Sandor Clegane is one of the most interesting characters from the Game of Thrones universe. The more you’re exposed to The Hound’s story, the more you start sympathizing with him. He’s a tortured soul living in a world of lies, brutality, and hypocracy. He’s a brutal killer, but there’s more to this character than meets the eye and that is precisely why we love him. Well that, and he has a very memorable "look" that's makes him the perfect inspiration for a DIY Halloween tutorial!

*For anyone not completely caught up with the HBO series – potential spoilers below!*

Our introduction to The Hound was back in season one. He rode into Winterfell with the King’s retinue, a true warrior and bodyguard for the most evil little git in the history of Westeros. Back then he wore full armor and a helmet fashioned into a snarling dog’s head.

From these first moments with Sandor, and over the course of four seasons, he’s demonstrated his martial prowess, as well as his ability to make sense of the world in simplistic but brutally logical ways. He’s a man that loves to drink wine and kill, yes, but he’s also courageous, loyal, and embodies a true knight more than most in Westeros. He’s the only Kingsguard that never hits Sansa and eventually he abandons the cruel and psychotic Joffrey at the Battle of the Blackwater.

F*&^ the king!

In the season four finale, The Hound and Brienne beat the living crap out of each other and it made for great television. We’re just hoping The Hound isn’t really dead. Of course if he is, you could easily add some green and gore and turn this tutorial into a zombie Hound DIY!

The Makeup

First things first, getting the face right. Sandor has an enormous burn covering the right side of his face (in the books it’s covering his left side, so choose which version you want to go with).

• Special Effects Complete Makeup Kit - Shop
• Tissue paper
• Pen cap, tweezers, or a seam ripper (something somewhat sharp and small)
• Scotch tape

STEP ONE: Start by outlining the area of your face you want to work with using a red blush and a large makeup brush. It’ll make the skin look puckered, irritated, and taut.

STEP TWO: Start applying the liquid latex in the outlined area. You may want to avoid your eyebrow because liquid latex can be uncomfortable to remove if it's attached to hair. We used spirit gum to cover the eyebrow area.

• The Hound’s burn is literally all along the side of his head, preventing hair from growing, but we didn’t want to shave the model's head so we "burned" a good portion of the forehead, brow, temple, and cheek.
• You’ll want to tape the corner of your eyebrow down to get the droopy effect seen in the show.

STEP THREE: After applying the liquid latex, immediately place a piece of tissue on the still wet liquid latex. Once the latex dries a bit, you’ll notice the tissue binds well to the latex and any excess tissue can be ripped away.

STEP FOUR: Reapply liquid latex over the top of the tissue you just placed. This will give the area a texture similar to flesh. Let the latex dry and use the color mask powder to create a skin tone closely matching your own. Be sure to cover the edges of the liquid latex area so it blends well into your natural skin. Do not completely cover the red makeup you outlined earlier.

STEP FIVE: Time to get the blistered look. To do this, poke a hole in the now dried liquid latex and pull the material up and out a bit. A pen cap works well to poke with; it’s not sharp enough to stab you and it creates the perfect sized hole. This will create a recess in which to apply the red makeup or even use some stage blood or coagulated blood. In the newly formed recess, lightly brush the red in. Be sure to cover the protruding flaps of latex on the side that would be touching your skin.

• Make as many of the opened blisters as you see fit. The HBO Hound doesn’t have a lot (it’s more puckered scar tissue), but the description of Sandor in the books makes him sound like Two Face from The Dark Knight.

STEP SIX: You don’t have to grow a beard, but we recommend at least applying makeup to look scruffier. You can also apply brown makeup around the eyes and mouth to give yourself pronounced wrinkles and a gritty look.

The Hair

Supplies Needed:

• Brown Viking Wig -- Shop
• Wig cap -- Shop
• Scissors
• Bobby Pins

The hair can be tricky. The Hound doesn’t grow hair on half his head, so you really need to be careful that you don’t have too much hair. We went with our Brown Viking Wig and proceeded to dismantle it. We pulled out the individual tracks of hair and bobby pinned them to the model's head with the help of a wig net, which gave us the maximum amount of control. The Hound has a huge comb over, so go light on the side you’re placing the scar on. Place more hair on top and comb it over to the burned side like he does in the show.

The Costume

Supplies Needed:

• Northern King Costume -- Shop
• Medieval Knight Costume -- Shop
• Adult Brown Pants -- Shop
• Tall Black Costume Boots -- Shop
• Sword Accessory -- Shop
• Medieval Dog Mask -- Shop

The rest of The Hound’s look comes down to his armor. In the show he wears a mishmash of studded leather, a gorget, chainmail, and plate mail. In lieu of studded leather, we went with a leather jerkin from our Northern King costume. We cut off the lower portion of the costume to shorten it, and put a simple belt on. We used the shoulder and elbow plate armor from a medieval knight costume and fastened them to the leather jerkin with pins.

The Hound wields a sword with deadly efficiency, so we accessorized accordingly. Nothing too fancy, though. (The Hound has always wanted some Valyrian steel but he never gets the opportunity to own his own.) And don't forget the helm!

The Finished Product

You can end the look there, or, if you really want to get meta, grab yourself a bucket of chicken. Any chance you get to call someone a talker, you can tell them talking makes you thirsty and hungry, and if any more words come pouring out their mouth, you’ll have to eat every chicken in the room.

If you want a different look within the realm of Game of Thrones, take a look at our White Walker DIY. If you have a group of people, you should also consider following our Red Wedding DIY tutorial. 

In 1993, just over 20 years ago, Disney released a Halloween-centric kid friendly "horror" movie. Hocus Pocus quickly became a cult classic, Halloween viewing staple, and cautionary tale to virgins the world o'er! Luckily YOU don't need to wait 300 years for a virgin to light the black flame under a full moon on All Hallows' Eve - you can bring the Sanderson sisters to life with some easy DIY skills. If you have a larger group than three, there are plenty of memorable supporting characters you can include in your group Hocus Pocus costume. Enjoy the images! We think they're as spellbinding as this classic film.

Hocus Pocus DIY Costumes

Watching the sisters be reintroduced to the world after nearly 300 years, made for some of the funniest moments in the movie.

Be sure to screech, scream, and shriek at any new technology that crosses your path!

 
The Sanderson Sisters Costumes

DIY Winifred 

Winifred was the leader of the sisters three. Her most treasured possession was her googley-one-eyed spellbook, followed closely only by her lust for eternal youth. When you don your Winnie costume be sure to carry around an old book and have a permanent look of displeasure on your face for the full effect!

Rich gem tones like amethyst and emerald are perfect for Winnie's style. We used this purple gown with gold and green trim as the base of the costume. We layered a long corseted green peasant dress on top and used the cape from our Emerald City Guard costume. Grab yourself a pair of buck teeth and some long fake nails to complete the look. Just promise us that you'll try to avoid the urge to hunt down little children!

