By Liv Barry
Elm Staff Writer
Halloween is right around the corner, and like most broke college students, you’re probably scrambling to pull together a last-minute costume for holiday festivities.
Don’t fret, though – There are plenty of versatile, affordable Halloween costumes to fit all of your last-minute needs.
Clown
Clown costumes only require three basic elements: red lipstick, powder, and makeup skills. Everything besides the basic face makeup is up to the wearer. If you’re into thrills and willing to put a little more effort into your look, you can be a scary clown. Alternatively, you could be a sexy clown or a silly clown depending on what clothes you already have in your wardrobe.
If it’s in your budget, you could stop at your local dollar store to pick up a cheap red wig and a red balloon to dress up as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable clowns: Pennywise.
Any way you choose to style your clown costume, it’s an instantly recognizable classic.
Fairy
This costume will require a quick trip to the costume store, but wings are the only bare-bones necessity here. Just pair your favorite dress, skirt, or set with a matching set of wings and you have a fairy costume.
You could style yourself after any famous fairy – Tinker Bell, a Winx Club member, or the Fairy Godmother – with just one simple accessory.
Favorite TV Character
With the overwhelming number of television shows on air and on streaming, dressing up as your favorite television character has never been easier!
Most characters are contemporary, so most of the clothes you need are already in your closet.
Joe from Netflix’s “You” is an easy and relevant choice for Halloween this year. All you need are some jeans, a t-shirt, some sunglasses, and a baseball cap.
If you prefer dressing up, you could throw on any sparkly piece of clothing you own, apply some colored eyeshadow, and you could easily pass as a character from HBO’s “Euphoria.”
Pantone
All you need for this costume is a solid-colored shirt and some printer paper. Find your favorite, solid-colored shirt that you own and try your best to match what Pantone shade it is.
Once you’ve figured that out, add the Pantone code and label to a word document and print it.
It’s up to you whether or not you want to add just the label or make your costume resemble an actual Pantone paint chip, but either option is easy for costume procrastinators.
Ghost… but with a twist
Ghosts are the holy grail of last-minute Halloween costumes. Their charm lies in their simplicity; all you need is a bed sheet and some scissors.
However, if you want to upgrade your basic ghost costume and are willing to part with a spare bed sheet, you could go as Charlie Brown’s ghost costume from “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
You just need to cut a few holes in your bedsheets, ensuring that you have somewhere to see through, and you have a cute, classic costume. If you want to double down on the reference, you could also carry around a Halloween basket full of rocks.
Whether your costume was pulled together five minutes beforehand or has been planned out for months, make sure to live the holiday up safely and responsibly.
Photos courtesy of Flickr
