Easy and Sustainable Halloween Costumes

Tools and materials:

• *Each costume will have its own tools and materials listed

Beetlejuice 

• Black and white clothing
• White shirt
• White face paint and powder
• Dark eyeshadows
• Eyeliner: black and blue
• Purple lipstick
• Hairspray
• Non-toxic school glue (like Elmer’s)
• Cotton bud (Q-tip)
• Craft moss

1. Make the costume

Put on whatever black and white clothing you have: Jacket, skirt, or trousers paired with a white shirt. If you don’t have a black tie, use a thin black scarf.

2. Makeup

Apply the white face paint all over your face with a sponge or your fingers. Blend well. Apply powder to set the pallor. Daub some dark shadows around your eyes.

Draw thick black eyeliner around your eyes. Use blue eyeliner to line your lips, using different shades if you have them. Put on some purple lipstick. Tease your hair up high and spray it to hold.

Put some non-toxic glue on the cotton bud and put on one side of your face at the forehead and on the opposite side of your face on your lower cheek.

Add the craft moss to the glue. If you don’t have craft moss, grab some bits of dried out grass or leaves, crush them up, and apply them instead.

Witch or Warlock

• Your own black clothes
• Makeup

1. Make the costume

Put on your black clothes.

2. Makeup

Make up your face to suit your spooky mood and get a spooky attitude.

Victorian Creepy Child

• Black clothing
• Lace collar or doily
• White face paint
• Hair elastics

1. Make the costume

Put on your black clothes. Add the lace collar or doily to resemble a collar at the neckline.

2. Apply ghostly makeup

3. Hairstyle

Put your hair in pigtails or braids and secure with an elastic at the bottom.

Scars, Burns, and Brains

• Non-toxic glue 
• Toilet paper or tissues
• Disposable bowl
• Skin colored foundation
• Eyeshadow palette
• Brush
• Corn syrup
• Red food coloring
• Gauze wrap 

Sometimes a well-placed injury is enough to scare people on Halloween.

1. Make the scar tissue

If you have two ply tissues or toilet paper, you may need to separate them. Put some glue in a disposable bowl.

Add the thin tissues and mush them together until they’re very squishy.

2. Make the scar tissue look real

Apply the tissue in clumps that you smooth out or bunch together depending on where you place it. Let it set in place.

Once it’s dry, add some skin toned makeup to it. Then add eyeshadows in purple, green, blue, black, and yellow. Add some bandages around the “wound”.

3. Make the blood

Mix together corn syrup and red food coloring. Use a Q-tip or brush to add blood or drip some down for a scary effect.

Leopards

• Leopard top
• Brown eyeshadow
• Eyeliner
• Cat ear headband

1. Make the costume

Make leopard spots across your forehead and face. Put on the leopard shirt and headband. Roar!

Yarn Wigs

See my " The no sew yarn wig + DIY ragdoll & scarecrow costumes" tutorial on how to make yourself into a sweet rag doll or an adorable scarecrow using yarn.

Totally Tasteless and Gross

• Yellow clothes
• Yellow hat
• Brown clothes
• Brown tights
• Fill or batting
• Needle and thread

This is totally tasteless but also hilarious. This costume requires 2 people: one to be Pee and the other to be Poo. Choose wisely.

1. Make the costume

The pee costume is super simple. Dress entirely in yellow and finish off with a yellow hat. The poo costume requires brown clothes. The crowning glory is a poo hat.

Grab a pair of brown tights and fill with batting. Once it's stuffed and resembles you-know-what, fashion into a toque. Stitch in place. Wear with pride.

TV and film inspo

If you’re a Gen X, Y, or Z, there are tons of TV shows and movies of people wearing normal clothing you can recreate. I have a lot in my Halloween index to choose from. Here are a few so you can see how sustainable these Halloween costumes are.

Marty McFly from Back to the Future

• Checkered shirt
• Jeans
• Orange puffer vest
• Step: Make the costume

Look at photos or watch the shows to match the clothes. Here I wore the iconic vest to go back in time.

Friends

This friendly show works well if you have a group of well, friends, to dress as each character. 

1. Make the costume

Here I copy Phoebe’s outfit down to the shoes using my own clothes and styling my hair as she does.

Scream

Here I recreate the original scene in Scream with Casey Becker.

Old style telephone (cordless or other)

• Pale colored sweater
• Jeans
• Bangs

1. Make the costume

Dress to match the character.

2. Cut bangs

If you want to make bangs, consult my Halloween index where I have a tutorial on how to make bangs if you don’t have any.

Stranger Things

This show has many characters, all of whom I’ve recreated in the index. My favorite is the manager of Scoops Ahoy.

• Blue skirt and jacket
• Blue and white scarf
• Red lipstick
• Bag

1. Make the costume

Put on the outfit.

2. Put on some red lipstick

Sustainable Halloween costumes

Use the makeup and clothes you already have in your closet to have an upcycled Spooktacular Halloween! Please comment below with the costumes you wore or tag me in your photos @refashionistasheri.