Homemade Maleficent The Magnificent Costume

Well Well Well, bwahahahaha.

Hello children! I see that I was invited to attend a costume contest and I’ve decided to share my design for the maleficent look you see. Most of my costume was made with a few bought pieces torn apart and redone to fit my look I was going for. I’ll do it in sections so you can better see it and in cost took me around $60 with coupons ( I love coupons) $45-$50. Lets begin:

Horns: I bought the Maleficent foam horns as a base from Halloween City for 19.99. I apologize I don’t’ quite remember the box name. I can get it for you by request. Just email me. I was unhappy with the horns as they were so flimsy foamy, so I decided to double wrap them in medium sized ELECTRICAL tape. To reinforce the bottom of them as they came in headband form, I cut out (using pieces of the box cardboard they came in) I created medium sized circles to match the base of the horns and gorilla glued those cardboard circle bottoms to the base of the horns.

Then, to secure as extra precaution, I put a piece of electrical tape over them. By creating this extra firm bottom when I go to secure them to a head piece, they will stand stronger and won’t flop. I was unhappy with them being a headband, so I also secured the base so that I can create (off the top of my dome) a nice head piece for the horns.

Horn Skull Cap: I took my boyfriend’s old skullcap that sits about half way on the head and I tightly secured it to my head. (pulled hair back into LOW ponytail and tuck under) This way, I can get a good idea of how it will fit and I will also use this style when applying it for Halloween. Then, with a little assistance, I set marks (coloring book stickers) on left and right sides of where I’d like to pull the horns through the cap and sit placed on my head. (A boyfriend will do for the assistance for this part or Justin Timberlake) Unfortunately, he isn’t available, lol!

Okay, moving on! Then once completed, I wrapped the ENTIRE skull cap *(while still on my head) in Electrical tape and made sure I covered each spot and left a small space just enough to see my sticker placement (This way I know where to cut the holes). Then I removed the skull cap (so tight, make sure you get the right sized for your head type) and placed another set of the same cardboard sized cutouts on the sticker markers and cut out circular holes. This way, I have the same size as the ones I glued and taped down to the horns so I can make sure they won’t slip right through the cap out. Then, we move on to applying the horns.

Horn/Cap Application: Once holes are cut out and your horns have dried (the glue), take the horns and slip them through the cap from underneath and pull straight carefully until almost visible coming out. Then, hold them in place in one hand and start to tape down (use electrical tape again) around the base of the horns from the top side. Does that make sense everyone? Following? Once you slip through the horns from the bottom or inside part of cap, pull them through until they almost come out and secure them from top with a go around of electrical tape. Only do this about two times around only at the very base of the horns. Make sure you are taping the edge of the fabric from the skull cap as well when you tape the horns so that it creates a wedged closed space and the horns will not move.

Then, once that is complete, do the other horn and secure a long piece of electrical tape across the bottom of the horns from inside the skull cap for extra support. (Due to our heads sweating, that little layer of tape will help keep horns up and firm if the cardboard sweats wet. lol! Ewww! Okay, moving on. Once completed, you are done! The horn skull cap is complete and you should have just a clear single neck band of the headband hanging lose, its okay, will secure later.

Making the Maleficent head wrap: Here is when I get creative! I’m creative guys. You ready? Okay. Simple: I watched a lot, a lot of YOUTUBE videos to find the exact style of creation I wanted to try. In the process, got a big distracted and watched some makeup stuff also. I’m a girl, leave me alone, lol! Okay, so I decided to go with the LEGGINGS CREATION! Take an old pair of black stretch leggings or yoga pants and cut them down the middle, so if you put them together, you get a pair of pants! Lol. Throw away one side or set aside can use for scrap fabric if needed. Which I did, so stay tuned, save it. Take the side you keep and you will wrap it around your head, crotch first, (sorry parents for the word crotch) and so it’s like an upside down triangle the way you will apply it to your head. You will wrap it in a figure eight motion and the leg portion of the pants should end up in the back of your head.

ALSO: Please note: Do the neck piece if you apply the pants with the waistband part starting at your neck, this is an easier way to wrap and will secure a neck piece and head wrap all in one. There will be no need to use extra fabric. One half of the leggings is enough, so you will place the waistband part on the back of your neck and have someone hold it in place while you wrap the leg portions left over right or vice versa around your head and make sure you wrap and wrap until the ends or ankle part end up in the back of your head. Tie it in a knot and tuck into the rest of the fabric.

