7 creative DIY Halloween costumes you can easily make at home
Halloween DIY costumes can be a fun and inexpensive way of dressing up.
"But in the olden days..." my daughter begins. "When you were little, I mean...what kind of costume did you wear?"
She's horrified that we made our own costumes instead of spending fifty euro for cheap polyester capes and queuing for half an hour for our trouble. I fill her in on my stand-out costumes over the years; Rainbow Bright, the quirky colourful character that saw me clash every possible colour around my body, including three layers of multi-coloured legwarmers.
Then there was the time I dressed as a Rubiks cube. A simple box painted in a vibrant grid. Not exactly scary, I know. I think colour might have been my thing.
Everyone has a plastic-bag-witch moment in their childhood, and it didn't stop Trick or Treating being fun or memorable.
So in the spirit of imagination and creativity, not to mention budget, we've put together some of the Examiner's Lifestyle Team favourites.
My own daughter is designing her 'dead Barbie' costume as I write this, but our Lifestyle Editor, Vickie Maye had the even better idea of making a Lifesize 3D Box costume.
"My last dress up was Star Wars! The 60s version with a high top pony tail wig. If I had a dress up this year I’d be getting the Barbie box! (I'd be going as old Barbie though!)."
All you need is a large box, Barbie stencil for the logo, pink glitter, pink wallpaper. Cut out the letters in pink and add glitter. Cut out the front and paper the inside of the box. Finally cut out holes in both sides and the bottom so your little doll can have a mobile box. In fact, here's one someone else made earlier.
Outdoors Editor Caroline Delaney admits that she's "always super impressed by the make up artists who do Halloween looks. For example, Irish make-up artist Keilidh Cashell. But I also love the illusion costumes where it looks like a head in a jar or an alien/monster running away with a person. But you can't beat the traditional masks either!! The cheap ones from the local grocery shop that had a bit of elastic stapled to the side. The staple would always pull out chunks of hair or scratch the side of your face. And you would get so hot in them your face would be all wet after a few minutes of running around in them!"
We all remember those masks. But a less painful and definitely more creative way, check out these easy-to-do looks for both adults and children.
If you have a Pokémon fan in your house, this is a quick and simple costume that won't take long and definitely won't break the bank, says Lifestyle journalist, Amanda Cassidy. "Simply find a red cap and stick it on backwards. There are plenty of blue gillet-style fleece jackets you can pick up.
Pair this with a white t-shirt and green gloves (cut the fingers if you really want to be authentic. Add a Pikachu teddy and voila, you have the perfect Ash Ketchum costume."
Who doesn't love a little je ne sais quoi? A red beret, fancy shopping bag, red lippy and Breton stripe top will transform any outfit into the character from the Netflix show. Add an oversized passport to really hammer the point home. Bonus points you will be warm on the night, especially if you wear tights and boots. Win, win, gagnez.
You don't have to be a creative whiz or have done Home Economics sewing in order to whip up a scary costume. In fact, all you need is some paper and a black tracksuit. Ideally you can get some silver duct tape to stick on your cut out bones. Draw the bone shape on top of the duct tape, peel the tape off and place it flat onto the mat. Besides Googling 'chest cavity' or 'how many ribs do humans actually have', it's relatively straightforward. For an extra bit of jazz, you can colour the bones in fluorescent paint or marker so your little skeleton glows in the dark. Prepare for the comfy, warmest Halloween costume ever!
Every Halloween my little brother wore his dressing gown, a pair of boxing gloves and drew on a mustache. He idolised boxer Barry McGuigan. It's worth noting that he still, though in his 40s, enjoys so-called White Collar boxing and uses it to keep fit instead of gym membership. These days there are plenty of Irish sports stars to draw upon for inspiration at Halloween. If you are like my own eight-year-old daughter and need the scare factor, just add some blood, mess up the hair and go as the dead version of them. Maybe don't tag them on social media though. Not sure Brian O'Driscoll would be happy to see the tiny dead version of him paraded on Instagram.
Ashley Madekwe work a Joker-inspired costume last year that was relatively easy to make.
The actress said she just picked up a green wig, smeared red lipstick into a Joker grimace from the Batman Movie and work a white nurse uniform. We love the simplicity, comfort and the DIY badge in case you really need to point out who/what you are dressed up as (there's always one!).
Happy costume planning!
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