by Christien Tinsley

The trick in your trick-or-treat is really all about the details. Constructing a great costume which will win you attention, if not awards, at a costume party or ball is achieved through careful planning and creative detail. While there are plenty of nice, ready-made costumes out there for those satisfied with average Halloween get-ups, for those who want to really make an impression, more planning is required.

It's the little things that really bring a costume to life and round out your appearance. Taking on new persona means shedding your normal appearance and replacing it with a comprehensive, new guise. To create the best costume possible, you will need any or all of the following items:

- An outfit, including any clothing, shoes, or lack thereof required for creating your character

- A wig, temporary hair dye, hair extensions, or a skull cap, for those characters that are bald

- Wardrobe accessories, like belts, scarves, capes, suspenders, hats, glasses, colored contacts

- Jewelry and body art, including standard jewelry, fake piercings, temporary tattoos, face paint

If you're the sort who really digs Halloween and revels in the opportunity to put on a new face for the occasion, you should consider using as many intricate details as possible in the creation of your costume. Topping off your outfit with accessories allows you to produce a uniquely impressive appearance and makes it virtually impossible to discern your true identity.

If you're struggling to come up with a unique costume idea for this year's Halloween bash or costume ball, consider some of the following options.

Traditional Characters with a Contemporary Bend

Modernizing a traditional character breathes new life into an old image. A metro-sexual Dracula, a younger and hipper Frankenstein, or a modern, sexy witch or sorceress will surely get people's attention. Put on your creative thinking cap and ponder what Dracula, Morgan le Fay, or Frankenstein's more modern appearance might entail.

Dracula was a lady's man after all, and he would certainly be a hipster if he were around today, craving the blood of the young and trendy urban masses. Combine some of the character's traditional costume appearance with modern clothing styles or designs. Take the traditional cape from the historic image and add some skinny legged black jeans, a couple of bat or dripping blood temporary tattoos, some white base makeup and a bit of eyeliner with some fake fangs and a good, dark wig, and you have a modern vamp.

A younger, hipper Frankenstein might look like a punk rock star, with black army boots, a barbed wire temporary tattoo, some black nail polish and some greenish base makeup for giving the monster an undead appearance. Don't forget the bolts on your neck and a few of the traditional monster's trademark details so people know who you are. Add some contemporary flare as well to establish a new and uniquely modern Frankenstein's monster.

A modern witch or sorceress would definitely have tattoos and piercings. She's given up the broom or spell-casting staff a long time ago and traded in her floppy hat and old, ragged robes for sleeker, more sexy clothing. A brilliant, long, red, burgundy or black wig, some great makeup, a fake nose stud, and some Celtic knot work, dragon, serpent or goddess temporary tattoos will round out the look.

The Celebrity Look-a-Like

If you're considering spending Halloween dressed as your favorite musician or movie star, there are certainly details that will bring the character to life. Be sure to get the hair and trademark clothing styles just right. Add jewelry that the individual typically wears, and get a couple of strategically placed and clearly visible temporary tattoos that match as best as possible those adorning the person you're portraying. Ensure you mimic the walk, voice and body language of the individual as well.

Topping Any Costume with Detail

No matter what monster, ghoul, goblin or beastie you intent to become for Halloween, there are definitely accessories that will help make your costume one-of-a-kind. The streets are filled with run-of-the-mill bad guys and evil doers on Halloween, and setting yourself apart from the crowd can be a challenge.

Make the task easier by paying close attention to the little things. Add accessories and small makeup details to your costume to get a unique look. A temporary tattoo or two that blend well with your character's overall appearance will also help make your costume complete. - 39969

About the Author:

Christien Tinsley is a make-up artist. He won an Academy Award in 2008 "for the creation of the transfer techniques for creating and applying 2D and 3D makeup known as Tinsley Transfers." At tinsleytransfers.com you can find everything from vintage sailor, pin-up girl to Brad Pitts shark tattoo from Oceans Twelve. With temporary tattoos you can enjoy the style of sporting a tattoo without all the pain!