Halloween Costumes to show off Makeup Skills?
October 3, 2012 10:07 AM Subscribe
Need ideas for Makeup-centric Halloween Ideas.
I am a freak about Halloween, but am hitting something a wall in the inspiration department this year. I especially love costumes involving super-involved makeup, and I'm not averse to making up my body as well as my face.
I've surfed through Pinterest and Youtube for makeup tutorials, but a lot of times I'm finding cool effects without being able to translate them to a full costume.
So far I've toyed with the idea of a skeleton outfit, but I feel like the realistic skull makeup may skew too Lady Gaga. My other idea was David Bowie, but I'm not quite in the kind of shape I'd like to be to go out in a skintight lycra jumpsuit.
Basically my requirements are:
-lets me show off makeup skills
-bonus points for the necessity of wigs
-not averse to "appliances" ie. faux hair, feathers, jewels, latex appliances
-no intense sewing necessary for the outfit part
So, give me your best makeup-centric costume ideas. Can be scary, sexy, whatever, I'm just not into overly huge amounts of gore.
No Day of the Dead or Zombies -- just a bit overdone in my group. And I won't repeat anything I've done in recent years, which throws out the following concepts: mermaid/Fiji Mermaid, Lichtenstein dot makeup, vampire, Bride of Frankenstein, Paris Hilton, Jackie Kennedy, saloon girl.
I am a freak about Halloween, but am hitting something a wall in the inspiration department this year. I especially love costumes involving super-involved makeup, and I'm not averse to making up my body as well as my face.
I've surfed through Pinterest and Youtube for makeup tutorials, but a lot of times I'm finding cool effects without being able to translate them to a full costume.
So far I've toyed with the idea of a skeleton outfit, but I feel like the realistic skull makeup may skew too Lady Gaga. My other idea was David Bowie, but I'm not quite in the kind of shape I'd like to be to go out in a skintight lycra jumpsuit.
Basically my requirements are:
-lets me show off makeup skills
-bonus points for the necessity of wigs
-not averse to "appliances" ie. faux hair, feathers, jewels, latex appliances
-no intense sewing necessary for the outfit part
So, give me your best makeup-centric costume ideas. Can be scary, sexy, whatever, I'm just not into overly huge amounts of gore.
No Day of the Dead or Zombies -- just a bit overdone in my group. And I won't repeat anything I've done in recent years, which throws out the following concepts: mermaid/Fiji Mermaid, Lichtenstein dot makeup, vampire, Bride of Frankenstein, Paris Hilton, Jackie Kennedy, saloon girl.
I've always thought Roy Lichtenstein costumes are really impressive.
posted by thebazilist at 10:16 AM on October 3, 2012
posted by thebazilist at 10:16 AM on October 3, 2012
Response by poster: I did the Lichtenstein a couple of years ago. It was a hit.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 10:17 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by pixiecrinkle at 10:17 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
It may be simplistic as far as the makeup goes, but there's always the personification of Death that they had in the Sandman comics. Basically - chalk white makeup on all exposed skin, and black eyeliner that wings out into a little curlicue under the right eye. Pair that with an ankh necklace, a punky looking black wig and any black "goth" looking clothing and you're good.
Or just go for an impressionist approach - I once knew someone who put on a sort of peasanty-looking brown dress that she put leaves all over, and then wove leaves in her hair and affixed branches to herself here and there and made herself up with a sort of abstract pallette of blobs of reds and oranges and browns and golds. She said that she was "autumn."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:17 AM on October 3, 2012
Or just go for an impressionist approach - I once knew someone who put on a sort of peasanty-looking brown dress that she put leaves all over, and then wove leaves in her hair and affixed branches to herself here and there and made herself up with a sort of abstract pallette of blobs of reds and oranges and browns and golds. She said that she was "autumn."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:17 AM on October 3, 2012
This might be too trendy, but maybe Effie Trinket (or any of the capitol residents) from Hunger Games?
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 10:29 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 10:29 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have always wanted - but lacked the make-up skills - to dress up as Hel (image, source), the Norse death goddess. In some places, she is described as having half her face as a beautiful young woman, and the other half as a skeleton or rotting corpse.
posted by jb at 10:30 AM on October 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by jb at 10:30 AM on October 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
One year, when I was a kid (and this is how long ago it was) I went as a Blue Meanie.
You can get by with a blue sweater and red tights for the costume part (mmm, toasty) and then you can do the make up.
Fun!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:35 AM on October 3, 2012
You can get by with a blue sweater and red tights for the costume part (mmm, toasty) and then you can do the make up.
Fun!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:35 AM on October 3, 2012
Best answer: Here's a great tutorial for Marilyn Monroe makeup - it's from the blog Makeup your Jangsara which is full of fantastic looks and tutorials - worth looking around at it for inspiration. This sugar skull is amazing, even if you're not interested in it for this Halloween.
Actually, after looking around a bit more, I think you should do this one - broken doll. It's amazing! And a doll-like wig would be perfect with it.
posted by insectosaurus at 10:43 AM on October 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Actually, after looking around a bit more, I think you should do this one - broken doll. It's amazing! And a doll-like wig would be perfect with it.
posted by insectosaurus at 10:43 AM on October 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I whipped together a last minute creepy doll costume last year and it was a huge hit. With more preparation, it has the potential to be truly awesome. The makeup took a lot of skill, and I got tons of compliments.
My inspiration.
