#so im just doing some lipstick and glittery highlight

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Me: I should probably clean my room, unpack, find my laptop and finish the work tasks that were due yesterday

Also me: I think I'm going to hot glue flowers, vines, and ribbons to a basket instead :)

[theparanormalperiodical]

Scary Halloween Costumes: Your Guide To Realistic and Really Spooky Costumes (On A Budget)

“In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. 

In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it”

Set your stop watches people - we’ve got 11 days to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year: Halloween. 

And despite the cultural traditions echoing across the world, there is one phenomenon that dominates the rest.

Halloween costumes. 

It’s the personalised touch Christmas loses out on, and it's the one day of the year we can awaken our inner child.

And no, I don’t mean the therapeutic kind where you get in touch with your real, raw self. I mean the inner child that wants to pull on a Pennywise cosplay and eat an unrealistic amount of processed crap.

Working out your halloween costume requires thought and consideration. And then giving up on creating a latex prosthetic and slapping on a pair of cat ears. 

But at the Paranormal Periodical, we like to do things a bit different.

If you like things spooky and you’re a bit skint, pull up a chair - welcome to your complete guide to realistic halloween costume ideas!

Every year we see the classic costumes: a witch in a black hat; a vampire sporting a single drop of fake blood on the lip; and a zombie with a scrape of blood down one arm. 

I’ve decided to shake shit up. 

I’ve taken the most common costumes, and gone back to the roots of the creatures. Yep, I’m rewriting halloween, and putting scary back on the menu!

So, if you’re considering being a witch, vampire, zombie, or mermaid, here is your guide to the realistic costumes.

Let’s get spooky!

The Witch

It’s a classic.

It’s the go-to option for women, merely requiring a pointy hat you can grab from Claire’s, and the clothes from your goth phase when you were 14.

Add a smudge of black eyeshadow, practice a cackle, and boom.

You just got halloweened. 

But actual witches from way-back-when weren’t so Instagram.

In fact, they were considered the worst kind of women: hag-like, old, ugly, disgusting women. If you can think up a trope for a stereotypically ugly woman - which isn’t necessarily true, I mean, people rock unibrows every damn day - then put it in your costume.

Back in the 1640s, witches were considered poor, crone-like women. That’s a moustache, wrinkles, hairy brows, squinted eyes, and crooked teeth.

Also, they had teats! No, that’s nothing to do with their actual nipples, you won’t have to do anything to your own.

Basically, a point of ID for a witch was a devil’s mark - that’s scars, pimples, birthmarks - anything which symbolised their pact with the devil. Or, they had extra nipples which their animal sidekicks would suckle from.

Speaking of scars, if a witch pricked her finger, and it didn't bleed, the subject was a witch fo sho. And if they placed their hands on a dead body that they had killed, the body would start to bleed.

The final trademark fashion statement comes from one of the witch tests: dunking.

Aside from being stripped to her scanties, the witch’s thumb was tied to her big toe and a rope was cinched around her waist. She was chucked into a body of water - if she floated, she was a witch! If she sunk, she would die!

Yeah, it’s not a good test.

So, how does all that shizz translate to a costume?

Here’s how:

For the signature makeup, go with a heavy brow, and dark, eyelined eyes to perfect the squint.

Then, fake scar it up. I’m talking dots of red on your hands, maybe draw a pink circle on your face for a nipple, and slash a lipstick scratch up your arm.

Or, ditch the red dots on your hands for literal red hands - just like the blood pouring out of your victim’s body. It could be fake blood, it could be red nails, it could even be patches of dark reddy-brown!

Whatever it is, finish the look with the iconic style of a witch:

Follow up with the fashion twist on a black pointy hat, tie a rope around your waist to give shape to the look, and tie some wool or string around your fingers.

That’s right; accessorise your way to authenticity.

The Vampire

This is the unisex approach to halloween.

Couple of drips of fake blood, maybe an Edward Cullen inspired quiff - anything can be a costume if its teamed up with the im-100-years-old-but-look-17-so-its-not-creepy smoulder.

But there’s a lot more to the vampire phenomenon that didn’t make it into Nosferatu, nor Twilight.

Vampires were popularised in the 19th century, so most of their style inspo was based on Victorian vibes. But in terms of their bodies and faces, there are some striking features you need to know about:

Vampires were often regarded as have bloated faces and bodies, and ruddy looking skin; these are the supposed effects of blood drinking.

