Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me! Get ready to set sail on the next ship and go on thousands of adventures on the seven seas in your best pirate costume. We’ll show you how to achieve the perfect pirate look, with a costume, accessories and some good pirate make-up.
You’ll be the star of any costume party with these pirate costumes, everyone will want to hear your tales of the dangerous high seas. But in order to get there, first you’ll need to choose a good pirate look, make yourself up, and finish off your costume with the best accessories.
Inspiration for a great pirate look
The pirate world is vast and there are loads of options when it comes to dressing-up. All you need to do is to dress-up in a white shirt with puffed sleeves, a waistcoat, wide brown trousers and some high black boots. You could also tear some of the clothing, giving you a more tattered look. After all, you have spent years in the middle of the sea overcoming great dangers!
Pirates are scoundrels who’ve fought many battles, so they should have a certain rough and scary look. They usually have scars, some sort of eye injury (meaning they have to wear an eye patch), hooks on their hands, and even a wooden leg. Male pirates usually have several days’ worth of beard, because shaving and looking well-groomed isn’t a top priority. There are even pirates who travel with exotic animals brought from the “New World”, like parrots that sit on their shoulder all day.
You could also take inspiration from the famous pirates of the Seven Seas (real or fictional), like the evil Blackbeard, Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, or Long John Silver from Treasure Island.
At Funidelia you can find countless pirate costumes. You could even dress-up your family as corsairs and buccaneers. We’ve got costumes for women, men and kids. Even the smallest members of the family can get on board the pirate ship with our hilarious pirate costumes for babies.
How do you achieve the perfect pirate make-up?
The first thing you’ll need to do is find the right products. This includes make-up in different colours, liquid latex and fake blood to create wounds and scars…
To achieve the merciless pirate look, we suggest you add a few scars to your face. Just for this we have a pirate make-up tutorial for realistic scars.
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- Step 1: You can create a realistic scar effect with liquid latex.
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- Step 2: Apply it with a paint brush and let it set. In a few minutes you’ll see the effect.
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- Step 3: With different coloured paints or shades of brown, red and purple, paint the wound. Make it darker in the centre and lighter on the edges. If you want, you could add a bit of fake blood to give it a more festering and disgusting look.
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- Step 4: And there you have it- a cool pirate scar. Don’t worry, it’s only make-up.
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In this video you can watch the whole process of how to do this pirate make-up.
Pirate costumes and important accessories
So, we’ve gone through how to achieve a good pirate look and realistic make-up that’ll wow everyone your next pirate party. Now, you need to think about the main accessories you’ll need to complete the perfect pirate outfit.
Long hair and beard
No self-respecting pirate has time to think about their appearance- their hair or their beard… All of them sport long hair and a beard that’s at least a few days old- well, the men do anyway. So, don’t forget to include a good wig or fake beard as part of your pirate costume, if you don’t already have one.
Pirate head scarves and bandannas
It’s common for both men and women pirates to wear head scarves or bandannas. Bandannas are big headscarves that cover the whole head, although the material is generally the same.
If you’re not sure how to tie your bandanna, here’s a tutorial on how to do it.
Pirate hats
A pirate is nothing without a hat. Pirate hats should be reasonably big, they generally come in black or brown and should feature some sort of detailing. We’ve got two options to show you, a hat with a skull, or a deluxe hat with golden details for a slightly cooler look.
Hooks, eye patches and telescopes…
Now all you’re missing is a few accessories. These accessories will complement your costume and give it a slightly more realistic edge. As a finishing touch, hold a hook in your hand, put a good black eye patch over your eye, and show off a few extra details like a telescope to spot approaching boats, or necklaces and rings on far-away skeletons.
Weapons
Pirates are always prepared for any danger that comes near, or to ransack the next boat that crosses them in the ocean. So, they’re always carrying daggers, swords or pistols. If you want to be a good pirate, add a weapon (a fake one, obviously) to your costume.
Jack Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean costume
We couldn’t finish this review of the perfect pirate costumes without talking about the great Jack Sparrow, protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga. Jack is a quirky, daring and slightly nuts pirate who has lived through many adventures and disasters, many of which were caused by him.
Anyone can dress up like Jack Sparrow, we’ve got a Pirates of the Caribbean costume for all age groups. To stand out as Sparrow, don’t forget your red head scarf, hat, and dreadlocked hair, or his famous beard with two braids. Remember to put black make-up on your eyes so they stand out from under the bandanna. Above all, learn to move like him, in his characteristic carefree and unpredictable way.
