A few everyday items and some creativity will help you avoid the horror of last-minute costume panic this Halloween.
These handmade Halloween costumes are frighteningly simple to throw together:
Jellyfish
Do you have a spare umbrella and ribbons lying around? Then, you can quickly turn yourself into a Halloween jellyfish. No one will know you made this adorable costume at the last minute.
Mad Scientist
Take the stress out of Halloween costume planning with this mad scientist idea. Mess up your hair for an unkempt look—or purchase a cheap wig— and add a pair of safety goggles. Then, slip into a faux lab coat and make yourself look tired with dark eye makeup.
Cat Burglar
A cat burglar costume is easy to put together on short notice. To start, wear a black-and-white striped top and black gloves.
DIY a pair of cat ears and apply feline-inspired makeup to enhance the look. A plain bag decorated with dollar signs is the perfect accessory for the costume.
Lumberjack
Dressing up as a lumberjack couldn’t be easier. You can create this costume with a flannel shirt and jeans in your closet. Accessories like an axe and a beanie or suspenders are optional but will add to the lumberjack theme.
Jam Jar
This jam jar costume will make you cute enough to eat. To create the label, use craft essentials like poster boards and glue. Pair it with a color-coordinated outfit and a matching gingham hat to elevate the jam jar effect.
Ghost
A sheet ghost is a classic Halloween look that’s always in style. Grab an old sheet—white is timeless, but you can also pick a patterned option—and cut two eyeholes. Throw on a pair of sunglasses for an extra fun touch.
When Life Gives You Lemons
Everyone knows the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” This DIY costume brings that iconic saying to life. Grab a yellow outfit, a basket of lemons, and a nametag sticker to pull off the clever look.
When Life Gives You Lemons Tutorial
Vampire
Flex your skills with a dramatic vampire makeup look. You’ll use everyday beauty products like eyeliner and lipstick to give yourself a vampiric appearance.
The final makeup looks like it took hours but is deceptively simple to apply. To tie the costume together, wear a pair of fake vampire teeth and don an all-black outfit.
Stanley Cup
Stanley brand tumblers are all the rage, so dress up as your favorite hydration accessory. You need a monochromatic outfit, a printable Stanley logo, and a few paper products for this costume. It also helps to carry around your Stanley cup—the resemblance will be uncanny.
Breadwinner
This breadwinner costume will make everyone giggle. It takes the phrase literally, incorporating bread loaves and awards. Grab an old childhood medal and pick up some bread from the store for this Halloween look.
Roman Toga
This simple Greek toga costume only uses a bedsheet. It comes together in minutes and requires minimal effort and materials. You can also elevate the look with gold accessories, like a belt, headband, and sandals.
Alien
This Halloween, don a neon green outfit to embody a friendly alien. A DIY eyeball headband makes the costume stand out. For an extraterrestrial touch, use glow-in-the-dark googly eyes.
Boba Milk Tea
Become your favorite sweet drink by DIYing a boba milk tea costume. You likely already have the materials to make this cute Halloween look at home. Pin or sew pom-poms to a colored shirt or dress, and craft a headband that resembles a straw.
Skeleton
Skeletons are a timeless classic for Halloween. Transform yourself into one using downloadable templates and plain black-and-white shirts. You can also do skeleton-inspired makeup to take this costume to the next level.
Get crafty for this year’s Halloween party
Why overspend on store-bought decorations that everyone in your neighborhood will have? Make your own Halloween decor for a one-of-a-kind celebration.
DIY Halloween Decorations for Halloween Parties
Don’t be frightened by forgotten dessert plans this Halloween
It’s easy for things to slip through the cracks as you plan spooky costumes and decorations. Save the day with these easy-to-make Halloween sweet treats.
15 Spooktacularly Easy Last-Minute Halloween Desserts
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