Products Used

Purple Renaissance Gown - Shop        Striped Leggings - Shop         Buck Teeth - Shop        Red Wig - Shop  

Witch Shoes - Shop        Green Corset Dress - Shop        Witch's Broom - Shop        Emerald City Guard - Shop

DIY Mary

With a nose like a blood hound (and often a growling bark like one, too) Mary was the goofy one of the bunch. Although her talent for sniffing out children was impeccable, she was often on the receiving end of Winifred's frustrations.

For Mary's costume we started with a fortune teller dress and added a red corseted vest with gold hoops along the trim. To create Mary's unmistakable hair style, wrap your hair around a craft cone and secure with bobby pins. If you hair isn't long enough, a styleable fashion wig will do the trick! Psst....don't forget your vacuum!

Products Used

Red Corset - Shop        High Quality Black Wig - Shop        Clip-on Hoop Earrings - Shop    

Witch Shoes - Shop        Fortune Teller - Shop        Striped Leggings - Shop        Red Cape - Shop

DIY Sarah Sanderson

 Beautiful and naive, Sarah is the seductress of the sisters. Her charming voice casts a magical spell over all little children within ears' reach, beconning them to come to her. Memorizing her enchanting lyrics will surely have you creating your own admirers - look out! 

Come little children, I'll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment.
Come little children, the time's come to play,
Here in my garden of magic.

To recreate Sarah's look we used her signature colors of varying shades of purple and red. Beginning with a white corset we used a natural vegetable dye to create a pretty blush color with beetroots. Add sashes and drapey fabrics under the corset to create the shifty flow of Sarah's skirt. Lastly, cut off the ends of a pair of red fishnet stockings to create sleeves.

Products Used

Red Fishnets - Shop        Sexy Witch Shoes - Shop        White Corset - Shop        Purple Lined Cape - Shop    

Burgundy Peasant Gown - Shop        Garter Boy Shorts - Shop        Red Sash - Shop        Purple Sash - Shop

Witch's Brew Cocktail Recipe

Back for one night only, the sisters must recreate their potion for eternal life and suck all the life force from Salem's unwitting children. We consulted Winifred's spell book and discovered her secret recipe for everlasting youth - sans the dead man's toe! You may want to carry some extra elixir around with you in a potion jar, just in case you need a little pick-me-up from the nearest child.

• 1½ ounce Coconut Tequila
• 2 ounces Pineapple-Orange Juice
• ½ ounce Blue Curacao
• Marichino Cherry

Pour over ice, shake well in a martini shaker, pour and enjoy! (Just to be clear: do not give adult beverages to children - no matter how enchanting their life force may be!)

Hocus Pocus Group Idea

Satan!

Products Used:

Red Second Skin Suit - Shop        Red Tuxedo Pants - Shop         Devil Cape/Horns - Shop        Red Shoes - Shop

DIY Zombie Billy

Blue Zombie Costume - Shop

Poor Billy was so misunderstood - literally. His mouth was sewn shut by Winnie after she discovered he cheated on her with her sister Sarah. What's a broken hearted girl to do? Simply use some black yarn and stitch the mouth shut on the mask for a quick and easy DIY Billy Costume.

Hocus Pocus Cosplay

What's good cosplay without a little sex appeal? If you are looking to sass your Sanderson sisters costumes up a bit, simply shorten the skirts and show off some sexy stockings!

Dracula Untold, which stars Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) as the legendary vampire, makes a hero out of the classic villain. Being reimagined is nothing new for the character, who has been depicted as everything from a gothic bloodsucker to a hopeless romantic. Every actor brings something new to the role, but perhaps none have made as much of an impact on Dracula as Bram Stoker did when first writing the character.

Since the novel Dracula was first written, it has been adapted to countless films, but it has also inspired a number of related characters. Count Dracula has been repurposed for everything from a chocolate-loving cereal aficionado to a numbers-obsessed Muppet. Here are some of the most famous versions of this storied vampire:

[Click the infographic for a larger view.]

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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.halloweencostumes.com/infographics/Dracula-Infographic.jpg"><img title="Dracula Retold: From Gothic Horror to Tragic Hero" src="http://images.halloweencostumes.com/infographics/Dracula-Infographic.jpg" alt="Dracula Retold: From Gothic Horror to Tragic Hero" border="0" /></a><br />Infographic Created by <a href="http://www.HalloweenCostumes.com/">HalloweenCostumes.com</a></p>

Dracula Untold premieres in U.S. theaters on Friday, October 10th. Will this origin story earn box office praises, or will it "suck?" Bring Dracula back to life this Halloween by shopping for all things vampire here!

Every serial killer – real or fictitious – has a hidden beast within. For TV’s Dexter, his self-named “dark passenger” took the control of the wheel during times of slaughter. In the words of real-life serial killer BTK, “factor X” drove him to kill. For NBC’s Hannibal, the unseen evil residing within Mr. Lecter is none other than the cryptic vision of “The Stag” – a dark metaphor seen through the eyes of Will Graham, the series protagonist.

With a presence in the series so cryptic and ambiguous, this creature has taken on countless names. Rounding out the cannon, Raven Stag, the Nightmare Stag, are all accepted nomenclatures by fans.

One ‘Staggering’ Cosplay

Bearing similarities to the mythological Wendingo, this new take on Hannibal the Cannibal has cosplayers clambering to make the “black rack” an extension of their own darkest nightmares. This is the perfect costume for an inexperienced cosplayer on a budget, since it only requires the use of two HalloweenCostumes.com products, a hot glue gun, a wire coat hanger, toothpicks, and a cutting tool.

Step 1: Stalk Up (pun intended)

You can’t rightfully stalk an unwitting victim without first stocking up on the right gear to pull off this cosplay.

Deer Antlers - Shop

This is where our deer antlers come in very handy. We used three pairs since these antlers are only supposed to fit a seven-pointer. To get the Stag’s look, you need to think bigger. Each antlers kit has between three and four tips so be sure to choose the four point antlers for the base of each.

Step 2: Focus... Steady...

Lay our your horns. It’s easy to make a mistake at this step, but after you fuse the horns, it's nearly impossible to reverse. So slow your horsies!

Make sure each antler is turned the right direction, mirroring the opposite antler,  As you will see, since the antlers are carbon copies of each other, they curve in opposite directions when made to mirror one another. To correct this issue we will use the wire coat hanger.

Step 3: Cut the Gooey Innards

These antlers are filled with a rubbery inner core that is easy to stab or puncture. Use this attribute to your advantage by cutting the middle-antlers at the 45-degree angle necessary to adhere them to the base antlers. You really just need to eyeball this portion of the project. Lay one antler over the other at the point of intersection, and get ready to use hot glue to stick the two pieces together.

Repeat this process with the third set, figuring out where you want to attach it to the second set. Fortunately, antlers are organic enough that it doesn’t need to be perfect!

Step 4: The Hard Part

Negotiate with the material – that’s the essence of cosplay. All best laid plans go out the window when the hot glue gun hits the scene. Try and be as flexible as the materials you are working with. Test the right configuration of the antlers by holding them up to the picture of the Stag as you find the optimal placement for each.

[Image Source]

Once you have the right configuration decided, “stitch” your antler segments together with six inch segments of your coat hanger. The hanger can be cut with needle nose pliers. Just stab the hanger through the middle of each adjoining piece to bridge the gaps.

