Did you forget to plan a costume for Halloween, and now it’s the week of? Maybe your group wants to do five different Halloween costumes, and your wallet is feeling a bit too thin for that? Have no fear (or maybe lots of it), because I am here to offer cheap solutions for your costume problems.
Makeup Based Costumes
With makeup, you can turn any going out outfit into a full costume. My favorite makeup-based costume is skull makeup with an all-black outfit. It has dimension, and it emphasizes your cheekbones. You can also do all the things on this list the same way.
- Doll Makeup
- Vampire
- Zombie
- DΓa de Los Muertos Sugar Skull
- Skeleton
- Frankenstein’s Monster
Accessories
You can also do things that use a basic base, like a going-out top and skirt, and add accessories to make them a theme, like wings for a fairy. Any animal will work for this, but here are some great options. You can always make these accessories with fabric scraps, old scarfs, ribbon, beads, felt, and a hot glue gun.
- Fairy
- Unicorn β This is great if you have a pair of fluffy boots.
- Cat, Mouse, Deer, or another animal
- Mermaid β Wear your favorite sparkly top and flowy skirt. Add pearls, a net around the hips, and shell jewelry.
- Devil or Angel
Character Costumes
Choosing the right character can make your life infinitely easier, but make sure they have these two essential qualities.
- Your hair color
- A color palette that aligns with the clothes you already wear
With these two rules you can make costumes much easier with your own hair and clothing. For example, if you wanted to do Winx Club costumes with your friends, choose a character with your hair color and color pallet. If you are blonde and wear lots of yellow, you should be Stella. If you have red hair and wear teal, you should be Bloom.
In cartoons especially characters have specific color pallets. Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Winx Club, Monster High, and Scooby Doo are good examples of this. If you are anything like me, then you wear a particular color or few colors frequently.
The hair color is important, because it helps identify what character you are. You can always get a cheap wig, ribbons, hair wax, or other methods of changing your hair, but that adds up fast. Sticking to your own hair color will keep the costume cheap.
Personally, I wear lots of black and have brown hair. Here are my two favorite character costumes that I have done.
- Darcy from Winx Club
- Dean Winchester from Supernatural
Funny Costumes
Because these costumes are funny, you can use all sorts of things for these costumes. They don’t need to look polished, it’s even better if they don’t look polished. Paper is a great tool for the exaggerated features of cartoon or anime characters like Gru’s nose from Despicable Me. This also works wonders if you aren’t as good at makeup, because your poor skills will only add to the comical effect.
A variety of things lying around your house can be used to make these costumes if you have enough creativity.
- White T-shirt β You can write anything on the shirt with a sharpie. Get creative!
- Identity Theft β Using “Hello, my name is” stickers and a plain outfit, you can become the thief of your dreams. A bandana also works well with this.
- Paper Mache β This can be used to create all sorts of things. It’s great for kid’s costumes.
- Bed Sheets β Old sheets can be cut up and draped to make all sorts of looks: Roman Robes, ghosts, a wizard cape.
There are so many tools are your disposal just lying around your house. All it takes to have a stunning costume is a little crafting and a lot of creativity.