If you’ve seen the hit movie starring Cher and Christina Aguilera then you were probably just as impressed by the costumes as you were with the performances. If you think you’re daring enough to use this theme for Halloween, then here are some exciting ideas to choose from.

Getting The Burlesque Outfit Right

When you think of burlesque, you immediately think of sexy. However, burlesque was just as much about the comedy and the entertainment as it was about the revealing outfits. To get the burlesque look right, you need to have the right attitude – you want to have some fun with this!

The outfits in the Burlesque movie itself generally conform to the traditional idea of this style of costume. Moulin Rouge is another movie that comes to mind when you imagine what was worn – usually dark colors, layers, corsets and ruffles.

When you wear this style of dress, it’s important to get into character. Yes, the costumes are revealing, but you’ve got enough confidence and beauty to carry them off with style!

Thankfully, burlesque has always been a popular theme for Halloween costumes, meaning there are a huge range of readymade outfits to choose from. If you don’t want to go down that route, however, choose a silky corset from a lingerie store and combine that with a ruffled skirt, big hair and some accessories.

Key Burlesque Accessories

As well as the main outfit itself, any Burlesque movie Halloween costume is going to need to make use of key accessories to complete the look…

• Hosiery: Stockings were always an important part of any burlesque outfit, usually attached using garters. You can also use a variety of different tights, including fishnets, sheer designs, or those featuring lines and stripes. As long as it helps shape the legs and add interest to your outfit, it’s in!
• Gloves: Due to the fact that burlesque outfits were usually an exaggeration of clothing worn in Victorian times, costumes often make use of long gloves that extend far up the arm, past the elbows. The gloves also came to form an important part of the striptease.
• Jewelry: You can choose to wear just about any jewelry you want with your burlesque Halloween costume. Necklaces were popular for covering the open neckline, as were hairpieces or dazzling earrings. Anything that’s bold and eye-catching is a good addition to your outfit!

In short, any Halloween costume inspired by the Burlesque movie is a costume to have fun with! Don’t be afraid to spend a few hours pampering yourself and doing your hair and makeup before heading out for the evening as a burlesque performer.

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Although choosing your kid’s Halloween costume should be fun, there are also a number of safety issues that all parents should consider. To make sure the costume you choose is safe and fun, make sure you follow these essential Halloween costume safety tips.

Flame Resistant Costumes

The US government urges all parents to ensure that any kids Halloween costume you buy has a Flame Resistant label – this is especially important when carrying jack-o-lanterns lit with candles.

Flame resistance means that, if the clothing does set fire, it can be quickly extinguished. No costume is going to be completely protected against setting fire in the first place, but this label makes sure the clothing as safe as possible.

Safety During The Dark

Trick or treating at Halloween is usually done in the dark. Although there will be a lot of people out in some areas, it’s still important to take precautions so that your kids can be seen be other people, especially in cars.

Some tips include giving your child a flashlight to carry around with them for the evening, and adding a reflective trim to your child’s costume to make it easier for drivers to spot them. You can also get clip on lights and build this into the child’s costume so that they’re always visible and can see where they’re going.

Is Your Costume Safe For Children?

Aside from the specific concerns above, there are also a few other things you’ll want to consider when it comes to kids Halloween costume safety.

• If your child is wearing a mask as part of their costume, does it fit properly? There’s a danger that it could restrict breathing if it’s too tight. Aside from this, children wearing masks may find it difficult to see where they’re going, increasing the risk of them falling or getting lost. Make sure that the mask has good-sized eyeholes.
• Children should never use toy weapons, such as swords, guns and so on, that look real. They can hurt themselves if they’re playing with any sharp objects, so only buy very fake-looking weapons made out of soft materials.
• Make sure that your child can easily walk around in their costume. If it’s too long for them, they might trip and fall. The same goes for uncomfortable or ill-fitting shoes.

It isn’t always easy to get your children to listen to these kids Halloween costume safety tips, so you may have to sit down with them to help them understand why it’s so important.

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Want to make sure you don’t look like everyone else this Halloween? Got a bit more time on your hands to come up with something unforgettable? Then here are 5 creative Halloween costumes for women that you can try.

Mermaid

The beauty of mermaid costumes is that they can be as simple or as detailed as you require. The best mermaid costumes involve an intricate tail that goes right down to the floor. Some women create a long tail with holes for their feet, that then flicks up at the end. Add to this creative look with blue and green ribbons in your hair (like seaweed), and a shell bikini top.

Body Paint Costumes

Body paint can be used in so many ways to create the most unique Halloween costumes for both men and women. It’ll take a bit of practice, but why not try creating the costume of your choice completely out of body paint? Do it right and people won’t even notice at first that it isn’t real – this is a great way to shock and surprise people.

