Get "Cirque" for Halloween then open up your "Iris" to new ideas

By Laura Medina

The Praxinoscope Girl & Ze Hybride Cameraman then makeup technique.

Want to put some extra "oommphh" to your Halloween costume?

Tired of the Hollywood, mass-manufactured "tramp" in that shrink-wrapped package?

Or, your kid is one of many "princesses" because you and your family friends bought the same costume at the same chain store?

Inspired by a recent outing to Cirque du Soliel's "Iris" and Los Angeles County Museum of Arts' Tim Burton Exhibition, let the artsty "Arriviste" help you out.

Take a cue from Cirque costume designer, Philippe Guillotel, in whipping up some breathtaking costumes.

Zoetrope Tutu Girl & Ze Hybride Cameraman.

The celluloid skirt or the "Zoetrope Skirt" is, in fact, a Praxinoscope tutu to represent the early Twenties' beginning of the movie industry. Basically, he turned film strip into a skirt...but this "Zoetrope Skirt" spins like a movie reel as the stills animates or moves.

Mr. Guillotel built it from carbon fiber and metal covered in lightweight foam. This cage skirt enables the performer to control how and when the skirt spins, the same way a movie projector reel controls the speed of a film spool as the images move. Of course, Mr. Guillotel does not go into deep details about the machinery or the motor but you can use hoola-hoops and some celluloid film to form your own Zoetrope Tutu.

Simpler but no less intriguing is the "Ze Hybride Cameraman." It consists of a corset, harness, and a large wooden treasure/cigar box as the movie camera headpiece over black turtleneck and trousers.

But no costume is complete until you paint on the right makeup. Actually makeup is the easiest and cheapest part of Halloween or any "fancy dress"/costume party. You can buy basic foundations and brushes from the neighborhood drugstore or chain store for under $10; or if you really want to take care of your skin, you can go all out with M.A.C.'s light and breatheable but protective and durable Styledriven foundations in three shades:one light, one medium, and one dark.

Cirque's Makeup Concept Designer, Nathalie Gagne breakdowns Ze Hybride Cameraman's makeup into steps. Originally, early film or Twenties makeup is all about light and shadows to highlight and sculpture the face for black and white movies.

Simply, paint your whole face matching foundation. Then, you sculpt out the cheekbones, jaw, nostrils with one shade darker foundation. To bring out the drama, highlight the peaks of your cheekbones, the nose bridge, the chin, and forehead with one shade lighter foundation.

Simple as that...black and white makeup base.

Cover the entire eye area with matching eyeshadow or foundation to your skin. Shape the crease with either dark gray, purple, smudged black or blue. Smear white eyeshadow over the brow bone. Color the lid with beige, brown, medium gray or purple or blue. Then, line and blend everything together with black, dark brown, gray, purple, or blue eyeliner to tie the eyes all together. Top them off with mascara.

To make it last well into the night, set the base with clear powder. Add hot flashes of color over the highlighted cheeks and lips to bring them to life.

If painting on the face is hard enough work and you just don't have the energy or all thumbs to sew, you simply go to http://www.heavyred.com/ for your Tim Burtonsque/Victorian/Twenties Goth get-up. If you want something special yet simple, Heavyred.com provides you with fishnet and naughty stockings and devilish masquerade masks that will carry you for New Year's Eve soirees and other fancy dress parties.

They even have laced-up corsets for those fabulously club kids, who top them off with black leather jeans and boots.

Better than pulling out a stale, medicore costume from shrink wrap.