Making your own easy Halloween costume: 5 last-minute ideas

Are you still looking for a fantastic Halloween costume for an upcoming Halloween party? If so, there is no need to panic, as you can easily put a Halloween costume together in no time at all with items of clothing and accessories, which you most probably already have at home. In this article, we will show you five different Halloween costumes, which are guaranteed to make you look fantastically spooky.

Accessories and styling for your witch costume

A pointed witch's hat with a wide brim is a must-have for a witch costume. A brushwood broom or a homemade magic wand is the perfect accessory to finish off your witch costume.

Get creative with some make-up for your witch costume: grey and black eye shadow, burgundy, purple or black lipstick and a little blush will transform you into a fabulously spooky-looking witch. You can go for a less glamorous look and focus more on a natural, scary look, such as dark, overdrawn eyebrows, pale lips and messy backcombed hair. This will make you look like a witch who has just jumped off her broomstick.

Tip: Old items of clothing with holes or tears can be recycled into a simple Halloween costume. Washed out or stained clothes can be cut up into pieces and then painted and used for a monster, mummy or zombie costume. This way, you don’t need to wear any new clothes to make one of those costumes.

Accessories and face painting ideas to match your vampire costume

To finish off your vampire costume, you will need a pair of vampire fangs, which you can either order online or buy in most fancy-dress shops.

The right make-up is also important: you will need to apply some foundation, which is lighter than your natural skin tone. This will help give your face that washed-out, very pale vampire look. To create a stronger contrast, you can also apply a thin layer of white theatre make-up. A little bit of dark eye shadow can also help to make you look like you have returned from the dead. Then put a few drops of blood around your lips with red lipstick, lip liner or a little fake blood - and voilà your vampire costume is finished.

Last-minute Halloween costume: how to make your own skeleton costume

Generally, there are two ways you can put a skeleton costume together with little to no hassle. Firstly, you will need a completely black outfit. If you are quite artistic, you can draw arms, leg bones and ribs onto the clothes by using some white fabric paint. If you are looking for something a bit quicker and easier, you can go for the quicker option, which would be to create a contrast look as listed below:

• Put a close-fitting white top and a slightly loose-fitting black t-shirt together.

• Draw the rib arches and, if necessary, the vertebral bones onto the black shirt.

• Then carefully cut around the drawn-on bones and put the black t-shirt over the white top.

• The white top will now be visible through the cut-out parts of the black t-shirt. The contrasting effect of black and white creates a quick and simple skeleton costume.

Accessories and face painting ideas to match your skeleton costume

One of the most important parts of a skeleton costume is applying some make-up to create a skull. Below we have put together step-by-step instructions on how to create a skull by using some make-up:

• Put some white make-up on your face and lips, however, leave out the areas around your eyes and nose.

• Outline your eyes with some black make-up. Then colour in the circles to create black eye sockets.

• Paint your nose black and paint two black triangles over your nostrils, which should go up to the bridge of your nose.

• Use an eyeliner or a thin brush to draw a thin line across your lips to lengthen the corners of your mouth on either side.

• Now draw two lines that cross over the original line and your lips to create the teeth. Then use an eyeliner pencil to carefully draw the roots of the teeth.

• Apply a little bit of black make-up below your cheekbones. Next, blend it well from around your ears down to the middle of your cheeks. This will create sunken cheeks for your skull make-up.
  

Accessories and face painting ideas to match your zombie costume

Not only does the costume play an important role, but face paint will help to give your zombie costume the finishing touches. Use white or grey theatre make-up to create the basis for your ‘returned from the dead’ look. Use black or dark brown eye shadow to add dark circles under your eyes.

To look particularly lifeless, you can either cover your lips with white or grey make-up. Alternatively, you can apply dark red or brown lipstick for a high-contrast look. The aim here is to have very smudged and messy-looking make-up as this will make your zombie costume look more authentic.

Accessories and face painting ideas to match your 1920s Halloween costume

Women generally wear a cocktail dress for an authentic Roaring Twenties look. Sequins, fringes, pleated skirts and/or an asymmetrical pattern can all be used to create an exciting flapper costume. Accessories like hairbands and headbands with feathers, sequins or pearls and a long pearl necklace can be used to complete the look.

Since tomboyish looks were a defining feature of the Roaring Twenties, women can style themselves more androgynously. They could wear a white shirt, wide-leg trousers and a casually cut, light-coloured blazer to capture the revolutionary look of the style icon Marlene Dietrich.

