Seems like for kids it’s more about events these days. Least around these parts. Only one kid’s knocked on my door in the last 5 years. They’re all at these ‘spooktackular’ ‘boo bashes’. I envisioned finger quotes there for no good reason at all, except that I’ll be home.

Looking though my Halloween makeup tips from a previous year, I’m pretty impressed. Not sure I have a lot to add to that except that spirit gum is the best sticky substance choice for your prosthetics and gauzes and the like. You’ll find it at all the costume places.

If you’re panicked to get something together last minute, these Halloween looks for the office may help you out. And of course, you have to add Charlie Sheen to the list. Take it a step up by crusting a little baking soda around a nostril.

For those more industrious revelers, check out my personal favorite- really gross Halloween costume ideas. This year’s addition? I’m thinking the litter box. Such a great DIY opportunity, I don’t want to squelch any creativity and provide suggestions, except that a (stuffed) cat stuck on somewhere would be a great touch.

If you’re hosting this year, please use this baby doll dip bowl idea. It’s kind of special.

Happy Halloween 2011!

Mad Men inspired costumes are also on the top costumes 2011 list, which is awesome because I know many of you have been waiting for an opportunity to test drive one of those pointy-shaped cone bras.

While I can’t condone it (those poor girls!), dressing as a Toddlers and Tiaras character is expected to be a popular costume choice. Don’t forget to put Vaseline on your teeth so they sparkle! Gross.

Zombies are expected to make a strong showing, while sparkle-in-the-sunlight vampires are on the way out. Adios, twinkle toes. Zombies are fun because they can be scary or slutty. Or my favorite, scary slutty.

Anything Apple! This is a great cardboard opportunity. From i-phones to vintage desktops, a homage to Steve Jobs is a solid Halloween 2011 choice.

From old David Bowie to new Lady Gaga, I’m really feeling the glam vibe this Hollow’s Eve. Here are a few ideas for using makeup to create an easy glam Halloween look.

-For a toned down sophisticated glam choose vibrant lips in non-traditional tones like blue, purple, or green. My previous post on Matching Lips and Nails is a great example.

-Use the old drag queen glue stick trick to cover your eyebrows. Once it dries, create new ones in bold colors using eyeliner. Keep as-is, or combine this glam Halloween look with a super glittery or metallic lip gloss.

-Painted on glitter sunglasses are a strong glam look. Use a stencil or freehand it to create the sunglasses shape around the eyes with face paint or makeup. You can use a paint that already has glitter, or apply the glitter over a cream so that it sticks. Download a free stencil here. They’re for kids, but you can make it work… you just can’t trace time.

-Of course there’s the classic lightening bolt over/through the eye. Use a thin scrap of paper or thin bendable plastic to make the straight edges for the outline and fill in as desired.

The key to glam Halloween makeup is being free and creative with your vision. Use staples like metallics, bold colors, and glitter and you can’t go wrong. We are all born superstars.

1. Fat taken from a liposuction job.  Could even be someone specific’s fat from a specific part of the body. Hum… tapioca in clear plastic wrap?

2. Vomit, a classic. There are so many ways to make vomit really so go with what feels most authentic. Cardboard toilet seat hat takes the look to the next level. Or you can just wait and see if it becomes your costume by the end of the night.

3. Junkie is always a fun one. A friend of mine was ‘Heroine Sheik’ one year. He put track marks on with one of those dinky little kits with red, black, and white makeup and wore a sheik headdress. I thought that was clever, but any kind of junkie is cute. Lots of scabs add a nice touch.

4. Inside a porta-potty. Some cardboard, some cotton, a food coloring concoction… Eew!

5. A bed bug. Gross AND timely. Like an elementary school play costume, some carefully glued felt and a few pipe cleaners should get you started.

If you’re trying to stay away from the headband cop-out, but don’t want to get so creative you’re having to tell people what you are all day (or drop any serious coinage) here are a few wholesome and easy Halloween tricks for your daytime office obligations.

