Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf: Let's Get Vicious

Beware, beware, the third (!!!) annual Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf, a Halloween feature I like to do here on Beauty and the Bookshelf, IS FINALLY HERE! For the first two years I had thirteen days of interviews and guest posts from authors whose books could somehow relate to this spooky holiday. (You can find year one here and year two here.) But this year, I'm switching it up and doing something different.

From now through Halloween, I will be posting LOTS (okay, so not LOTS, but not exactly a little either) of posts with different ideas for Halloween costumes of fictional characters! I did this for a number of reasons, one because I wanted to have a lot of FUN, and secondly because, hello, who doesn't want to dress up as a character from a book?

Costumes these days can be super pricey and, for us ladies, quite revealing. And maybe you don't want to be a cop or a devil or a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Maybe you want to be a book character, because HOW COOL would that be?! So I'm here to help you. I'm going to show you how to take the simplest things you might own and turn them into a costume fit to represent fictional characters, with some modern twists, of course.

Are you ready?

[Note: Please ignore the stupid timestamp on the pictures.]

I've already dressed up as Tiger Lily and for The Selection, but now it's time to get a little dark. Or Vicious. V.E. Schwab's book (my review here) has a bit to do with superheroes and villains and who's who, so I thought I'd try to channel that into a costume.

My biggest thing for this costume was to look kind of villainous, which means wearing ALL BLACK.

I wore a longer black coat with black leggings underneath, and some knee-high boots. I almost wore my studded combats (don't worry, I used them for a different costume), but didn't think they were fitting. I did simple makeup with a brighter, reddish lip color, and wore my hair up then took it down. And of course these boots!

After the costume, it's all about playing the role. Like giving some attitude.

Posing to look cool and badass and like an untouchable superhero or villain.

Ohh, and for a cool effect, make your hands bloody! (I used red paint/makeup in a tube from the dollar section at Target.)

You could also give off the look like, Oops, I'm vicious, should I not have done that? (Bad character! Bad!)

Be sure to scream, because hello, superheroes and villains and viciousness.

Have you read Vicious? How would you dress for it for this spooky holiday? Or would you go the more hero-ish, spandex and cape route?

Remember to keep your eye on the blog! These are going to be kind of like flash posts. You never know when I'll post the next one... (Okay, you will because I'll post it on Twitter. But you don't know WHEN.)