Ten easy Halloween costumes - Part 1
Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year. However, finding the right costume may be a time consuming process that can cause a lot of stress. To take away some of the Halloween stress, I will give you ten ideas for an easy and fast Halloween costume, suited for grownups and/or children. With some costumes I will give you a fast version, for those of you who have limited time, and an extensive version, for those of you with some more time on their hands.
This hub is divided into two parts, check out part two here.
1. The dead one - Grownups/children
It’s surprisingly easy to look dead. All you need is a regular outfit (perhaps an old t-shirt you can stain with fake blood or ketchup as a result from your horrible death), and some face paint or make up. For the extensive version you could also add some colored contact lenses (red ones for instance) and some hair coloring spray (gray or white).
Fast version
Use the paint or make up to create shadows on your cheeks by applying it underneath your cheekbones and smudging it down to your jawline (use black/gray paint or a purple/green powder and a brush). Use some black paint or eye shadow to create dark circles underneath or around your eyes. Finish it off by applying a white powder on your forehead, nose and chin.
Extensive version
Use your paint or make up to paint your face and neck completely white. If any other parts of your body are showing, paint those as well. Now, using a gray color create shades on your cheeks by applying it underneath your cheekbones and smudging it down to your jawline. (Do NOT use purple or green as used in the fast version, the white paint on your face will show the colors more vividly.) Take some black or blue/gray paint or eye shadow and smear it under your eyes in a secure motion. To enhance your creepiness put in some colored contacts. You could also spray some gray or white coloring spray in your hair. If you want to spray your eyebrows as well; take a tissue and spray some of the spray on it. Use the tissue to apply the color to your eyebrows.
As a final touch, take some fake blood or red paint and apply some smudges underneath your nose, in the corners of your mouth and have a few drops run down the corners of your eyes. You can also come up with a back story for your death (traffic accident, murder, struck by lightning) and adjust your clothing accordingly with a pair of scissors, some paint and a little creativity.
2. Sunshine - Grownups/children
This costume requires some orange or yellow paint, some orange or yellow cardboard and a headband (you could make one out of orange or yellow paper). To enhance the look you could wear orange or yellow clothing. There is no fast or extensive version for this one.
Color your entire face and neck orange or yellow. Cut some triangles out of the cardboard and glue or staple them to the headband which you put on your head.
3. The thing that steals your socks – Grownups
This costume isn’t necessarily a costume just for grownups, but I have found that a lot of children don’t really understand it because they haven’t experienced the dread of always losing your socks in the dryer.
Fast version
Take an old t-shirt, a stapler and a bunch of socks. Staple the socks to the t-shirt in a fun way. If you happen to have some old pants and a lot of socks, staple some to your pants as well. To complete the look, walk around barefoot.
Extensive version
Instead of stapling your socks to a t-shirt like in the fast version, you could also make a shirt or dress from socks. To do this, take a lot of socks (preferably different sizes, shapes and colors) and sow them together. Depending on the amount of sock you have you could cut them open, essentially creating two socks from one.
Another fun idea is to glue a few (small) socks to a hairpin and stick it in your hair. Messing up your hair as if you’ve just come from inside the dryer completes this outfit.
4. The bush – Grownups/children
Now this one is a look for when you’re out of ideas, money and time and you need an outfit a.s.a.p. All you have to do is dress up in green completely. Preferably with a green cap or beanie as well. When someone asks you what you’re supposed to be, crouch down on the ground and say: “I’m a bush!”
5. The ribbon – Grownups/children
This costume is inspired by the story about the girl who had to keep a ribbon around her neck to keep her head on. (Off course males can use this look as well, although they may consider a more butch way of keeping their head on; with a tie for instance.) The most important item you’ll need: a brightly colored ribbon.
Fast version
Simply tie the ribbon around your neck in a big bow, and keep the rest of your clothes simple so the emphasis falls completely on your ribbon.
Extensive version
For the more intricate version you will pretend to have lost your head and put it back on. First, paint your face white. It doesn’t have to be completely covering; you just have to look as if you’ve lost a lot of blood from your head. Take some red paint or fake blood and trace a line all around your neck (you’ll probably need some help with this). Drag some lines down from this line as if you’ve been bleeding from a cut in your neck. If you want to look as if you’ve lost basically all your blood, color your entire neck red down from the point where your ribbon will be. Now tie up your ribbon, and put on a nice dress or suit.
This concludes the first part of this hub. For more costume ideas, check out part two!
