It happens every year. Your company is throwing a Halloween party or dresses up that Friday, and you spend time trying to decide on the perfect Halloween costume. Should you stick to traditional looks or go outrageous to stun and shock your colleagues? You know me — normally, I’d say be outrageous dudes. But, work? Let me put it this way: You work hard 365 days a year projecting and perfecting your image. Around the office, you’ve finally earned a spot as a “respected employee” and represent total professionalism on the job. So, why let a Halloween costume forever burn a riduculous or offensive image into your manager or peers’ heads? When picking a costume for the office Halloween party, your image and future income potential is at stake and a tasteless costume can definitely put a damper on both. Here are some costumes that are sure to blow your career and change people’s opinion of you all in one day:
Religiously offensive costume: You never know how religious your colleagues are or what they do or don’t believe. So you may want to keep the pregnant nun costume in the closet on dress up day.
Pregnant Nun Costume
French Maid
Sexually explicit costume: Less is not more around the office, so keep yourself covered at the company Halloween party. You don’t want your peers or boss to go home thinking you’re better suited for the adult industry. Keep away from costumes that involve lingerie, expose too much leg or show cleavage. No-no’s include going as a French maid or a school girl. See our top 10 sexiest Halloween costumes blog entry for other bad office costume ideas.
Sexually suggestive costumes: It’s not always about skin or curves, just implying sex with your costume could get you a ticket on the unemployment train. Stay away from costumes like this Genie in a lamp, and definitely don’t wear this wet t-shirt costume.
Genie in a lamp
Obama Mask
Political Statements: The company Halloween party is not a time to state your political leaning and discontent with the current administration. For example, if you wear an Obama mask and carry a sign that says “Obama Care Sucks,” be prepared to face annoyed colleagues or have people who thought they were on the same page with you, suddenly treat you more cooly.
Employer Impersonations: I don’t know what your boss is like, but no matter how cool or laid back he seems, it’s a bad idea to dress up like him for the office party. If you like your job and want to keep it, don’t do the boss parody.
The Office Boss picture provided by therecruiterslounge.com
The best way to handle wearing a costume on ’dress up day’ at work is to play ignorant and not wear a costume at all. Give them the old excuse “Oops, I forgot” and have a good time in your own clothes.
One year I was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater. I created the costume myself without a pattern for any of the elements. It was a one-piece jumpsuit I had to climb in from the inseam, with leather soles sown into the feet. The mask, horn, and claws were hand made from polymer clay. The mask was done in such a way that you could not see my own eyes. My crowning moment was when someone stopped talking to me mid-sentence and said in the most awed and frustrated voice –”I keep talking to the EYE!”
The purple people eater costume won several awards before beginning its life as a talent show costume for a special needs school in Wyoming.
About Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Danielle Ackley-McPhail is an award-winning author and the senior editor of the award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries Anthology series. Some of her books include Tomorrow’s Memories and Yesterday’s Dreams. Learn more about Danielle and her one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater Halloween costume here: www.sidhenadaire.com/crafts/purple.htm.
Guest post by prosthetics and special effects make-up artist, Nik Walls
Creation process of a full-head monster prosthetic:
1) Lifecasting of model using medical grade alginate and strengthening plaster bandages.
2) The working positive mould in coloured fibreglass for sculpting the prosthetic piece.
3) The sculpt in various stages of development. I’m using a medium Chavant Clay NSP Plastaline as this will not inhibit the silicone later. The sculpt took 2 weeks, every pore, crease and wrinkle.
4) Moulding the sculpt. Due to the large amount of undercuts and fiddly areas to be moulded I had to use what is known as a “Harlequin” mould. Any mould of more than 2 halves. Tricky and quite time consuming.
5) Once cleaned in hot soapy water, the mould and positive are treated with a parfilm wax and a secret mixture of household products. They are then both coated with a thin layer of silicone to act as an encapsulating envelope, bolted together and the pre-coloured silicone is then injected. Silicone is a great medium for creating prosthetics, it creates a translucent and flexible piece that is the closest thing you’ll get to real flesh.
