Friday, October 21, 2011

Halloween Dress-Up: Easy Costume Ideas

Happy Friday!

Halloween is just around the corner (10 days away, to be exact!), and almost everyone I know has already decided what they're gonna be... and I haven't.

I'm not really the kind of person who goes all out for Halloween. The last time I really dressed up was two years ago. And when I was a little girl, I was always dressed as a cat -- red leggings, red shirt, a cat tail, cat headband, and whiskers drawn on my face with an eyeliner -- because my Mom never finished sewing my princess dress, haha. ;)

My best friend, on the other hand, always goes all out for Halloween. Sometimes she buys her costume, other times she makes them. I don't really want to spend money on a costume I'll only wear once, but I am not artistic enough to make one either. The solution? Find pieces in your closet that when worn all together can pass for a Halloween costume.

Costume #1: Kate Middleton


The Duchess of Cambridge is arguably the most photographed and most talked about person this year.
Why not be her for Halloween? :)

Halloween Dress-Up: Kate Middleton

It would be quite difficult to recreate her wedding day ensemble, so I say go for her now-iconic engagement announcement look.

Pair a blue, long-sleeved dress with black pumps.
If you have long, luscious brown locks = perfect! If not, you can always wear a wig.
Accessorize with a delicate gold necklace, and don't forget your famous sapphire engagement ring!

Additional thought... ask your husband or boyfriend to dress in a navy blue suit with a purple necktie -- he can be the William to your Kate! ;)

Costume #2: Beyonce


Beyonce has also been in the headlines a lot as she recently announced her pregnancy, and unveiled her baby bump at the end of her 2011 MTV VMAs performance.

Halloween Dress-Up: Beyonce

The basis of this costume are two very basic pieces: black pants and a white button down shirt.
The tricky part is the blazer: if you can't find a purple sequined blazer, either go for any colored sparkly blazer or a normal purple tuxedo blazer.
Wear black T-strap heels and hoop earrings. Style your hair like Beyonce's.
Carry around a microphone. Or better yet, go the extra mile and sport a baby bump... and don't forget to show everyone! ;)

Costume #3: Hermione Granger


Hermione is the ultimate heroine of 2011, thanks to the blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Show your love for the most epic movie franchise of all time by dressing up as Hermione.

Halloween Dress-Up: Hermione Granger

This is a really easy one!

Wear dark wash jeans, cover up your tank top with a pink hoodie, and put on a denim jacket over it.
Complete the look with sensible Converse shoes and a messy bun or ponytail.
Don't forget your wand, and brush up on your spells!

To make things more fun, have your friends dress up as other Harry Potter characters... and take a photo similar to the one above! ;)

Costume #4: Adele


Another person who's been everywhere (and rightfully so) this year?
The ever-so-talented Adele!

Halloween Dress-Up: Adele

Conservative black dresses worn with black stockings and black pumps is Adele's signature look.
Use a bumpit to achieve any of her gorgeous hairstyles and sport dramatic eye makeup.
It wouldn't hurt to belt out lines from Adele's hits like Rolling in the Deep or Someone Like You. ;)

The good thing about these costume ideas is if you have to buy one or two pieces to complete the look you chose, I'm pretty sure it's something you will be able to use many times in the future. Win-win situation, right?

I have to rummage through my closet to see which of these four looks I will copy for Halloween. Right now, though, I'm thinking Hermione...

What (or who) are you gonna be for Halloween? What do you think of these costume ideas? Which one is your favorite?

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P.S. Last chance to enter my Stages of Beauty giveaway -- it closes tomorrow, Saturday, October 22nd at 11:59pm PST. To enter, please click here.

Twitter? WhatMimiWrites :)

46 comments:

  1. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE IDEAS! In South-Africa we don't really celebrate or do anything big for halloween, think it's more a US thing (boring I know)! But I love the idea it, and def think I'm going to make a night of it, and love the Hermoine one ... thanks for posting xx

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  2. These are wonderful ideas!!! I am not one for dressing up either and a couple years ago was the first time I dressed up since I was younger...and a cat or baby were always my fallback go to items! LOL!

    Liesl :)

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  3. Elrese-- you're so welcome! i'm so so glad you loved these ideas! and i don't see why you can't throw a little halloween party. it's all good fun. :D

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  4. Liesl-- hahaha, yay for cats! ;) and thanks, glad you loved them!

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  5. I love how you also included bump-its to achieve the perfect Adele hair!

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  6. Hey, found your blog from Jess's (87 life) and I love it! Great posts, kept me entertained! I love how you're representing the Brits in this one, especially love the Kate Middleton look!

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  7. Great ideas, more for our age anyway :-P I love Adele costume idea, that would be great to wear. Besides, it's really classy :-D
    Have a spectacular day,

    xoxo
    http://marinnelle.blogspot.com/

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  8. Greta ideas!
    I'm going to be a crazy cats lady! Still working on my costume!

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  9. Love the ideas you posted, Mimi. I love the Adele costume the most, but I think I'll go for the Beyonce look, it's the only time of the year I can actually get away for being too sparkly haha

    Cheers,

    Wi
    A Single Girl's Musings

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  10. omg i love these ideas especially beyonces and will and kate too cute
    xx

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  11. ellie-- glad you think so! :)

    Miss L-- thanks!

    menina-- i'm so glad you like them!

    Lisa-- aww, thanks!

    Sarah-- thanks for stopping by and i'm glad you like my blog! oh and, of course, i love brits! :)

    ML-- thank you! have a spectacular day too!