1. Red scarf around curl-set hair, makeup-free face, some type of denim ensemble = Rosie the Riveter.

2. One large hoop earring, a scarf around the head and a drawn-on mustache = Pirate.

3. Plastic fangs, a drizzle of blood out of the mouth, and some black eyeliner = Vampire.

4. Grunge eye makeup, a white tee, lots of accessories with metal and leather and the like, dark shaggy hair = Joan Jett

5. Over-alls, red tee, red baseball hat, moustache = Mario

6. Teased hair with scarf or headband, fingerless lace gloves, red lips, pearl necklace, leggings = Classic Madonna

7. A scary rubber mask or somewhat original wig is totally a cut above the cat ears. Because I love it… Gangster Braids Wig

This may be surprising, but I actually just saw Jersey Shore for the first time yesterday. Wow. Just wow. I predict the Jersey Shore characters to be the most popular Halloween costumes this year. Even if you don’t plan a costume ahead of time, the looks are so cheap and easy it’s totally possible to throw it together after work or school.

I’m going to focus on Angelina and Snookie since, at least in the episode I saw, they were the craziest bitches.

1. Dark wig. Go for the Cleopatra type selection. For Angelina, keep it straight and brush it into a side-part. Don’t forget to constantly tuck your bangs aside all night to stay in character. For Snookie, section out a square of hair on the crown of the wig and make a bun. Tease the strands in front of the bun and then brush them over top of it, securing with tons of hair spray. Or, with lead time you can buy an actual Snookie wig. I guess because she ‘invented the freakin’ poof’’?

2. Fake n Bake! You can slather up with fake tanner, but you may not want to have to explain the lasting effect come November…. So I say get a super cheap drug store bronzer or too dark/orange powder and go nuts with that.

3. Black eyeliner. Top and bottom. Make sure it’s nice and thick.

4. For Snookie, use a dark gray eye shadow all over the lid and frosty silver or white highlighter above the crease. For Angelina, go for blue shadow all over the lid and no highlighter.

5. Apply a pale pink lipstick like NYC’s Flirty or Fragile Pink.

6. And now for the best part, your slut gear! Nothing better than being ironically slutty, especially with bling, it’s a win-win.

You’re set to squish. I mean smash. Just don’t forget your ever-present cup of nondescript liquid.

Not easy, but AWESOME

-An old drag costume trick is to use gluestick to cover textured areas like eyebrows. Allow to dry and put makeup over top.

-Always drizzle fake blood and allow to dry. Painting it on or attempting to smear it won’t look natural.

-If you need copious amounts of fake blood not sold at the costume shop, like for a Carrie costume, combine corn syrup and red food coloring. Combine a little a this and a little of that until you get the right color.

-Fake eyelash glue is a good, safe adhesive for anything not too heavy such as hair or bits or gore. Let it dry for a few seconds before trying to adhere it. I like Duo.

-If your costume makeup is of a human character, look for details like eye brow shape, moles, and lip shape. For example, throwing on the Kate Gosselin wig is nothing without giving her the inner-eyebrow arch.

-This may seem obvious, but powder products are to be used AFTER cream or liquid products.

-Mixing water-soluble and grease paint type makeup just won’t do. Stick to one or the other.

-For scary makeup, focus on texture. Use a paint brush, stipple sponge, tissue, or anything around the house on your makeup to give it a yucky quality.

-Think about getting your costume on before you start. You’ll be sad if you get your makeup just right only to realize you have to somehow get a turtle-neck over it.

-Alcohol based makeup will stand up best against sweat or weather elements.

Pretty much the opposite of How to do Zombie Makeup, fairy makeup is light and airy and very very happy. Fairies giggle and grant wishes and are the embodiment of whimsical dreams.

The following are tips on how to do fairy makeup so that it is subtle and beautiful without coming out like one big pot of glitter.

-  Mix a touch of liquid highlighter with your foundation or tinted moisturizer to make the skin a little glowy all-over. Stila’s Luminizer is a perfect example. For a light skinned fairy choose a pink highlighter and for a dark skinned fairy chose a golden highlighter like a bronzer. If you have a powder product and want to use that instead, that’s fine too.

-Powder down the t-zone and so that most of the glow is on the cheeks and edges.

-Apply an eye shadow over your lids to create an undertone in a color of your choice. I like green blue or purple for fairies.

-Use a gooey liquid glitter substance from the party supply or halloween store that has a clear base and thin coverage over the shadow so that it dries shiny and sparkly. Only do the lids-do not take the glitter all the way up to the eyebrows! Scary fairy. For less shine you can use a powder glitter, or an eyeliner that has a touch or sparkle. Check out the drugstore for cheap options like Wet n Wild Megashimmer.

