How to Make a Snooki Costume

In case you've been lost on a desert island for the last couple of years, you may not know that Jersey Shore is a hit reality show that follows eight young Italian-Americans living in a house together in a hip happening town on the Jersey Shore. One of the most well-known characters on the show is Snooki (Nicole Polizzi).

Snooki is a party girl with a "guidette" attitude. She is known for her dark tan, long black hair with a giant pouf, extra short dresses, lots of makeup, and a rather large "chest". When you wear a Snooki costume, be sure to put on her take-no-nonsense attitude and a thick New Jersey accent.

Hair

Start off your Snooki costume with a long black straight wig. At the crown of your head, divide your hair in two sections, one front and one back. In the front section, make a side part on the left side of your head. Tuck those two long sections behind your ears for now. They will become your bangs.

Next, take the section you combed to the back, lift it with a teasing comb and begin backcombing it from underneath. Keep backcombing it until it forms a giant pouf on top of your head. Once it's big enough to be worthy of a Snooki costume, smooth it out some and pin it in place with hair pins and bobby pins. Hairspray the pouf with a strong hold type hairspray so that it stays in place.

Finally, form the two separated front parts into long, sweeping bangs in the front. Hairspray or mousse the bangs into place. Your Snooki costume wig can be done ahead and put on a wig stand.

If all of this combing, teasing, and hair spraying seems like too much bother, you can purchase a "Rehab" wig (think Amy Winehouse) and wear it as is. Some stores will even be carrying a Jersey Shore "pouf" style wig - perfect for your Snooki costume.

Tan

No Snooki costume is complete without a dark tan. Get a deep spray tan from a salon for the best effect. Two days before Halloween go to a local tanning salon and ask for the darkest spray tan (mystic tan) with a triple bronzer. The price should run between $10 - $20 in most areas.

Alternatively, put on layers of self-tanning lotion over the period of a few days to get it dark enough. Self-tanning lotion tends to streak, so be careful when applying it. Don't worry if the tan is darker than you like; the tan will eventually wear off. It's all in the name of having a killer Snooki costume for Halloween, after all.

If you really, really don't want a fake tan that will last for a few days, you can apply bronzers for a similar effect. The only problem with them is that they can stain clothes and can run when you get active and hot (which you will be in a Snooki costume).

Clothing & Accessories

Snooki is known for her short, tight dresses. Wear a very short, low cut black or leopard print dress with dark-tan colored stockings. Many costume shops will carry such "Snooki costume" dresses this year. Add black high heels to complete the look.

For jewelry on your Snooki costume, wear giant silver hoop earrings (the bigger the better) and some ultra-cool bling sunglasses. Add some silver necklaces and a few loose silver bracelets. A (fake) Gucci or Coach bag can carry your extra makeup.

Snooki loves pickles, so you have a few options here. You can carry around a jar of pickles with "Snooki's pickles" written on it, or simply carry around one pickle all night. If you prefer both hands free, you can actually purchase a Snooki costume fake pickle necklace online. Try Etsy.com or Ebay.com.

Make Up

If you like video tutorials, there are a couple of Snooki costume makeup tutorials on YouTube. The makeup is so simple, though, you might opt to skip the tutorials. Basically, apply gray eye shadow to your eyes, using dark gray or even black in the crease of your lid for a smoky effect. Black eyeliner pencil goes on the inside and outer rims of your eyes. Use long false eyelashes or coat and curl your own eyelashes (upper and lower) with black mascara. Outline your eyebrows with a smoky black eyebrow pencil.

Snooki wears a very pale pink or nude lip color. For the best looking results, use a lip pencil and /or lip liner to get a non-glossy, matte look. Also, do your nails! Nicely manicured French nails will go well with the Snooki costume theme.

The Last Touch

Before you walk out the door, practice your Snooki costume look in the mirror. Get that New Jersey accent going, do a few fist pumps, purse your lips a little, and finally, get ready to party Snooki style!