Pregnant? Great Costumes For The Mom-To-Be

Posted on September 27, 2012 by admin

So, how do you get a costume around this? Photo via blog.sfgate.com

I know so many women who absolutely thrive on dressing up for Halloween, but some of them really struggle if the Halloween holiday falls during a pregnancy. It’s true, finding a maternity costume can really be difficult… you feel fat, you don’t want to look silly, and no one really likes that whole “pregnant nun” costume your hilarious husband thinks you should wear.

I know plenty of women who love Halloween, love dressing up, but when it comes to being preggo during the holiday, they are at a loss. Who can blame them? Trying to find a costume that is flattering and comfortable can be very tricky. Thankfully, all of those creative costume folks have listened to what the mommy bloggers have to say, and they have responded by coming up with lots of great ideas.

If you are a lil’ momma-to-be, don’t sit it out this Halloween because you didn’t find a costume! If you read on the internet much, I bet you’ve guessed by now that I have some TIPS for you! (I don’t know why that is, but every blogger with access to a keypad has to write at least 30 obligatory posts on their top 10 tips! Haha.) Nonetheless, if you are in need of a pregnant belly Halloween idea, I’ve got some ideas for you.

Grin & Bare It

If you are comfortable in your own skin, and don’t mind a little body paint, there are no limits to what you can create with a pregnant bod. Fish bowls, Jack-o-lanterns, cookie jars, and football helmets are just a few of the ideas you can draw from if you want to turn your bulging belly into a Halloween work of art.

Let Your Inner Demon Take Over

Devil Lady Maternity Adult Costume

Inner demon? You see what I did there? No, your baby-to-be may not be naughty yet, but I assure you, the day will come when you wonder what possessed your sweet little bundle. Halloween is a great time to celebrate the spirit of the wicked kid in all of us. And, besides that, we both know you’re gonna have a hard time staying away from the trick-or-treat candy, so why not go as your favorite Halloween evil-doer? Witches, devils and vampires (You can thank Bella Swan for that) are easy to adapt to a mommy body.

Take Advantage of That Pregnant Glow

Fairy Maternity Adult Costume

Conversely, if the thought of bringing new life into the world has you a bit sentimental, maybe you’ll want to stick to a more ethereal costume… angels, fairies…pretty much any of the women-wearing-glitter costumes would be suitable.

The best part is that if you go with a costume that has some kind of hand-held accessory, say a wand, pitchfork or broom, these can double as a hand-smacking weapon should any of the holiday crazies want to go in for an unwanted pregnant lady belly-rub. Hiiii-yaaaa!

But what if you are close to your due date and don’t want to hassle with a full night of wearing heels or itchy fabric? No worries! If you just aren’t up to going all-out, you can do some really incredible Halloween make-up and hair, and wear a clever Halloween t-shirt in lieu of a full costume.

The idea is to have a great time on Halloween, even if that means you lie back with your feet up, and much on Halloween goodies.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Try Out Harajuku Fashion This Halloween

Posted on August 27, 2012 by admin

Gwen Stefani incorporated the Harajuku Fashion style into her musical facade in recent years, Harajuku is a fun, Japanese style of street fashion that meshes punk and anime mixed with a little bit of gothic influence in there. Not only that, but for Halloween, a harajuku costume is an amazing idea.

Gwen Stephani Harajuku costume via thesocietypages.org

If you picture teens parading around dressed like Rainbow Brite, you pretty much have it. Many different styles of clothing can be used, from the Victorian look to the very bare skinned sexy look, but it must have bright color. I mean like neon bright color, and pink seems to be the favorite.

The other side of the whole get up is the make up. Playing off of a Geisha’s white porcelain looking face, they design around the eyes and lips as though they are works of art. Body art. The hair is bleached or dyed bright colors of the rainbow and glasses are definitely statements in and of themselves. They are quite amazing to behold, but could you dress that way everyday?

If you are one of those “closet Harajukus”, use Halloween to let her out and be expressive and flamboyant for one night. That is what the holiday is for! But it feels too overwhelming to put it together? Let me help you out. This one will be basic, but will show you how to do it.

Pick a color scheme. Once you know what colors you want to look for, the rest is easy. I chose the crisp, girly colors of pink, black and white. So, I browsed the internet looking for bright, vivid harajuku costumes for some inspiration on an outfit and lucked out!
After I chose the dress, I picked out tights. Something graphic that would really pop against the color. So I chose the black and white diamond tights. They remind me of the jesters of a king’s court that are always so vibrant and catch the eye.
Now, I look for shoes and while I could go with either black or white anything, I know I am going to use legwarmers, so I am opting to use a clear sandal and paint my toes pink and black alternating.
Now, I pick my bright pink legwarmers. I will be scrunching them down, I want the vivid black and white to be showing, but I love the look of the leg warmers covering the shoes a little bit. It is such a contradictory clash of styles that I think is great!
If your own hair doesn’t suit the style, find a wig. Generally a very colorful or punky look fits it well.
The make up takes a little more finesse, but I would bet you could find all sorts of tutorials and tips on youtube! Whether you do up a white face or a foundation face, you will still look amazing! Here’s a great tutorial for you watch below.
Happy experimenting!

