Popular Costumes for Women

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin

When it comes to women’s Halloween costumes, there are some that tried and true and standbys that will always be popular. And there are also trendy new women’s Halloween costumes that have recently become popular as well. Between these two categories, women should never have any trouble finding a popular costume to wear for Halloween or any other occasion such as a costume party or another holiday to name some examples.

As for the category of timeless popular womens Halloween costumes, the “sexy” fill in the blank is always a good choice. There is the classic sexy nurse, or sexy cat, or even sexy dog (I might have made that last one up). Also in this category are the classic angel, princess, Disney character, and cheerleader. When it comes to the second category of trendy new costumes, you have to be a bit more up on current events, TV shows, and movies. Some examples of popular new costumes today are Snooki from Jersey Shore, Angry Birds from the smash hit video game, characters from the movie Avatar, and there are always great new womens superhero costumes to check out as well.

So if you are a woman and looking for a great costume for Halloween or for any other reason, whether you go with the popular classics or the popular trendy new costumes, you will never be at a loss for a great costume that will let you feel sexy or like a princess. So have fun and get your costume on!

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Costume Inspiration: Old Hollywood Glamour

Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin

Every Halloween I have to look at the past before I can feel inspired for the future. That’s why I love old movie stars so much. They continually inspire me to dress up, wear outfits I would have never imagined and be fashionable even when it rains or snows.

Here is my list of the top five most influential Hollywood stars who help get me ready to dress up. I hope they can help you too.

Audrey Hepburn – Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, My Fair Lady, the list goes on! Her petite frame could wear almost anything, and her boy-short locks are just darling. I love to get short hair ideas from her because I think she always looked elegant and daring. But, even with her long hair there are no substitutes for cute and chic.
Grace Kelly is so elegant she became a real life princess. Her iconic blonde look is what most women think of when they imagine what it is to be glamourous. Her dresses, while full skirted, always had a tiny waist. And her platinum hair was perfectly styled. Betty Draper from Mad Men is most definitely modeled on her look.
Elizabeth Taylor gave fashion a bold new look. Her black hair and penchant for wearing deep greens and bold reds certainly inspires even the most timid of women. Not to mention the jewelry. If only I could be so bold.
Marilyn Monroe is every curvy woman’s best friend. She could wear plunging necklines and tight pencil skirts, and so can you. Her hair moved naturally, even if the color wasn’t. Don’t forget those cherry red lips!
Rita Hayworth may be the oldest of these beauties, but her looks evoke the 1940s without a second thought. If you want to dress up as a soldier’s girl, a nurse, or anything related to the second world war, Hayworth is your model.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related..

Halloween Hair Pt. 2 – Dyed, Styled and Crazy

Posted on April 8, 2012 by admin

In last week’s post I talked about different tips of wigs and ways to incorporate them into your Halloween fun. This week I want to focus on different ways to color and style your hair so that it can take a life of its own this Halloween.

Some of my favorite temporary methods for dying your hair include using color hair spray, or hair paint to color your hair. Henna dyes work well for a look that will last 4-6 weeks, it is especially good if you want a natural looking red. Using pastel crayons you can color your hair for a night or two, just remember this is extremely messy and may get onto your clothing. Hair extensions can be fun ways to spike your hair with color, especially if you dye them before you add them to your hair. Box colors are not my favorite. The results always vary drastically. If you don’t mind something semi-permanent see your hairstylist.

There are plenty of looks you can accomplish if you decide to color your hair. Here are my favorites:

An actual beehive is a great look that can be done to anyone with long hair. Wrap braids around the top of your head until it is in the shape of a beehive. Then spray yellow hair dye onto the beehive itself. Use leaves and fake fuzzy bees from your local craft store to complete the look.
If your son has long enough hair you can make a realistic surfer catching a wave. Just dye the top section of his hair blue, then using either glue or heavy duty hair spray form his hair into a wave. Using a mini-Ken Barbie doll, you can attach a surfer to the side of his head.
Turning hair into grass complete with bugs, worms and flowers can be a great way to make a complete costume ecosystem. Just spray your hair green, pin bugs, butterflies and flowers into the hair and have fun.

Halloween Hair Part 1 – Wigs

Posted on April 1, 2012 by admin

Creating the perfect look can be difficult. That’s why we spend so much time on hair and makeup when trying to create a perfect costume. Sometimes though, what you have naturally isn’t enough to portray the character you’ve chosen. Sometimes you have to alter your physical appearance enough to give the proper illusion that you are in fact this other person.

There are two ways that we can do this, one by wearing wigs, the other by dying our hair. Today I’m going to tackle the best alternative solutions to wearing a standard wig. I hope you enjoy.