This is when the nerves start to set in…has the mould filled properly? Will there be any giant gaps? Have all the bleed holes done their job?
But the first time was the charm with this one, and everything came out alright.
6) Now all that’s left to be done is the seaming, where the mould edges meet the silicone creates a raised area that needs to be cut away and then filled to blend in with the prosthetic.
7) Colouring the piece and punching hair…this took me 2 days. Hair punching is a time consuming but rewarding job, so do it right and the results can be spectacular.
Applying the finished pieces to the model, 4 weeks after the initial lifecasting!! I’m using ProsAid and Telesis 5 (but there are all manner of good adhesives out there) to attach them and putting the final colouring on with Skin Illustrator alcohol based make-up…avoid contact to the eyes with this one.
The finished result, I like to think of him as a hard working, down on his luck, Homicide Cop…Columbo meets Hellboy.
About Nik Walls
Nik Walls is a Prosthetics and Special Effects Make-Up Artist with a broad and experienced history in short, feature, theatre, press and commercial productions. He was educated at the Neill Gorton Prosthetics Studio in England. Find him on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikwalls
Trying to keep up with the Joneses this Halloween? I’ve got some great Halloween yard decorations and Halloween props that will rival any of your neighbors’ and make your house the trick-or-trick destination.
Halloween Décor and Props
If you want more of a fall season look, you can decorate with straw bales, pumpkins, an orange and black door cover and a pumpkin wind sock. Some other Halloween decor to consider:
Halloween Signs
Add even more personality to your house with Halloween yard signs. Advertise your “grave yard sale” or warn trick-or-treaters to beware. You could also use yellow caution tape to notify visitors that your graveyard has “fresh graves keep out” or “this house is haunted.”
Halloween Inflatables
Airblown inflatable yard decorations are easy to set up and clean up, and, depending on the size of the inflatable, can make a BIG impact on the appearance of your yard. Check out this 10-foot pumpkin inflatable or try parking this inflatable hearse in your driveway.
Haunted Hearse Inflatable
Halloween Animated Props
If you’re going all-out with your yard decorations, add some animated Halloween props. This life-size animated Michael Myers from Rob Zombie’s recent Halloween II will get the trick-or-treaters’ adrenaline pumping. If you are making your yard into a haunted graveyard scene, you could go with an animated grave guardian. Or, you can give your visitors a wicked welcome with this life-size, talking and animated witch.
Hope these ideas help inspire your Halloween decorating! Check back tomorrow to learn how to make a monster mask from a pro prosthetics and special effects makeup artist.
It’s finally my favorite time of year again. Time for Fall, football and foxy females glammed up for Halloween. Ladies, don’t be afraid to be as flirtatious, naughty or nice as you want with your costume – you have full liberty to take on whatever personality you want on Halloween. With so many Halloween costume sites out there, finding the best of the best in sexy costumes isn’t easy. Don’t worry, I’m always more than willing to help in this area! Here’s a countdown of my top 10 sexiest Halloween costumes for 2009:
If you’re decorating your lawn this year, we have information you don’t want to miss. Stay tuned tomorrow for Halli’s post on Halloween yard decorations.
Ladies, we know who the real superheroes are. The question is: Which female superhero should you dress as for Halloween? Are you a fan of Storm or Emma Frost from X-Men? How about Batgirl? To help you decide, I am going to compare two of my favorite superheroines. You can also take this quiz on youthink.com to find out which female superhero matches your personality.
This Wonder Woman costume will definitely make you stand out in the crowd this Halloween. Some Wonder Woman facts:
Wonder Woman first appeared in 1941 during WWII.
She is a DC Comics superhero created by William Moulton Marston.
A feminist role model, Wonder Woman was an Amazon princess who was sent by the Greek goddess, Aphrodite, to aid America in the war effort and to spread the Amazons’ message of love, peace and sexual equality.
