costumes of halloween past: old hollywood glam

Anyone who's met me knows that Halloween is my Christmas. Forget sleigh bells, fruitcake and obligation presents. Me, I like a materialistic holiday that's honest about it, and that no one takes too seriously.

One of the side effects of being such an All Hallow's Eve afficionado, however, is accumulating a ridiculous amount of costumes. Unlike decorations, you can't just whip out the same old thing every year. (Well, you can, but where's the fun in that?) At this point, I can't even count the number of costume pieces I have hanging around. Right now there are at least four copy paper boxes and a closet rack full, with other random bits tucked into various corners of my bedroom. No wonder I have no space for regular fashions.

A few years ago I did a blog for a 31-day Halloween challenge, posting one costume per day (although honestly, it probably could have easily gone a few more weeks). Thought I'd repost a few of my favorites here throughout the month, in anticipation of my favorite holiday.

Want to try something like this 1920s look? A few tips, here from me to you:

THE DRESS: This one is a short formal style I found on sale at Windsor, and had originally used for a gangster-themed birthday party. Anything slinky and nightgown-like is a good option for this Halloween costume. Just pair it with some strappy shoes that aren't too high-heeled.

THE HAIR: Fingerwaves, fingerwaves, fingerwaves. And if you've got long hair, get ready to do some pincurling, too. All you need to add to your usual hairstyling supplies are a couple of wave clips (I think I used five total). Be forewarned: a good tutorial is a must if you've never done waves before. I like the ones over at Vintage Hair, personally. As for specific style, that's up to you. You can see in the pictures that I brushed out my (admittedly crunchy) curls later for a bouncier look.

THE MAKEUP: Smoky. You'll want a dark, heavy lid and lots of lashes to pair with those super-thin eyebrows. I've got sparse enough brows to fake the look with a filled-in line, so if yours are thicker, you might need to cover them a bit. Blush should be pinkish and diffused over a large area of the cheek, while the lips can be pretty bold. I did the cupid's bow look here, filling in only the middle sections of the lips and adding a little extra over the top lipline.