DIY Halloween Costume and Masks

A liberal application of white color cream Halloween makeup on face and shoulders, a splash of artificial blood, and black eyebrow pencil accenting the eyes makes for a ghoulish appearance.

Boo! Scary creatures and monsters to ward away evil spirits have people wearing spooky costumes. These costumes may be bought, rented, or hand crafted.

Arts and crafts skills may include sewing, ironing, safety pins, iron-on bias tape, staples or fabric glue. The supplies you will need will depend on your skills and purpose of the costume. Costume materials may include fabric, paper, scissors, sewing machine, glue, ruler, pen and pencil, and other specialty tools.

Make 3 choices of costumes. Look into your personal clothing closets and dresser draws for articles which may satisfy one of these three interests. The entire costume may be made with available garments. Decide which costume is the easiest to design and construct with the current findings.

The next decision is the mask. Will you purchase, make a mask, or do facial painting with on-hand cosmetics or a Halloween makeup kit?

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Costume Ideas

Compliment your Mohawk hairdo with a dyed matching beard and mustache. Cover face and head with white makeup cream, darken the eye sockets with black cream and black eyebrow pencil. Add a large nose for a clown appearance.

1. Sexy
   
2. Little girl or boy
3. Pirate
4. Hobo
5. TV and Movie characters
6. Homeless person
7. Occupational clothing
8. Dance or exercise garments
   
9. Dead Bride or Groom
10. Headless woman or man
11. Baby, Toddler or Child
12. An old woman or man
13. Hobby interests outfit
14. Sports interests clothing
15. The mask which is worn or painted on the face is the beauty or horror identification for the costume. For instance a bride and groom with skeleton faces and cobwebs on their ensemble.

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The Halloween Mask

Select a mask which represents a character of your interest. The mask can cover the eye part of your face, 2/3 of your face, or a full mask. Masks which can be purchased at party department stores will have supplies of simple eye masks, celebrity, political, monster, and more.

Masks are made of fabric, plastic, foam, paper, and rubber. If you do not wish to purchase, decorate your own mask.
You can make your own mask with materials you have on hand, such as, cardboard, poster board. Or use an everyday facial cover such as a sports guard helmet, a gas mask is very popular, or an underwater diving mask.

Men may consider removing or adding a mustache, beard, eyeglasses, hat or head scarf, removable teeth, a cardboard box; let your imagination take over. Wear something which is out of the ordinary for your type of personality.

Purchase or make your own mask with cardboard and paint.

Face Painting

There are a variety of tints in a Halloween makeup kit and for this reason you may wish to get creative and design a personality facial to match a creative costume.

 Are you creative with Everyday Makeup?

An inexpensive Halloween makeup kit is great to have on hand, but if you do not, use eyebrow pencils, eye shadow tints or powders, and lipstick.

Protect your skin by applying moisture cream to face. Use the eyebrow pencil to draw intended markings and fill large areas with eye shadow tints, rouge, or lipstick.

The Halloween makeup kit usually includes instructions and ideas.

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Skull Makeup

The skull makeup seems to be very popular because of its ease of application and is easy on the budget.

Supplies Needed:

1. A Halloween Makeup Kit or
2. Individual tubes of white and black facial cream
3. Black soft and liquid eye liner
4. Full cosmetic brush and a thin brush

Instructions:

1. Apply several layers of white cream makeup with fingers, use cosmetic brush to even each layer of color. Repeat applications for several layers until the desired whiteness is achieved.
2. Use a soft pencil to outline the upper and lower eyelid. Then apply a layer or two of black cream makeup following the bony outline of the eye socket and covering the eyelid. Use a thin brush to define and refine the black eye socket circles.
3. Coat the tip of the nose and the nostrils with black cream. Refine with thin brush.
4. Slightly open your lips or show a shallow smile. With liquid eyeliner in hand draw vertical strokes matching your teeth on the upper lip, then do the lower lip. Complete the strokes working towards desired appearance.
5. Lastly, outline with the black pencil the bones of the facial skull. Fill the shallow cheek areas with black cream, and be sure to emphasize the chin with lines. You may wish to add a black circle around both eyes.

Variations:

1. Wear any hairstyle which will complete the entire costume ensemble.
2. The makeup kit has several tints. You may wish to work with different colors for a more colorful skeleton or to create a gentler appearance for children's makeup.
3. You may not want to work with just black and white ...get creative with the different colors in the kit.
4. Plan both the makeup and the costume for a finished product to receive praises from onlookers.

White cream and black facial paint will create another type of skull face. Use black eyebrow pencil or liquid eye liner to mark the fine details of teeth on lips and other markings.

Click here to read more about Halloween costumes.