Mess America Halloween Costume

Submitted by
Braden

Have your kid get down and dirty with this sloppy Mess America costume. The best part about this costume? Chocolate smears only make it better!

Junior Beauty Queen:
Your kid
Pageant Mom:
You
A long piece of ribbon or strip of paper:
About 4 inches wide—to make her a fab "Mess America" sash.
A thick marker
A ripped or stained dress
A broken tiara or crown
Makeup:
You know, the stuff you used to put on every morning before you had kids.
A hairbrush
Bobby pins
A teased out, messy wig:
Optional. If you don't want to tease out your kid's hair.
Mess America-worthy accessories:
Like a boa, necklaces, bracelets, etc.
Messy stuff:
Chocolate pudding, washable magic markers, catsup, paint
A bouquet of wilted flowers

Grab a long piece of ribbon or cut a sash out of paper and have your kid help you write "Mess America" across it.
Have her put on a torn, stained dress. If she doesn't have one (we'd be amazed if that were the case!), grab something your kid has outgrown and let her do some ripping and staining.
Wrap the sash around her torso.
Tease out her hair with a hairbrush. Soap works wonders for this (we learned this from our punk boyfriends in high school! Just invest in some detangler spray for later!)
Spray her messy do in place with massive amounts of hair spray, just like a real beauty queen.
Bobby-pin the crown on her head so it sits tilted to the side.
Make up her face with some sloppy lipstick, messy eye shadow, streaked rouge and messy food like chocolate pudding and catsup.
Let her scribble on her hands and arms with washable marker.
Deck her out in some broken costume jewelry and/or a boa.
Have her grab her bouquet of wilted flowers, and send her out to give the neighbors a scare.