If you’ve waited this long to prepare your Halloween costume, then you’re either a procrastinator or broke — or maybe you’re both.
Whatever the case may be, there’s still hope. You’ll just need a little Martha Stewart can-do attitude with a bit of Suze Orman can’t-spend budget. Here’s a few ideas to get you started.
So you want to be scary
Good news. Scary outfits are usually easiest because it’s often all in the face. Whether you want to be a witch, a vampire or a zombie, it will be the makeup that finishes the look.
Wardrobe: Grab last year’s outfit that doesn’t fit quite right anymore or is just out of style. If you’re not one to hang on to clothes, you’ll probably want to make a trip to Deseret Industries.
Destroy that outfit without making it unwearable. Rip holes. Take it outside and make it look muddy by misting it with some brown and black spray paint. Make it look bloody with some dark red spray paint, which can be cheaper and easier to control than the fake blood you’ll find at the Halloween store.
If you’re going for a classy creepy look, you won’t have to look past your Sunday outfit; just keep it dark. Suits, ties, dresses—they’ll all work for that regal witch or vampire. Just be careful not to get makeup on them.
Hair: You’ll never have an easier time doing your hair. Grab whatever product you’ve got on hand and mess your mane. Make it look like you’ve been buried or bricked up in a wall for 10 years. If you’re leaning toward a sleek vampire look, dampen your hair and slick it back with a fine-tooth comb. Set in place with your product, and you’re good to go.
Makeup: Your real investment will come from the dollar store. Grab two bottles of the lightest foundation possible and a couple of dark black and brown eyeliner pencils. These two items will go pretty far. A tube of dark red lipstick will round off your necessary cosmetics.
Use the pale foundation to cover your face and hands. The eyeliner can be used to create wrinkles and shadows, and the lipstick can be used to make that just-had-a-bloody-snack look. Make sure to overuse the black eyeliner around your eyes. Fill in all the way to the brow and up to two inches below the eye to create a hollow-eye look.
So you want to be famous
When it comes to imitating celebrities, you have to pay attention to the details. More often than not, you’ll be explaining who you are to others. Celebs usually dress somewhat similar to us normal folk, so If you’re not careful, you’ll just end up looking like a goofy version of yourself.
Wardrobe: Whichever celeb you’re impersonating, you must always have a prop or article of clothing that is distinctively that person. For example, if it’s Justin Timberlake, you’re going to have to wear a fedora (about $10 at the Halloween store). If you’re going to be Kim Kardashian, you’ll want to amplify your booty (it’s pillow time).
Hair: Unfortunately, copying a famous look will mean more costume dollars spent. Luckily, it’s usually on the hair. A wig will usually finish off the celeb look. The Halloween store offers a variety of wigs ranging from about $10 – $30, and the selection includes a lot of celebrity look-alike ‘dos.
Makeup: Your best bet for makeup is grabbing a couple of black and brown eyeliner pencils from the dollar store. Pick up a foundation that best matches the skin tone of the celeb you’re impersonating, and you might want to get a shade of lipstick if that applies to the look you’re going for.
Pull up a photo of the celeb and copy the makeup as best you can. Remember: Your eyeliner can be used for contouring and shading — not just for your eyes. Smudge some under your cheekbones if you need to create a sunken cheek look. Shade under your bottom lip if your celeb has a pouty mouth. Bushy up your brows if you’re copying a Kardashian.
So you want to be super
Thanks to movie blockbusters like “X-Men” and “The Dark Knight,” superhero costumes are less about spandex and thigh-high boots and more about making heroes a little less flamboyant.
Wardrobe: Most of the recognizable superheroes have a sort of out-of-costume look that’s easy to achieve. For Wolverine, it’s jeans and a wife beater. For Tony Stark, it’s a suit. If you’re going for the in-costume feel, then focus on a superhero that’s not too flashy. Go for black pants and a black jacket for, well, any of the X-Men. For The Joker, find yourself a light suit at Deseret Industries and dye it purple with a packet of $3 dye from the grocery store.
The trick to pulling off a superhero costume without paying tons of money is finding a prop that makes you that superhero. It might be a hammer, a shield or a pair of gloves with some cut-out claws hot glued on. Find the one thing that your hero never leaves home without, and recreate it.
Remember: Cardboard, hot glue and spray paint are your friends.
Makeup: More good news! Masks are becoming a thing of the past in the superhero world. With the exception of Batman, you’ll most likely be using your foundation and eyeliner. Grab that photo of your favorite hero and start copying it onto your face.
If there’s a mask around the eyes, simply draw it on. If there’s stubble on the chin, scribble sporadically on the beard area and then blend it in.
Hair: If you’re not already quaffed like the hero you’ve chosen, then you’re most likely going to have to invest in a wig. Luckily, like the celeb looks, the wig will finish off the look and drive home your superhero status.
Fake blood recipe
Word to the warning: Fake blood is red, and no matter what your recipe, red usually stains. So keep that in mind when you’re splattering the stuff around.
You’ll need:
Water
Corn syrup
Red, blue and green food coloring
One of the following: Flour, cornstarch, chocolate syrup or maple syrup
First, mix one part water and three parts corn syrup. Slowly add drops of your red food coloring and stir until the mixture resembles blood. Then, add one or two drops of blue and green. Don’t use too much, though. This will darken the red and create a realistically bloody look. Finally, you’ll add your thickener. Slowly add either the flour, cornstarch, chocolate or maple syrup to your mix and whisk it until it’s smooth.
Using chocolate or maple syrup will really make your concoction delicious, and it will no doubt creep out onlookers as you slurp it off your fingers.
