How to Make A Zombie Costume

Another Halloween, come and gone!! After attending costume parties all weekend, I had to share some pictures and my masterpiece! I love Halloween after all, so I could not share my costume with all of you!

It wasn't until last Monday that I found a costume I felt truly "inspired"about! Taking a cue from one of my

Brownie's homemade zombie costume, I set out last week to complete my own representation of the living dead.

When it was all ripped and torn, "wounded" and "bleeding", I was quite happy with the results. At Friday's Halloween

party, I was one of few with a homemade costume, and I enjoyed compliments from strangers. All that was missing was an offer for an 80's zombie flick!

Surprisingly, the nasty wounds and gashes on my hand, arm and shin were easy to create. After doing some research online (there are some great sources if you google "zombie makeup"), I decided to make my wounds with my own household products, rather than purchasing the latex and fake blood from the party store.

I can honestly say, this is one of the most successful "do it yourself" experiences I've had! Here is what I had in my 'zombie toolkit':

• white glue (like the kind you had in kindergarten)
• tissue or toilet paper
• foam brushes and sponges
• corn syrup
• red food colouring - you can also add some green and yellow to darken the 'blood'
• red & black tempera paint
• white face paint - bought at a party store
• black eyeshadow - for dark hollows around your eyes
• hairspray & comb - tease and spray your hair 'messy'

I used the tips from this website about zombies. Basically, all you need to do it use thin coats of glue, allowing it to dry between coats, to make the base of your wound. Then, start adding strips of tissue (rip the 2-ply into single sheets first) to 'build' the wound. Add a couple of strips, allowing to dry between applications also, and let it dry hard once its as thick as you desire. Once its dry, apply paint and fake blood with the sponges and brushes to achieve the texture and 'gore' you desire.

* Just make sure wherever you are making your wound is hair-free, because it will be when you rip the wound off and it will HURT!!