In addition to the hanger wire, we gave our antlers extra stability by sticking toothpicks into the antler joints as well. Once you have them positioned just right, slide the pieces away from each other about a quarter of an inch to create a small gap, squirt the hot glue onto both adjoining pieces, and firmly press the two pieces together, holding until dry.

Step 5: Achieve the Mirroring Effect

Since you used the same set of antlers three times on each side of your head, naturally they are mirror images of one another. They should be virtually identical if all has gone well. Since one goes on the right and the other goes on the left, thought, you'll need to bend one of the antlers so they mirror each other. 

Here is where the hanger wire comes in handy. Slowly bend the wire until you achieve the desired effect. For us perfectionists, the toothpicks really came in handy when creating the subtle, incremental bends.

Step 6: Defy Gravity

This is where these antlers are really impressive. Since they are so light to begin with, gluing them onto a bald cap can literally get them to stand straight and defy gravity. But see how they are still drooping in the picture?





Well that’s nothing a little more wire and toothpicks can’t solve. Get crafty and creative here, and with enough twisting and prodding you can slowly get them to turn up like in the final pics above.

Step 7: Paint it Black!

We used a semi-gloss, black spray-paint to paint the whole thing stark black. Make sure to let it thoroughly dry before using spirit gum to stick the bald cap to your head. Not only would you suffer the fumes, but you would probably leave little finger prints all over the place.





The last trick is to paint your face, neck, and ears midnight black. We also suggest wearing white out eye contact lenses to make you look inhuman in the best way.



Finish off the look with a sharp suit, and you're ready to sit back and enjoy some liver and fava beans with a nice bottle of Chianti <slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp>! Fine, you got us! That’s Hopkins’ Hannibal, not Mikkelsen’s, but it had to be said…

The Day of the Dead holiday is a perfect mix of macabre and celebration – two words that are a great fit for a Halloween wedding. Here is some awesome Dia de los Muertos inspiration and ideas featuring all the bright colors, sugar skulls, and churros we could find!

[ source: one | two ]

While most traditional wedding invitations and stationary feature more muted colors, Day of the Dead-themed paper goods show off the bright colors that help make the holiday, ahem, stand out. These two pieces use the fun color palette and utilize the imagery of sugar skulls, vibrant floral pieces, and papel picado or “perforated paper.”

[ source: top | bottom ]

Muerta Sugar Skull Costume – Shop

If you don’t want to wear a traditional gown for your Dia de los Muertos wedding, consider a vintage wedding dress. The bride in the top photo is totally inspired by Frida Kahlo and we love it. Very folk-y. However, if you’d like to go the classic bridal gown route for your big day, your bridesmaids can always follow the theme! In the bottom photo, these ladies all have different dresses featuring floral prints and bold colors.

• Thinking of something a little more literal? While you might not care to walk down the aisle in this number, our Sugar Skull Costume dress would be perfect for “save the date” photos or a themed bachelorette party.

[ source: top | bottom left | bottom right ]

Day of the Dead Catrina Deluxe Mask – Shop    Day of the Dead Makeup Kit – Shop

Day of the Dead Catrina Mask – Shop

For your engagement photos, you can go all out! Paint up those faces, pull out the skull masks, and find your ultra-dramatic tuxedos and gowns. You picked this theme, now enjoy it!

[ sources: top left | top right | bottom left | bottom right ]

Eye-catching desserts and their presentation will be a great exclamation point to your Day of the Dead wedding. And who doesn’t want freshly fried churros straight from the oil? We do. We want it now.

[ source clockwise from top left: one | two | three | four | five ]

Last, but not least – decorating! Our favorite is this handmade papel picado banner (DIY instructions here!), but, really, everything is pretty sweet. Between etched his-and-her champagne flutes, photobooths filled with sombreros and skull masks, and wedding favorites galore, your wedding definitely will be the one people talk about for years. Well, yours and that wedding where grandma let loose on the dance floor.

Enjoy! We hope these ideas inspired you for your planning. For a more Halloween-y take on Dia de los Muertos costumes and accessories, our blog post full of Day of the Dead costume ideas is right here.

Whenever the Ouija board was brought out at a slumber party, a definite line was made. On one side were the kids who wanted nothing to do with the spirit board -- they were the ones who suddenly decided to go make a snack, or "check someting upstairs." The other side, though, were the kids who wanted to see if the Ouija was the real deal. Sure, maybe it was your older sister or brother guiding the little wooden pointer to spell out creepy words. It’s a Parker Brothers toy, after all. How real could it be? But, if you are anything like us, there was always that little voice in the back of your head wondering if you really were talking to a lost spirit, stuck in the middle with unfinished business.

We love that little voice in the back of our head that believes all things spooky to be real, and that’s why we’re so excited for the new Ouija movie coming out on October 24! The movie looks perfectly-creepy and the poster is equally awesome. It got us to thinking – what if other board games were turned into horror movies? Of course we followed through on this daydream! Look below for what we came up with. You know, if you dare…

Don't Wake Daddy

Okay, the premise of the game Don’t Wake Daddy was to sneak into the kitchen and get a snack. This poster shows what happens if you actually wake him up. It looks like dad really hates having his beauty sleep getting interrupted.

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Hungry Hungry Hippos

To be honest, the game itself was a little unsettling – those hippos really were starving. Now imagine the ferocity of those gnashing teeth directed at you rather than a whole bunch of marbles. No thanks!

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Mouse Trap

The scariest part about Mouse Trap is looking back on the game now as an adult and thinking of all those tiny, tiny pieces to keep track of. There were so many! What if you lost one?! You wouldn’t even be able to MAKE the mouse trap? Then the mice would have nothing to stop them and would rise up against man and ... well, that would be another horror movie poster to create.

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Operation

Ok, what would be scarier: a movie about the surgeon who performs all those crazy surgeries you see in Operation OR a movie about the person who NEEDS all those surgeries? Removal of the “bread basket”!? Who needs that procedure? A madman, that’s who.

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Scrabble

This is our favorite one of the bunch – what could this one be about? So many creepy possibilities. A wild animal? A feral person? Someone buried alive? A combination of all three? Yikes.

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Just for fun, we also came up with a couple posters for movies that already exist, but just fit so perfectly with a board game theme, that we couldn’t resist.

Connect Four

For the people who thought Human Centipede was too tame with only three people involved.

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Sorry

Do you want to play a game? Ew, Jigsaw! It depends! If we screw you over in Sorry, are you going to cut our leg off? We might have to take a rain check on that one.

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Finally! The fourth season of American Horror Story starts this month on October 8^th. Ryan Murphy and his evil mind finally have brought the scariest thing in the entire world to primetime FX: murderous clowns. So, to keep our mind off of all the grease paint, rubber shoes, and Twisty’s murder weapons, we put together some group costumes featuring the past three seasons of AHS. However, these characters are just as weird as Freak Show looks to be, so #WirSindAlleFreaks holds true for everyone. “We are all freaks.” Let’s play!

(And, oh yes, spoilers below! Well, besides Freak Show, because we haven’t seen it yet.)

