DIY the Hottest, Most Girl Power Costumes of the Year With K-Beauty Staples

When it comes to dressing up as the most iconic leading ladies of 2017, you’re spoiled for choice. And don’t worry, it’s not too late to nail the perfect girl power costumes. All you need is some fabric, a glue gun, and these K-beauty staples you probably already have in your beauty closet.

Every year, I come up with genius Halloween costume ideas and vow to start shopping early. And every October, I completely forget and have to DIY a costume last minute. (I know I’m not alone here!)

But just because it’s DIY doesn’t mean the costume has to be basic. 2017 has blessed us with a treasure trove of pop culturally relevant costume inspirations that are pretty easy to recreate and are all about girl power. So get your makeup brushes and glue gun ready because here are the hottest girl power costumes for 2017 and my tips and products to help you create these looks.

Handmaid’s Tale

If you haven’t watched Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, stop reading this and go watch immediately. Not only are the Handmaids kickass but their distinctive look has quickly become iconic. To dress up as Offred, or any of the other fertile vessels, all you need is a long red dress, red cloak, and a white bonnet to tuck your hair into. You can DIY the bonnet by grabbing any white hat and hot-gluing stiff, white pieces of fabric to the brim and sides.

Even though the Handmaids aren’t allowed to wear makeup, we still live in a free society where we want to look our best. To keep the look nice and clean, skip foundation and opt for a concealer like Etude House Big Cover Concealer to even skin tone and blur any imperfections. Add a little brow gel, and voila — you have the comfiest and most striking costume of the night.

GLOW

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum (and for those of us who love going all out for Halloween), let the ladies from the Netflix series GLOW be your inspiration. Our personal favorite female wrestlers are Ruth “Zoya the Destroya” and Debbie “Liberty Belle.” You’ll need a teasing comb and tons of hairspray to get their huge ’80s hair, a sparkly leotard (we’ve never missed American Apparel as much as right now), and some lace-up boots that you’ll be able to find at any consignment shop.

To ace Zoya and Liberty’s looks, you need to ace the makeup. Zoya’s most iconic look is blue lipstick and blue eyeshadow with a flair, and Liberty Belle’s features a deep cut crease also with blue eyeshadow and a bright red lip. To be able to recreate these looks without coming off scarily dated, invest in an eyeshadow palette that will let you play with modern colors and last you past October. (You can also mix the blue shadow with some Vaseline for a DIY blue lip color.) Top it all off with a spray tan, glitter, and your best battle cry.

Wonder Woman

If 2016 was the year of Harlequin, then 2017 is the year of Wonder Woman. While you could order a Gal Gadot version of the classic costume online, it feels more authentic to the movie’s spirit to try DIY’ing your own. An oxblood-colored tube top and a dark blue skirt covers the basics, while a can of gold spray paint will go a long way to turn dollar store buys (or raw materials if you’re especially crafty) into her headband, sword, arm cuffs, lasso and shield.

As for Wonder Woman’s makeup, we’ve already got you covered here, whether you want to go Diana, Princess of Themyscira or straight-up battle-ready Wonder Woman. For bonus trendsetting points, grab a group of your friends and dress up as the full Justice League ahead of the movie’s release.

Riverdale

I'm obsessed with The CW series Riverdale. The show is a darker and edgier update of the classic characters in the Archie Comics, and the girls are more interesting than Archie himself!

Grab a bunch of your best friends and dress up as the girls — or all the characters for the squad effect — based on hair color and personality. If you’re going as Veronica, dress in a prim and proper dress with a pearl necklace. Leave your hair down and perfectly blown out. As for makeup, Veronica is all about the brows, so fill yours in with an eyebrow pencil and gel, and don’t be afraid to go too dark!

If you see yourself as more of a Betty, go for jeans, a sweater, and sneakers. Betty likes to keep things clean and simple, so a good BB Cream and a lip tint is all you need. Remember to pull your hair up into her signature tight ponytail.

And if you’re a Cheryl, throw on a figure-flattering dress (preferably in red) and choker. Curl hair into loose waves. Cheryl leans towards the dramatic and wears a signature cat-eye and bold red lip. Use the Tony Moly Mark Waterproof Gel Liner to take your wing to the heavens, and Romand’s Matt Lipstick in Red Carpet or CELLNCO ChuChu Lips in 03 Hot Cherry to complete the look.

Game of Thrones

By now, we should all have Game of Thrones costumes in our closets for all sorts of occasions. You never know when you might need that Ikea fur rug/Jon Snow costume or a Daenerys white wig and dress — the perfect couple’s costume for this year. Get a little stuffed dragon to carry around for full effect. And don’t forget to visit your local Goodwill for unexpected fabrics and dresses to cut into any look from The Seven Kingdoms.

If you’re looking for makeup inspiration for all the ladies of Game of Thrones, look no further. Earlier this year, we showed you how to recreate all the leading women’s looks and the supporting looks as well. The women of Game of Thrones are confident and take charge, so no matter who you dress up as, remember to own it!

Cats are so Halloween 2016. The best part of Halloween is getting to be a character that makes you feel like the best version of yourself, so take these ideas and nail the holiday! Which girl power costumes are your favorite? What will you be dressing up as?