-Choose a light pink blush and apply it only to the apples of the cheeks.

-Add a touch of the glitter to the upper, outer cheek bone.

-False eyelashes are wonderful and can be very long if you like. A choice like this one that is longer on the outer edges is my favorite.

-If you like, add a stick-on rhinestone type appliqué just under the outer edge of the eye. Sweet 17 has a great step-by-step for this.

-A light pink lip gloss is the perfect final touch.

I love this fairy-inspired Free People ad. Tons of curls, little braids, flowers, and ribbons are all wonderful hair ideas without being overly costume-y. Pretty!

Today, the boundary between the sexy slut and modest matron dissolves and women around the country celebrate by taking their top excuse a year to don Playboy bunny ears, fishnets, and chrome thigh-high platform boots. Cat tail, leotard, and stilettos and Hallow’s Eve is on bitch! Wooooo

For those of you going for this ‘traditional’ Halloween look, check out my previous post on Stripper Eyes makeup. For those of you looking for a more creative slutty option, try one of these costume ideas:

-Dead slut. You still get to use the push-up bra and fake lashes, but you’re a little cooler for adding your method of death. A noose around the neck is an easy one.

-Vampire. Be one of the bad vampires who wear dog collars and vinyl skirts. A lot of black eyeliner and fangs are a must.

-Attack Victim. Werewolves totally shred clothing! Take a pair of scissors to your outfit to add some skin. A slash through the bottom of the breast area is super sexy. Reverse cleavage, ooo lala. Add a rip right up the thigh. Smudge your makeup and make your hair ruffled for a good morning-after reference too.

-Lipstick lesbian. Not feeling like dressing up? Just go to the party with your BFF. If anyone asks what you are, just start making out and it should be obvious. Hold hands at least; the thought of it will be sexy enough without having to swap spit. Beware this is a dangerous costume.

-Satirical Paris Hilton type. See, the genius here, much like with Pink’s video for ‘Stupid Girl’ is that you get to dress up like a slut while making fun of people who dress like, or do slutty things. Get a bunch of copies of ‘One Night in Paris’ to hand out for PR .

-Plastic Surgery Victim. The idea here is much like the previous one. Get the chicken cutlet inserts to make your tits HUGE. Wear a Juicy Couture sweatsuit unzipped for cleavage (with short shorts, not pants of course), a long blond wig, and a pair of those wax lips.

Man, I’m having fun with this one. I could go on, but instead I’d like to hear some of your ideas…. Comment your creative slut costume suggestion!

Colors to make sure are in your kit: Black, Yellow, Green, White, Red.

Tips: For a good Zombie effect, you want a lot of texture. Vampires can be nice and smooth, but zombie makeup should have some good flesh-eating texture. Besides texture, it’s important to focus on the entire face in terms of highlight and contour. Eyes sockets and under the cheekbones are contours while brow bone and the tops of the cheekbones are highlights.

Set by Step:

1. For a good, healthy Zombie use the green and yellow, mixing together with a touch of black or white to make it lighter or darker, for the face. For less health, lean more towards the white. Take the large makeup sponge and cover the entire face (including lips) and neck. Color application does not have to be even so if there’s a more yellow or green in a part it’s just fine. You are a nasty Zombie.

2. Create your contours with the black. Start with a good wide hallow under the cheekbone. Extend a bit of that lightly towards the sides of the mouth. Then go for the eye sockets, covering all the way into the eyebrows and deep underneath the eyes. Focus a concentration of black right along the inner lower corner where someone naturally will have tired eyes, stipple here with your brush. And finally, add a touch of black on just the inner rim of the lips. Like as though you’ve been sucking a black lollipop.

3. Highlight with a touch of white along the tops of the cheekbones and the brow bone to help accentuate undead dead-like bone structure.

4. Add your gash wound(s). You can use an appliance kit like described in the last post (which sticks best to skin without makeup, so clear the area or stick it on first). Or, just take the red and create stitches, rope burn marks, or pitchfork holes as you like. Use the black to create dimension and the brush for texture.

5. Make sure your clothes are nice and tattered. Something that refers to the zombie’s previous life like a business suit, house dress, pizza delivery uniform, etc. has a strong effect.
I didn’t make my own video, so I’m stealing someone else’s from Scare You.