Powers: super-strength, super-speed, stamina, highly developed fighting skills, enhanced hearing and vision, animal empathy, regeneration, high resistance to magic and flight
Weapons: Lasso of Truth (which forces those bound by it to tell the truth), indestructible bracelets and an invisible plane
Guest post by author and syndicated columnist Marni Jameson
“Ready, Aim, Fire! – With a Glue Gun, You, Too, Can Be a Domestic Superhero”
The gun is on the table. It’s hot and smoldering. People in my house are anxious, but know better than to stand between me and my glue gun. I pull the trigger and shoot. At the moment my target is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my 13-year-old daughter. I guess, if your mother ever starts to make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and plugs in a glue gun, you have reason to be nervous, or suspect she’s gone glue-gun gonzo, or both.
The gun-sandwich incident started when my daughter mentioned she was invited to a Halloween costume party. The prize for best costume was an I-pod Nano.
“Holy smokes!” I said. “When I was a kid, the best costume prize was a bag of candy corn.”
She rolled her eyes to let me know that was before the dinosaurs, then said, “I think I’ll be a witch.”
“Witches don’t win costume contests,” I said, getting, okay, a little competitive. “People who win costume contests come as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
“That’s what I’ll be!” She exclaimed.
Suddenly, the witch costume sounded pretty good, but thanks to me and my fat mouth, the black cat was out of the trick-or-treat bag.
As a public service, I don’t own a sewing machine. To compensate, however, I am a glue gun sharpshooter. In fact, armed with a glue gun, I turn into a domestic superhero. I can stick trim on pillows and lampshades, attach fringe to upholstered chairs and table skirts, reattach peeling wallpaper, doll up plain window shades, cement centerpieces to windy outdoor tables, create dried flower arrangements, make napkin rings out of fabric-covered cardboard, upholster walls and make drapes. Beyond home décor, I can also use a glue gun to seal envelopes without leaving any DNA, put a bow on my sandals or the dog’s head, secure someone’s toupee, fix a hem, and quite possibly attach false eyelashes, though I’ve never tried.
Still, I have a long way to go to become Glue Gun Queen. That title goes to Marian McEvoy, author of Glue Gun Décor (Harry N. Abrams Books 2005). I once spent a day with McEvoy, for a story I was writing. At the time she was the editor of Elle Décor, and before that of House Beautiful. We spent part of the day at her chic New York City apartment, which she’d decorated in red, black and white. The really memorable part was that she’d covered every wall with a solid crust of white seashells. She’d glue gunned the shells on herself. As we talked, we’d occasionally hear a small clack, like the sinking sound your earring makes when it hits the drain, only these were shells plinking on her wood floor.
“That’s why I have a glue gun going in every room at all times,” she said, as if that were the most normal thing in the world. Now I understand.
Costume party day, I zoom to Michael’s for two, 30-inch square slices of foam; grape purple and peanut brown tissue; tan felt (for crust); and ribbon to tie the sandwich sign around my daughter’s neck. Back home, I aim and shoot. My daughter, now a brown belt in glue gun, assists.
“Is this going to hold?” she asks.
“Honey, what do you think holds this house together?”
She tries on the sandwich.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Costume
“Hot dang!” I say, reveling in the instant satisfaction glue guns can bring.
Suddenly, my daughter gets a horrified look: “You’re not going to write about this, are you?”
I give a crafty smile. “Not if you give me the I-pod.”
She won the contest. She kept the I-pod.
So here’s the story.
Beyond making no-sew Halloween costumes, here are some more home decorating glue gun ideas and tips from McEvoy’s book:
Add imagination: Use a glue gun to embellish walls, ceilings, furniture, frames, window coverings, lampshades, pillows, upholstery, flowerpots, and more with fabric, trim, appliqués, shells and leaves.
Be tailored not tacky: Glue-gunned stuff can look cheesy. To avoid looking like a glue-gun amateur, think, plan, cut precisely, and glue with care.
