Sustainable Overton volunteer Lois shares some ideas for Halloween costumes to save you time, money and the planet!
Halloween is right around the corner, but there’s no need to panic if your costume isn’t ready! You can fashion a costume out of clothing, makeup and props you already have at home, which means saving on costs and dressing sustainably for a green Halloween. Have a look below for some great and simple options.
Witch: There have been many witches in popular media, so the options are endless. Some distinctively witchy possibilities would include a black dress or cape, starry clothes, wearing orange and green, using black lipstick, or pulling on stripy socks or tights. Remember, not ALL witches have hats (think of Sabrina and the Harry Potter series!) - you could use a black cat toy, a broom, or a stick for a wand as props if you want to really sell the costume.
Zombie: Use face paint or makeup to create dark circles around the eyes and bloody gashes on the face and arms, and perhaps even add a green tinge to your skin. Messing up your hair or adding some rips to an old t-shirt could help to hammer home your bedraggled zombie attire.
Vampire: Rather like the witch, the opportunities for a vampiric costume are varied – you could go for a classic Dracula-esque approach, or more modern takes on the vampire. Black or red are classic colours, and slicking back your hair and using red makeup or face paint to add blood are perfect ways to emulate this character.
Devil: The brief is fairly simple with this one: wear red. You could add some bold red makeup or face paint to make your costume even scarier, and perhaps fashion a pair of horns out of cardboard and a headband to complete it - there are plenty of videos online to help you with this.
Cat: This is another simple option that won’t take long to create. Wear all black, and craft some cat ears out of card or felt and attach to a headband. Next, you can stuff one leg of a pair of tights and pin it to the back of your trousers or skirt to make a tail. Finally, use eyeliner or facepaint to add a nose and whiskers. Voila!
Fairy: Put together a whimsical look using a flowy dress or floral clothes and consider fashioning some wings and a wand out of cardboard you have in the house. A sprinkle of glitter will add a touch of magic!
If you’d prefer to dress as your favourite character, why not have a look in your wardrobe and see if any of your clothes would be a good fit? You never know what you’ll find, and remember that props can be the key to really selling a costume. Some simple options would be Morticia’s long black dress, the colourful combinations of the Scooby-Doo crew, or donning all pink as Barbie - have fun with it! What are you wearing for Halloween this year? How are you making your costume sustainable? We'd love to hear from you!
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