The first season of American Horror Story was Murder House. It introduced us to most of the AHS all-stars: Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, Denis O’Hare, Lily Rabe, and last but not least, the perfectly-tortured Evan Peters. There were so many weird, creepy, unsettling, awesomely-terrifying visuals in the premiere season that it was hard to pick just a handful, but here is what we came up with.

Tate Langdon | “Rubber Man” | “Piggy Man” | Moira

Skeleton Makeup Kit – Shop        Rubber Man Suit – Shop        Pig Butcher Costume – Shop

French Maid Costume – Shop        Red Wig – Shop        Garter Belt – Shop

Black Thigh Highs – Shop        Black Heels – Shop

Rubber Man is pretty iconic to this season, but our favorite is sexy Moira. (The young version! And before she had her eyeball shot out.) The makeup-intensive look for this group was inspired by Tate’s fantasies of his less-than savory past. Here is a pretty cool YouTube tutorial  we found of someone doing this makeup as well.

Other ideas for a Murder House group costume are: burned-face Larry Harvey; fabulous Constance Langdon; older-Moira with a funky looking eyeball; younger-Moira with that gunshot wound; 1920s-themed Nora Montgomery; the student nurses who were killed in the Murder House in the 1960s.

An informal survey taken at this office revealed Asylum to be the scariest season of American Horror Story so far. Probably the best, too, especially if you just ignore the alien stuff. Because, what? Anyway, an insane asylum, creepy religious-motifs, “The Name Game” dance sequence, cute boys with extreme-mommy issues, and Chloe Sevigny, all add up to make this the season to watch.

White Nun | Monsignor Howard | Sister Mary Eunice | Dr. Thresdon

Priest Costume – Shop        White Nun Costume – Shop        White Shoes – Shop 

Skeleton Makeup Kit – Shop        Black Out Contacts -- Shop        50s Glasses – Shop

Doctor Coat – Shop        Black Tie – Shop        Nun Costume – Shop 

The more we think about it, there really was a lot going on in this season, but the stand-out character was Lily Rabe’s Sister Satan. The makeup-intensive look for this group of costumes is the white nun from the cover – we used white face paint, black face paint, and some black out contact lenses.

Other ideas for an Asylum group costume are: a more scandalous Sister Mary Eunice complete with red lingerie; Angel of Death Frances Conroy; an alien; Bloody Face; Pepper (pics if you do this one, please!); Briarcliff-rattled Lana; Adam Levine missing an arm.

Coven was fun because there were witches with really cute outfits, a lot of Fleetwood Mac on the soundtrack, and a part where Myrtle is burned at the stake and shouted “Balenciaga.” Yes, some stuff didn’t make sense, and yes, a lot of people died and came back lots of times, and yes, it wasn’t really all that scary, but in the end, can’t we all forget about that and focus on the Stevie Nicks cameo?

Papa Legba | Cordelia Foxx | Fiona Goode | The Axe Man

Voodoo Costume – Shop        Jester Cane – Shop        Skeleton Makeup Kit – Shop

Cute Witch Dress – Shop        Fishnets – Shop        Black Heels – Shop        Cane – Shop

 Black Sunglasses – Shop         Special Effects Makeup Kit – Shop        Zombie Contact Lenses – Shop

Hooded Witch Costume – Shop        Gangster Suit – Shop        Axe – Shop

The Papa Legba look in this group was kind of a modified Tate-look: instead of the detailed neck and lower jaw, just paint that whole area with black face paint. The real deal for makeup-intensive effects in this group, though, is poor Cordelia’s acid-burned eyes. We used liquid latex to achieve the burned skin look and it really looks painful. Really. Painful.

Other ideas for Coven costumes: the white witch herself, Stevie Nicks; creepy Denis O’Hare as tongueless Spalding, complete with porcelain doll in tow; Delphine’s head on a plate; Myrtle Snow and her perfect red hair; Madison Montgomery with a neck scar; Kyle Spencer with a million scars; any iteration of a cute, goth-yet-fashion-forward witch who would attend Miss Robichaux’s Academy.

Alright, Freak Show comes out today so we had to use our imagination with this one since we haven’t seen it yet! (However, Ryan Murphy, if you would ever like to give pre-screening copies of upcoming episodes to HalloweenCostumes.com, we won’t turn them away.) So, we went with a creepy circus vibe. We do know that Angela Basset has three breasts in this season, but we’ve already done that costume.

Bearded Lady | Ringmaster | Clown | Leopard

Beard – Shop        Flapper Dress – Shop        Ringmaster Costume – Shop        Whip – Shop

Clown Suit – Shop        Leopard Costume – Shop        Fishnets – Shop        Black Heels – Shop

Kathy Bates will be playing a bearded lady, so we could not turn that idea down. If you feel like making a statement at a Halloween party (or viewing event for AHS!), get that beard and glue it on your face. It’ll be a hit, we promise. Creepy clown, check. But we have a feeling that our guy here won’t stack up to what Twisty the Clown will do in this season.

Other costume ideas for Freak Show group costumes: strong man; a boy with lobster hands; two-headed woman; more and more and more clowns; Pepper, again; and who knows! We will have to revisit this once the season is through.

What was your favorite season of American Horror Story? Are there any costume ideas that we’re missing? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget: #WirSindAlleFreaks.

After much anticipation, Apple released the new iPhone 6 to users. Shortly thereafter, early adopters of the new phone began experiencing an unwanted "bonus feature," leading Apple enthusiasts to abandon their loyalties and publicly express their malcontent. The surprise "bonus feature?" These large-screened, slim-bodied phones bend easily when placed in the users' back pockets. To express their deep heartbreaking disappointment, users took to Twitter with angry (and sometimes humorous) posts, and created the hashtag #bendgate.

Then, after the air began to clear from the smoking disaster that was Bendgate, Hairgate burst onto the scene! Users began alleging that the seam alongside the phone is said to snag both beard and head hairs, painfully yanking them out. Some news outlets are calling #hairgate a false claim, but consumers insist it's happening. While the truth about these flexible and hair pulling phones remains cloudy, one thing is crystal clear: These "phone-pas" are GREAT inspiration for a timely pop culture Halloween costume!

#Bendgate Memes

That's what you call a crunchy taco shell!

For those looking for an aerodynamic phone, here are some instructions!

Ahead of the trend, David Beckham has been bending it since the 90s!

DIY Bendgate Costume

We started with a large foam board as a base for the costume, shaved down the corners to round the edges, and cut a head hole in the top. We covered the entire structure with black-out vinyl, sealing seems with clear packing tape. To make this iPhone extra convincing, we printed high resolution images of iPhone app icons and spray glued them on the board. We finished it off with a few black pieces of paper for the button and receiver at the top. A black second skin, white cartoon gloves, and nerdy glasses are optional finishing touches, but we liked the touch of campy humor it added! The best part of this costume is that the foam easily bends back and forth, so you can "perform" whenever anyone asks!

