Yzma from Emperor's New Groove


For my "real world" job I work in a retail store. Around the time a convention starts or Halloween is coming, I get asked a lot for a specific piece of clothing to match a costume. This always leads me to talking to them for a few minutes about their costume. The most common thing that they tell me is that they don't have a ton of money to spend but they want an awesome costume. I totally get this because I am on a tight costume budget as well.

But working on my Yzma costume, it made me realize that it is possible to make a great costume for under $50. With a little planning, couponing, and saving a little money here and there, it is totally achievable. So I thought I would start a series on making costumes for under $50.

For my last convention I needed a “walk around costume”. This is a basic costume that I can walk around the convention in that I don't have to worry about tripping in and is comfortable. That is where Yzma came into play. She was perfect and fun to walk around in (I may have had fun yelling at my Kronk pillow prop). I made everything myself for this costume with the exception of the dress which saved a ton of money.

Here is the rundown on what I spent on my Yzma costume. Most of the stuff like, like the wire and tape, I bought once and used it on the whole costume.


Dress: $10
Black maxi dress is from H&M that was on sale online.

Hat: $10
Hand made from wire, electrical tape, duct tape, fabric, and paint.

Necklace: $10
Hand made from feathers, wire, electrical tape, duct tape, and hot glue.

Shoes: $0
I had black flip flops on hand. But you can find cheap flip flops from anywhere.

Earrings: $4
Handmade from fabric, paint, and modge podge

Eyelashes: $10
Made from H&M eyelashes, feathers, and E-6000 glue.
See the tutorial here.

Earrings:$0
I had all of the items that I needed to make these. See how I made them here.

Total: $45!

There are a few options that you can add to you cosplay if you have a little extra money hanging around.

Potion bottle Prop: $3
I found a really cheap bottle at my local craft store and filled it with clearance purple glitter.

Kronk pillow prop: $6
I had most of the items on hand to make this pillow. The only thing that I bought was the stuffing. See how I made this pillow here.


Purple Make-Up: $25/$9
I did by make-up for this costume but ran out of time to put it on for the convention. There are two kinds of purple face paint that I bought. The first was Kryolan, the make-up of the professionals (heh). I did love this and it was the perfect color for my costume. The second makeup that I tried was Mehron, it is a little cheaper but just as good. The only complaint with this was it was splotchy. With some time and a helper, you can make this work.


Pro Tip: Planning is Key!

I didn’t come up with this idea overnight. If I did, it would have cost a ton more than it did. When you have an idea of what costume you want to make, you can dissect it and figure out what is going to cost you the most, by doing that you have a goal of how much to save. I knew going into this that my hat and necklace was going to be costly. So I saved my money in a jar and when the moment came when I had a great coupon, I got all of the stuff I needed.

Just remember, you can make a great outfit! Just believe in yourself!

Xo Amanda


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