I started this entire Halloween costume at 8:30 on a Saturday night when I needed to be at a party by 10 – which included makeup and driving time. When you’re in a time crunch, little details don’t have to be perfect! This is how I managed to kind of pull it off to the best of my ability!

Because of my small time frame (or rather, procrastination on decision-making) I tried to pick a costume that would feel like me with the least amount of work. I settled on this version of Bulma for some ridiculous reason along the lines of I thought it would be the easiest. Yeah, that turned out well.

Step #1. – Gather your base materials! First, find a pair of beat up brown pants.

I settled on brown stretchy jeans because they would retain the most shape and they were closest to the brown in the photo.

Step #2. – Cut off a leg. Sounds easy enough, right?

This is the most prominent feature of her costume, so do it right! It took a little trial and error, and I rolled up the leg rather than bust out with the sewing. Gotta save time where you can, and it worked just as well in a dark Halloween party.

Step #3. - Then hunt down that plain white t-shirt from the back of the closet that you never wear, for fear of spilling food down your front.

When choosing your ideal white t-shirt, make sure that your choice is not actually completely see through, otherwise you’ll spend twenty minutes of your precious costume time scrambling to find anything to prevent your bra from showing. Awesome.

Step #4. – A pair of stretchy red socks will do well for armbands.

Like the ones you used to wear when you listened to bad emo music and had choppy haircuts. Wait, that was only me? Fair enough.

Step #5. – Get scissor happy!

The band on Bulma’s right elbow is longer than the slouchy one on her left wrist. Use your best judgment. Also make sure that you put them on ankle side down. Otherwise you’re gonna get a lovehandle at the top of your arm, and no one wants that.

Step #6. – Layer that handwear!

Navy blue gloves will add a little more dimension. And are usually a buck a pop at most fabric stores. Didn’t have time to add what I wanted, so these stayed as-is.

Step #7. – Because people aren’t born with blue hair.

As much as you’d like to be blue, a wig is the only option. Unless you choose dye. In which case, I salute you, brave soul!

Step #8. – Get scissor happy – AGAIN!

This wig was too long for what I needed, so bye bye 4ish inches of unusable hair! Because I want to reuse this particular wig for other costumes, I decided against cutting it as short as Bulma’s hair is in the above photo and settled for a nice middle ground. Also didn’t get any photos of the styling, but it was a rubber banded section with a black ribbon bow. No one needs to be walked through that. :]

Step #9. – Protect your eyes …sort of.

Since I had no time to do anything other than grab them, these goggles literally went around my neck as-is. No further explaination needed! :]

Step #10. – Fake some armor.

With some slight alterations, a volleyball kneepad worked really well in the place of armor.

Step #11. – Slight alterations!

Cut a slit in the back of the kneepad so that it settles nicely on your shoulder. I opted to cover mine with a brown fabric by handstitching it as fast as humanly possible, because I have great ideas or something? /sarcasm.

Step #12. – Accessorize!

There was literally no way to make her pouch in an hour and a half, so I will wait and make that later. Instead, I found a handy utility belt flap thing that would work well in place of the pouch and hangs almost exactly how I needed it to.

Step #12. – Arm yourself!

Bulma sports what looks to be a mini UZI, and those are expensive on the worst of days. Instead, I went with a plastic M14, which is just as awesome – though not my favorite. Some sacrifices are harder than others in the name of time saving.

Step #13. – Wear all the things!

This part is supremely easy, and also the most comfortable! Keep your makeup fairly simple and don’t forget small details like colored band-aids, even if you don’t have red on hand. Now point your gun and adopt an “I’m a badass genius” attitude. Don’t forget to pose in front of your favorite framed Dragon Ball Z poster. Goku approves!