And this blood was also believed to seep out of the mouth - and the nose. But fangs? They were rarely reported.

These features from past vampire sightings have been typically debunked via two explanations: the disease, Poryphoria, a group of diseases which cause blistering and itching in sunlight, and the past’s lack of knowledge regarding decomposition.

So, fancy reworking your Edward Cullen into something a little less up-to-date?

Here’s what you need to do:

Take your fangs and fake blood stash from last year, and do the classic drip from the lip look.

But this time, smear a little under your nose, too. 

Speaking of facial features, it’s time to get ruddy - that means giving yourself a flushed look. So, grab some blush - reddy, pink tones, only - and go to town. I’d suggest a patchy look for the deathy vibes.

And make sure you leave your contouring kit in your make-up bag - aim for a bloated, round-faced look. Or, opt for loose clothes or something baby bump-esque to bloat out your half-dead body.

To finish the look, dab on some liquid latex and pull apart to give wrinkly, blistery skin in patches. You can even check out my tips for being a zombie to ensure you achieve the death you aim for!

The Zombie

In more recent years, this has become to go-to for quick costumes, thanks to show like The Walking Dead.

But it’s not the easy part of the look that I love, it’s this: a zombie is an inclusive halloween costume. 

Anyone can do it. 

You can pull out your FX make-up stash to show your skull’s skin peeling off and limb rotting, or simply pull a face and make a groaning noise.

You don’t even have to buy new clothes! Put on your usual get up, and stick your arms out like a Mummy.

#nailedit

But - if you’re asking me - achieving the realistic death look isn’t an expensive or difficult feat.

Zombies are supposed to be the undead; they’re infected and they’re decaying. 

So, let’s go through some of the features of slowly rotting corpses:

A few minutes into death - aside from going cold, and going pale - cells begin to die and leak as they breakdown. Couple hours after the beginning of that process, things start to get shitty...

Yep, piss and poop just start leaking out ya body.

Then, your skin starts to sag, leaving it pale with red patches. Then, that skin shrinks, making your hair and nails appear as if they are growing.

Following this, your skin turns green as you begin to digest your organs. Then bugs, like maggots, take part in consuming your body.

It’s not long before you turn purple, lose hair, and slowly become a skeleton.

And there you have it.

#decayed

Question is, how can achieve this look?

Settle in folks, and let’s get dead.

(Oh, and I can assume you don’t want to be a skeleton with purple skin draping on your bones; so let’s cut to the early effects!)

To get your undead chic on, here’s what’s on your to-do list:

For ya face, make things red and patchy with a dab of red lipstick smudged around your visage. Oh, and don’t forget to moisturise and highlight - think less leaking cells, more dewy finish.

A few patches of grotesque green will further the final look. You could even put gel on the ends of your hair to make it seem wet, or longer, and define your fingernails with brown eyeshadows.

Yep, start contouring your nails - let’s start a #trend. 

Ready to take things to the next level? Cut some gummy worms up, and latex ‘em to your face.

Et voila, ya ded. 

The Mermaid

Our final option is the current Insta-fave.

Joining the ranks of the pastel-aesthetic is the glittery, highlighted-on-fleek mermaid.

But why be pretty, when you can be pretty damn realistic?

Fact is, nothing is more realistic - and scary - than climate change. So, it follows that any mermaid will probably be struggling in the plastic-filled hot tub that is the ocean.

It’s time to swap the dewy, contoured fish finish for an actual mermaid. Or, well, a dead one.

Typically, a dead human who had been left in the ocean would have several zombie-like characteristics that would be exacerbated by the sea water.

Your body breaks down much more slowly in water, and salt water - like sea water - would slow the decaying process even more so. A body left in the ocean for 2 weeks will look the same as one left in open air for a week!

So, that’s the red, patchy, dewy finish we already discussed with zombies.

And instead of the pruning you get in a bubble bath, imagine blistering, black skin. Plus, that skin also becomes swollen, and bleached, giving you the bloated, patchy glow that you don’t see in The Little Mermaid.

Oh, and don’t forget your body!

Thanks to accumulating gases, the abdomen swells from bloating. 

Fun fact: this is what makes corpses turn upside down and rise with the torso and head at the water’s surface!

So, are you ready to get your mermaid on?

Swap your Ariel wig and beachy waves for patchy, red and green skin, and use latex to create blistered, wrinkled skin in patches.

Simply follow my tips for a go-to zombie look, and like, make it wetter.