Products Used

Foam Board         Black Second Skin Suit - Shop        White Cartoon Gloves - Shop    

Printed iPhone Icons         Geeky Glasses - Shop        Black Out Vinyl - Shop

#Hairgate

Whether you tape a long wig to the side of your iPhone costume or randomly pull people's hair all evening, you can also be the DIY costume embodiment of Hairgate! [We recommend the first option, as the latter won't make you very popular for the evening!]

It’s no secret that we just can’t get enough of superheroes – luckily, we aren’t alone! Superheroes are a popular interest of all sorts of demographics! But which heroes? HOW popular? We’ve generated a map of the favorite superheroes in the United States, state-by-state. Any guesses as to who takes the cake cape?

While it may not be the jaw-dropping answer you were looking for, Batman leads the crusade, winning the top spot in all 50 states! Since we were digging anyway, though, we couldn’t help but notice that some of other classic heroes made the leaderboards in different parts of the country. Click the image below for a larger map. **Bonus** Hover over different regions to get facts on each superhero.

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Has our map inspired you to dress as your state’s favorite superhero for Halloween? If so, We’ve got plenty of superhero costumes for you right here!

Stats were compiled based on 2013 to 2014 data from Google Trends by Leigh Wendinger.

The ALS ice bucket challenge pretty much took over social media this year! It raised awareness about ALS, raised funds for research, and raised arm hair across the country: brrr! Lots of individuals will be dressing as the ice bucket challenge on Halloween this year, but how about making it into a clever costume for two? One of you is the bucket, and the other a cute little ice cube! It's funny, topical, oh-so-easy to assemble.

The Finished Look

• For the bucket: Start with our red cup tunic and attach a pool noodle handle. Cover the noodle in duct tape to give it a metalic effect, and affix it to the tunic using two large safety pins. This will allow your handle to swivel!
• For the ice: Our tissue box tunic turned inside out makes the perfect cube. If you have a long torso you'll definitely need some extra coverage; We layered our cube over a light blue tank dress. Add a light blue wig, light blue makeup, shiny tights and a few blue accessories, and you'll be melting hearts in no time!

The Supplies

Red Cup Costume - Shop

Tissue Box Tunic - Shop     Blue Tank Dress - Shop     Stylable Blue Wig - Shop     Blue Lashes - Shop

Light Blue Socks - Shop         Shiny Tights - Shop         Blue Ribbon Shoes - Shop

Halloween nights tend to be chilly, but this ice bucket challenge costume is sure to inspire plenty of warm smiles! Love the idea but you're not part of a couple? Here are some other fun ideas:

• Make it a group costume by inviting more friends to be "cubes."
• Make it punny and go as a Breaking Bad "Blue Ice" Bucket Challenge. Instructions here!
• Dress as your favorite celebrity that took the ice bucket challenge, and dump icy drinks on yourself all night.

(Only kind of kidding about the last one.)

It’s easy to argue that Guardians of the Galaxy is the year’s biggest movie. It has everything – a dashing leading man, a headstrong female character, the cutest loud-mouthed government experiment, a giant humanoid tree (duh), and a stellar soundtrack. This cast of characters is perfect for any number of Halloween costume combinations. Obviously, we couldn’t be left out, buuuut we definitely wanted to put our spin on it. So, we present to you:

Sexy Rocket Raccoon and Dancing Baby Groot

DIY Sexy Rocket Raccoon

“Ain’t no thing like me, ‘cept me!”

Rocket and Groot are like a perfect pair for a buddy-cop type movie. AND they’re kind of like Han and Chewie, but instead of person and fuzzy monster, its tree and fuzzy monster. And the fuzzy monster is the one who translates for the creature with limited vocab. Rocket’s attitude, smarts, sense of humor, and do-or-die-nature, are what makes us love him – and why should girls get to miss out on being such an awesome character for Halloween? They shouldn’t! That’s why we made an ultra-sexy, but still tough-as-nails, version of Rocket Raccoon.

“Keep callin’ me vermin, tough guy!”

All you need to put together your own genderbent Rocket Raccoon costume is a little creativity and some good tunes. Here are the products we pulled together to create this outfit:

Cosmic Women’s Orange Astronaut Costume – Shop         Harness from Pretty Paratrooper Costume -- Shop
Child Rocket Raccoon Gloves – Shop         NERF Gun – Shop        Vampire Fangs – Shop
Raccoon Ears and Tail Set – Shop         War Machine Rocket Gauntlets – Shop

The construction of this costume is pretty straightforward. The gun we used was left over from our Destiny hunter cosplay, but any toy machine gun would do. Otherwise, remove all the astronaut labels from the orange jump suit, throw on a harness, and accent with all your raccoon goodies. We attached little kid War Machine gauntlets to some black boots with the elastic bands they came with. Use some face pant to draw in the raccoon eyes, pop in your fangs, and you’re good to go!

"Ohhhh, yeahh.."

DIY Dancing Baby Groot

"I am Groot."

The movie was fun from start to finish, but nothing stole the show more than little baby Groot dancing in the vase at the end. It was so sweet what Groot did at the end, which made us that much more happy to see a chibi version of him movin’ and groovin’ out of Drax’s eyesight.

We love baby dancing Groot, but we love baby dancing Groot THE FUNKO FIGURE more more more! We used that figure as inspiration for our DIY costume. Here’s what we used:

Groot Hands – Shop        Groot Mask – Shop        Scary Tree Costume – Shop

Black Christmas Ornament         Venus Fly Trap Costume – Shop

We sewed together some brown fabric to form little tube “tendrils” and then stuffed them with batting. Cut the Christmas ornament in half and glue the halves onto the mask for the famous Funko style eyeballs. We separated the “vase” from the Venus Fly Trap costume and covered that with white fabric. Get all in there, step inside your vase, and start dancing to some Jackson 5!  

Creepypasta: a term for what amounts to an online collection of short stories of internet urban legends. As long as there have been public forums on the web, there have also been tales told of weird, paranormal, and spooky happenings. Often times these stories are orginal to the internet, as is the case for the most well-known piece of creepypasta to date, Slender Man. Arguably In second place is another equally horrifying character: the tale of Jeff the Killer.

Jeff The Killer

A classic Jeff the Killer shot

 [ source ]

Jeff's origi stgory varies depending on which version you read, but they all begn with him as a troubled child who, through a series of unfortunate events plus an extra nudge from family and friends, is driven to insanity. Some versions claim Jeff was the vicitm of a horrid accident, wherein an acid spill left him perminately scarred. Another version insists that family and friends drove Jeff to insanity before lighting him on fire. In all versions, however, Jeff goes on to murder the other characters in his story, with the last line: "Go to Sleep." Jeff the Killer images often appear online alongside that catch phrase.

Jeff the DIY Costume

Our Jeff the Killer

Jeff the Killer makes a perfect DIY costume iidea. It's easy to put together and maintain, and it's creepy enough to earn attention at any Halloween party. In the story, Jeff wears a white hooded sweatshirt and black pants. In the case of this DIY, the makeup is really the star of the show, so wear what feels right to you!

Supplies Used

White Makeup Kit - Shop       Black Wig - Shop        Spirit Gum - Shop

White Out Contact Lenses - Shop         Makeup Sponges     Sculpting Clay

Makeup Tutorial

The Finished Look

Now, GO TO SLEEP.