Then to secure the neck piece, poke two small holes on each side and tie a knot of extra fabric you didn’t use, a thin strip, and use that to bring the neck piece together and tie a knot to secure fit. Be sure to do this application once the skull cap is safely and carefully put on your head and tighten the clear string around your neck or you can secure it behind your ears. (I didn’t like that way) DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE OPEN PART IN THE FRONT, THAT COMES IN NEXT STEP, just make sure the horn cap and string is on and tightened and then the leggings head-wrap is on.

DRESS AND SHIRT: Simple, quick answer. I LUCKED OUT AT THE THRIFT STORE! I got a long black, satin like ball gown for $17! It didn’t quite fit so I had to rig the back of it by the zipper by adding extra strips of that fabric using HEAT BOND IRON ON STRIPS. (Available in the sewing section at Walmart, called Heat Bond Ultra Hold). LOVE THEM! I WILL USE THEM EVERY CRAFT! I only did this step because I wore it at work and didn’t want my back showing a lot, so this step can be skipped if you find a dress that fits and doesn’t require a rig.

The dress was so perfect, I didn’t need anything else, it was long, scary and satin black, BUT SPAGHETTI STRAP. So, to fix this issue, I wore a dri star female long sleeve jet black top that comes naturally tight so it looks and blends in with the dress type and has a little bit of a neck to cover more skin! (That’s why I said above, don’t worry about the open part in the head-wrap section, it will be covered between this step and next) So I put the top on and the dress with a little help and that’s it! You can find a good dress if you go to a thrift store or old clearance dresses on sale. I only use ball gowns for the dramatic look! Alternative for this costume is a dristar or under-armor top and leggings and tall black boots.

Cape and Collar- ANOTHER DEAL! I bought with my coupons on major discount, a $40 Black velvet like cape with purple lining (love it gorgeous) for ready! $14 dollars! Why? Cape had a hole in the hood, so I brought that up, the girl dropped it to $25 instantly, wooohoo! Then I had a coupon for 20% off or $10 off more so they used that and dropped my price to $14! Man, oh man! I love coupons! I recommend signing up for those Halloween stores in emails as coupons come all the time in the mail. They come in handy on a budget. So cape was pretty much done, but I did do my own design for a collar.

Collar: Maleficent has no hood, so with a helpful idea from a friend, I cut the hood part down the middle HALFWAY to form a crease like section. So if you flip it up, it sits like that. Then, using an old white t-shirt, I wanted to give it some firm backing, so I rolled up half a bottom of a shirt (cut shirt up to middle long way then roll up) and taped it with electrical tape. One piece on both ends just to make sure they don’t come apart. Then set aside. You need two, one for each side of collar.

Then, using my HEAT BOND IRON ON, I cut a few strips and placed them within the inside of where I would like to iron them down to secure the top to bottom of the open parts I cut. (The T-shirts will be stuff inside and pushed towards the top and then a strip of the heat bond adhesive will be placed as close as possible and secured and then that will create a pocket closure where the T-shirt will sit. Thus creating! A firm collar area and it is a bit heavy, so you are welcome to try alternatives, but I was short on time so t-shirt it was, but was successful!

Then once that was secure on  both sides, I then poked two holes; one on each side of cape in the hood areas, make sure to line up. I stuck a piece of extra fabric through to secure knots and left alone. (These would be my pieces to gather together to close the hood towards my neck and create a bumped up collar piece.) As a result of this, ALL PARTS OF NECK WILL BE COVERED NOW, SO YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT EXPOSED PARTS. Remember what I said about the neck part in the head-wrap section? Ta Da! Head-wrap covered back half of neck, under armor or dri-star top with high neck covers more and then the cape application completes coverage. That’s how I got all that covered. If you like, please repeat! That’s it, cape and collar is done.

Maleficent Staff- My favorite and easiest. Ready another deal. FREE! For this look, I needed something about elbow length and black. So with some help from my boyfriend, we found an old broom stick from the patio. We cleaned it up and guess what, it was black already! However, the bottom portion was green, a little handle piece. So to cover that piece, you got it, I wrapped it in Electrical tape and secured it twice. Two times around. Then, since the top of the broom stick was so cool, I thought it would make a good bottom to her staff, so I left it alone and flipped it over. Ha ha! So the open area hole, I decided to use to make her glowing orb part. I took an old red christmall plastic ball and covered it in electrical tape! YES I LOVE ELECTRICAL TAPE! Works wonders.

