This was an attempt at Regan from The Exorcist.

Most of the ingredients (for girls) can be found at home. I knew my granny had a suitable nighty somewhere but I couldn't find it so the nighty, and the white contact lens were the only things I paid for. And after the party, I washed out the stains really easily and Bob's your Uncle, I had a sexy new granny nighty. I already had the makeup and other stuff.

So, ingredients:

Dress:
- Long blue "grannyish" night dress
- mushy peas, or similarly foul-looking ingredient from the kitchen. I added some balsamic vinegar and crunchy peanut butter too

Face:
- White contact lens
- toilet tissue paper, 1- or 2-ply is fine for the scars
- eyelash glue (with a brush applicator if possible)
- joke blood/ tomato puree
- pale or green make-up for the base
- brown, purple, black eye shadow
- brown/ black or red pencil eyeliner

Hair:
- worn dirty/ greasy

*Apologies in advance for the sideways photos!

Step 1: The Nighty

For this you need to get your hands on a suitably grayish or childish blue nightdress. I got this in the old-woman's section. It's actually really comfortable with a brushed cotton feel. It's also nice and roomy if you have to go outside you can wear some clothes underneath.

Stain it the day before your party!!

To stain it I poured on some mushy peas, old tea, balsamic vinegar and crunchy peanut butter. Leave it to dry.

You can use anything from the kitchen but I think mushy peas are a must. It should all wash out fine afterwards, depending on the material and the ingredients you go for.

Make some scary demonic faces while you're trying on different dresses, just to be sure.

Step 2: Scars and Face

Practice makes perfect.

Get some toilet paper. If it's 3-ply or more separate it out so you only use 1 layer.

Tear out a thumb-sized piece and place it on your knuckle. With the eyelash glue, bush down the edges of the paper so that it sticks to your skin. Let it dry. If you use the full 4-ply it will not blend well with your skin tone (See the photo of my friend Bill's forehead - instead of an open wound it looks more like a used mini sanitary towel).

When it's dry, cut or tear open the middle of the tissue (you don't glue down the whole piece, just the edges), and peel it back, as if it's an open wound.

"Colour-in" or fill in the space in the middle with joke blood, and maybe some black or brown liquid eyeliner.

Dap around your open wound with some dark purple, brown and black eye shadow and blend it into your skin.

It's time to try it out on the face.

Face

Put on a layer of pale make-up or greenish makeup as a base.

Apply your 1-ply tissue paper as scars at various points in your face. Use photos of Regan as a guide. I wanted a big gash across my nose so I practiced first on Bill.

Use the same technique you use on the knuckles for blending the scars in with your skin.

Enhance your face creases with brown or dark purple pencil eyeliner.

Blacken your eye sockets completely with black eyeshadow and eyeliner. Add blotches of purple for bruising.

Eyes

This was my first time to wear contact lens so it was a big mistake to leave it til the end.

It took 40 minutes and streams of tears that threatened to undo all my scars and make-up before they finally settled into place so if you think you need it, you should practice putting in contacts too. Or put them in before you do your scars and make-up.

Step 3: Scare Time

It's time to put it all together, messy up your hair and have a good time.

Phrases like "The power of Christ compels you...the power of Christ compels you" are useful to throw out a different stages of the night.

I've known Regan's to wear a cross as well but I didn't fancy it.

Enjoy!