Halloween done easy, simple and cute!

November 4, 2015 ~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I have been known to make a big thing out of Halloween costumes. I participated in cosplay in the past as well as hand crafting my kid’s costumes every year. There is nothing more fun than making a whole costume from scratch! But this year, I wanted to give myself break. No dyeing white pajamas green (my kid was the Riddler once), no fantastical complicated face make-ups (I was a sugar skull one year), and no accessorizing to the nines like I had in the past. Just a really low-key, modest costing, costume requiring only store bought bunny ears. Boring? Not at all. I am going to don the ubiquitous rabbit costume this year, but as generic as this costume can get, I still wanted to make it cute, special and classy in my own way. Halloween bunny costumes can get so garish and trampy looking…so I have to reign it in with my own version.

The reason I choose the bunny rabbit as a costume is that my boyfriend already owns a tail coat, a top hat, and a cape. All he needs is a magic wand, and he’s a Magician. And in the spirit of being an enthusiastic girlfriend who likes couple costumes (kinda), I decided I will be his white rabbit that he has pulled out of his hat. So yes, we’re taking on the couple costume this year and walking down that road in dating. Ha ha. But really this is just going to be fun.

Materials for Costume:

1 set of store bought bunny ears: You could make your own, but it’s so much easier just to buy one for 5 bucks.

This is the only item you really need to buy, since making it may be difficult! Super fuzzy and cute!

2. 1 Fluffy, furry white sweater/top–There was a faux merino wool trend last winter, so you can find one easily still and probably have one!

3. White bottoms, tanks, pants, skirt…etc. Just stick to clothing that is the colour of your bunny!

Optional: Extra furry material. I lucked out this year and found a furry hat to cut up and make into a puffy tail, cuffs and neck tie. Can’t have a bunny without the fluffy tail!

It happened that I already had a furry merino sweater. So turning into a bunny was sweet and easy! I did make the tail though!

Material for Face Make-up:

Being a bunny is great, because you don’t need to spend a lot on stage make-up and prosthetics. Just use a good foundation, powder, shadow and line your eyes the way you would do a regular beauty make-up and add whiskers! Tip: Draw your whiskers not at your nose level, but slightly below, because that’s where the whiskers are on a real bunny!

This the the finished product! I feel that it was so simple, but still fun. And my boyfriend looked dashing as my magician.

Easy Manga Halloween costumes

November 4, 2014October 27, 2017 ~ Emmie Reve ~ 3 Comments

So this year, I wanted to do a low fuss halloween costume. For those of you that know me…low key is not usually what I am known for during Halloween. As a fan of cosplay, over the years, on a most costume fussy night such as Halloween, I have been such things as a zombie cheerleader, day of the dead sugar skull, Poison Ivy, Queen of Hearts, a Witch, a nurse, woodland Faerie, and “Kyo” from Blackbird just to name a few. So ya, I like me the costumes. But when fall hit this year, my desire to go over the top was curbed by a keen realization: being someone other than yourself can be as simple as wearing different make-up and clothes, and having a different mind set. And I have always been a fan of the unassuming, hidden horror that came from the manga character Tomie. On the surface she appears as a normal pretty asian girl, but her ability to haunt and entrap men into dark obsession is what makes Tomie truly fearful.

Tomie is a curious monstrosity and freak girl created by Japanese manga artist Junji Ito–one of my fave manga artists. I give him total props for thinking up and drawing out this female horror icon. In his series of horror stories, Tomie is an eternally youthful, pretty girl who mentally tortures and manipulates vulnerable men, until they ultimately “snap”, and in a fit of possession/obsession, murder her in often gruesome ways. To her victims’ horror, no matter how violent her death (such as being chopped up into hundreds of pieces), she always regenerates in twisted haunted ways, always remaining tempting and attractive, until she gets killed again. It’s hard to explain the premise, but you gotta read the mangas and see Ito’s artwork to be truly drawn in. In Japan, Tomie is famous for having spawned many B movies and such. Forget Freddie Kruger, and Jason Vorheses, Tomie has gotten them beat. A monster in a youthful Asian girl.

A coloured manga cover depicting a typical Tomie pose. Demure and threatening underneath.

This is how Tomie regenerates and reproduces herself after being murdered, She can grow from severed member of her body until she has many evil copies of herself. Creepy. — This is how Tomie regenerates and reproduces herself after being murdered, She can grow from any severed member of her body until she has many evil copies of herself. Creepy.

For my costume homage to Tomie, I already have her bangs and long hair…so it is not a hard costume for me at all! The make-up I did for Tomie was simple. Lashes was key. Two coats of mascara top and bottom lashes. Liquid liner in inky black was also key in making her bold slanted eyes. I drew the top liquid liner on a slant, making it thicker and higher in angle near the outer corners of my eyes. The signature mole that Tomie has under her left eye was created with liner and was enough to set the look. And I looked for any girly clothes that can be seen as something Japanese girls wear. I really liked my results. I felt like the evil Tomie all Halloween night! What fun.

Tomie as a school girl, is one of the ways she appears in the series!

Do I bear a resemblance to the evil freak girl Tomie?

Sugar Skull make-up for Day of the Dead and Halloween

October 31, 2013October 31, 2013 ~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I am fascinated by the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead…I mean who wouldn’t be? During this festival which falls on Nov. 1st and 2nd, everyone seems to wholly welcome the concept of death intimately into their lives. It is not feared, like here in North America where death wears a hockey mask and wields a machete, but in Mexico it is whimsical, cheerful and respectful of the other world. Day of the Dead actually aims to relatives that have passed away, and invites them to join the living at beautiful handmade alters of specialty food, hot chocolate, and pretty, pretty flowers. How symbolic, and meaningful. The images of skulls and skeletons are everywhere during this festival, so I wanted to pay homage to this tradition, by painting my face in the same way sugar skulls are decorated.

Here are some tips for great Halloween make-up!

Halloween Make-ups, 101

1. No matter what your budget is for the costume, give a generous amount for quality make-up. When I say quality, I mean theatrical quality. I can’t stress this enough. While wardrobe really is a big part, the face is key too. Cheap Halloween make-up products do not go on well, their colours are off, and they will end up wasting your money in the end. For best results, you gotta go to the professionals. The ones that I use tend to punch a hole in my wallet, so if you want to save money, try not to buy too many colours of the good stuff, instead of buying all cheap stuff.

2. Build up slowly in layers. Use sparingly. Make-up effects look most real when worn thin. It gives the illusion that that is really how your skin looks like! Ever see someone over do it with their zombie make-up? You can see the texture of the slapped on make-up, and that ruins all the artistry they put into it!

3. Keep it simple. Even the most seasoned artist, or makeup artist can over do it and it becomes less real. Keeping it simple not only makes it easier for the beginner, it frees you to execute one or two aspects of the make-up really well, instead of trying to do fifty. If you do one thing really well, trust me, that is enough to impress onlookers.

So here is a photo of my Halloween make-up this year! I made the headband out of silk roses and leaves, aiming for a lush, garden effect!

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