Make a Dead Barbie Costume for Halloween

Halloween is the ideal occasion for any creative costume lover. Hidden deeply within the usual Change Your Look but Still Avoid Stereotypes witches, ghouls and ghastly ghosts, there is a whole new world of costumes just waiting to be discovered. All it takes is imagination and a rather good skill with clothes and all things crafty. If you're tired of the smelly black cloaks and silver buckled shoes, do something new this year. A dead Barbie costume simply reeks of individuality and a need to frighten others. Everybody wants to know what blue eyed, blond haired, perfect Barbie would look like after a cup of tea with the Grim Reaper, so show them! If you want to scare the pants and silver-buckled shoes off the other boring costumes, then this article is for you.

Steps

  1. Draw your costume idea. You can try a fancy gown, a pretty puff sleeved dress or an entirely different creation. Some good additions to your outfit design would include:
    • Puff sleeves - this always pulls off the princess/pretty girl look, and teamed up with Halloween, it will definitely give you the dead doll look.
    • Ripped skirts or dresses - what was once a beautifully elegant piece of clothing is now a Halloween princess's dream. Ripped skirts give off the haunted, deathly appearance, which is exactly what you're looking for.
    • A corset or a corset lookalike. If you've got a pink base or very girly dress design, a black corset or bodice will make sure that Barbie won't come back to life.
    • Wings - make your own black, ripped bat wings or buy some and paint over them. Good colours for wings would be black, silver or pink if you're going with a pink and black/other dark colour theme.
    • A tiara - buy a cheap diamante tiara and rip out a few of the stones, or splatter it with paint.
  2. Find a good pair of shoes. The perfect dead Barbie costume can be ruined by a pair of Customise Converse Trainers. Put just as much care into your shoes as the rest of your outfit. Boots, dark or paint splattered ballet flats, or in some cases, Converse, will all look good with this costume. Be sure to remember the following tips:
    • Boots will look good with shorter dresses. Long gowns should not be worn with boots, as people will have trouble seeing them anyway.
    • Black or silver ballet flats will work well and are a comfy and easy choice. You can also by a pink pair and splatter them with black paint, sew on black patches, or even tear the fabric a little.
    • Converse works very well with short, ripped skirts. It makes you like an innocent girl gone bad. Black is usually a solidly good choice, though you can branch out.
  3. Buy or make your outfit. If your costume is quite complex or very personalized, you'll be easier off making it yourself. Of course, you can always take old clothes and customize them, or buy a dress and then add your own Halloween-ish embellishments. If you're making your outfit, be sure to make a detailed plan and be methodical in your sewing, as well as giving yourself plenty of time for mistakes and mishaps as they always occur in situations like these. If you're buying your outfit, look around for the different pieces you want - a black corset, a pink dress, evil fairy wings, etc. Good materials to use are silk or velvet, as they give off the perfect "pretty" sheen but can also be made to look perfectly horrific. Crumpled velvet is also beautiful for a number of dress styles - usually short. Make sure your outfit will be easy to rip, sew over and customize.
  4. Give your outfit some character. Use fabric glue or fabric paint and decorate the clothing with it. Feel free to use glitter, sequins and colored Make and Color Clay Beads as well. Rip the fabric, fray the straps, rub a burnt cork over the bodice - be creative. Strips of ripped lace, ordinary silver safety pins, a few badges or sewn on patches and ribbons are all easy to add on and finish the look. Make sure everything is firmly fixed on - you won't be raining accessories on the night.
  5. Wear bold jewelry. Chains and over sized rings are perfect. You can also add in a choker, some eye-catching earrings and bracelets. Be sure to balance out the Barbie vs Death look - so you may wear pink earrings but have on a black and silver choker.
  6. Put it all together. It's important to try the outfit on at least three or four times before you actually wear it out. Also be sure to add plenty of your own embellishments to it, such as lace, patches, paint stains, safety pins, etc. Be sure everything fits and looks good together.
  7. Do your hair. Hair is incredibly important. Don't worry if you don't have Barbies' golden locks and don't worry if you aren't in possession of a dark black mane either. You don't need to do anything drastic to your hair to make it look good. Either straighten or wave your hair. Make sure you do a good job, and use an anti Undo Frizz Instantly serum to keep things in place. You can leave your hair out, which is one of the easiest options, and will most likely pull off the "Barbie" look. Some other simple styles include two low Do Your Hair in 2 Ponytails (best with straight hair), a side pony (pretty with waves), a high ponytail (straight hair). However, if you're trying something different, you can always just go crazy.
    • Black velvet ribbons and interesting hair pieces brighten (or darken) any look.
    • Bangs and fringes are always welcomed: straight, sleek, side bangs or a thick blunt fringe will help you carry off the look in sheer style.
  8. Apply your makeup. Makeup is the finishing touch for your look - after all, Barbie's face is always perfectly made up.
    • Decide what foundation you want to wear. You can try a shade lighter than your original skin tone, to make your face a little paler. Or you can lightly dust white powder (not grease paint) over your face and any other exposed skin, to give yourself the Gothic, dead girl look.
    • Eyeliner is important. You can apply a thick, heavy black liner for a simple but effective look, or you can choose some eye catching colours. Blue, green, red or pink are all perfect colours. Mascara is optional - if you've got thick lashes, leave them be - but you can always lengthen them with a shade of black or a clear gloss. Apply fake eyelashes for eyes that truly stand out.
    • Lipstick or lip gloss. If you have the skills and the right look to pull it off, you can try a red lipstick. However, be careful to pick the right shade or you'll end up looking plain stupid. You can also try a deep purple lipstick, or a light brown colour for darker skin tones. You can always just wear lip gloss - candy pink for sheer Barbie, or a clear gloss. Be sure not to smudge!
    • Apply eyeshadow. Deep, dark purple, blue or black make good colours for a darker look. You can apply a heavy coat to make your eyes smudged and haunted. Silver or gold glitter eyeshadow is also perfectly girly, but can also help make you look a touch eerie if used with skill. Glitter eye shadows are great for girlier or crazier styles, while strong deep colours work better for solids.
  9. Have the right attitude. After doing all of the previous steps perfectly, you can ruin everything by simply having the wrong attitude on the night. Giggling endlessly or telling everyone how "dumb" you feel will not work in you or your costume's favour. Be confident - not arrogant or meek. Try to look blank and haunted, scary and dark, or simply be yourself. Make sure you have fun - after all, that's what it's all about.