Split Personality

Lastly, split personality themes always make for some creative Halloween costumes for women. This means dressing half as you in one style, and the other half another. For example, one could be your good side and one could be your evil side, or one could be a superhero in their day to day “normal” wear, one can be their superhero side.

Mother Nature

Mother Nature may be a popular Halloween costume theme, but there are many ways to go about putting it together. The most creative Halloween costumes for women tend to go into more detail. You might choose to paint a giant ball around you as the Earth and use this as your costume, or create a detailed gown full of natural materials such as leaves, flowers, fruit and other natural imagery.

Blow Up Doll

Warning – this idea is strictly for adult parties only! For an extra creative Halloween costume for women, try dressing up as a classic blow up doll. To do so, you’re going to need to buy a skin-colored body suit, with holes in all the right places (make sure you’re wearing something underneath!) You should even cover your head, with drawn on red lips and wide eyes for the complete love doll look.

Top 5 Creative Halloween Costumes For Women is a post from: Halloween Costume Ideas

If you’re looking for an excellent group Halloween costume idea this year then Bridesmaids is a great one. This hit movie wasn’t just for chicks, it went down well with the guys too – everyone will understand this fun Halloween theme when they see you!

How To Put Together Your Bridesmaids Movie Costumes

For this idea to work you’re going to have to have at least three of you going to a party together. One person should be chosen as the bride, the rest should be the bridesmaids.

If you’ve seen the movie then you’ll know that each lady has her own unique style. The famous scene in the wedding dress shop sees them all trying on a different dress. If you like, you could opt for this as the basis of your costume.

It doesn’t even matter if the dresses are the same as the ones in the movie, as long as it’s clear that you’re all bridesmaids to the bride. And, to complete the look, why not make yourself look a little “disheveled” just like the girls in the film. Maybe you can even convey the fact that you’ve got food poisoning and aren’t feeling so good!

Other Bridesmaid Halloween Costume Themes

Maybe the Bridesmaids movie idea isn’t right for you, but you still want to run with the bridesmaids theme? Maybe you even have some old bridesmaid dresses that you could do with recycling? There are a number of fun options to choose from if so…

Awful bridesmaid dresses – There are always those occasions where the bridesmaid is forced to wear a dress she hates. If you’ve ever had to wear a hideous bridesmaid dress, make fun of this fact but getting the most garish dress you can find and wearing that as your Halloween costume!

French bridesmaid – This fun costume is based on a play on words – you’ll wear a usual bridesmaid dress, but you’ll also don a black apron, a maid’s hat and carry around a feather duster.

Zombie bridesmaid – If you don’t mind making your dress dirty, then stain it with coffee or rub some dirt over it. Get hold of some fake blood, make your face look pale and old, and you can go as the zombie bridesmaid this Halloween!

Bridesmaids Movie Halloween Costume Ideas is a post from: Halloween Costume Ideas

One problem with finding cheap plus size Halloween costumes is that ready-made costumes often get more expensive in the bigger sizes. Although this makes sense considering that they may use more material, it really doesn’t make things easy for larger women. Here are a few ways to save.

Go Online

The internet is a fabulous resource for cheap plus size Halloween costumes. Most websites have a bigger selection of larger sizes than you’ll find in stores, and they will often be priced competitively, too. Always check whether there are any coupons available before you buy from any Halloween costume website.

Buy As Early As Possible

Just as with the holidays, prices go down right after Halloween. This means that costumes are cheaper just after Halloween, where you’ll often find huge markdowns even on the most detailed Halloween costumes, in a variety of sizes.

Get Creative

Being a bit more creative with your Halloween costumes can help you to save a lot of money. For example, you may purchase a few key items or accessories for one particular costume idea. For the other elements of the costume, think about whether you have any old clothing or items around the home that you could adapt for the purpose.

Make Your Own Costumes

It goes without saying that homemade Halloween costumes have the biggest money-saving potential. However, it’s also a good way of making sure the costume fits you better. The better a costume fits you, the better you will look and feel on the night.

Buy From Charity Shops

Visit charity shops and have a look at the second hand clothing they have on sale. Now, you’re not directly looking for cheap plus size Halloween costumes here – if they have them, great, but it’s not likely. Instead, you’re thinking outside of the box. Look for things that have the potential to be turned into something else.

Don’t just stick to clothing in your size, either. If you see a nice cheap dress in an interesting fabric, buy it so that you can tear it up and make it into something new when you get home. The same goes for accessories that you think could add to any Halloween costume theme.

Unfortunately, finding cheap plus size Halloween costumes isn’t always easy. Many manufacturers jack up the prices just because they know plus size women find it harder to get clothing in their size. Plan as far ahead as possible to take advantage of all these money saving methods.