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Women of the Roaring 20s

Posted on June 21, 2012 by admin

“All women do have a different sense of sexuality, or sense of fun, or sense of like what’s sexy or cool or tough.”
-Angelina Jolie

The roaring 20s were a decade of fun, decadence and freedom…at least in terms of the kinds of self expression that women began to take part in. One of the most memorable icons of the decade was that of the free-spirited “flapper.”

A woman who shunned traditional conventions in favor of short hair, shorter dresses and behaving in a less-than-typical standard. As dance clubs became incredibly popular, the classic fringe-style dresses of the era were adopted by women as a means to draw greater attention to the dancing. If there were ever a costume that conjures mental images of a liberated sexy woman, the flapper costume is it. If you want to learn about some famous flappers as inspiration, you can check out the back story on these beautiful women. Drinking, dancing and carousing until all hours of the evening were the name of the game and represented a wild version of Americas women, who, as descendants of puritanical religious traditions, were much more mild-mannered.

Modern women who are interested in adding a touch of flair to a fall costume party can easily find one of these Sexy costumes to dress up in. There are great necklaces, hats, fishnet stockings, flapper heals, and those adorable fringe dresses to try on until you get the perfect look. Men are easy to dress if you plan to go out as a couple, since the suits, hats and ties of the era are all very popular costume pieces.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Finding the Right Costume for Your Figure

Posted on June 19, 2012 by admin

Many women struggle with body image issues and will sometimes skip out on the fun of holidays because of this. However, I firmly believe that life is worth living to the fullest, especially during the best seasons of the year…namely the one during the fall that involve Halloween. That’s why I think that despite your figure size, be it teeny tiny or well-proportioned, you should consider going all out and dressing up.

There’s nothing that makes me more discouraged than seeing a beautiful person hanging out on the sidelines because they feel too self conscious to engage in the festivities. It’s one thing if you don’t like parties, or naturally are too shy to dress up, but it’s quite another issue altogether to skip out on costumed fun because of self-loathing. I assure you that there are costumes out there for every figure, and ones that will flatter every body type, from super skinny toplus sized costumes. The trick to pulling off a great costume no matter what the body type inside of it is some self-confidence. Even if you don’t have it, if you walk into that halloween party like you own the joint, you can fake like you do.

So, why not dream up a costume that will make you feel comfortable and still allow you to join in the holiday awesomeness? One friend of mine made this concept work when she sewed her own antique-style swimming suit to wear to the beach, weight be darned. I promise one you start getting compliments on your great outfit, you’ll be happy you didn’t hang out in the corner dressed in a gunny sack….unless that’s the costume you had in mind.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Women of the ’90s

Posted on May 29, 2012 by admin

Whether you were 20, 30, 40 or 50 in the 1990s, the women of that decade continue to inspire fashion-forward thinking for Halloween. Here are five of the most influential ladies of 90s culture that continue to challenge me to make my costumes bigger, flashier with more bling.

I hope this list inspires you to really get in touch with your inner grunge and explode with color, baggy pants and high waisted shorts.

Parker Posey was one of the indie film world’s “it” girls in the ‘90s. Just Netflix any of her movies and you’ll see amazingly dated clothing that will make you want to magically be transported to 1994. It was another world back then. Jean shorts, high pony tails with crop tops, hot pinks and lime greens. You could put almost any pattern together with another pattern.
Melissa Joan Heart from Clarissa Explains It All heavily influenced my daughters in the ‘90s. Her teenage look can be replicated with a pre-Brittany Spears innocence. I just love her hair.
Nicole Kidman was stunning before her divorce from Tom Cruise. I love her red, curly hair from Far and Away. Whatever film of hers you base your costume off of, you’ll feel elegant and stunning.
Meg Ryan is the cute blonde that everybody wants to be friends with, right? Well, capture her adorable You’ve Got Mail feel this Halloween and really play up the retro feel.
Julia Roberts skyrocketed to mega-fame in the ‘90s, but I’ll always love her Runaway Bride sneakers under her wedding dress.

Who have I left out? When you think back to the ‘90s, who do you want to be? I’d love to know!

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.