Do It Yourself Halloween Costumes

By Frankie Castanea

With October in full swing, All Hallows’ Eve is right around the corner. That’s right, it’s time for spooky, scary skeletons, monster mashes, and the rise of the age-old question: What am I going to wear?

“Halloween Inspo" boards beleaguer your Pinterest for three weeks, and you’re desperately searching Amazon for a costume that won’t be 60 bucks out of your coffee budget. Have no fear, here are five DIY Halloween ideas using the most basic pieces that everyone has in their closet.

1. ‘90s Inspired Witchy Woman

If you’re looking for the perfect Halloween outfit, look no further than the broom riding, potion-stirring witch. A stereotypical witch costume will have you in striped stockings à la “Wizard of Oz,” with a pointy hat to match. For a laid back, achievable witch costume, look to the badass ‘90s coven from “The Craft.”

For this look, you need one of two things: your favorite black dress or a floral skirt. Pair the black dress with a white button down (tied, of course) for the girls’ high school uniform meets dark arts look. Or, layer the floral skirt with an oversized cardigan or sweater for their meadow meeting turned seance look. Try to channel the “We are the weirdos, mister” scene.

If you’re lacking either of those items, you can still channel this witch energy with an all-black outfit. Even a black tee over a long sleeve with a statement plaid pant or skirt works to give off major “I will hex you” energy. To tie it all together, throw on some black heels (platform, if possible) to make sure that no one messes with you, layer your necklaces, and add some dark red lipstick and heavy black eyeliner for that grunge ‘90s edgy witch look.

2. Celestial Angel or Fiendish Devil

This look is another classic Halloween costume, as well as the simplest. Ditch the horns and halo this Halloween and go for an outside the box, just arrived from heaven or hell look.

For your angel, you need a white silk camisole or slip dress. If you don’t have this, substitute it for another lacey, white tank top or shirt. Pair this with a flouncy skirt (think bohemian meets innocent schoolgirl) or a pair of light wash jeans for a dressed down Archangel Michael look. Layer on some glittery makeup, jelly sandals, and silver jewelry with some light blue accents to finish your look!

As a devil, choose between a pair of black jeans or a little black dress. Find a simple black crop top or a graphic tee with red tones to add to the black pants, or add a leather jacket to your little black dress. You can even mix and match these, if you wish! To complete the look, pair it with strong black boots and jewelry with leather or black accents, and add a red lip.

3. Powerpuff Girls Gone Wild

Blossom Costume Inspo by Frankie Castanea

If you’re traveling with a group this Hallows’ Eve, then the Powerpuff Girls are an iconic and easy costume with some major 2000s influences. This costume is perfect if you’re looking for that special Chemical X kick.

For this costume, you’ll need a monochrome outfit. If you find yourself lacking in blue, pink or green bottoms, pair a bright colored top with a black skirt or jeans to add an accent. If you’re feeling especially bold, switch the colors around and pair a brightly colored bottom to match your favorite Powerpuff Girl with a black crop top.

To finish the look, pair some black boots or strappy sandals with 2000s-style butterfly clips and pull the top back part of your hair up into two high ponytails for that special touch. Use colorful makeup to match your Powerpuff Girl of choice, ensuring that you channel the sugar, spice, and everything nice.

4. Captain Marvel Undercover

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe being a film powerhouse after record-smashing box offices from Avengers “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” it’s impossible to not find a die-hard Spiderman or Captain America fan on any given day. While stores sell nylon, skin-tight superhero costumes for upwards of $30, Captain Marvel’s “undercover” look is easy to achieve, while still being iconic enough to count as a badass female superhero costume.

For this costume, you’ll need a white t-shirt, a leather jacket, a pair of light wash jeans, and a baseball hat. Captain Marvel dons a Shield cap and a Nine Inch Nails tee, but any light colored tee and darkly colored baseball hat will do to give off the effect of Carol’s incognito look.

Pair these with a dressed down pair of shoes–anything from Converse to Dr. Martens. Although Carol wears minimal makeup in this scene, you can create a Captain Marvel inspired look with gold, blue, and red hues if you feel you haven’t gotten your point across.

5. Mighty Maleficent

One of the hardest costumes to DIY, Maleficent has been a classic Halloween costume since the debut of “Sleeping Beauty” by Disney in 1959, but is back in big fashion since the live action movie came out last week. For your DIY, ditch the store-bought, uncomfortable dress and create your own modern-day evil fairy costume.

For this look, you’ll need a black, denim skirt and a strappy, black bralette or a little black dress. Pair a body harness or fishnets with platform black boot. As a cape, you can either wear a flowy black jacket or transform your everyday vampire costume cape into Maleficent's by adding some tissue paper around the collar. For her staff, you can use a yardstick or the end of a broom and paint the top green like the gemstone.

To finish off the look, grab a black headband and use craft wire (you can get this at your local hardware store or Michaels for cheap) to get the horns. Cut to your desired length and size, then wrap on black tissue paper, or just use toilet paper, if you don’t have access to the black tissue paper. Use black electrical tape to wrap around the paper and wire, then when it looks the way you desire, super glue it onto your black headband. The wire allows you to bend and move your horns any way you wish, and the black electrical tape gives off the ridged look that Angelina Jolie’s character has in the movies. If you need a more in depth version of this DIY horns idea, visit https://asthebunnyhops.com/tutorial-maleficent-headband/!

For your makeup, heavily contour your cheekbones and use black glittery or green eyeshadow to create a look that mimics Maleficent's green powers in the movie.

Each of these looks are mindful of your money while still changing up the Halloween costume game. Whether you choose to DIY Maleficent or put your own spin on being an angel or devil, we promise you’ll look great this Halloween.