Ears - Halloween shortcuts

Here we present some shortcuts from our members.

Find detailed ear tips in our Makeup section.

OK, these are ultra quick substitutes. May be better substitutes for the kids... but if you need it tonight... it works.

Also check out the Make-up buying section and if you want to try to make them for yourself, find out more in all about ears in our makeup section.

Band-Aid Ears

It doesn't look half bad, and its great for those last minute Halloween costumes.

Take a large flesh colored Band-Aid (or a normal size one for kids), remove the paper tabs. Holding the middle of the Band-Aid, fold one of the ends down so that it bisects the cotton pad vertically (but be careful not to let it stick to itself). Fold the other end the same way, and you'll have a little pointed cone with a tail. You can overlap the vertical edges to secure them. Then position your mini- cone on your ear (the tail should be on the backside), and press the edges firmly for a good stick.

When my friend demonstrated this technique, my 2 1/2 yr old nephew liked it so much that he had to have his own Snoopy printed pointed ears:)

== Raiphx

Moleskin Ears

They're only suitable for uncritical kids for Halloween, and only work for Caucasians, but they're really cheap. We made some this way so my baby brother (now father to a 22-year-old) could be Spock one year, when Classic Trek was new... and have used the same trick for various things several times since.

Buy a package of moleskin at your local drugstore. It'll be with the foot-care stuff. It is about 1/8 inch thick, a synthetic felt intended to pad places in shoes that might cause blisters, and is tinted about the same 'flesh tone' as Band-Aids. Get the kind that's a package of about a 3 x 4 inch sheets, with the self-stick adhesive on the back.

Get the kid to sit still for five minutes. Take a piece of paper and trace the shape of his/her ear. You can include the lobe or not, but the ear will stick better if you do. Trace (carefully! you don't want to stick that pencil-point _into_ your kid's ear!) the inner line at which the ear deepens. What you want is as much of the ear as something flat will stick to, so trace around pretty much whatever the sheet of paper touches.

Copy the paper tracing, either by hand or machine. On one of the copies, draw a pointy extension joining the upper part of the ear tracing. If you mess up, erase it and try again. That's why you made a copy, so you could experiment. When you have a shape you're happy with, cut it out of the paper, grab the kid again, and check your pattern against the real ear. Adjust if necessary. This is your pattern.

When you have something you're satisfied with, cut two from the moleskin, one with the paper pattern right side up and one with it right side down, so you have a mirror-image pair.

Now trim the pattern along the upper line of the original tracing, so that you just have the pointy tip. Cut two of these pieces (mirror-imaged) out of scraps of the moleskin. Peel the backings off the big pieces of moleskin, and stick the backs of the tips to the matching whole ears, leaving the part that matches the kid's ears uncovered.

To wear, stick to the appropriate ear. Get as much of the moleskin to stick as you can, but it's flat and the kid's ear is 3D, so not all of it will. But it'll last at least through an evening of trick-or-treating.

== Elizabeth

Nose and Scar Wax / Fake Skin Ears

This will work of the older ones, not the kiddies because this can be pulled off to easily. However, will a bit of care, they look decent.

There's this stuff at Halloween shops this is just cotton and wax and comes in a little container in the same section where they sell kids makeup. One brand is called "fake skin" but there are others. It comes in a little circular thing about 1 /2 in diameter and will be on a bubble card with the rest of the makeup. The picture shows it used to make slit scars and weird things like that. It actually comes pre colors... really drippy grease paint all mixed together. If you are darker, you'll have to mix in darker base.

You twiddle it around in your fingers a bit/ You're softening up the wax... Shape it onto the ear... it normally stays... though you could dab a bit of duo (eyelash adhesive). Smooth the edges w/ a pop sickle stick. When the shape is right... power the puppy down... and power again. Brush power away carefully.

These won't look at great a custom ears, but they're inexpensive and quick and go on a lot faster than any of the other methods.

== Cat

Craft foam ears

I take craft foam, the same stuff as you can find at wal-mart near the wiggle eyes and chenille stem "pipe cleaner" wire. I buy a sheet of foam that matches the shade of my ear's skin as closely as possible. (Your ear skin is sometimes a little different than say, your face or hands, also keep in mind lighting issues, as this is not real skin, and it reflects light differently.)

I take a rubbing of my ear on scrap paper with a crayon, and use this as a guide to create a paper pattern for the ear. when making the pattern, leave a "c" shaped opening where your ear drum will be, extending to the outer edge of the ear. Also, cut it a little large for a seam. cut four pattern shapes from the foam . use make-up glue on the sides and glue two of your foam ear shapes to each other. do the same with the other two. let dry completely. (if the glue dose not hold, i have also been known to use staples, but they don't look as good. )

When glue is dry, you should have two elf ear shaped pockets to wear on your ears. Decorate with permanent art makers, such as berol, pantone etc. to create the ridges and such. you may need to trim the openings to fit better after trying them on, they slip over your ears like sippers go over your feet. One other thing: my real ears sometimes get cold while wearing them, and if not properly fitted, they can come off by being brushed too much or played with too much.

This technique is great for kids costumes and those who aren't worried about long term being viewed, but I have been complimented for wearing these.

== Matt

Warnings on ear tip tricks

Please DO NOT use anything on your skin that is NOT intended for use on the skin. IE - Super Glue, Glue sticks, and Nail polish remover. (Acetone, for your information, is skin absorptive) Which means that it
will pass into your bloodstream without there being a cut or break in the skin. This is NOT something you want to be using near your brain.

As for the putting tiny rubber bands on your ears to shape them. This is a VERY BAD idea. Above and beyond the pain - someone with low blood pressure or a compromised vascular system could permanently damage the nerves in their ears or even worse - so damage the blood vessels that they got an infection in their ears. That is NOT something that
you want even to risk.

Disclaimer: Everything here is just provided to help you out as a suggestion. .

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This page was last updated 04/22/08