So you have picked a theme and a great costume to match. But how do you take your festive look from great to mind-blowing? One word: makeup.
If you go to any college party, or any holiday party, it’s likely that you will spot several people rocking the same costume. As creative as your own costume may be, it is not unreasonable to assume that you, too, will at some point be caught at an event with a costume doppelganger challenging you to an inevitable ‘who wore it better.’
While you cannot control what your fellow party goers dress up as, you can make sure that you are always the clear winner of the ‘who wore it better’ contest. What takes a costume from great to amazing is makeup! By making the most of your makeup, you can blow all of your friends’ minds!
There are many different directions you can go in with makeup. While makeup is traditionally used to maximize beauty, and can certainly be used to do so with your costume, costume makeup can also be used to make your costume all the more terrifying or bizarre!
Are you dressing up as Uncle Sam? Get metaphorical and cover your face in googly eyes for a look that no one can look away from!
The googly eyes look woks even better if you find a pair of all-black color contacts to turn your eyes into a giant iris-less pupil, to match the googly eyes. This also makes for a terrifying monster costume!
Maybe you don’t want to look super weird. Maybe you have a cute coworker or a friend you would like to get closer to or an ex who scorned you coming to the party. Makeup can also take you from everyday you to a breathtaking glamazon!
This year’s costume of the year, Anna from Disney’s ‘Frozen’, lends itself well to this purpose.
Get some temporary white hair dye to turn your hair as shockingly white as snow, powder your skin equally white, and contour your cheekbones with blue, instead of the usual bronze or rosy blush. Don’t forget to go for dramatic eyes and lips. And for all the glitter lovers out there, this is your look to shine (literally) in!
Maybe you’re not trying to be stunning nor terrifying, but just attention-grabbing. Makeup can help you do that, too!
Turn a simple ugly duckling costume into something worthy of a Tim Burton movie with some feathers and well-done makeup. If the goal is to attract attention, remember that contrast is your friend! As seen above, the contrast of the pale general makeup and the black smoky eye and lip stripe creates great visual interest!
If you really want to blow everyone else out of the water, don’t forget the details!
As inconsequential as nails may seem, something as simple as making your nails as festive as your face and costume can really push the costume over into incredible by providing that consistency of detail. If you’re already putting so much effort into the rest of the look, don’t let something this easy prevent you from getting the ooh’s and ah’s that your costume masterpiece deserves!