The Legend

The legend of Bloody Mary has its roots in a Halloween divination ritual, where a mirror and a candle could be used to see your future. Mary I of England was known as Bloody Mary, but it's unclear if she's the same one that will appear in your bathroom mirror. Her real name may be Mary Worth or Mary White, depending on who you ask.

One of the most popular stories is that Mary was once a beautiful girl who loved looking at the mirror in her bedroom. She was disfigured after a freak accident, and from that day on she was not allowed to see her own reflection. When she finally did see a mirror, she screamed so loudly that it shattered. Bloody Mary vowed that she would disfigure anyone who looked at her in the mirror.

[Sources: Left, Middle, Right]

Whether she exists or not, Bloody Mary has inspired several characters from TV and movies who appear when you say their name three times. Examples includeCandyman, American Horror Story's Piggy Man, and Beetlejuice. She's also the inspiration for our do-it-yourself Halloween costume.

The Finished Look

There are claims that Bloody Mary makes water faucets and even walls run with blood. A more gruesome belief is that the "mirror witch" will use her claws to scratch out the eyes of whoever calls her. This gruesome bloody imagery was what inispired the makeup direction we took for our DIY version of Mary!

Products Used

English Nanny Costume - Shop         Hellraiser Contact Lenses - Shop

Gene Simmons KISS Makeup - Shop         Theatrical Blood - Shop

This is an extremely easy and equally impressive look you too can achieve. We started with our English nanny costume, and removed the bow tie. The oh-so-important details are the makeup, contact lenses, and fake blood. You can't call your Bloody Mary costume complete without getting a little bloody! All that's left is to tease out your hair for that crazy "say my name three times and I'll tear your eyes out!" look. We used a high quality brown wig from our "Fever" line, because they are so easy to style!

When you're done putting your costume together, make sure you take some time to relax with the best kind of Bloody Mary...

Here at HalloweenCostumes.com, we don't have time for such silly superstitions. Yes, we've done it a hundred times, and no, we've never seen her. We're not scared of anything. See? Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary... uhh, you get the idea...

Remember last year when we provided you with some awesome, free pumpkin carving patterns? We’re doing it again! Today marks the 13th of the month so we have 13 FREE pop culture themed patterns to share with you. This year's lineup won't disappoint, since 2014 saw its fair share of memorable pop culture happenings. We've got a Guardians of the Galaxy pumpkin, a House Stark Game of Thrones pumpkin, and even a pumpkin that shows off Nicki's Minaj's famous booty! Whether you are looking for a simple pattern or are up for a bit of a challenge, we included patterns of varying difficulties so there's something for everyone.

Easy Patterns

New to carving? No problem! Here are a few simple patterns to get your started. If you're still a little intimidated, we’ve got a full set of instructions HERE. Click each pattern below to be taken to the free printable.

1. Captain America Logo

2014 was as big year for "Cap," after starring in a very successful new film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

2. Frozen: Olaf

Elsa, Anna, and Olaf, are the sweethearts of 2014! The unprecedented popularity of Frozen will make Olaf a hit this Halloween, both as a Halloween costume choice and as a pumpkin pattern.

3. Destiny Logo

Destiny was only released last month, but it's already one of the year's most popular video games. This latest release from Bungie also has a very memorable logo that would look great as a jack-o'-lantern with a glowing light behind it!

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Okay we said there were 13, but we just couldn't RESIST so we made printables for each of the four turtles, bringing our total to 16. Sorry not sorry! These guys deserve it since they had an awesome new movie this year.

Intermediate Patterns

Looking for something more intricate? Try your hand at these. Having smaller tools on hand will be beneficial for this set of patterns, as most involve shading, in addition to the cut-out portions.

5. Maleficent

May we suggest illuminating this creepy pumpkin by placing a green light inside? Angelina Jolie was a very memorable and VERY evil Maleficent in this year's new movie, which makes her the perfect pattern choice.

6. Luigi Death Stare

Mario Kart 8 was one of 2014's most celebrated game releases. With it came the awesome new "slow motion" feature, which perfectly highlighted Luigi's now signature death stare (the YouTube video showing "the stare" has over 6 million views). Now your PUMPKIN can give a death stare to any neighbors that dare hand out a toothbrush instead of candy.

7. Ghostbusters Logo

2014 is the 30th anniversary of one of the best movies everrr, Ghostbusters. Krispy Kreme celebrated with Ghostbusters doughnuts, Legacy Recordings is celebrating by releasing the original soundtrack on a marshmallow scented record, and we're celebrating by offering this free pumpkin printable! 

8. Big Bang Theory: Sheldon Cooper

According to TV Guide, The Big Bang Theory's most recent season was the most-watched series in all of television history! Honor this highly rated and highly hilarious show with a Sheldon Cooper Bazinga pumpkin.

9. Nicki Minaj: Anaconda

Last year was the year of the twerk, but this year it's all about that BASE! Nicki Minaj has perhaps the most famous...base...of all time. We picked a memorable still from her Anaconda music video for the voluptuous silhouette of this pumpkin pattern.

10. Game of Thrones: House Stark Sigil

It's already fall, which means people are aware that winter is coming. But if you want to give them a friendly reminder, while also showing off your Game of Thrones fandom, carve this awesome House Stark Sigil pumpkin!

Challenging Patterns

For those of you that blew right by the easier patterns in hopes to find something super impressive, we're here to deliver! If looking at these fills you with sheer terror, take a deep breath (and maybe grab a hard cider.) We swear that all of these pumpkins were carved by the the HalloweenCostumes.com team, and we are by no means carving experts. If detailed instructions on how to tackle these types of patterns is of interest, read up HERE.

11. Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket and Groot

Like the cast of Frozen, America fell in love with the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. One cute yet fearsome Rocket and Groot pumpkin? Check. One set of jealous neighbors? Double check.

12. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Leatherface

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of the most famous horror movies of all time. Creep out trick-or-treaters young and old with this awesome Leatherface pattern.

13. Doctor Who: Tardis

The doctor is IN! The 12th doctor that is. A new Doctor calls for a new pumpkin pattern, so give our Tardis pattern a try! The weirdest thing happened when we were cariving, though - the inside of the pumpkin was bigger than the outside...

That's it! That's 13! It all happened so fast! We rounded out our display of beautiful pumpkins with some hay bales, decorative branches, and our favorite poseable skeleton. Which patterns are your favorites? Which ones do you think you'll try? Can you tell we're excited?? Be sure to send us pictures of your finished pumpkins, and happy carving!

Everyone should be able to get in on the fun for Halloween, especially little puppies! This "spider dog" (or is it "dog spider"?) costume is easy enough to finish in one afternoon, but will look realistic enough to scare the pants off all the trick-or-treaters.

The Inspiration

It was hard to miss the Spider Dog video when it went viral this September. The prankster, SA Wardega, and his puppy Chica made this video in Poland and the results were pretty funny. Chica was dressed up as a giant, somewhat-realistic arachnid and scuttled around in creepy situations to terrify anyone in her path. Wanna make this costume for your own puppy? We don't blame you! Here's how we did it.

