With Halloween around the corner, we dove into our closets to find quick and easy costumes to please all manner of costume and cosplay enthusiasts!

Today we are looking at the innocent beauty of the Childlike Empress from The NeverEnding Story.

Dress | Sandals | Headpiece | Eyeshadow | Lipstick

As a movie basically made to destroy our innocence, The Childlike Empress only requires a few pieces to make this Halloween costume recognizable, as the the main focus will be on the headpiece and makeup. Thrift shops are a great place to scour for vintage wedding dresses, but we chose to go with a white shift dress with lace detailing from ModCloth. Go for a full length gown to stay close to the source material and combat the October chill, or a shorter cut if you’re feeling a little less childlike. In the grand scheme of things, shoes don’t matter too terribly much, so the sandals we chose are silver with a small heel and similar detailing to AURYN, the Ouroboros talisman.

For the crafty, a quick trip to the craft store will find all sorts of variations of chains and pearls, but if you’re not into making the headpiece, don’t worry. Similar items can be found on Etsy without breaking the bank. For a youthful glow, Urban Decay’s Naked 3 palette is full of rose and bronze colors. Pair a bronze smokey eye with a pale glossy lip, our personal favorite being Buxom’s Full-On Lip Polish in the color White Russian, slick your hair into low ponytail, and throw on your headpiece to complete the costume!

Looking to take your costume to the next level? Completionists out there who didn’t wait until the last second can take this costume to another level by making their very own copy of The NeverEnding Story to carry around! Which sounds a lot more complicated than it is.

Craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, and At Home have aisles dedicated to fake books. Choose the one you like the best and, while you’re at it, grab some bronze paint and metal appliques. Then head over to any local Halloween store and make a beeline for the “Goddess” area, where you’ll find different styles of flexible serpent armbands. Buy two, paint those bad boys bronze, and hot glue that sucker and the appliques on to the cover of your fake book. Fantasia can arise anew!