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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.

It’s the weekend of Halloween, and you don’t have a costume yet. No fear Shakespeare, you are NOT ALONE. Here are as many last-minute Halloween costumes as I could possibly think of, all of which are relatively easy to replicate. If you want to make it more elaborate, I’ve hyper-linked it up to some makeup and hair tutorials, and if you’re a DIY-er, you can definitely add your own touch to some of these costumes. The lesson to be taken away from all of this: Pinterest is your friend. 

1. Cat

Probably the most infamous of the last-minute Halloween costumes is the cat. You can easily find a pair of cat ears in one of those cheap bins at Rite Aid or Walgreens. Wear all black, and use eyeliner to draw on whiskers–and of course, the winged cat eye! You can glam it up with colored contacts and glitter, or make it sexy by wearing all lace. If you’re super into makeup and face paint, you could try being the Chesire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland,” or if you’re feeling grumpy about having to go out, go as the one and only Grumpy Cat. For more details on potential cat costumes, check this link

2. Deer

Going as a deer may sound super weird, but it’s actually a growing trend. I’ve had at least two friends tell me they’re going as deer this year, and Lauren Conrad dedicated an entire blog post to her own DIY process for the deer Halloween costume: a must-read IMO. You may have to get a bit creative with creating your antlers (seriously, LC’s got you covered on that front, if you’re ready to get crafty), but I’m kind of a fan of this girl’s choice to put branches in her hair a la chopsticks. 

As for the makeup, I’ve seen a lot of tutorials advertise this costume as one that you can do with makeup you already own. As this one Youtube Make-Up artist suggets, pull up the Snapchat deer filter and follow that as a guideline for the countouring process for this costume. Honestly, this costume will be a lot more popular than you expect, simply because it IS a Snapchat filter, and my Halloween research shows that these filters will be all the rage this year. Here and here and here are some good tutorials for the makeup.

3. Party Animals

Going off the last two, you could use the deer or cat as a base for the “party animal” costume. Lauren Conrad described her deer costume as a party animal actually, since she and her friends chose to wear cute dresses and drink champagne all night. What I’ve seen is more the trend, though, is to go the extra mile by wearing tutus or fluffies. To be equal parts EDM raver and animal. A animal onesie from Walmart or Spencer’s would work purrrfectly with this costume idea. 

4. Ice Queen / Elsa

You’ll want to wear mostly white and blue-ish clothing, and if it’s cold outside, add to the look with a fur coat or vest. A cheap princess crown from the drug store will do; although, if you want to DIY your own crown, you know these Pinterest gurus have got you covered. The makeup can be ghostly, or it can be more princess-y, but stick to the color theme of blue and white, and you’ll be fine. If you’re a fashionista, you can draw your influence for your costume from the Victoria’s Secret show or the haute couture runway scene. And if you’re going for more of an Elsa look, let the focus of your look be that epic braid

5. Flower Power/ Hippie Girl 

This doesn’t have to be like that ugly 60’s Hippie Costume you always see at Party City. Ideally, find a long tribal or floral skirt (GoodWill has plenty!) and match it with a simple top. If you’re not the tribal maxi skirt type, rock a floral dress and a vest of some sort. The more patterns, the better, IMO. Then, you’ll want to fashion yourself a flower crown. If you have time, hit up Michael’s and test out this tutorial or this one. I’ve also bought flower crown headbands from Forever 21 and Target before. Or, buy some cheap flowers from the dollar store and simply pin them in your hair. 

Aim for Bonnaroo or Coachella festival gear. Be as free-spirited as you please. This is probably the easiest last-minute Halloween costume because it’s the most open-ended, and I promise you that you have at least one piece of clothing in your closet right now that works for this idea. 

Throw up some peace signs the whole night, talk about how groovy the party is, and you’re set!

Note: DO NOT WEAR A NATIVE AMERICAN HEADDRESS OR TRIBAL PAINT. That is not hippie-ish, and it is certainly not groovy at all.

6. Zooey Deschanel / Jess Day 

If you have dark hair and bangs, then this one is for you. You can take this many directions. If it was me, I’d do the Hippie Girl / Flower Power costume, but add a ukulele or guitar into the mix. If you want to go more for Jess Day from “New Girl,” follow this tutorial for the hair and makeup, and be sure to wear glasses. 

Whatever you do, just be sure there’s polka dots or stripes involved. Or bows. Or high-waisted shorts or skirts. And be adorable and quirky all night. 

7. Kid in Pajamas

Remember when we were kids and there was always someone who went as a baby for Halloween? Well, it might be borderline creepy to dress up as an adult baby, so here’s the fun alternative. Lose the bottle, but keep the pajamas! Wear your cutest matching pajama set and slippers, carry out around a stuffed animal, and put your hair in pigtails. Minimal makeup is suggested. Bows are a nice bonus. If anything, it’s a throwback to those movie days in elementary school where everyone got to wear their pajamas to class. 

8. Scarecrow

Personally, I consider it a crime to not own a flannel or plaid shirt. As long as you’ve got one, then this costume will be pretty easy to pull of. Pair your flannel shirt with jeans, overalls, or a denim jumper. If you can find hay, stuff it into wherever it will stick. Top it off with a straw or sun hat.

For hair, farmer braids are ideal, but you could always leave it loose and curl it. Makeup ideas can be found here and here. You can always make it more ghastly and goulish with makeup, or keep it simple and cute. 

9. The Butterfly Snapchat Filter

I was absolutely mystifed and drawn in by this makeup tutorial, because the Butterfly Snapchat filter is easily my favorite. It always makes me look so ethereal, and the contour is on fleek. So when I realized that it was actually becoming an acceptable (and popular) notion to go as this filter for Halloween, I was totally sold. This one does require a little DIY, but all you need are some mini butteflies from the Dollar Store, some gold glitter, and Mod Podge spray. Follow one of the tutorials I linked to for a more in-detailed process of creating the golden butterflies, and once you’ve done so, you can either pin them in your hair individually or glue them onto a cheap headband. 

As for clothing, I’d wear either wear a floral dress — if you are a butterly, you really are one with nature — or a tutu. If you wanted to step it up a notch and be a social butterfly, wear all black and print out the logos for your fave social media sites. 

I hope that one of these ideas got your train of thought out of the station and thinking about what you could possibly be for Halloween this last minute! If you want even more ideas, here are some of the articles that inspired this list:

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Jules Wilson

Vanderbilt

I'm a girl caught between being a Northerner and a Southerner, but currently residing in Music City. My dorm room is covered in tapestries from Bonnaroo, black and white photos of Paris, a Van Gogh painting-in-a-poster, blue and white christmas lights, and an array of Taylor Swift posters (she is queen). My dream is to write for Marie Claire magazine.