When it comes to make-up and hairstyling, the same rules apply to both styles. Funky short hairstyles were really in during the Roaring Twenties, but longer hair can be put into a fake bob. The perfect Flapper make-up includes dark, narrow eyebrows in a dramatic arch, dark-rimmed eyes and dark red lips with a strongly accentuated lip line.

To transform yourself into a gentleman of the 20s, you need classy evening wear. Combed-back or parted hair will help to finish off your look. If you want to dress a bit more casual, then you should stick to suit trousers, a shirt, braces and a cap or beanie for a more urban look.

Tip: You always have the option of choosing one of the tried-and-tested Halloween costume ideas and then giving it your own unique look. Combine a brightly coloured witch costume or a vampire costume with a casual Hawaiian shirt. There are no limits to being creative.

Spooky style: trendy Halloween costumes for 2026

Looking for trendy Halloween costumes for 2025 that will make you the centre of attention at any party? We'll show you how to bring your favourite characters from the big screen to the Halloween dance floor:

Make your own Wednesday costume

Wednesday Addams remains a popular Halloween look in 2026. Thanks to the hit Netflix series, the Addams daughter’s gothic style has once again become a fashion statement. You don’t need much to look your best in this outfit on Halloween! With these items, you can easily put together a Wednesday costume:

• Black dress with a white collar (e.g. shirt dress with white Peter Pan collar or long-sleeved black dress with white blouse underneath)

• Black tights or fishnet tights

• Black loafers

• Braided hairstyle

Or

• Black and white striped top

• Black trousers or long black skirt

• Black jacket

• Lace-up boots

Black dresses

Striped blouses

Light make-up for a pale complexion, dark lipstick and two plaited braids complete your Wednesday costume.

DIY Stranger Things costume

The retro look, which has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to the Stranger Things series, is also ideal for a Halloween costume. Instead of trying to imitate a specific character as closely as possible, you can take inspiration from typical 80s fashion. This gives you a wide range of cool retro styles to choose from:

• Colourful blouses with puffed sleeves or ruffles

• Blazers with shoulder pads

• Flannel shirts

• Mom jeans

• Bomber jackets

• Denim jackets

• Neon clothes

Discover our 80s style fashion

Make your own Wicked costume

With the new film adaptation of the Broadway hit Wicked, the witches Elphaba and Glinda are right at the top of the list of trendy Halloween costumes for 2026.

You actually need surprisingly little to put together an Elphaba costume: with an all-black outfit and green face make-up, you can easily create the look using items from your existing wardrobe:

• Black or dark green maxi dress

• Or: black skirt with a black top

• Black witch's hat

• Dark boots or boots with a heel

• Green (theatre) make-up

Glinda, the good witch from Wicked, is the counterpart to Elphaba and can also serve as inspiration for your homemade Halloween costume. To achieve her signature look, you’ll need a feminine outfit in shades of pink or pastel. Many of these items can still be worn afterwards, either as part of your everyday wardrobe or for festive occasions:

• A pink dress, for example, made of chiffon or silk

• Or: a pink skirt with a matching top

• Light-coloured high heels

• A pink headband or hairpin

• Glittery make-up

• Optional: a small magic wand

Make your own One Piece costume

The legendary straw hat pirate Luffy from One Piece makes for a straightforward costume idea for Halloween 2026. The look can be recreated using just a few items from your everyday wardrobe and is easily recognisable thanks to the distinctive combination of a red waistcoat and cropped jeans:

Here's how to make the Luffy costume:

• Red sleeveless jacket or sleeveless shirt

• Denim shorts or cut-off jeans

• Straw hat

• Sandals

Paint a scar under your left eye, and your homemade One Piece costume is complete.

Conclusion: quick and easy Halloween costumes you can find in your wardrobe

Many last-minute Halloween costumes are absolute classics that you can easily put together with clothes from your wardrobe and some clever make-up. If your costume is otherwise minimalist or modern, accessories such as vampire fangs or a witch's hat can enhance your last-minute Halloween costume. The goal is that everyone will recognise your disguise. Spooky make-up or a bit of fake blood will help to complete your spooky Halloween look.

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The image sources in this text are in chronological order

Cover image: iStock.com/M_a_y_a
1st image in the text: iStock.com/gpointstudio
2nd image in the text: iStock.com/gorodenkoff
3rd image in the text: C&A
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5th & 6th images in the text: C&A
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10th image in the text: C&A
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12th & 13th images in the text: C&A