Use cool tools with hot glue:Get a glue gun that lets you change nozzles, glue flow and temperature. Use professional stainless scissors, sharp manicure scissors and razorblades to make clean cuts. McEvoy swears by Aleene’s Stop Fraying to finish fabric edges. A soft toothbrush and tweezers can whisk away the inevitable spider web strands and excess glue.
Rough beats slick: The best materials are a little porous or rough. Metal and mirrors don’t work well. Thick fabrics (velvet) work better than thin (sheer). Surfaces have to be clean.
Find steals: Rummage through fabric store remnant bins, e-bay, flea markets and garage sales for unique ribbons, trim and crewel fabrics. Turn to nature for pebbles, feathers, shells, seeds and leaves.
Wash and wear: For clothes, curtains or bedding, use washable glue sticks for fabric, available at most well-stocked craft stores.
Strike while it’s hot: Work in small sections because glue hardens in a few seconds. If glue dries too fast or lands where it shouldn’t, let it cool completely, then peel it off.
Still think it’s tacky? Check out the images at www.chriskendall.net. Look under “Portfolio,” then “Glue Gun Décor.”
About Marni Jameson
Marni Jameson is a nationally syndicated home design columnist, and author of the best-selling book, “”The House Always Wins: Create the Home You Love-Without Busting Your Budget,” and the forthcoming “House of Havoc: How to Make – and Keep – a Beautiful Home Despite Cheap Spouses Messy Kids and Other Difficult Roommates” (due in stores this February.) Visit her Web site to learn more: www.marnijameson.com
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Super-Hal with some super Halloween costume ideas. If you’re strong, brave, chivalrous and just all around awesome, you might want to dress like it for Halloween. There are so many superheroes to choose from. Here’s a site where you can find a complete list of superheroes to pick your alter-ego: http://www.superherodb.com/characters.php
Superman Adult Costume
Superman
For a twist on the Superman look, consider going as Clark Kent (Superman’s real identity) and dress in a business suit and glasses. You can show off your superhero status by wearing a shirt with an “S” underneath your suit jacket. Or, go as Superman at his finest. For the famous costume, you’ll need blue leggings, a blue shirt, a red cape and red boots. Don’t forget to put a giant letter S across your chest.
Batman Adult Costume
Batman
If you’re a Batman fan, go with dark gray leggings and shirt, black speedo trunks and a black cape. To get the Dark Knight look, dress in all black and add a muscle chest and black mask and gloves.
There are also superhero teams to consider. You and a few of your friends could dress up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The basic – head-to-toe with a turtle shell on your back. Just remember that each turtle had a different colored headband and carried different weapons. Power Rangers are another possibility if you’re part of a group for Halloween.
Your Own Superhero
You can also create a superhero from scratch. The choices in colors, accessories and super powers are all yours. Here’s a picture of “Squirtman,” whose costume is made up of objects from home as well as cheap material from a craft store.
Picture provided by Coolest-Homemade-Costumes.com
Well, Super-Hal is ready to take off. But don’t worry ladies – Halli has some female superhero costume ideas for you tomorrow. Up, up and away!
In 1897, Irish writer Bram Stoker created the fictional Count Dracula from legends of the real Dracula, Vald the Impaler of Transylvania, Romania. Since then, the vampire has become a classic Halloween character and, today, a thriving entertainment institution. From the “Twilight Saga,” to “Vampire Diaries,” to “True Blood,” vampires have re-captivated our imaginations. And how could anyone forget one of my favorite vampires, The Count from Sesame Street? Check out this classic clip with Susan Sarandon. Ah, ah, ah…
Let’s count the vampire costumes for this Halloween season. Shall we?
This modern-day vampire is an easy and cheap Halloween costume to put together. Everything you need to create the look is probably already hanging in your closet: a gray pea coat, a pair of nice jeans, a button down shirt or plain t-shirt, and a pair of dark-colored sneakers (which vampire skeptics suspect is what makes Cullen run fast and scale trees). You’ll also need some vampire makeup to make your skin pale and if you want the “sparkling in the sunlight” look, add some body glitter or glitter makeup. If your hair isn’t long enough to gel into a messy style, go with this Edward Cullen wig to complete the “Twilight” look.
