Watch: Win at Halloween with this Simple Costume Tutorial

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As kids, Halloween was about 50/50 in terms of candy-vs-costume excitement, but these days that skews a lot more toward costume. We love to use Halloween as a fun chance to play with hair and makeup in ways that wouldn’t necessarily make it into our daily lives, and use our wardrobes to create a character that’s different than our day-to-day selves. So with that in mind, we made this fun tutorial to show you one way to win “best costume” at your Halloween party, social, or just around the office.

We love a good pop culture costume, and with all the drama, angst, and attractive 20-somethings pretending to be teenagers, Riverdale was at the top of our list this year. Plus, let’s be real – the hair, makeup, and wardrobe on that show are at least half the reason to watch. To make the costume both more fun and more recognizable, we choose to create our version of a Southside Serpent.

The Hair
We went with one of Toni Topaz’s most memorable hair looks: two french-braided half-ponytails. We started with our model’s hair pre-curled, then section and braided, securing with elastics. But the best part here are the purple hair extensions that we clipped in throughout our model’s hair, in homage to Toni’s pink streaks. Removable extensions are a great way to capture the Serpent look and vibe, along with being easy to use, mess-free, and non-permanent. 

The Makeup
Did we mention already how great the Riverdale makeup artists are? Toni’s eyes are routinely played up with a great smokey look and cool liquid liner, so we started there. We used the Warm Neutral Eyeshadow Palette from MAC Cosmetics, and their Pro Longwear Fluidline gel liner. We added false eyelashes for some extra drama, and finished off with MAC’s Lip Pencil in Chestnut and Liptensity lipstick in Dionysus.

Pro tip from our MUA: Use concealer and a sharp-edged brush to define the edge of your lipstick for an extra-intense look.

The Clothes
The Serpent look is tough tomboy, with some sexy thrown in (because, Riverdale). Think ripped denim, flannel shirts, crop tops, and heeled biker boots. Layered jewellery is another key, and of course, the leather jacket is a must. Raid your closet, raid your SO’s closet, raid your best friend’s closet, and of course, find whatever you still need at the Centre.

If you’ve got the artsy talent (or can find something online), you could really finish this off by adding a snake tattoo, in keeping with the Serpents’ entrance requirement. We’d be thrilled to see your version of a Serpent (or any other character), so tag us on Instagram to share!

Find more great Halloween inspo here and here. And if dressing up is just not your thing (no shade!) and you’ll be staying in to hand out candy, catch our round-up of the coziest fall sweaters to keep you warm while you’re ooing and awing at cute kids in adorable costumes. Have fun!

See something that caught your eye? Visit St. Vital Centre to shop the looks featured in this post (check stores for availability):

Red off the shoulder ribbed tee: Garage, $22.95
Flannel button-up: American Eagle Outfitters, $49.95
Distressed black stretch jeggings: Garage, $49.95
Faux leather jacket: Hudson’s Bay (Noisy May), $280
Black lace-up high-heeled boot: Hudson's Bay (Guess), $169
Black velvet choker: American Eagle Outfitters, $15.95
Layered gold and black bracelets: American Eagle Outfitters, $17.95
Silver rhinestone hoops: Le Chateau, $15

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