Geisha are entertainers, they are paid to attend parties and have casual conversation with the party goers. They dance, play shamisen, and have learned the arts of traditional dress and beautiful flawless makeup. They are considered to be the most elegant and beautiful women of Japan, and though they are not something all young girls aspire to be, there’s definitely a few that do.

Geisha

Imagine what it would be like to be one of these women, graceful and pristine. Well, you can be, just for a night this Halloween. Think of it like being Cinderella, you can have your night at the ball, but when the clock strikes midnight (or in this case, when Halloween is over) you have to go back to being yourself. But wouldn’t that one night be fantastic to have?

Purchasing a real kimono and learning the proper way to wear it, to tie the obi, and to move in it would be ideal; but kimonos can be very expensive and very complicated to put on/maneuver in. This is one of the reason why geisha are considered artists, it’s difficult to get the hang of it and do it perfectly. Fortunately for you, there are a lot of kimono/geisha inspired costumes available as well as wigs to imitate the intricate hair-dos that they wear around town. They are much easier to wear and a lot more simple to put on, often they feature shorter skirts and cute designs. But putting on the costume doesn’t mean your finished with the costume, there’s still the makeup to be concerned about. If you can/want to, the best thing to do in my opinion would be to attempt something similar to real geisha make up.

For this you would need to start with a white base that covered not only your face but neck as well, leaving blank space on the back of your neck in a ‘w’ shape just below the nape. Your lips should be ruby red, but the lipstick should not cover the entire lip, because with an all white face it would give the illusion that your lips were much too big. Some red should be added around the eye as well as heavy eyeliner to make your baby blues/browns/greens really pop. Look up photos on the internet to be sure if you want to get it just right, but if you don’t really care much about accuracy, just put on some red lipstick and powder and dash off to the party for a night of fun.

As a child you believe that possibilities are endless. You decide you want to be a firefighter, a knight, a doctor, a mommy, a veterinarian, a princess, or an artist, and there is nothing that will stop you. There are endless possibilities for good, but also endless possibilities for bad. There might really be a monster under your bed or in your closet, despite how many times your parents have told you it was impossible. Mommy also said you wouldn’t be late to school, but all the police blocked up the road and you were late anyway. Not everything she says is always right.

old toys

Imagine if children were in control and the adults were just bystanders, unable to change how everything was being run. Rod Serling did, in a few of his Twilight Zone episodes.

One featured a man and a woman. They awoke in a small town, wondering how they had gotten there. They had been at a party the night before, but did not remember driving to their current location. They walked around the town to find that none of the cars would start, that the trees were fake, and some of the building faces were cardboard and Styrofoam. They decided that perhaps while intoxicated the night before they had stumbled across a movie set and spent the night there unknowingly. Regardless, they couldn’t seem to find a way out of this town and there was not a soul in sight to ask questions of. Eventually they found and train and boarded, thinking that they would finally be able to escape this increasingly unsettling place. But the train simply made a loop and took them back to the same station in a matter of minutes. At the end it was revealed though these two people had independent thought and free will, they were ultimately nothing more than a little girl’s plaything. They town and homes they had explored were simply a dollhouse and town setting, and they would be trapped in this place for the rest of their lives.

May we reconvene under the blood red moon,
-Black Widow

Wether you’re a girl or a guy, chances are that there is at least one sport you enjoy watching or participating in. Or at the very least there’s a team that you support occasionally when they play. Show the love for these people/teams this Halloween by dressing accordingly. There are some really easy to find sports costumes all over the internet or in your local party supply/costume stores. Costumes for football, soccer, baseball, and hockey. Generally it would be easier to buy these costumes than to attempt to make them or piece them together yourself by shopping at a sporting goods store, but there are also some famous individuals that play a sport that doesn’t require a team, and for them you could make your own costume to fit perfectly.

Sports fan

You could choose to dress as Venus or Serena Williams and bring a tennis racket with you to the party as a prop, or if you were particularly daring; you could come dressed in a Speedo and swimmers cap, with metals draped around your neck and claim to be Michael Phelps all evening.

Or what if you’re one of those people that really loves a specific team but you don’t get the chance to go to the games or support them all that often. Dress like how you would if you got really close seats and were possibly drunk beforehand. You know exactly what I’m talking about; get one of those crazy poofy wigs, face paint, body paint, an appropriate t-shirt/jersey, and a big foam #1 finger all in your team’s colors. That would definitely get you some attention at a Halloween party, and some high fives (or at least nods of approval) from fellow fans of the same team. Unfortunately, it might also get you some disapproving glares from people who support rival teams. But maybe that’s part of the fun of it?