Scary Homemade Vampire Costumes
The quintessential vampire costume has always included white makeup, plastic fangs and a black cape. But thanks to recent books and films, vampires have gotten a modern makeover. You can now create a chilling vampire costume using clothing from your own closet, or by taking a quick trip to a shopping mall. And if you're more comfortable with traditional, the classic vampire look never fades.
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Sophisticated Vampire
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Create an oh-so-chic and oh-so-terrifying vampire costume by donning a three-piece suit or designer outfit from your closet. Modern vampires can be scary and fashionable at the same time. Shiny shoes and expensive threads give your vampire a sharp look that is also eerie, because it looks as if you dressed up in your nicest clothes to go hunting for victims. Neutral or muted colors -- like browns and grays -- will give you that faded, sepia-toned-photograph look of the modern undead. Once your outfit is assembled, use a women's face powder in a pale ivory tone -- found in any drugstore or department store -- to give your face pallor. Use a dark eye shadow, or even a burgundy blush, to create an under-eye shadow; using a red hue can sometimes look even creepier than black or gray. Black eyeliner is a must, and companies now sell vampire fang veneers that mold to your teeth and look spookily realistic. A sophisticated vampire costume is all about subtlety. People may not even notice you're a vampire until they see those extra-pointy canines in your mouth.
Gothic Vampire
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If you want to put a fashionable twist on your vampire look, look to your shopping mall. Many stores -- even shops catering to teenagers -- specialize in Gothic-style clothing, which has become trendy in recent years. You can wear combat boots or Gothic "elevator boots" that add inches to your height. Women can wear satiny corsets or bustiers over a black T-shirt, paired with a miniskirt and leggings or a tulle tutu skirt (women's Goth fashion often looks like it came straight out of an Old West saloon or dance hall). Men can sport a long, dark trench coat (plenty of deep pockets to carry your trick-or-treat bounty!), dark jeans and a black graphic T-shirt. In addition to fangs and pale makeup, you can buy fake blood from any party store or Halloween specialty shop and drip some from the corner of your mouth so it looks as if you just returned from a "hunt." You can also use a Halloween makeup crayon to draw puncture marks on your throat and add a few drops of fake blood to your wounds. Dramatic, dark eye makeup and black or blood-red lipstick are musts for both guys and girls.
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Glow-in-the-Dark Vampire
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If you want to really terrify your friends, add glow-in-the-dark elements to your vampire costume. Companies now make all kinds of glow-in-the-dark goodies, which can be purchased online, in Halloween specialty stores and in craft stores. You can buy glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth, glow-in-the-dark fingernails and even special contact lenses that make your eyes look as if they're glowing. Glow-in-the-dark fabric paint can be purchased in most craft stores and department stores, allowing you to paint scary messages and images on your clothing to spook your friends when the lights go out or the sun goes down.
Classic Vampire
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The vampire legend began hundreds of years ago, so what could be more appropriate than paying homage to the undead by dressing like a classic vampire? Put in those artificial fangs, don a black cape with a high collar and slick back your hair with gel or mousse. Women can wear black mermaid dresses a la Morticia Addams, or put on pretty Renaissance gowns -- old prom dresses can even work in a pinch. Finish off your classic vamp look with white face makeup and dark eye makeup, and guys can draw on black sideburns with an eyeliner pencil or Halloween makeup crayon. Black hairspray is the crowning touch for men, and women can use temporary wash-in hair dye or a costume wig.
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References
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