The Finished Costume

Looking great, Piper!

Materials Used

Giant Spider Prop -- Shop        Backpack from Ghostbusters Jumpsuit -- Shop

Scissors         Sewing Kit         Hot Glue

Tutorial

That piece of spider fur on the right looks like a Donald Trump wig. You're fired, Spider Dog!

Like we said, this DIY can be completed in an afternoon. (Maybe longer if you have your little doggy running around "helping," but we're not factoring that into the time estimate.) Here are the basic steps.

Step One: Flip the giant spider upside down. Remove all the black material from the bottom and pull the four leg wires out of the base of the spider. They should come out pretty easily!

Step Two: Sew each of the four leg bases onto the top of your little canine backpack. This part isn't rocket science. As you can see by the first picture in the collage above, we weren't too concerned about perfect placement. Stitch each wire base down in at least four spots each. We sewed through all the layers of the backpack; it was easiest that way.

Step Three: Rip off the fur from the top of the spider and cut to fit the backpack. Hot glue it on, on top of the leg bases and everything.

Step Four: Shape the legs to look spider-y. We recommend doing this before you put the costume on your dog. We're guessing most dogs will not want to sit still while wearing a giant spider costume.

Step Five: SCARE EVERYONE.

Is it bad that we wouldn't mind crossing paths with this lil buddy in a dark alley? She's a good girl!

The Spider Dog looks like a ferocious and deadly beast - the perfect accessory to walk along side you while you're out and about on Halloween night. A fun piece of advice: dress your puppy like this yearr-ound, too. Because, seriously, this is really cute. And, finally, the picture above inspired this amazing gif that we will share now for your viewing pleasure:

Do-it-yourself costume mashups are all the rage this year and we couldn't let Comic Con attendees have ALL the cosplay fun. We wanted to play too! We took one of the most popular annual group costume themes, the gang from The Wizard of Oz, and imagined what it would be like if they turned into Playboy Bunnies! Grab yourself a martini, skip down the yellow brick road (don't spill the martini), and join us on this unexpectedly sexy mash-up journey which we have dubbed "The Bunnies of Oz."

The Predecessors

Because we have manners, we thought it only proper to tip our internet hats to the Playboy Bunny mash-ups that have come before us. These are our absolute favorites. They're fun, colorful, inspirational, and gloriously geeky.

Star Trek Bunnies - Source

Avengers Bunnies - Source

Disney Princess Bunnies - Source

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn Bunnies - Source

The Bunnies Of Oz

Our turnnnnn. We styled a total of six bunnies (and one dog!), and took some beautiful glamour shots of each girl. Every costume includes themed Playboy Bunny accessories including ears, a choker, and arm cuffs. There is also a themed prop accompanying each of our sexy Oz inhabitants. Which one is your favorite?! We just can NOT pick one.

Dorothy Bunny

We started with the corset from our exclusive Kansas Girl costume and went off-book from there. Dorothy's "prop" is her very own Toto! She's actually a girl puppy named Reesie, but we HAD to use her...wook at dat face!

The Scarecrow Bunny

We really had to use our brains to figure this one out. (Get it??) The corset top actually came from our Poison Ivy costume, and we repurposed some felt patches and straw from our scarecrow hat. The finishing detail for this "brainless" bunny was a quick DIY prop in the form of a diploma. Go to the head of the sexy class she goes!

The Tin Man Bunny

This tin cutie's outfit features the Corset top from our exclusive metal woman costume, and a super fun silver wig with red highlights. For not having a heart, this Tin Man Bunny sure looks like she could break several!

The Cowardly Lion Bunny

One of our favorite parts about this Cowardly Lion bunny costume is her prop. The Cowardly Lion may not have actual courage, but now she has some LIQUID courage in the form of a martini. The top from our exclusive lion costume started off this look, and some plastic whiskers applied using liquid latex finished it off. Rawrrrr!

The Witches

For whatever reason, most of the "Playboy Bunny Mashups" that have gained notoriety have a strange thing in common: they feature a green bunny! Not ones to break trends, we went to town on a tube of green body paint and styled a Wicked Witch of the West bunny. We had to balance out all that evil with some good, so we also put together a sparkly pink Glinda bunny.

Glinda Bunny

This good witch is famous for being one of the prettiest, pinkest, most sparkly characters on film. Our pink sequin Playboy Bunny costume gave us the PERFECT corset base, and we actually cut bunny ears out of a Glinda crown! Resourceful, no? A magic wand was the obvious choice for this pretty bunny's prop. 

The Wicked Witch of the West Bunny

Last but not least, the queen of green! Our Wicked Witch bunny somehow still manages to ooze sexy, even through a thick layer of green makeup. We started with a very classic black Playboy Bunny leotard and gave this dastardly diva a broom for her prop. She's so cute she makes us melt - just keep her away from water unless you want HER to melt!

Off to See the Wizard

We dare anyone to assemble an adorable group of Wizard of Oz bunnies and NOT make a video of them skipping down the Yellow Brick Road!

Released in 1989 Little Monsters stars Fred Savage as Brian Stevenson, a 6th Grader who finds himself isolated after moving to a new town. Trouble continues as he begins to be and blamed for strange happenings in his home. Brian soon discovers that the culprit of these mysterious occurances is a monster named Maurice played by Howie Mandel. Maurice takes Brian to the "Monster World," a modern-day Neverland of sorts. But the Monster World hides a dark secret, one that will test Brian in ways he never expected.

Maurice the Monster

Maurice (Howie Mandel--Left) & Brian (Fred Savage--Right) [Source]

Maurice is the monster responsible for the strange happenings in Brian's house. Though he seems to be there simply to scare Brian and his brother, he soon realizes that he and Brian have much in common. They become fast friends and eventually make their way to the Monster World, which to Brian's delight turns out to be a place where kids can play games and eat junk food all day. Maurice and Brian's friendship runs them afoul of Snik, Maurice's nemesis, and Snik's boss/ruler of the underworld, "Boy." 

The Supplies

Maurice is a great, animated, character who makes an even better costume. To pull it off you're going to need the following materials:

Mohawk Wig - Shop         Spirit Gum - Shop         Blue Makeup - Shop

Devil Horns - Shop         Contact Lenses - Shop         Tooth Wax - Shop         Purple Hair Spray - Shop

In addition to these supplies, a trip to your local thrift store will be required. You'll need to snag a variety of buttons, a denim shirt, a black leather/pleather jacket, and Converse-type shoes.

The Makeup Tutorial

Once you have the clothing pieces, assembling the costume is easy. It's the MAKEUP that really sells this DIY! Here is a video that illustrating the step-by-step process.

The Finished Look

Need any further convincing that this costume is a great choice for your Halloween celebrations? How about the fact that Howie Mandel HIMSELF approves of our DIY! Our Maurice Model got retweeted by the original Little Monsters actor, earlier this month. Got 'em got 'em need 'em got 'em:

#NailedIt!