Tips

  • Use face paint to draw scars and bruises onto your skin for added effect. Try the same with fake blood if you're going for the vampire look. You can also add rhinestones and glitter. Even though Barbie is dead and can't cover all the blood, she still likes to look her best with glitter and makeup.
  • If you find some black clothing that is well worn and has faded to a charcoal color, you can try dyeing it with fabric dye.
  • Carry around a shopping bag as your treat bag, but it shouldn't be ripped otherwise Get Candy on Halloween if You're Too Old will fall out.
  • Not all Barbie dolls wear heavy makeup. Apply only as much makeup as you want, but don't cake it on unless you're comfortable with it. But, if you are, it can be a great "ultra-barbie doll" look.
  • If you are planning on wearing your outfit several times, you may want to put some glue around the holes of your costume dress. Put it about a half-inch away from the edge of your holes. This way you can still have a tattered edge, but it will be less likely to turn into a giant hole that ruins your costume.
  • This Win a Costume Contest works well with a black or pink base, but once you get the hang of it you can alter and edit your color scheme to suit your mood. A good costume always has one or two, maybe three solid, main colours, to create a theme. Try different shades - candy pink, rose pink, hot pink, grey black, dark black, etc. Move on to experiment with different colours, though try to be recognizable as a perfect, pretty doll gone wrong. If you simply wear a ripped black dress, you may find it difficult to convince others that you were once Barbie.
  • This costume idea is very flexible, allowing you to add any elements you like. For example, try incorporating a vampire theme into the look by dying your hair black and wearing false-fangs, and perhaps tying a cloak round your neck. For a different, more "zombie" look, try mixing in a small amount of green face paint to your foundation and using darker makeup on your eyes.
  • If you want an extra spooky cool look then highlight your hair with hair spray-red will be your best option.

Warnings

  • Not everyone may like your costume idea. If you like it, though, it doesn't even matter.
  • Try not to appear too scary if you're around a lot of young children. It's not fun to end a night with several phone calls from irritated and distressed parents.

Things You'll Need

  • Dress.
  • Fabric paint, burnt cork, glitter (optional).
  • Pretty shoes.
  • Accessories.

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