As a millennial that grew up reading the Harry Potter series, it will always remind me of my childhood.
This year I wanted to create some creative and fun Halloween looks. So to kick off this holiday season, we are going to start off with Harry Potter. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because I love dressing up to bring a character to life! (The theater kid in me is thriving.) What other Halloween costume ideas would you like me to recreate? Keep reading to see how you can get this Harry Potter inspired costume for Halloween.
The last two months I have been listening to the Harry Potter audio books. The last time I read the books I was 10 years old but I have seen the movies countless times. Hearing the audio books brought me back to that magical world we all fell in love with during our childhood.
When Kara asked me if I was interested in doing a Harry Potter themed photoshoot for the Halloween season, I was in! But first you got to know which Hogwarts House you belong in! After taking the quiz many times, I know I am a true Hufflepuff. Back then it seemed like everyone wanted to be in Gryffindor, but after reading the traits of a Hufflepuff; justice, loyalty, and patience, I knew those qualities described me perfectly. Now it was time to put together our inspired looks.
Items you need to complete your Hogwarts look
Let’s move on to the items that you will need to complete your Hogwarts costume. A House robe and a tie are a must! I got most of these pieces for the DIY Halloween costume off of Amazon. Some other pieces you will need for your Harry Potter costumes is a white collar button up and a wand. I got my wand at Universal Studios Wizarding World back in 2017, but you can also find less expensive wands from Walmart or Amazon (save that coin!). If you live in a colder area I suggest getting a House matching scarf. You can shop the links down below.
Pinterest boards are great for helping you nail your costume ideas. If you are basing your HP costume on a specific character like Hermione or Professor McGonagall, for inspiration try creating a Pinterest board with scenes from the movies as well as images of HP costumes. You can then nail to your Pinterest board the key pieces that you want for your costume or cosplay. You can also search “Harry Potter Halloween Costume Ideas” on Pinterest and a lot of boards will show up.
Makeup fit for a Wizard
Moving onto makeup! If you want to really elevate this Halloween costume, play up the makeup! I love playing with bright colors and I wanted to incorporate the corresponding House colors into our makeup looks. For Kara being in Slytherin I wanted to create a dark green smokey eye. For myself, I wanted it to be bright and playful, just like a Hufflepuff. I highly recommend getting a makeup palette that has an array of colors from the rainbow. (The James Charles one is a great one to have in your makeup collection.) This helps when you are creating specific looks that use bright colors. Linked below are a few items I used to create our makeup looks.
Location Ideas for your next Harry Potter inspired photoshoot
For your Harry Potter inspired photoshoot, there are many directions you can go with. There are many magical possibilities such as; a grand study hall, a castle-like structure, or a sprawling forest. We got the idea to shoot in a forest type setting. We imagined we were a couple of Hogwarts students who had ventured into the Forbidden Forest to practice our Dark Arts defense.
This was the one time we both were praying for “Karl The Fog” to roll into the forest. We photographed in Sutro Forest around 7:30AM in order to 1. avoid people and 2. take advantage of the atmosphere that the fog (Karl The Fog) provides to further enhance our Harry Potter scene. I high recommend wearing hiking/ tennis shoes while walking up this trail. It was quite muddy that morning and it took a while to get to our location since we were moving slow to avoid slipping down the mud trail. In the end (with a little Photoshop magic) the photos turned out amazing! I think Harry Potter fans would agree that the forest setting we captured here looks like a scene straight out of the movies.
Don’t forget Props!
If you want to add more elements to your photoshoot, don’t forget to bring some props! We brought a small white pumpkin (because duh, Halloween season) and a green colored glass goblet that had all the wizardry vibes. Some other props that would be great: a book bag, vintage looking books, some potion bottles, or a notebook.
Make sure you have the right props when portraying your favorite characters, like signature glasses for Luna Lovegood or the Marauder’s Map for Harry Potter. Shop some iconic HP props below.
Posing Tips
Have fun with your poses! You can explore fun poses through the use of your props like waving the wand or holding your spell books. Believe that you are casting a Patronus or making an object float! The more exaggerated your movements are the easier it will be for you to capture that perfect magical wizardry world shot.
These costumes can be used in other occasions such as a Harry Potter themed party or a Harry Potter movie watching marathon. Let me know if this photoshoot inspire you to dress up as your own Harry Potter character. Happy Halloween
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