    Cafe Moka-- ooooh, that sounds interesting! ;)

    Wi-- haha, yeah, the beyonce costume seems fun!

    devin-- yay, glad you love them!

    Venus Loves Virgo-- thanks! :)

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  12. Great costume ideas! I have no idea what we're going to be yet, so I need all the suggestions I can get! Last year we won a costume contest as Margo and Richie Tenenbaum, so somehow need to top that in the next week! :)
    Thanks so much for the sweet comment on my blog today! Have a lovely weekend! xo

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  13. lol aw great ideas, I haven't been to a Halloween
    party for years! probably over 5-6 or more, yikes XD
    I've always liked Halloween though. My first costume
    was a princess, then a vampire slayer, and that was
    pretty much it XD my neighbourhood used to be filled
    with kids, but we're all older now and there isn't
    enough people in our neighbourhood to hand out candy too :(

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  14. Amanda-- oh wow, so this year your costume should win too, huh? ;) have a lovely weekend too!

    Peiji-- haha, same here, i haven't been to a halloween party in a while. and wow, no more kids in your neighborhood? :/

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  15. You are smart! These are great choices! :D
    http://sassyuptownchic.blogspot.com/

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  16. omg thanks for the inspirations! last year i was a playboy's playmate, which is not so creative i must admit but i had fun because that's my first time playing dress up for halloween! i'm not sure what i'm gonna be for this year but dressing up as celebrities is a great idea. people has always dressed up as Angelina Jolie for some reason, hahaha i guess Kate Middleton deserves a chance now! (:

    JOIN MY H&M GIVEAWAY

    Fashion Geek's Closet
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  17. Mimi, these are fun AND practical!

    I like Kate's, it will feel like you're just out for a fancy dinner date. I don't like dressing up for Halloween but if I had to, I'll probably wear this.

    ***** Marie *****
    allthingsmarie.com

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  18. Hey! Hermione would be a really easy costume. Thanks for that idea. I was also thinking of dressing up as Russell from Up! That'd be really cute.

    :)
    Carrie
    http://readmylifeascarrie.blogspot.com/

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  19. SassyUptownChic-- aww, thank you! :)

    Wynne-- haha, that's true! i've seen a lot of people dressed as angelina. ;)

    Marie-- yeah, you're right about that! it's a cool costume, but it's not exactly a costume. ;)

    Carrie-- you're welcome! dressing up as russell would be cute too! :)

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  20. That's wonderful idea! Hope I have the chance to take part in the Halloween party. :)

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  21. Peiyinn-- thanks, i'm happy you think they're wonderful! and hey, maybe you can host a little halloween get-together? ;)

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  22. Super great ideas, I especially loved the Kate Middleton one. :D

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  23. These costumes are so fun, Mimi! I'm going to be a black cat for Halloween! :)

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  24. Awesome ideas! I vote for Kate or Adele! Or you can always go back to the regular cat look (I think that's what I'm going to be!).

    Hope you have a great weekend! XOXO, Stephanie @ Blonde Highlights

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  25. Great outfits and post! <3<3 Have a nice weekend!

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  26. Great ideas! Kate Middleton would be so fun. :)

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  27. Sandra-- isn't that one so much fun?! ;)

    Erika-- oooh, that sounds good too! and easy to put together, i imagine. :)

    Stephanie-- haha, i think it would be funny to go back to my childhood costume. ;)

    Love Sushi and Fashion-- have a nice weekend too! :D

    yiqin-- thanks! :)

    Grace-- it really would be so much fun! ;)

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  28. Awww I LOVE Adele! Great ideas:-) My neighbor lady calls me and the hubby Will and Kate already, may have to use that idea!

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  29. Tamara Nicole-- aww, well that is perfect! you guys should totally be will and kate for halloween! if you do, please post pics on your blog. :D

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  30. Haha these are great ideas, girl! ;) I'm loving it! I agree. Hermione would be the easiest one to do. I love dressing up for Halloween, but I don't always want to buy a costume so this is a fab solution!

    I like Kate's too. It would be so cute to dress as the royal couple with your boyfriend hehe.

    XoXo, Bree
    http://vivalabreee.blogspot.com/
    Tweet me: Viva_La_Breee

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  31. Bree-- yeah, i am totally the same that's why i always try to think of ways to save money but still have fun. ;) and yeah, it would be so cool to dress up as will and kate. :)

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  32. I wanna be Hermione because I love the Harry Potter books very much :D Unfortunately Halloween isn't famous enough in Hungary :(

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  33. Dorika-- aww, but you can start your own little halloween get-together, right? ;)

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  34. Omg I think dressing as Kate would be a great idea! I think you should do a demented Kate,like do smudged eye make-up, blood on her hands, face and body and smudged lipstick. You could also do dishevelled hair and blood in her hair. Just an idea,but I think it would look really good! Let us know what you decide! You did so much work for this post,you are fab at this blogging lark! XxxX
    http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.com/

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  35. Second Hand Rose-- hahaha, that would be epic! thanks for the idea! ;) and thank you, that really means a lot to me, i appreciate that. i love spending time making quality posts for you guys. :)

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  36. I would love just too wear Adele look to a cocktail party!
    Great idea's btw Mimi!

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  37. Dizzy-- thank you, i'm glad you loved them! :D

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  38. lmao!!! ^^ Your post made me laugh ^^ becuz for them they were well dressed-up they were in hahahahaha you killed me ! where's the like button??! great idea for Halloween! what a shame don't celebrate is :s

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  39. Jo and Sue-- awwwww, i'm so glad that you love it!!! :D

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