5 Tips For Buying Cheap Plus Size Halloween Costumes is a post from: Halloween Costume Ideas

You’re bound to see vampire costumes for men at any Halloween party you go to. The good news is that, because vampires are so varied, there’s always a way to personalize your costume and make sure that you stand out from the crowd at any party.

The Classic Male Vampire

The classic male vampire has a long cape, black pants, a shirt and a vest. This is the way Dracula would look, with deep red colors and a frilly shirt representative of the time. Most vampires also come with long fangs for draining their victims, and a touch of blood on the side of the mouth helps to complete the look.

These traditional vampire costumes are fun to wear and can take a lot of work to put together. Thankfully there are a number of readymade options available to buy in stores if you want to save some time. That said, if you are attending a vampire-themed party, you might want to go for something more unique. A more modern vampire, perhaps.

The Vampire Lestat

Lestat has gone through a number of costume changes in the movies Interview With The Vampire and Queen of the Damned, so you have a good choice of costume already. In his later years, Lestat became a rock star. If you choose to go with this vampire costume theme you’ll want some leather pants, rock star shades, and a gothic rock star shirt. If you’d rather go for a more traditional look, then opt for Lestat’s Victorian period – full of lace, long coats and frilly shirts.

Eric From True Blood

Eric isn’t your traditional vampire. There are no capes involved, and he has very light, blonde hair. Eric tends to favor well-fitted clothing, especially dark leather while he’s working all through the night at Fangtasia. You’ll want to get hold of a blonde wig, vampire fangs and some white face makeup to complete his pale look. And you’ll need a dash of arrogance too if you’re going to play this Viking vampire.

Twilight Vampires

The vampires of Twilight are also far from your traditional vampire image. The Cullen vampires have famous golden or black eyes, which you can replicate with contact lenses as long as you make sure they’re safe. If you want to look like Edward, get yourself a blonde wig and complete the look with dark clothing and small fangs.

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True Blood is the hit vampire series based in the fictional town of Bon Temps. With so many supernatural characters inhabiting this small place, there’s plenty of inspiration for a unique Halloween costume this year!

Sookie Stackhouse

Although Sookie has worn many outfits on the show, the most distinctive has the be the Merlotte’s white T-shirt, black hot pants, and the classic small apron around the waist. Couple this with the blonde wig – maybe even some vampire bite marks on the neck – and everyone will know you’ve come as Sookie for the night.

Eric Northman

Eric Northman is the famous Viking vampire, known for his blonde locks and sarcastic sense of humor. If you’d like to go as Eric then you’ll probably want to get your hands on some tight jeans, a tight shirt, and a leather jacket. This is the classic Fangtasia look (and don’t forget his fangs!)

Lafayette Reynolds

This is a fun costume for any guy with a sense of humor! Lafayette is never afraid to show his feminine side. He’s usually found wearing a lot of eye makeup, lipstick, jewelery and women’s clothing – often finishing it off with a headscarf. Somehow he manages to pull it off and stay cool in the process. If you go as Lafayette this Halloween, you may want to practice your insults beforehand, too.

Bill Compton

Bill doesn’t have quite as distinctive a style as the other vampires – he likes to “mainstream”, meaning he’s as human as he possibly can be. That said, he still has the noticeable pale vampire face, the notorious vampire fangs, and usually carries around a bottle of True Blood with him to avoid him having to drain humans unnecessarily – unless, of course, Sookie has volunteered herself for the job.

Pam Swynford De Beaufort

Pam’s most notable feature is her long head of hair, so get hold of a blonde wig if you want to dress as this famous female vampire for Halloween this year. Couple this with vampire fangs and tight PVC clothing and you’ll have the ultimate Fangtasia outfit.

Sam Merlotte

Although Sam looks like a regular human, he’s a shape-shifter that can take the form of any animal. In his human form, Sam is most recognizable for his checked shirts, stubbly chin, and wispy hair.

Other True Blood Halloween Costume Ideas

If the above ideas weren’t enough for you, then there’s plenty more to choose from. You could also go as:

• A werewolf
• A werepanther
• A fairy
• A witch
• Maryann the maenad

True Blood Halloween Costume Ideas: Vampires, Shapeshifters, Werewolves And More! is a post from: Halloween Costume Ideas

The hair - Pirates aren't known to take the best care of their appearance: they've got more important things to worry about! As such, pirate hair is often long and messy, held into place with a classic pirate bandana.

The hat - Pirate hats come in a number of unique shapes and sizes, though they're usually big and triangular in shape. If you really want everyone to know you're a pirate then get a hat marked with the classic skull and crossbones.

