Halloween 2012: Enchanted Queen Plus Size (by Leg Avenue)

This year was my first year really dressing up to go out for Halloween.  I usually get into Halloween for the kid, but this year I wanted to get in on the fun.  The last costume Halloween party I attended, my efforts were lackluster.  This time, I wanted to make a real effort! This will be a review of the costume, retailers and makeup!

I was trying to choose between a few costumes, but I ended up with my #3 choice that was available when I went to the store: Enchanted Queen/Enchantress Queen of Hearts.  I bought it from Party City and was able to try it on in the store.  A TIP that my friend Ro shared with me: Go in leggings and a tank.  Perfect!

Costume Sizing: I was worried that Leg Avenue's Plus Size Standard, 1x-2x would not fit; 3x-4x was barely available online.  Multiple sites gave different measurements and gave a range of size 14-20 for the 1x-2x.  That sounded sketchy for me.  I'm 18/1-2x/H cup. -__- *i really hope this helps someone, because I'm disclosing helluva lot only because I had the hardest time*

To my surprise, when I tried the costume on at the store, the costume fit comfortably over my minimal clothing.

Costume:
2 pieces: dress and crown headband
Arms: sheer fabric with elastic band
Body: stretch material (some may feel more comfortable with a body shaper.  I didn't wear one.) I wore my tank under the dress so that I wouldn't show too much cleavage.
Skirt: fell comfortably below the buttocks.  (I don't have much junk in the trunk so it worked for me.)
Headband: It fit over my head with my locs!
When I saw the headband, I thought the plush toy crown was small.  In my pictures it looks bigger than I thought it would appear.

Party City: The store has a system of finding your costume by number on their wall OR calling the store with the item number.  You wait in line to tell the clerk which costume you want.  The clerk tells the stock room and you are sent to the back to retrieve the costume.  During the Halloween holiday, there are special limitations.  No returns after the 24th or whatever policy is running at the store; be sure to check! As a mass retailer, what one store doesn't have, another might.

Halloween.net:  If I hadn't found my costume at Party City, I would have ordered from Halloween.net.  If you order, be sure to call in with the item number.  One person was impatient with me as I was going to put him on hold to get the number, but was advised to call back.  The next experience was perfect! The associate had my cart set up with discounts for when I was ready to call back (after making a decision, lol).  I would be able to identify the account with my email address.  Awesome, right?

Accessories:  I was able to get my matching sceptor, half gloves and makeup from Party City as well.  I opted for half gloves instead of long gloves.  I thought the half gloves were tres chic, but i forgot about my nails -__-  I wore the gloves anyway.  While  Party City offered the black and white striped tights by Leg Avenue that I'm wearing in the pictures below, I called numerous Party City locations as well as visited more and I could not find them any where.  I took a trip to a local costume shop and found them! It was the highlight of my day! Online, I saw that the stockings were offered in a 3x-4x size, but I couldn't find that in the store.  Luckily the plus size 1x-2x tights worked!  They came to my navel, but for assurance I actually like stockings and tights to come to my bra! =p.  I accentuated the skirt of my dress with a petticoat.  Again, it was tough to find a plus sized petticoat in the store (plenty online), so I bought a regular sized black one.  It worked, but a plus sized one would have eased my conscience.

Makeup:  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for my makeup.  I just knew I'd be wearing a red lip.  Ro, helped me out again and said I should look at some MAC face charts.  Ace of hearts, FTW! It went perfectly with my costume!

I bought the costume makeup offered at Party City.  I will not do that any more.  I bought the white cream makeup in the tube and little crayon-like sticks with black, red, blue, white and green.  The white cream makeup wasn't as opaque as I wanted.  The crayon didn't dry or hold as I expected.  The red crayon didn't work well over the white paint.  I did may face for regular makeup and my dad did the ace of hearts card over my eye.  As an artist, he has a kit with different brushes and acrylic paint.  I asked him to pull out the acrylic paint for patch work.  I added some white to sparse areas of the card.  He put some red on the hearts that weren't defined.  For the black, we used Maybelline gel liner.  Next time, I will use a color wheel by Ben Nye or some professional costume makeup from the costume shop here in town.

What I used: Outside of the card, (thanks, Dad!) I used my normal foundations (MAC matchmaster and prolong wear mixed) set with careblend bronzing powder.  I did a black smoky eye (based with Maybelline's 24 hour tattoo Bad to the Bronze and top with Milani's Liquif'Eye liner in  black and blended.  My lips were outlined and shaded in using Nars' Jungle Red lip liner.

(Another party-goer pimp, 2 chainz or a king.. IDK.. and me!)

I think everything turned out well!  I'm plotting on my next costume... A can-can girl!  (I want to get in on post season sales ;))  What will you be for Halloween?