Here's what I did: white porcelain skin (including arms, legs, and decolletage), pink circle cheeks, and way exaggerated red doll-like lips. For the eyes, I used white eyeliner to exaggerate the whites of my eyes and extend them onto the upper and lower lid, white mascara to cover my natural lashes, and then glued falsies to the edge of where I extended the whites. I found a thrift store dress and had a friend help me shred and burn most of it (to give the effect of being tossed out or neglected) and basically walked around all night looking at people with my creepy eyes and not speaking.
What I would have done if I had more time: painting "cracks" on my face to give the effect of shattered porcelain. Curling my hair into coils and then ratting it up a bit to make it look mussed.
Obligatory picture of the result, here.
posted by Gonestarfishing at 10:48 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
My inspiration.
Here's what I did: white porcelain skin (including arms, legs, and decolletage), pink circle cheeks, and way exaggerated red doll-like lips. For the eyes, I used white eyeliner to exaggerate the whites of my eyes and extend them onto the upper and lower lid, white mascara to cover my natural lashes, and then glued falsies to the edge of where I extended the whites. I found a thrift store dress and had a friend help me shred and burn most of it (to give the effect of being tossed out or neglected) and basically walked around all night looking at people with my creepy eyes and not speaking.
What I would have done if I had more time: painting "cracks" on my face to give the effect of shattered porcelain. Curling my hair into coils and then ratting it up a bit to make it look mussed.
Obligatory picture of the result, here.
posted by Gonestarfishing at 10:48 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I went as post tiger attack. I met Mrs. Plinth at that party. (YMMV)
Although it likely doesn't apply to your gender, I went as a 10th century representation of the crucifixion of Jesus - I made custom prosthetics for the wounds and nails (prosthetics cast in latex, spikes in A/B plastic, the halo is a plastic circle hotglued to a grape vine crown.
One of the more impressive make up jobs I've seen was the desaturated Santa Claus.
posted by plinth at 10:51 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Although it likely doesn't apply to your gender, I went as a 10th century representation of the crucifixion of Jesus - I made custom prosthetics for the wounds and nails (prosthetics cast in latex, spikes in A/B plastic, the halo is a plastic circle hotglued to a grape vine crown.
One of the more impressive make up jobs I've seen was the desaturated Santa Claus.
posted by plinth at 10:51 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have been sporadically following this young Finnish girl's blog - Rose Shock. She does a blog, and does some INCREDIBLE makeup (http://roseshock.blogspot.com/ is her website). More specifically, I was inspired by her Cheshire Cat for Halloween itself. Crazy makeup (she does most of it with eye shadows!) and just incredible use of color. Could do something funky for the outfit, get a crazy short wig and throw some ears in it, and ta da! Or peruse her other "characters" for inspiration.
Also, I can't look at it at work, but I think this is the YouTube video for the Mortal Kombat character Mileena, who has a crazy mouth under that mask which could totally show off some makeup skills and appliances - www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5cCEPEW484Cached If it's not I'll post the link I saw earlier. You could easily just wear purple clothes (pants, shorts, jumpsuit) and get to walk around like a crazy ninja :)
posted by bleachandink at 11:08 AM on October 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also, I can't look at it at work, but I think this is the YouTube video for the Mortal Kombat character Mileena, who has a crazy mouth under that mask which could totally show off some makeup skills and appliances - www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5cCEPEW484Cached If it's not I'll post the link I saw earlier. You could easily just wear purple clothes (pants, shorts, jumpsuit) and get to walk around like a crazy ninja :)
posted by bleachandink at 11:08 AM on October 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
You could do Bowie as the Goblin King in Labyrinth. Plus you get to do a funky mullet spiked-top wig. Here's one of him with full dress coat and ruffled shirt, not just the grey tights and pirate shirt from some of the other scenes. I think this is his outfit from the ballroom scene.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 11:16 AM on October 3, 2012
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 11:16 AM on October 3, 2012
Check out Promise Phan's YouTube channel-- she does a ton of costume makeup tutorials. Maybe you'll get an idea there.
posted by desertface at 12:54 PM on October 3, 2012
posted by desertface at 12:54 PM on October 3, 2012
I thought this girl's Toy Soldier makeup was pretty well done.
posted by like_neon at 2:57 AM on October 4, 2012
posted by like_neon at 2:57 AM on October 4, 2012
Response by poster: Just about all of these were fab suggestions. Right now, I'm leaning towards the creepy broken doll idea. Thanks everyone!
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:21 AM on October 4, 2012
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:21 AM on October 4, 2012
Thanks pixiecrinkle for asking this question! I was just looking for some make-up based costumes as well. Show us pics when you have the finished creepy doll look!
posted by SarahElizaP at 7:38 PM on October 4, 2012
posted by SarahElizaP at 7:38 PM on October 4, 2012
Response by poster: So I did the creepy doll and ended up getting in as a finalist in our city-wide halloween party costume contest. Dress from a gothic lolita online shop, crinoline I had already, wig from from a halloween store, contacts from an online circle lens shop, and a heck of a lot of makeup, including 6 pairs of false lashes. Here you go: super creepy doll.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 10:29 AM on October 28, 2012
posted by pixiecrinkle at 10:29 AM on October 28, 2012
You look fantastic!
posted by insectosaurus at 1:02 PM on October 28, 2012
posted by insectosaurus at 1:02 PM on October 28, 2012
« Older Does living near a wind farm blow? | in many ways "babysitting" is a misnomer; sitting... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Or, a black and white movie character. http://followpics.com/halloween-costume-makeup-black-and-white-movie-characters/ Been wanting to do that one for years.
posted by dysh at 10:14 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]