Products Used

Yellow Jumpsuit - Shop         Red Styleable Wig - Shop         Red Heels - Shop

Striped Socks - Shop         Striped Tights [to be used as sleeves] - Shop

Besides items that we sell, the only other things you'll need are two scraps of yellow ribbons for the shoes, and a red McDonalds "M" logo. We cut ours from a piece of red vinyl which we had lying around (we're a costume company...we have lots of strange things lying around), but you could also use stiff red felt. Attach it however you like - hot glue, fabric glue, double sided tape, or even a few quick stiches!

The Finished Look

Our yellow jumpsuit, brand new for 2014, was the perfect base for sassy Ronnie! Cut the toe portion off of our red and white striped stockings if you want to make sleevelets, hot glue the bows to your shoe straps, and you're almost ready to go. The jumpsuit comes with a yellow belt, but we subbed in a red one from our vintage baseball girl costume since we liked the added SIZZLE.

To stamp out ANY potential doubt about what your costume is (people aren't used to seeing sexy fast food clowns - you'll have to cut them some slack), you can carry a Happy Meal box as your purse for the evening. *Warning:* Expect weird looks from McDonalds employees if you just ask them for an empty Happy Meal box. Push through the awkward in the name of a great costume!

The Makeup

Traditional Ronald has his face covered in opaque white makeup, but not for our sexy version! We just used a foundation a few shades lighter than the model's natural skin tone. We darkened and defined the eyebrows, drew on the black lines with a black eyeliner pencil, and found the BIGGEST fake eyelashes we could get our hands on. Bold red lips and a delicate red nos (outlined with the same black eyeliner pencil) finished off this spicayyy clown makeup.

Can we get some fries with that shake? Sorry. We just keep thinking of all the funny pick-up lines that will happen if you wear this costume out on Halloween. Two all beef patties, eh? OKAY we're done.

Group Costume Idea

Cheeseburger Tunic - Shop         Sexy Hamburglar Costume - Shop

Want to make this into a couples costume? Cheesburger. Check. Want to make this into a group costume with your best gal pal? Sexy Hamburglar. Check. Have a larger group of girls? Good luck making a sexy Grimace costume. Even WE can't imagine that...

"Everybody wants to be a cat because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at!"

Grumpy Cat seems to hate everything. She hates friends, she hates parties, she hates going anywhere, but … does she hate Halloween? Well, probably, but that shouldn’t stop you from dressing up as the most famous crabby cat since Garfield, right? This is an awesome-but-easy makeup look that anyone can do and we’re here to show you how.

Materials Needed

White Base Makeup – Shop        Special Effects Complete Makeup Kit – Shop

(From the Special Effects Kit: ColorSet Powder, Brown from the 8-Color Palette, Brown from the Bruise ColorRing, Small and Medium Makeup Brushes)

Foundation and Powder         Makeup Brushes         Cat Ears – Shop

Tutorial

Step 01: Start with a clean, fresh face! Start thinking about all the things that annoy you to get into that Grumpy Cat mood.

Step 02: Use a foundation brush to cover your face with the white base makeup, leaving your eye sockets (from the eyebrow to about an inch below your eye) unpainted.

Step 03: Use the large powder makeup brush to add the ColorSet powder on top.

Step 04: Using your medium makeup brush, apply the brown makeup from the Bruise ColorRing on your eyebrows. Don’t forget to include the two upturns on the inside edges to give yourself that furrowed-brow look. 

Step 05: Next, fill in the non-white area you left around your eyes with a medium brown eye shadow.

Step 06: Take your small makeup brush and the brown eye shadow and draw a bunch of tiny lines coming out from the bottom of the brown circles. This will make you look nice and furry! Use the same eye shadow and shade in the outer curves of the brows to further emphasis the crabbiness.

Step 07: Color in the bottom of your nose with the brown makeup and draw a line in that little groove between your nose and lips that no one ever remembers the name of. (Fact: we just googled it and it’s called a philtrum.)

Step 08: Using the brown makeup, draw lines extending out and down from the edges of your lips to create that little kitty pout.

Step 09: Chances are you’ve smudged up your original white face paint base while completing the other steps. It’s ok, we did, too! Just touch up any weird looking spots with the white base makeup.

Step 10: Get grumpy!!

Memes

Now that you’ve finished your makeup, you’ve got to play the part. We’ve made a few Halloween-themed Grumpy Cat memes to give you some quotable inspiration.

Costume Ideas

White Tutu Dress – Shop        Tween Grace Kitty Set – Shop 

Grumpy Cat Jumpsuit – Shop         Women’s Soft Kitty Hoodie – Shop

The DC Comic Batman franchise has most definitely been in the limelight this year. Between the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie, FOX’s new series Gotham, and a Batman: Arkham Knight video game in the works, these iconic characters are at the top of our minds! There are so many wonderful villians in the Batman-universe, but the one we're talking about today is the lovely, sexy, mysterious, and dangerous, Poison Ivy. Never one to be a shrinking violet, Posion Ivy stands out as one of the most popular villainesses of the DC world!

Famous Portrayals of Poison Ivy

Uma Thurman

In the 1997 film Batman & Robin, Uma Thurman brought this fiesty redhead vixen to the big screen. Her confident and powerful portrayal made her an instant girl power icon.

Kim Kardashian

Fall of 2011 was a rollercoaster ride for the famous-for-being-famous Kim Kardashian. After a tabloid topping 73 day marriage to Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian showed off her strong side (and killer curves!) when she donned a Poison Ivy costume. This simple corseted style has quickly become a go-to choice for many ladies looking to embody Miss Ivy.

FOX's Gotham

Although breaking from the accepted Batman canon, FOX's pre-Batman drama has been well-recieved among viewers. The third top series on TV, according to IMBD's MOVIEmeter, this new Batman spinoff has reintroduced audiences to classic villains such as Poison Ivy, The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Riddler (also great costume choices!).  

Comic Con Cuties

Throughout the 2014 comic convention circuit, we noticed quite a few ladies sporting leafy green. Each iteration of Ivy had a cool personal twist on the costume and left us chartreuse with envy!

Our Poison Ivy Cosplay

Originally a normal human woman with light skin and red hair, Pamela Isley was obsessed with nature and plants. After an intentional overdose of botanical toxins, she transformed herself into the villainess Poison Ivy. Plant elements and cholorophyll coarsed through her body tissue causing her skin to permanantly turn green. After years of practice, Ivy was able to conceal her green skin from the public, allowing her to move freely through society. Whether you sport the green skin or go with your natural tone, getting the look for Poison Ivy can be easy!

Items Used

Green Face Paint - Shop        Green Contact Lenses - Shop    

Red Wig - Shop        Poison Ivy Costume - Shop        Clear Heels - Shop

Pretty Poses

To create the muted green skin tone, we blended green body paint with liquid foundation and set it with a loose green powder. Using eyeliners and a makeup set, we drew the tiny ivy leaves with a thin brush around the side of the model's face.

Poison Ivy's kiss will be the death of anyone her lips come in contact with. We matched the vibrant tone of the red wig with an orangey-red lip color. Then, using an iridescent green powder, we created a little green highlight on the lower lip to remind you that her kiss is dangerous!

Uma Thurman Poison Ivy Makeup Tutorial

Cartoon Poison Ivy Makeup Tutorial