Don’t forget to stuff a jumper down your shirt to puff out your abdomen - bonus points for farting out those gases filling out your torso.

Now, go get your fish on!

So: which supernatural being are you vibing with this All Hallows’ Eve?

And which of your past halloween costumes have you been most proud of?

(Mine was my Man-Spider costume from last year...)

[prodigaisons]

there’s a really good discussion to be had on how like, hyperfeminine/women who are feminine for their own enjoyment and gnc women are seen as essentially the same by men

like,,,,, I think an important aspect of femininity that is often ignored here is that it not only has to be performed in the way condoned by cishet white men, but must be performed for those same men. there’s a reason these men hate women they deem vain- the assumption is this woman is, to some degree, choosing her clothes and makeup based on what she personally likes

men routinely talk about how they hate bright, dramatic makeup. colored eyeshadow, glitter, bold lipstick, highlighter, etc. the reason? makeup is supposed to be a tool to force women to alter our appearances to what men enjoy. these are things women started doing bc they’re fun!

it’s no fun to sit there for 2 hours blending neutral tone makeup so you just look like a slightly better version of urself- it’s more fun to instead give urself a glittery purple smoky eye with thick eyeliner, unrealistic lashes, black lipstick, and white highlight.

and I’m not saying the culture around this makeup isn’t ever bad- the way high cover foundation is used can be scary, but there’s a huge difference in how women who wear very natural makeup and women who wear exclusively dramatic makeup are treated?

like, im not treated that differently from the more gnc women in my classes (comp sci) once men realize I’m a lesbian and only wear makeup when I feel like it. there’s no difference to them between a woman who outright rejects those things and a woman who rejects them. the only difference is men will immediately decide a gnc woman is off the table and I’m considered a possibility until the outright rejection

[ellienickless09]

Hey guys!

With halloween just around the corner I thought it would be fun to try out some halloween inspired make up looks. Today Im starting out with the ghost with the most and one of my favourite movie characters Beetlejuice. So lets get started.

So Im going to start of with the eyes. Im going to be doing them in the classic Beetlejuice colours green and purple. Im going to use the colour from this MUA’s pallet called silent disco. I will be using my real techniques base shadow brush.

I’ll be starting with the lightest of the greens called Rave. Im putting this all over the lid and up to the eyebrow.

I then add the medium green called Revel to the lid then add the darker green Wild to the conners of my eye. Once thats done I will be adding this dark green from my Wizardry and Witchcraft shadow pallet which I found on eBay.

I will be adding the green called potions with my studio double ended brush. I will be using the more rounded end of the brush as I find it easier to apply.

I will be applying this green like I would apply eyeliner so its just across some of my lid.

Now going back to the MUA pallet using the same press (clean the green of first), Im taking the purple colour called Electro. Again using the rounded end of the brush I am applying this under my eye. Going all the way along so it meets the green at both ends.

Then I just added some mascara to finish off the eyes. I am then moving on to doing my face. As Beetlejuice is dead and comes up from the ground he is rotting and he has a lot of green rot on his head. So Im taking the three green from the MUA pallet and using my Real techniques angled highlighter brush, I’m adding the greens to my head building up the “rot”.

Starting on my forehead and making my way down my face. Im manly doing this on my forehead because this is where he has the most rot in his look.

You can build up the greens anyway you like. If you have a darker green I would recommend adding that but I didn’t have one that wasn’t glittery so I stuck with the three in the MUA pallet.

I added bits of white from revolution’s flawless 2 pallet, just to add more paleness to the look as Beetlejuice is very pale as he is dead.

Then I used my finger in the black of this Gosh pallet called thunderstorm. I added this under my eye to give it a more dead feel.

I then mored on to the eyebrows. I used the studio brush in the purple I used before from the MUA pallet. I then added this all over my eyebrow.

For the final step I used MUA’s lipstick called Mulberry to add the purple. Then using the same green from the wizardry pallet and the studio brush I added the green to the lips to show the two colours of Beetlejuice.

And now for the final look!

This was a very fun look to do and I hope you enjoyed it. I will defiantly be doing more make up looks for halloween so stay tuned for that. You can follow the blog to get notified when I post next. You can also follow me on all my social media (buttons on the side). Also comment to let me know what character you would like me to do next and check out my other make up looks.

Thanks for reading! See you next time.

  Beetlejuice inspired make up! Hey guys! With halloween just around the corner I thought it would be fun to try out some halloween inspired make up looks.