Even those who would normally blanch at the idea of dressing up give way to this guilty pleasure when Halloween rolls around. With so many parties and balls to go to who can resist dressing up and joining in with the fun. There are generally 2 kinds of Halloween costumes; the cheap, out of the packet jobs such as zombie nurses or witches (yawn) and then the one with tasteful ladies put together themselves so they feel as good as they look.

Here are 5 ideas for the latter category as when it comes to Halloween the rules are there ain’t no rules, and its the make up that defines the fact this is a Halloween costume.

Masquerade

Glamour is the order of the day when it comes to this costume and it is one of the easiest it put together. A long, glamorous dress, gloves and the all important mask are the main essential.

The white face and darkened eyes or bits of (latex) flesh dropping off lets others knows that you are a zombie, or a ghost, whichever tickles your fancy. You can be both sexy and tasteful in a masquerade costume, and if you want to dispense with the make up altogether get an ornate mask which you can wear all the time as opposed to those on the end of a stick.

Moulin Rouge

Ooh la la, there is nothing quite as tastefully sexy as a Moulin Rouge costume, and yet another one that is easy to pull together. You can buy these ready made of course but they tend to have more flesh on show than your average lady would feel comfortable with.

By creating your own you will have no worries in this department. A flamboyant dress is needed, preferably one that is short at the front or side and longer at the back, this is to give a glimpse of that fishnet stockinged leg and the high heeled; laced boots. How much cleavage you reveal at the top is entirely up to you. Add a choker, a mussed up hair do and make up of your choice and you are all set to party in the 1920s Halloween costume style.

Geisha

A brilliant choice of costume that lends itself to both Halloween and other times of the year thanks to the white make up. Choose black lipstick instead of red to make it into the Halloween version. Full length kimonos are readily available online, and there are also some great wigs around which are well worth getting as few of us have the long black hair needed to put up into the ornate Geisha style. Once you have the white make up in place you can be as minimalist or as outrageous as you like and a quick look online will give you not only great idea but also tips on how to achieve the Geisha look for Halloween.

Corpse Bride

Another easy one to put together which looks fantastic. There is any amount of dresses online that you can wear instead of the cheap and nasty nylon garments you can buy from fancy dress shops. The addition of a long Gothic style unkempt wig, if you don’t have long hair, the veil and the make up completes the look. The white make up and dark eyes is easy to achieve and you will look a million dollars as the bride who has risen from the grave to party.

Morticia Addams

The tall and willowy ladies pull off this costume the best as their height allows them to wear the figure hugging dress and carry the uber long hair. With little flesh on display and a mountain of hair to detract from the tight fitting dress this is a long standing favourite with those who don’t want acres of flesh, if any, on display on Halloween.