yes, you can make a toga using a bed sheet or curtains, if they aren’t too thick. It needs to be a fabric that is lightweight like sheets, and will drape nicely. Start with a twin sheet to see how it fits, but it depends on your size and height.  You may need to experiment with the sheet size for the best results.  Fold it in half if necessary. Use safety pins to secure.  The three videos below show different methods for tying the toga, both for men and women.

Clothing: Consider what you will wear underneath the toga in case of a wardrobe malfunction or if you simply want a little more coverage.  Items that fit snug like a tank top, tube top, layering tee, bike shorts or spankies work the best so that the toga isn’t disturbed by bulky or baggy fabric underneath.

Accessories: Find gold trim or ribbon at Walmart or a craft & fabric store to form a belt for the toga. It gives a better shape to the toga by pulling it in a bit at the waist for both men and women.  Sandals or flip flops complement this look along with gold jewelry.  And don’t forget something for the hair such as gold trim wrapped around the head as the first video shows, a golden floral wreath shown in the second video, or a green leaf wreath worn by the male in the last video.

Makeup: If you really want to look like you didn’t just throw on a sheet at the last minute, then follow the second video for some tips on a makeup design to go with the toga.  This will really finish off the look and your costume will look  intentional and stylized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4hWqIW–rQ

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Boy Costumes Cosplay Couples costume Disney Costumes General Girl costumes Halloween Costumes Halloween Costumes for Kids Halloween Costumes for Men Makeup Movies Refashioning Tutorials

Sully Halloween Costume Idea: Monsters University

I just had lunch with a friend who said her son wanted to be Sully, but she was having trouble finding the costume in his size, so she was going to make one. Here are some other options for Sully that are simple and no-sew. Top it off with the Sully hat or mask shown.

Easy Sully for a boy or girl:

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General Girl costumes Hair Halloween Costumes Makeup Tutorials

Rosie Riveter or Lucille Ball Hair Updo Hair Instructions for Halloween Costumes

Well someone at my house keeps changing her mind about what she wants to be for Halloween. Now it’s Rosie Riveter.  That’s pretty simple: blue shirt, red bandana, jeans, and boots. She wants to dress up, but not look like she tried too hard, and she wants comfort after years of wearing costumes with wigs, makeup, and multiple accessories and pieces. It’s tough for teens to find that perfect something. This step-by-step guide will come in handy, along with the makeup tutorial below.  Until she changes her mind. Again.

Update: She stuck with Rosie the Riveter and put her own spin on Rosie with fingerless gloves, leggings, and Converse All-Stars. Rosie 2 Rosie 3 Rosie

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Cosplay Halloween Halloween Costumes Makeup Tutorials

Cruella de Vil’s Makeup Design

When designing your Halloween costume, makeup is an important factor.  It helps emphasize features, shows attention to detail, and helps to exaggerate your character.  If you are dressing up as Cruella de Vil, this makeup tutorial is a good starting point.

I’m not a fan of the rounded eye brows–I would do a pointed shape instead.  I like how she shows how to conceal your normal eyebrows so that you can create a larger, more exaggerated brow. 

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Cosplay Halloween Halloween Costumes Makeup Tutorials

How to Create Glitter Eyes as Part of Your Halloween Costume

Glitter eyes are a fun way to add sparkle to your face when wearing a costume.  This video shows how to do it: