DIY Merida Costume and Halloween Roundup

Hey guys! I know I've been saying it for the last week and a half but HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (Mostly because today is finally actually Halloween.) I wasn't originally planning to do yet another costume post so last minute, but we put this baby together in just a few hours and it is debatably my favorite of the year! So why the heck not right? Maybe you are even quite the procrastinator (like me)!

So when boy couldn't come to a Halloween party yesterday evening, my backup was obviously a Disney Princess. (Not that I knew which one or if I had enough costume pieces to accomplish that idea.) Then rainy weather, the resultant frizzy hair, and a gorgeous skirt I can't get enough of brought this nonsense to life!

We simply added some gold ribbon to a teal top using a running stitch, tied some tulle around my waist, and made the beautiful buckle with fun foam, scrapbook card-stock, and leftover gold spray paint from both Halloween party decor and Cinderella pumpkins! (Also full of easy, last minute tutorials!) And when I say we, I mean my amazing older sis Sam. I would be costume-less (or failing art history so that I could make a costume) without that wonderful girl!

Oh and combat boots with fallen socks were totally essential with Merida's pretty, sparkly skirt!

As for my hair, it was already pretty voluminous from the 100% humidity of the day, so I just curled a few tiny strands in the very top layer to channel Merida's messy vibe and misted it with orange spray color. Makeup was pretty natural, with the focus on looking flushed in the face and making my eyes all big and Disney-like!

So when Sam and I open our costumery company, we will both brainstorm, she will sew, and I will style hair and do makeup. (In case you didn't know, sewing is not my jam.) You'd come see us, right?

And finally, here's your bonus of all the other fun costumes we threw together this year, some more involved than others! (Links provided for the ones I've blogged about!)

Olive from Easy A (Yes, I know, Sam's a genius.)

Gender-Swapped Little Red Riding Hood

Sultry, Glam Pirate

"Where's the rum gone?"

R and Julie from Warm Bodies

And vintage Minnie Mouse 2 ways!

So, friends, we got a bit carried away with Halloween, but it has been so incredibly fun! In my first costume post, I mentioned not dressing up in 4 years, and boy have I made up for it this October! I'm hoping to plan better next year and get you tutorials earlier so we can all join in on the fun!

I hope you have an amazing and safe Halloween. And eat all the candy for me, okay?

Stay lovely,

PS: In case you’re more into decorations and food than costumes! (Or love all three!)

"Warm Bodies" R and Julie Couple's Costume

I am a huge sucker for chick flicks. I love watching unlikely characters fall in love and be all cute! I always have and I am so incredibly lucky to say that my silly boyfriend does too (or at the very least he pretends to for my sake)! Plus, how fun is it when your lovestruck characters have to fight off the undead? For those reasons, the second Halloween couple’s costume is R and Julie from Warm Bodies!! (Psst, here’s the first!)

Again, this costume is pretty simple overall, but we had to go more specific on individual pieces to try and match the characters from the movie. Boy’s outfit is basically the same and his gender-swapped little red one, just with the help of some scissors and fake blood. He has a slightly destructed gray t-shirt, jeans, a red hoodie and a zombie face. The emphasis in my costume was on the blue plaid shirt and a secondhand military-style jacket, with a tan tank underneath.

As you can see though, the biggest seller for this costume is the zombie makeup! We used some translucent powder to pale the boy out and red-purple and black smudged eye shadows around the eyes. We also used a really cheap blue eyeliner pencil to add in the veins on “R’s” neck and messed up his hair.

And that’s really all there was to this costume! Now we just have to decide which one to wear on Halloween! Any votes? (Find the other costume here.)

 Let me know which costume you liked better and what your couples, singles, or group costumes will be like this year! I am having such a great time getting into the Halloween spirit!

Stay lovely,

Gender-Swapped Red Riding Hood Couple's Costume

Halloween is just over a week away and guys—I am so excited! I can eat all the Kit-Kats in sight, watch scary Halloween movies (just kidding, I’m a baby), and FINALLY dress up. I haven’t been able to do that since the 8^th grade when I was Ke$ha! (Because I was an eighth grade rebel child yo.)

So in the honor of this super-fun holiday, I have a couple presents for you! (I was gonna say 3, but the boy’s cute face is probably a big deal to me only…) I have 2 super cute and totally last-minute potential Halloween couple's costumes! I just think couple's and group costumes are the most fun and, luckily, that boy allows me to indulge in my crazy schemes!

The first of these is a gender-swapped little red riding hood because, well, I’ve been costume deprived for the last 4 years and sometimes it makes you go a little nutso. I concocted this idea after watching an amazing makeup tutorial from one of my YouTube faves FreshBlush! (In case you missed it, I totally have an obsession with makeup tutorials.) She did this video of little red riding hood and the wolf and I just thought that I HAD to be the wolf, so obviously some mixing up was in order.

The costume is pretty simple overall and can be totally adapted as you see fit. The only things that I really think are necessary are the red hoodie (duh) and an identifier for the wolf, whether it’s makeup or little ears.

Just in case you want the specifics though, the boy has jeans, a gray t-shirt, a red plaid button down (to channel the lumberjack a bit), and this red hoodie from Forever21.

As for me, I just collected a black top and skater skirt to be paired with my sister’s fishnets and a cropped fur vest, which she so graciously made me, but you could easily find at a store. (Thank you so much sister dear—I love you! Yeah, she kinda told me to say that but, yes, I do mean it!) She also made the ears with extra craft fur, a headband, and hot glue. And from there, it was just the crazy-gorgeous makeup inspired by this video!

So what do you think? Are y’all getting the red riding hood vibe, or am I just a little crazy? Let me know what you think, how you might change it, (cuz I still have time for suggestions) and if you might try it out yourself!

Stay lovely,

PS: Don’t forget to check out my other couple’s costume (out tomorrow), because this time the boyfriend has to wear the makeup! (I guess he likes me or something. Weird, right?)