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Not sure what to go as this Halloween but want to keep it simple, elegant and artistic? Pairing a fancy masquerade mask with a sparkly ball gown, a sexy little black dress or a sharp suit might just be the ticket this Halloween.  Us? We’re going to the MN Opera’s opening night of Cinderella followed by a masquerade ball at Sakura in downtown St. Paul, so we want to keep our look classy, unique and easy to manage. Hence, a hand made masquerade mask!

We’ve put together a handy guide on how to make your own mask, using affordable supplies from local businesses. You can copy ours or you can improvise your own by adding fake flowers, feathers, jewels or what-have-you. This could also be a fun, artsy Halloween project to do with the kiddies on a weekend afternoon.

We found this simple little number at Party City (1671 Robert St S, West St. Paul) for under $5. They come in many shapes and sizes and range from simple to pre-made with lots of glitz. For a larger selection of pre-made masks, check out Twin Cities Costume & Magic shop (250 7th St E, Downtown St. Paul).

We made our mask out of real leaves. If you’re going to go this route, find nice thick, waxy leaves that won’t easily crumble when they dry out. As an alternative, you could also find thin twigs or sweet grass to create something with more height.

Even though you may end up covering your whole mask in whatever decoration you choose, it’s still good to have a base coat of paint that’s complimentary to your design. In our case, it’s light gold. We only did one coat but if any of your mask is going to show, use two. We used Stephen Quiller Iridescent Pale Gold acrylic from Wet Paint in St. Paul.

We used the same pale gold paint we used on the mask to do light brushings over the leaves. The paint also acts an adhesive of sorts for the glitter that we use in the next step. Do a few leaves at a time so it doesn’t have too much time to dry. You want the glitter to stick!

Use a plate or tray when glitterizing so you can catch and reuse extra glitter. Hold the glitter shaker at least a foot or more above the leaves and lightly shake to ensure even placement. We got our glitter from Michael’s Craft Store (Har Mar Mall, 2100 Snelling Ave, St. Paul) in an autumn themed variety pack. Make sure to get micro-glitter, it’s the prettiest!

Plan out your design before just randomly gluing objects onto the mask. We chose leaves by size and shape specifically to make sure our placement was somewhat symmetrical.

Use a glue gun to ensure the leaves or other decorations don’t come loose. If you’re going to be out partying all night, you need to make sure your mask doesn’t come apart before the stroke of midnight! Glue guns rule and everyone should own one. Michael’s carries a good variety.

Since we went crazy with glitter, the last thing we want is for it to get all over us come Halloween night!  We sprayed our mask down with Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Gloss (also available at Michael’s) to seal the deal. Let your mask dry and viola!

Yep, we think our mask is pretty sweet! We’re covered in gold paint and glitter as we type this tutorial, but hey, we’re going to look cool on Halloween! Make your own mask and send us a picture!

Content shared with l’etoile magazine