DIY Costume: Beetlejuice

Favorite Halloween movie on 3: 1, 2, BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE!! Are you really even a 90s kid if that isn’t your answer? I’ve been planning this costume for years and this was finally the one we made it happen! Dillon and I must have watched this movie 25 times the months leading up to Halloween and he has decided that when Delia Deetz says “If you don’t let me gut out this house and make it my own, I will go insane, and I will take you with me!!!” it’s a look into his future with me LOL. (He’s not wrong). Anyways, if you haven’t seen Beetlejuice, shame on you. Go rent it on Amazon prime ASAP. Whether you have or haven’t, read on to see how we made these looks come to life!

Miss Argentina

Wig: Usually buying a wig for a costume is the easy part! A good wig can be a little pricey, but once you suck it up and spend the money it’s easy to throw on and brings the costume together. This year, that was not the case. I was having a hard time finding a decent looking red wig that I would be able to pin into an updo, so I ordered this beehive wig thinking I could just brush out the tease and style it. Turns out, the actual structure of the wig was about 2 feet tall… and it wasn’t returnable. So long story short, I literally CUT the wig in half, chopped a bunch off of the top, and sewed it back together. Not even worth going into the process because it was such a hot mess haha. But it got the job done!

Dress: Because Miss Argentina has less going on with her costume than I typically would choose, I knew that her dress had to be exactly right! I searched forever to find one that was the right color and pattern and finally ended up with a floor length silk vintage nightgown from Poshmark! My mom then helped me do some alterations to make it look more like the real thing. She cut off the straps, reshaped the top and sewed a strapless bra in so that it would stay in place. I also cut the bottom to be sort of raggedy looking and added the elastic straps that match hers in the movie. 

Cape: This was definitely the hardest part to trouble shoot! I had a few failed ideas- I tried making the frame out of jewelry wire and then pipe cleaners, both looking like total Pinterest fails in the end. Then, in desperation I googled “DIY fairy wings” and found a ton of tutorials using wire coat hangers and tights! I followed that general idea and made five separate points, then sewed them together using fishing line. Next, I glued on sequins and rhinestones to the top half and attached a long piece of sheer, sequined fabric with red thread. Lastly, I hot glued a red feather boa to the bottom of the cape. You can’t actually see anything below the waist of Miss Argentina’s costume in the movie, but I thought that made it more fun! It left a little more room for interpretation. I figured if she was a pageant queen, she was probably pretty extra… so bring on the feathers.

Sash: My sash was a piece of 4” silk ribbon and I added the letters using my Cricut and iron-on black vinyl.

Purse: This may be my favorite part! This is the third year in a row that I’ve made a fun purse to go with my costume, and this year the Handbook for the Recently Deceased seemed like the obvious choice. I bought a paper mache book, painted it brown, cut the lettering out of vinyl with my Cricut, printed off the illustration online and then sealed everything with modge podge. The strap is a chain from a purse I already had and I glued on a leather buckle so that I could open and close it easily all night. Tip: I lined the inside with black felt. Not really for looks, more so because this keeps it much quieter when your things are bouncing around as you move! Also, I made a little “key chain” out of ribbon and iron-on vinyl with my Cricut. This is the waiting room number that Beetlejuice picks in the last scene of the movie! 

Makeup: For my full body and face, I used this teal body paint and set it with a lime green pressed powder. Both are Mehron brand, I swear by them for costume makeup! All of the contouring is done with a drug store eyeshadow palette. Lips are a matte lipstick and I added on some huge lashes. My wrists are a kit I picked up from Party City! I attached them with spirit gum and liquid latex and then added fake blood for a little drama. 

Shoes: I had these already! Love when things in your closet just work out. They’re a few years old from Target.

Beetlejuice

Suit: I wish I could tell you a story about me having crazy good luck and thrifting this awesomely perfect striped suit- but that would be a lie. I did look for months before halloween and also tested fabric painting stripes on a white swatch- but both were totally unsuccessful. With something this specific it seemed like ordering a striped suit online was the only way to go. Once it came, I mixed a small amount of brown RIT dye with water in a spray bottle and sprayed the suit to make it look aged and dirty. Next, I added moss all over using hot glue!

Wig: Dillon’s wig was super inexpensive from Amazon, but it did require a lot of work to get it the way I pictured! I gave it a haircut, taking off most of the length and adding some bald spots. I also cut out the fake looking forehead that came on the wig and instead bought a bald cap. I attached the bald cap to Dillon’s head using spirit gum and then blended it into his actual skin using liquid latex. Next, I glued the wig to the bald cap after it was on his head, sprayed the wig green and added moss using eyelash adhesive.

Makeup: I also used Mehron brand white paint on Dillon’s face (I had it leftover from his costume last year, score!). I blacked out his eyes and added contouring and dirty spots using a palette that I use for my everyday eyeshadow.

Shoes: These were an old, torn-up pair of work boots that I’ve been bugging Dillon to get rid of for months. He may have been right this time, I’ll give him a point for that one 😉

I also printed off his flyer from a photo I found online and then soaked it in tea and burned the edges to give it an aged effect. 

I think that covers it! Like I say every year, I’m definitely not claiming that this is a good last minute costume idea LOL. These posts are not everyone’s cup of tea I’m sure. But, for the few of you out there who geek out over creative processes as much as I do, I feel like it’s fun to hear about how the end product came to life! Every year I learn at least one new skill that I didn’t have the year before. 2 years ago it was body painting, last year fabric dying and this year I learned how to do a professional grade bald cap, use liquid latex, and apply prosthetics! Not necessarily skills I’ll use in everyday life haha but everyone needs a hobby that’s just for fun, right?

Thanks for all of the love on our costume photo and for all of your messages the days leading up to Halloween. So many of you mentioned that you get excited to see our costume every year and that makes me so happy! Halloween is my FAVORITE day of the year and I loooove seeing all of yours too! Let’s dress up every month, kay? Cannot wait until next year!

Xo Amanda