Coraline Button Eyes
CORALINE BUTTON EYES
In honor of the 15th anniversary of the film Coraline (2009) starring Dakota Fanning, we wanted to share some dark and lovely inspiration from one of the creepiest aspects of the now cult classic - the button eyes.
In case it’s been a while or you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this wonderfully strange film, Coraline is about a little girl who travels through a secret door in her home (aka the Pink Palace) to an alternate world that is very similar to her own but in some ways is also better. Her “other” parents let her do anything she wants, unlike her real parents who are too distracted to pay attention to her, but naturally there’s a catch. Her “other mother” played by Teri Hatcher in the film has buttons for eyes and ultimately demands that Coraline replace hers as well.
We won’t spoil the ending for you.
Instead, with the season of spooky fast upon us, we’ll share some amazing art pieces, costumes, dolls, and tutorials inspired by this chilling aspect of the film for those who adore this little girl just as much as we do.
The Coraline Art Print featured above is created by Kara Spurlock of KaraLouLeaf.
Coraline Button Eyes
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Coraline Button Eyes Costume Tutorial
The publisher of this blog, whose daughter is also obsessed with all things Coraline, donned her own Coraline button eyes for Halloween in 2016. Needless to probably say, the button eyes pretty much freaked everyone out. Coraline wasn’t as well known as it is today, and people just had a general WTF look on their faces.
Of course you can buy button eyes glasses on Amazon, but where’s the fun in that!
There are a few tutorials online for how to replicate the Other Mother’s button eyes, but here are some steps based on what I did.
Get yourself some large buttons at your local craft store. I recommend trying them out in person versus ordering them online so you can size them up to your actual face and eyelids. Look for larger button holes for which to see through. Otherwise it’ll be hard to see which isn’t very safe walking around, especially at night.
Purchase some basic eyelash glue from a Halloween shop, costume store, online, beauty supply, Target, or wherever. Look for something with a brush or applicator. I also recommend having either makeup remover or eyelash glue remover on hand.
Here’s an answer to a question you might be asking - You glued these to your eyelids? Yep! But do not use household glue of any kind. Use only eyelash glue or some sort of skin-safe makeup/special effect adhesive, for which I have no recommendations. I just used eyelash glue.
Hold the flat side of the button up to your eye. Ultimately you’re going to be adhering the very top of the flat side of the button onto your upper eyelid. See where the best spot will be to place it on your eyelid so you can still see out of the holes.
Apply a small amount of eyelash glue to this predetermined spot. It should be toward the top of the flat side of the button. Press and hold gently. Prepare for a lot of blinking! If you don’t get it perfect the first time, simply remove gently using makeup or eyelash glue remover and try again.
I DO NOT recommend driving or doing anything very involved while wearing your button eyes. You’ll get used to them, but your vision will be very limited, especially your peripheral vision, so be aware of your surroundings and don’t do a ton of things like stairs or anything that is hazardous.
As mentioned in this little tutorial, this application of the button eyes isn’t super safe. If you want a safer option, order the glasses or consider another alternative.
'“Other” Mother and Coraline Costumes 2016
More Season of Spooky
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