One great Halloween costume! Ah, ah, ah…You can enjoy counting the trick-or-treat candy you collect in this vampire costume.
Vampire Tips:
*DIY Vampire Fangs — If you are looking for a fun Halloween project, you can create your own custom vampire fangs. Check out this YouTube video from Make Magazine to see how:
*BEWARE — Don’t eat or sleep with your fangs in; you don’t want to swallow them on accident. Also, try to avoid red liquids because they can stain some fangs pink (Ironic, right?).
*Halloween Party Prep — Catch up on your vampire pop culture to keep the conversation flowing:
Ahoy me hearties and shiver me timbers! Did you know this past Saturday was Talk Like a Pirate Day? Don’t worry if you missed it. You can re-create the day by talking and dressing like a pirate for Halloween.
First, get a look into pirate life with one of my favorite fight scenes from the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
How to create the perfect pirate look:
Pirate Costume
The bottom– Pants can be either long or shorter (high-water style just below the knee), and you should cut into them at the bottom so they fray at the ends. The color should be preferably black, but brown, gray or dark green are also acceptable. Ladies should go for a black skirt instead of pants. Like pants, the skirt can be long or knee-length and tattered at the bottom.
The top –For the top portion, all you need to do is get is a loose, white, long sleeved button-up shirt. One with ruffled cuffs or collar would be perfect. Remember that pirates aren’t businessmen, so don’t make the shirt look too professional. Keep some of the top buttons undone and rough up the look of the shirt with stains and small tears. Finish off the top portion with a plain color vest (black or red is best).
Female Pirate Costume
Accessories -Black or brown leather boots are a must-have for pirates. So is a pirate hat or a bandana for your head. For ladies with longer hair, a few braids underneath your hat or bandanna will enhance the pirate look. As far as jewelry goes, grab a pair of gold hoop earrings and gold rings. Flashy necklaces and bracelets will work, too. Remember that pirates are known for being treasure-seekers and pillaging for gold and valuables – so show off what you’ve “stolen.” Lastly, you can’t be a pirate without a sword and eye patch. Both can be bought inexpensively online at a Halloween costume store.
Well matey, you’ve got the look down, but there’s more. If you’re going to walk the walk, make sure you talk the talk. Let’s get some vocab down with help from www.talklikeapirate.com:
1. Ahoy! – “Hello!”
2. Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, “Whoa! Get a load of that!” which today makes it more of a “Check it out” or “No way!” or “Get off!”
Pirate Hook
3. Aye aye! – “I’ll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over.”
4. Arrr! – This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. “Arrr!” can mean, variously, “yes,” “I agree,” “I’m happy,” “I’m enjoying this beer,” “My team is going to win it all,” “I saw that television show, it sucked!” and “That was a clever remark you or I just made.”
5. Beauty – The best possible pirate address for a woman. Always preceded by “me,” as in, “C’mere, me beauty,” or even, “me buxom beauty,” to one particularly well endowed. You’ll be surprised how effective this is.
If you have pictures of you dressed as a pirate from past Halloweens, upload them to our photo sharing page. If pirates aren’t really your thing, look for Halli’s post about vampire costume ideas.
By HalWeen, on October 8th, 2009
By Danielle Ackley-McPhail, on October 2nd, 2009
Anthology series. Some of her books include 
and 
. Learn more about Danielle and her one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater Halloween costume here: 
By Nik Walls, on October 1st, 2009
By HalliWeen, on September 30th, 2009
By Marni Jameson, on September 25th, 2009
,” and the forthcoming “House of Havoc: How to Make – and Keep – a Beautiful Home Despite Cheap Spouses Messy Kids and Other Difficult Roommates” (due in stores this February.) Visit her Web site to learn more: 
,” to “
,” to “
,” vampires have re-captivated our imaginations. And how could anyone forget one of my favorite vampires, The Count from Sesame Street? Check out this classic clip with Susan Sarandon. Ah, ah, ah…
Recent Coments