Have you ever needed a costume at the last minute? Or maybe you really like cats and want to dress up as a cat for Halloween? Either way, it's super easy to make a cat costume. With a little makeup and a few accessories, you can easily create your own cat costume and be the coolest feline at the party.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Put on makeup
Step 1. Create the base
To do the cat makeup, you will first need to put on the foundation and powder you use every day. With a good foundation you will not only even out the complexion, but the cat make-up will last longer.
If you want to make your makeup more complex, you can coat your face with a color that matches the type of cat you want to be. For example, if you want to be a black cat, you can paint most of the face white and the outer parts black. The white area will allow you to better draw the feline features, while the black will make the overall effect more dynamic
Step 2. Highlight the upper eyelid
After you are done with the base, you need to start putting on makeup to make your eyes look like a cat's. Get your favorite liquid black eyeliner. Starting at the inner corner of the eye, highlight the top line of the eyelid with black eyeliner. When you reach the outer corner, draw a small flap upwards to shape the cat's eye. Repeat the process with the other eye. This will be the base of the eye make-up, so it can be more marked or more discreet, according to your choice, depending on the effect you prefer to achieve.
- Make sure the fins are as even as possible. You don't want your face to look asymmetrical.
- If you don't have liquid eyeliner, you can use a regular pencil (or any other type of eyeliner). Make sure you temper it well, so you get the same clean, fine line you would get with liquid eyeliner.
Step 3. Apply eyeshadow
For the upper eyelid, choose a soft color that goes well with your skin tone. Cover the eyelid with the chosen color, applying it high enough, so that it is visible if the eyes are open, and outwards up to the flaps traced with the eyeliner. Repeat on the other eyelid.
Gold, bronze, brown, lilac, beige and pearly white are colors that stand out on almost any complexion, adding depth to the cat's gaze
Step 4. Finish your eye makeup
Now it's time to finish the cat's eye outline around the eyelids. Start with the line you drew in the inner corner of the eye on the upper lid. Draw a dash just below the lower lid towards the nose, following the angle of the eye. Then connect the end of this line to the edge of the lower lid, creating a small triangle. Finally, draw a line along the lower eyelid near the lashes, up to the outer corner where you will create a flap down to match that of the upper eyelid.
- You can also join the lower flap to the upper one. This will give a drier shape to the cat's eyes.
- You can also add some dark eyeshadow under the lower lid to create the smoky eye effect. You can also do this by drawing a thicker line along the lower lid and blending the edges with a brush.
Step 5. Prepare the lashes
Using an eyelash curler, curl your upper and lower lashes. Apply a thick layer of mascara to the upper and lower lashes. Repeat the process with the other eye. This will give you a fluffy and elusive look, typical of cats.
If you prefer, you can also skip this step and use false lashes. Apply them normally, making sure you don't ruin your makeup
Step 6. Paint the nose
Now that you have cat eyes, you can move on to the nose. Using a waterproof eyeliner, color the skin around the nostrils on the underside of the nose. Following the contours of the nostrils, color the upper part of the nose as well. When you are done, draw a small straight line down to the lips, starting from the center of the nose.
- Be sure to keep the curvature of the nose when drawing along the top edge so it will look more natural.
- If you don't want to color your entire nose, you can draw a thin V-shaped outline along the outer edge, under the nostrils - this will suggest the shape of the cat's nose without a lot of makeup use.
- You can also follow a more traditional style and draw a simple triangle on your nose. It is less elaborate, but gives a simple and cute look.
Step 7. Draw the whiskers
Now that you have cat eyes and a cat nose, you need to perfect the look with whiskers. In the area above the lips, draw small dots on both sides of the face with the black eyeliner or pencil. You can draw as many as you want. When you have drawn enough, trace the whiskers starting from the dots. You should draw at least three, but there can be more if you prefer. The upper ones must point to the contour of the face, those in the middle must go straight to the sides, while the lower ones must point slightly downwards.
If you want a more refined look, you can avoid drawing the whiskers and limit yourself to the dots, which suggest the whiskers without actually drawing them
Step 8. Finish the trick
What you are missing to finish is the makeup on the lips. You can put your favorite lipstick as a base. Pink and red go well with dark cat makeup. After applying it, take the black eyeliner and draw a line on the edge of the upper lip. This will give the idea of the cat's mouth.
You can also trace the entire outline of the mouth with black eyeliner, creating a slightly more defined mouth
Step 9. Add some color
If you want to be a particular type of feline, like the calico or maybe a cheetah, add a little color to your makeup to look more like these animals. You can add black cheetah spots on your face or paint yourself black and orange stripes to add an extra touch to your costume.
Part 2 of 2: Creating the Costume
Step 1. Choose basic clothing
Depending on the type of cat you want to be, you will need to choose clothes that match the color of the fur. For example, if you want to be a black cat, wear a black shirt and leggings or a black suit with black flat shoes. If you want to be a calico, you can wear a white shirt, orange shirt and black tights to get the spotted effect.
This is the fun part. Make the costume comfortable, but suitable for the type of cat you want to be
Step 2. Cut out the ears
Ears are essential for a cat costume. To make them, get some cardboard or other thick material. Draw the shape of a cat's ear on the construction paper, extending the base of the ear by about half a centimeter. You have to make it longer than normal to make it wearable later. Now cut out. To get an identical copy, use the shape as a template, placing it on card stock and tracing the outline of the second ear. Cut this out too.
Step 3. Complete the ears
After you cut them out and make sure they are the same, color them black with paint or markers. When they are dry, fold the strip over the base. Then, fold the half-centimeter section in half, forming a triangular tube when you fold it against the back of your ear. Secure the tube with adhesive tape, securing it in the right place. Slide a bobby pin through each triangular tube. Now you can attach the ears to the hair.
- When applying them, make sure they are on the same level. You don't want to have crooked ears.
- When putting on the duct tape, be sure to cut off the excess from the ears, otherwise they will look ugly.
- The advantage of these ears is that you can style your hair in any way and apply the ears when done. You won't have to worry about a headband pinching your head all night or ruining your hairstyle.
- You can also buy cat ears at a costume shop if you don't want to make your own.
Step 4. Cut the material for the tail
The tail of the costume can be made using any type of black material you find, but old black tights will do just fine. Cut the legs of the tights to the length you prefer for the tail. You'll use one for the tail and the rest for stuffing. Take two pieces of wire a little longer than the tail. Bend the ends so you don't get pricked.
Step 5. Complete the queue
To finish making the tail, wrap the leftover pantyhose around the wire. Slip it all into the leg of the pantyhose that will make up the tail. Thread it all the way in, creating the tip at the end. The padding must be well distributed along the entire tail. Using black thread, sew the ends of the tights. Then take a piece of fabric or a ribbon from another dress: in the central part you will need to sew the upper end of the tail. Give the tail the desired shape. Once the tail is done in a way you like, wrap the ribbon around your waist and hide it under your other clothes. Your costume is complete!
- If you're wearing a dress and can't hide the tail ribbon, try putting on a belt to hide it. You can also avoid putting on the ribbon and just tucking the tail into the back of the pants, dress and tights you are wearing.
- When you sew, the stitches don't have to be perfect. They will be on the bottom of the tail and will not be visible.
- You can also use fabric glue or duct tape if you don't know how to sew.
- You can also buy a cat tail at a costume shop if you don't want to make your own.