Nix the sheet ghost this Halloween. Try this instead!

Halloween is here and you want to be a ghost. Not a Charlie Brown ghost but a truly scary ethereal ghost that will have people quaking in their boots. Forget about the sheet with holes for eyes. That's great for last minute but you can also do a great realistic ghost costume just as quickly. Let this Halloween crazy Grandma guide you through the process step by step.

What's underneath the realistic Halloween ghost costume depends on what type of ghost you are. I like to use a white leotard and tights under mine. You can also use a sheet with a head hole cut out. If you are a ghost bride, a wedding dress will work. Keeping the theme white makes any ghost seem more transparent. Otherwise, the ghost costume may turn out more like a zombie.

Get out the white Halloween costume face paint and some baby powder. The baby powder is a trick I learned from a friend whose father was a clown. Cover all areas of exposed skin and hair with white makeup. Close your eyes while your assistant places baby powder in one hand at blows it at all the areas with make up. The powder will “fill in the blanks” and set the make up as well.

Over the white leotard for the Halloween ghost costume, I put layers and layers of cheesecloth. I do this by using long lengths and tearing head holes. As you layer, turn each piece slightly so that the cheesecloth covers every area of the body. Now you will cut the cheesecloth short enough so you don't trip but long enough so it has a nice flow to it.

Now cut a few layers of cheesecloth shorter than the rest for effect. Be sure that the remaining layers cover the body well. If you screw up just add more layers until you get it right. OK, here's the fun part. Shred each length of cheesecloth about half way up by tearing it into strips of different widths. These torn strips will hang eerily off the Halloween ghost costume and float in the wind.

Back to that ghost make up. There are different opinions on this so do your Halloween costume finishing make up as you like it. I like to make black circles around the eyes and the nostrils similar to a skeletal look. Sometimes I use a bit of olive green with the black to make the face more corpse like. Once in a while I will leave everything just a ghostly white for a more ethereal effect. Whatever you do, friends will be amazed at your realistic ghost Halloween costume.