How To Go One Step Further With Fancy Dress By Using Cosmetics & Disguises

Fancy dress costumes are a great way to express yourself at a party as they allow you to act out of character and mimic anyone you please, from your favourite superheroes to your most beloved celebrities. But as you get older and get more fancy dress parties under your belt, you may begin to feel that there’s a Groundhog Day element to each event – the same bog-standard costumes will keep making a reappearance and outfits will become less and less imaginative.

So for your next fancy dress party, why don’t you try using some cosmetics and disguises to enhance your costume and help you blend effortlessly into your chosen character?

If you’re going as a fairly realistic figure, such as Captain Jack Sparrow or Zorro, using makeup and disguises as part of your fancy dress costume can really help you create an authentic appearance at themed parties. From eyelashes and hair extensions to beards, body sprays and special effect scars, the range of cosmetics and disguises that can be applied to fancy dress costumes is huge.   

Here is your guide to using cosmetics and disguises to give your fancy dress costume that real ‘wow’ factor! 

Makeup 

When it comes to fancy dress, looking ‘normal’ goes out the window. The nature of fancy dress parties is to go all-out to be out-of-the-ordinary, so being conservative with your appearance will not win you attention OR admiration.  

If you’re going as an army man, grab some brown and khaki face paint and get working on an all over body camouflage suit. If you’re dressing up as Dracula, get some white face paint for a base coat and some red paint for the blood. And if you ARE going as the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow don’t forget to pick up plenty of mascara for the finishing touches to your costume.  

Wearing makeup with your costume, regardless of your gender, is guaranteed to add an extra dimension to your get-up and ensure you stand out from the crowd in a memorable outfit that people will remember for years to come. 

‘Accessor-eyes’

As the name suggests, ‘accessor-eyes’ are accessories for your eyes. These accessories are essentially a range of cool and colourful non-prescription contact lenses. You can get ultraviolet ones for a scary effect, yellow cats eyes perfect for pussy costumes, bloody red eyes for zombie costumes and many, many more. 

Special Effects

Go the extra mile at your next fancy dress event by showing off your costume with some special effects. From fake blood to gory gashes in your arms and head, adding some special effects to your fancy dress costume will scare your friends silly.   

Special effects for fancy dress come in many forms, from latex sleeves with blood and scars to tooth wax for pirate costumes. They make a great addition to any costume idea and are especially handy for those seeking to achieve the dead or zombie appearance for a big Halloween ‘do. 

But it’s not all blood and gore when it comes to employing special effects in your fancy dress costume. You will find a vast range of products you to give you that edge at your costume party, from skin-embedded golf balls and cigarettes to realistic plastic bones that can be made to look as though they’re sticking out of your skin. 

Whichever costume you decide to wear at your next fancy dress party, make sure you get your hands on some cosmetics and disguises to really complete your look! 

AUTHOR BYLINE

Dan Cartwright just loves sharing his party planning advice online. When he's not at his keyboard broadcasting his expertise Dan is a customer sales assistant at the Partyman Shop  - your number one party and event supplies store in the South East.

Top 5 Historical Figures Fancy Dress Ideas

Getting dolled up for a fancy dress party is a great way to let your hair down and express yourself through some seriously kooky outfits. Dressing up as your favourite idol, celebrity, superhero or sports personality is great fun but as you get older, you can feel a little as though you’ve seen it all, so choosing a stand-out costume becomes more and more difficult. 

Help is at hand, however - we’ve created a list of our top 5 historical fancy dress ideas to inspire even the pickiest fancy dress veterans amongst you. 

1.    Admiral Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson was a national hero and one of the most famous British naval commanders to have lived thanks to his successes during the Napoleonic Wars. Dressing up as Admiral Nelson for a fancy dress party is one of the most tasteful historical figures you could choose; he looks classy, elegant and is instantly recognisable. To dress up as Admiral Nelson you will need one large naval officer’s cap, a blue blazer full of badges and merits, a white frilly shirt, some dark coloured shorts and some buckled black shoes. 

2.    Winston Churchill

Another top historical figure to copy is one of our national treasures, Winston Churchill. Everybody knows who Churchill was thanks to his commanding personality when he guided us through the Second World War. To dress up as Mr Churchill, you will need a full suit complete with a bowtie, leather shoes, a top hat and a cane.

Now if you really want to go the extra mile then you can stuff a cigar in your mouth and stick a Union Jack flag in your blazer pocket to communicate your staunch patriotism! 

3.    Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was famous for discovering calculus and coining the word ‘gravity’ and is considered as one of the most influential scientists of all time. He is one of the most famous historical figures on the planet but surprisingly he’s not one of the most popular choices when it comes to fancy dress costumes. If you want to stand out from the crowd at your next fancy dress party, get yourself some long white hair (or a wig if time won’t allow you to grow your own mane), a long frilly white shirt, a casual blazer, some tights and some brogues - the signature apple, of course, is optional.

4.    Charles Darwin

Another great figure to mimic at a party is Charles Darwin, the infamous scientist whose theory about evolution changed the way we viewed the world. Charles Darwin is always depicted smartly dressed sporting a fully grown white beard so in order to dress like him, put on a smart-looking suit (with a waistcoat of course), some shoes and a fake beard to top it off. 

5.    Alexander The Great

Last but certainly not least is Alexander the Great who was supposedly the greatest military leader the world has ever known. In order to dress like Alexander the Great you will need a tunic covered by colourful body armour, a pair of sandals, gold painted shin pads and be wielding a rather large sword (of the plastic variety, obviously). Alexander the Great was always seen on horseback so if you really want to go the whole nine yards then consider asking a couple of friends to make up a horse for the evening (or, as an even simpler solution, purchase a stick horse).  

AUTHOR BYLINE
Larry Johnson enjoys sharing his party advice and expertise online in his spare time. During the week, Larry works as a customer assistant at The Partyman Shop , your one-stop-shop for party supplies to ensure you have the best event ever.