The hair hat-wig is a practical and fun way to get crazy with your costume. Made popular by Lady Gaga, the ready wear knit wig comes in an assortment of colors, or you can knit your own. This wig looks great in pink.
Curly ribbon wigs are easy to make and look great on adults and kids alike. Use a headband as the basis from which to make your wig. This is especially cute if used for a clown costume as many curling ribbons come in bright colors and are easily knotted into curly wigs.
A hair bow is a great wig extension that can be worn on a headband or clipped directly to your natural or wig covered head. It evokes Hello Kitty, Lady Gaga and modern Japanese anime characters. You can also cut it into two parts and create life-like cat ears.
Yarn wigs are a traditional staple for children’s Rapunzel costumes, but there’s so much that you can do with one. Raggedy Ann, any long-haired Disney princess, or Princess Leia. Easy to make, just follow this tutorial.
If you’re looking just to make a traditional Halloween wig that you buy from Target or a Halloween store look authentic, follow this tutorial from YouTube. She explains how to make a natural looking hair part and how to style it freely.

In my next post we’ll discuss ways to dye your hair to achieve that perfect look for your Halloween costume. Stay tuned!

Top Costumes for 2011

Posted on March 12, 2012 by admin

Looking back at last Halloween I can honestly say, I wasn’t sure if we would be adding too many new fun and exciting costume trends, but I was wrong. Over the past few years we’ve added some really amazing costumes that continue to evolve and become more and more legendary.

Here is my list of the best costumes for women in 2011, let’s hope this Halloween’s influencers are at least as amazing as these:

Amy Winehouse – After the star’s untimely death, fans wanted to commemorate the singer. And what better way to do that than on their favorite day of the year?
Katy Perry – With her bright colored fashion sense, there’s no reason not to love this pop star at Halloween. Blue hair, pink lipstick, braces? She’s worn them all.
Lady Gaga – More striking than beautiful, Gaga makes me go gaga. Now finding a meat dress is easier than ever. Just check Etsy.
Bella Swan – Kristen Stewart may bore you to death, but Bella Swan gets to have all the fun. From teenage jeans and a sweatshirt to fancy wedding garb, just pick a phase and pout. You’ll fit right in.
Jersey Shore – This TV hit lets you dress up however you want to without feeling bad about it. Snooki and her gang are so over the top, it’s perfect for a wild and crazy Halloween.

5 Top Halloween Costumes for Women

Posted on March 6, 2012 by admin

I recently wrote an article on full face makeup for women, but I wanted to revisit those costumes on a more in-depth basis here. As I was researching the top five costumes for women I realized that most of them were pretty complicated. Full face makeup, and in many cases body makeup, plus a beautiful and complicated outfit. Here are some tips to achieve these fabulous looks without having to resort to Hot Topic pre-fab costumes that everybody wears.

Leopard/Cheetah – This is a classic Halloween look that many a sexy woman has worn before. Simple, cute and straightforward. All you need is a good makeup job, ears, and then an outfit of your choose. All black spandex with a tail? Leopard print slinky dress? No problem. As conservative or liberal as you want to go, all this costume requires is your permission.

Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas – Sally is covered in makeup from head to toe. But, she always has either dyed red hair or a long red wig. A patch work ragged dress with a little heart, and a frogs breath bottle.

Black Swan – Natalie Portman’s character is dressed in a black leotard, and short buoyant tutu. Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun and she wears a small tiara or crown atop her head. Her tights actually make her skin appear to be fairer than it is, so look for the lightest skin tone you can find. And of course, ballet slippers with ribbons up the legs.

Corpse Bride – The corpse bride is not just known for her blue skin. But for her entire outfit! A form fitting wedding dress complete with gothic train, and a shredded veil as long as the train of the dress. Tiny buttons down the back complete this glamourous look. And if you have a bouquet of dried flowers and a choker, you could do not better.

Skeleton – A skeleton costume can be tricky if you don’t like to wear form fitting clothing. However, on Etsy you can find various versions of this classic costume, but no longer just in spandex or pajama materials. Now you can find a skeleton dress, or better yet make one. If you don’t want to paint bones on your beloved leggings, why don’t you just make paper cut-outs and loosely safety pin them on. The sky is the limit with this costume.

Finding A Women’s Costume That’s Not Too Revealing

Posted on February 1, 2012 by admin

While a lot of women like to take the chance to get sexy and wild with their costumes on Halloween, some women like to play it more conservative. There is nothing wrong with this, I often go for authenticity over sexy when dressing up for Halloween. So I wrote this post to give the ladies who do not want to show too much skin this Halloween some great costume ideas.

Disney characters are always a good go to for a less revealing costume. Though some are a bit more revealing such as Ariel or Jasmine, there good options like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. All of these characters have full gowns that are beautiful and give you a chance to really dress up without getting an R rating. These costumes are timeless and also very appealing so you do not have to feel that you are sacrificing by not going with “sexy”. Other good costume ideas that leave a something to the imagination are decade themed costumes such as a flapper costume, a 50s skirt, or a 60s hippy outfit.

So do not let yourself be held back this Halloween just because you do not want to freeze in a costume that barely covers your body. With some planning you can have a very beautiful and feminine costume that will not make you uncomfortable while still looking good and having a great time.

Emma Rae Curtis writes and researches everything Halloween. Costumes, party ideas, baby costumes and makeup.