Clothing - Pirate clothing usually consists of puffy shirts, vests, and pants tucked into their black boots.

Accessories - No pirate would be complete without his sword, so make sure you have one to hand. Other accessories that'll help you complete the pirate look include an earring in one ear, eye patch, feathers in your hair, and a parrot on your shoulder.

Some pirates even have missing hands, which they replace with hooks, and missing legs, which they replace with the wooden peg leg. Adding any of these accessories will make sure everyone knows what you've come as at this Halloween party!

Famous Pirate Characters

If you want to take your inspiration from famous pirates from the media then there are a few distinguishing features of these pirates you'll want to include:

Jack Sparrow - Jack wears the traditional puffy pirate shirt and big boots, but his most notable feature is his hair. You'll need long, dark dreadlocks if you want to go as this pirate at Halloween, with a red bandana and a triangular pirate hat.

Davy Jones - Here's a unique pirate costume idea! The best thing about Davy Jones is his beard full of tentacles. You can put this together yourself, but thankfully there are realistic masks available if you want to make things a little easier!

Captain Hook - This famous pirate was always after Peter Pan, but could never quite catch him. He has distinctive curly locks, a hook for a hand, and an irrational fear of ticking clocks!

Creating The Perfect Men’s Pirate Costume is a post from: Halloween Costume Ideas

What Does A Smurf Looks Like?

OK, so most of us already know what Smurfs look like from our childhood. However, you need to know *exactly* how they look if you're going to pull off this theme for a Halloween party.

Skin: The most distinctive thing about the Smurfs is their blue skin. They really are completely blue all over, which means hands, face, eyelids - everything!

Hat: The Smurfs all wear a white Smurf hat, which flops over at the front.

Pants: The Smurfs also wear white pants to match their hats. Any kind of white pants will do for this, but they must be 100% white!

Shoes: Are you noticing a pattern here? Everything the Smurfs wear is white! This means the shoes too. You want them to blend in with the white pants as much as possible, so again plain 100% white is the best way to go.

Shirt: The key thing about the Smurfs is that they don't wear shirts - they just leave their blue skin on display.

Smurfette

For a long time, Smurfette was the only female Smurf in existence! If you want to dress as this truly unique character then the rules will change a little. Although Smurfette still has the classic blue skin, she wears a white dress instead of just the pants, and has blond flowing hair from underneath her Smurf hat.

Papa Smurf

You may also decide you want to dress specifically as Papa Smurf - easily distinguished from the other Smurfs thanks to the fact that he wears a red hat and pants, rather than white, and has a bushy white beard.

How To Re-Create The Blue Skin And Tail

The hardest part of any Smurf outfit is probably going to be the blue skin. You can have a lot of fun with this by painting your body completely with blue body paint, but you may also find that it's just a little too much effort and a little too messy to bother with!

If you don't want to go the body paint route then you'll need a blue shirt. You'll also want a blue Smurf tail attached to your white pants, which is easy enough to make out of a ball of fabric. Thankfully there are also a number of readymade Smurf costumes to make these two tasks as easy as possible.

Smurfs – A Fun Halloween Costume Idea is a post from: Halloween Costume Ideas

Thankfully, 2011 saw an upgrade to the Scream series of movies, leaving it fresh in our minds and fresh with ideas about how we can use this costume idea for Halloween 2011!

The Basic Elements of The Scream Costume

The Scream series is based around the story of the mysterious killer "Ghostface", and his intended victim Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell). The movie is a satirical take on the classic "whodunnit" horror murder mystery, and is made all the more fun with the distinctive look that the killer chooses to take on.

The Scream killer "Ghostface" outfit consists of the following key features:

1) The Scream Mask: This was based on the famous painting "the Scream" - designed to look like someone screaming and crying. It's made of white rubber with black "holes" for eyes and and a long "screaming" mouth. If you've ever seen the Scream movies, you can't fail to recognize this mask.

2) The Cloak: The white rubber mask is in stark contrast to the black cloak worn by the famous killer. It comes with a hood to ensure that no part of the body is shown - the killer never wants to reveal their true identity. Not to mention the gloves that'll make sure no there's no fingerprint evidence.

3) The Knife: Lastly, Ghostface always carries around his hunting knife to violently injure and kill his victims. There are plenty of fake plastic knives available in store at this time of year.

Alternative Scream Costume Ideas

If you don't want to use the traditional Ghostface costume then there are other ideas for you. You could, instead, choose to dress as the Scream from the Scary Movie series of movies. This is pretty much the same as the original costume, except for the fact that the killer's expression has changed - he now has a grin on his face.

Some official costumes also include the scream mask with his tongue sticking out, with blood running down his face, or even a woman's black dress with a more feminine version of the mask.

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