Once I did that, I have face paint and glitter (an aspiring face-paint artist) and I rubbed crazy glue all over the electrical tape covered Christmas ball and sprinkled in gold glitter. Well, I rubbed it in gold glitter all around and let dry. Once dry, I crazy glued a purple gem stone, fake of course, from my craft box on the middle part and set to dry. This was my special gem for her, I don’t know but it made a great look and it was fun to play with and conjure over in pictures at work. ha ha ha!

Then to secure it to the broom stick, I took an extra piece of fabric and tied it through the ball part where you hook them on Christmas trees, and made a knot. Then the broomstick had holes on both sides of where I was applying it, so I added fabric strip through those holes and pulled until the ball tightened to the top of the broom stick. By doing this step, it settled perfectly into the hole and then I knotted it and wrapped any extra fabric around stick and secured over it with electrical tape. Since the staff was black, it blended in well and looked like it was supposed to be that way.

Then I took another strip of electrical tape and wrapped around Christmas ball base attached to the broom stick top for extra security. IT LOOKED FABULOUS! Ta Da! Staff is done! Set aside.

Now the only things left to this costume are black gloves, a black gem ring, black witch like boots or regular fashion boots with heel and black stockings or thin opaque tights, green make up from Halloween store, liquid foundation, fake eyelashes, a ghoulish sexy type, super HOT RED LIPSTICK, purple eye-shadow and mascara and a crow for staff if you find one at craft store (Michaels). I chose not to use crow this time. Next Year! I didn’t want to paint my hand green for work, so I bought wrist level gloves from Halloween store for $9.99, green paint $2.99, lashes from Walmart 2.99, red lipstick 2.99 NYC brand but brightest type, some foundation I already had which I love (Revlon); make sure its liquid type, and I had old boots and tights already.

Most of the rest of the makeup I had in stock already. So all you have to do is apply the gloves and ring and and boots and put on tights under dress for extra cover up and warmth and the outfit is done.

Makeup: A trick I learned via YouTube, thank you tubers! Mix a dime amount of foundation or a little more with a few globs of the green face-paint from Halloween store and it will make a pretty colored green that will go on even and not be blotchy. It also will help fight some reaction that some people may have and keep it moist as its a liquid based foundation. Apply that all over the face, just the face from chin, cheek, to head and nose and repeat and make sure you follow the same strokes. You just want it even, that’s all. I did two go around and it was nice.

Then color in your eyebrows with a black liquid eyeliner pen or black color crayon from Halloween store, or you can add a little glue to your eyebrows if bushy and cover with the paint, then draw on with an eyeliner pen. Then apply the purple eye shadow nice and heavy but don’t look crazy, and make sure you put it under your eye as well. Yes, under as well. Maleficent requires a fake eyelid to be made so you want to do this step because you will go over it with an eyeliner and create an illusion of an eye on an eye. Get it? Okay, then you can apply the lashes and be careful and then go over them with light mascara to fill in any areas.

Then, once the purple eye shadow sets a bit, put a coral like blue in the center and blend well. BLEND, BLEND, BLEND and PAT, PAT, PAT. I learned that from YouTube. Thanks! Best way to make makeup stay. Then apply the fierce red lip and add some fake cheekbones and use a brown shadow or black pencil and blend it down, this will create illusion. Once you do that and the eyebrows are done and arched high as well, you are DONE!

Slip on the headpiece by doing the skull cap first with horns and then the head-wrap piece and you are all set. MAKEUP SHOULD BE APPLIED BEFORE THE HEAD PIECE AND USE ASSISTANCE; makes it easier. Make sure to add an accent and creepy laugh that is perfected and you will kill all the competition like I did! I had best costume at work two yrs strong! Plus, I’m an acting major; comes naturally.

THAT’S IT! I’M ALL DONE! GUESS WHAT, I DID THIS IN THREE DAYS! RIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN, THAT’S THE BEST PART! ASK MY BF; I TORTURED HIM WITH HELPING ME. LOL!

I LOVE DOING COSTUMES AND i WOULD LOVE TO DO IT AS A CAREER. I ENJOY IT! IF I MISSED ANY LITTLE DETAILS, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND I’LL LET YOU KNOW! ENJOY AND I HOPE I SEE SOME MALEFICENTS OUT THERE AGAIN NEXT YEAR! I’LL BE THERE! Hope you enjoyed this and look for my YouTube soon. I will be creating one. THANK YOU FOR THE CONSIDERATION FOR THE CONTEST. HOPE I WIN!

Stay blessed. HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL!

Briana B.

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