It happens every year; you blink an eye or two and Halloween is in 2 weeks. You receive your first costume party invitation and realize you have not even thought about what you will wear for Halloween.
You are not alone.
You could just hop on Amazon and get some of the best Halloween costumes on the market this year. But don’t be surprised if you walk into the party staring at someone else dressed exactly like you.
The good news is, some of the best Halloween costumes have been thought of totally at the last minute and put together with some belongings that were gathering dust in the closet.
So, let’s ponder some of this year’s grand ideas that are perfect for your procrastinating self.
Animals
Although they may not be the most original idea in the world, you can never really go wrong dressing up as an animal on Halloween. Plus, you can still find ways to get pretty creative.
Copy Cat – Yes, anyone and everyone can be and will be a cat at some point for Halloween. Only the most clever of the kitties will turn a basic black cat into a punny pussycat. Dress in all black and throw on some cat ears. Use a black pen or makeup to draw on some whiskers. However, add a twist to the classic costume by draping a sign that says CTRL + C around your neck and you will have everyone high-fiving you at the costume party.
Unicorn – Not only are unicorns all the rage right now, especially with the kids, but a unicorn costume can be insanely easy to throw together. Simply purchase a unicorn horn headband. Or, if you have hair and want to be extra creative, buy a styrofoam cone instead and wrap your hair around it to create your own horn. If you aren’t the best hairstylist in the world, search for how to style your hair for the outfit on YouTube and see what you can come up with. Add a rainbow tutu and call it a costume.
Punny Costumes
When you wear a punny costume, you don’t have to put much effort into it because the cleverness is really all anyone wants to see. So put your clever hat on and come up with something punny.
Ceiling Fan – This is a fairly entertaining option. Write “Go Ceiling” on a shirt and make a fan sign that says “Ceiling is #1!” Watch the expression on everyone’s face as they process what your costume is.
50 Shades of Grey – This could be dubbed as the easiest and/or cheapest costume of all time. Wear literally anything. Run over to Home Depot and grab all of the gray paint color swatches that you see. Tape them all over your clothes and there you have it—you are punny.
Makeup
If you have any makeup talent, or know someone that does, take advantage. You could save a lot of money on a costume. Just like with a punny costume, your makeup can do all of the talking and you don’t have to put much effort into the rest of the costume. If you don’t already have makeup to use, don’t spend a ton of money on makeup you will only use once. You can get affordable drugstore makeup that will get the job done.
Scarecrow – You probably have jeans and a flannel shirt in your closet already. If you don’t, then you might know someone that does. If that’s not the case either, go buy some for $10. Paint some stitches on your face and add some rosy cheeks. If you want to get crazy, stuff your clothes with some straw!
Pop Art Comic Character – With makeup like this, you can wear any kind of street clothes and still look amazing. If you are an amateur makeup artist, look on YouTube for some tutorials.
Characters
Becoming your favorite character for the night is kind of the whole point of Halloween, isn’t it? You can get creative with the character, choose someone culturally relevant, or a classic that everyone will know. Dress up as accurately as you want, and choose your character accordingly. There are some extravagant Game of Thrones characters that will surely turn heads. For those of us that are putting little effort into their costumes, these characters should be right up your alley.
Risky Business – So this is in some stiff competition with 50 Shades of Grey for the easiest costume of all time. Plus, name one other day of the year when you can acceptably be in public without any pants on. Step into your closet and grab a white button-down, high white socks, and some black shades and, just like that, you are Tom Cruise.
Minion – This one involves a bit of DIY-ing, but is still generally simple. Wear jean shorts with black suspenders and a neon yellow shirt. Paint the minion logo on the front and make some googly eyes on a headband. Everyone loves a minion!
Group Costumes
Dressing up as a group can be fun and allow you to step into a whole other genre of creative. Once again, when you are in a group dressed up together, you don’t have to put as much effort into the rest of the costume.
Spice Girls – Sure, you could dress up with your friends as the 90s British pop singing group. You could also put a punny twist on Spice girls and throw on some red hats and aprons. Glue a picture of a seasoning or spice to the apron and voila: the spice girls.
80s aerobics fanatics – A fun and easy go-to costume, you and your friends can get crazy with some 80’s hairstyles, leg warmers, and as much neon as you can find!
All of these costumes are creative enough to turn heads and easy enough that you can throw them together last minute. As such, keep these in mind going forward for some real attention at Halloween parties.
Resources — Good Housekeeping, PopSugar, LiveLaughLondon