30 of our easiest DIY Halloween costumes you can make for last-minute parties

We’re big fans of this viral sponge thanks to TikTok and this adorable costume couldn’t be easier to put together once you’ve secured a foam egg carton mattress topper, some cardboard, craft paint and some thick ribbon.

Instructions:

1. Begin with two large cardboard circles and paint both sides a shade darker than the foam topper.
2. Using sharp fabric scissors, cut two circles out of the foam, about two inches wider than the cardboard.
3. Trace and cut a smiley face from one of the foam circles. Attach both pieces of foam to the cardboard with hot glue.
4. Attach thick ribbon straps to both circles with duct or Gaffer tape. Complete your look with rubber cleaning gloves.
   

If you’ve also become obsessed with the viral Stanley Quenchers then why not dress up as one for Halloween? All you need is a monochromatic matching tracksuit, use our Stanley template to make an iron-on patch for the front of your sweatshirt. Then it’s just a matter of getting sturdy white paper plates and a white paper towel roll and gluing them together for the lid and straw. Attach the lid and straw to elastic or a headband and you’re done! This idea works really well as a group costume, too.

The Beckhams are always in the spotlight. Posh Spice is easy to execute so long as you have an LBD and oval-shaped shades. David is a piece of cake, as well – get jersey numbers and iron a ‘7’ on any white jersey or pullover you have. Pair with white athletic shorts, knee-high socks and sneakers. You can also opt for temporary tattoos if you want to fully commit.

This is unlocking serious nostalgia. Everyone loved a Lip Smacker back in the day, so they’ll especially love this easy ensemble, which is basically just a T-shirt dress (with our Lip Smacker template ironed on to it) and a matching plastic beach bucket as the ‘cap’.

Go as the friendliest spider around using nothing more than whatever black clothing you already own, a black umbrella and a few crafting materials – large googly eyes and long black rope or pipe cleaner will do the trick for the spider legs!

Honestly, who doesn’t love Dolly? To recreate her iconic look, you can either buy a platinum blonde wig or have some DIY fun constructing her golden locks using a large piece of cardboard, some yellow and brown craft paint and a craft knife. Pair the hair cutout with a country-esque outfit and a toy ukulele. Jolene, you better watch out.

How adorable is this? Go solo as a laundry machine or pick a willing partner to go with you as a dryer. Once you have white-painted cardboard boxes and cut out holes for the head and arms, the creativity is all on you. Print out control panels and dials (or paint them on) and glue on a few pairs of old socks or empty dryer sheet boxes to really sell the look.

Yes, chef! A denim apron, an old white tee and black pants are all you really need to transform into the talented chef. You can add to the costume with a plastic container full of drinking water and a towel if you want... or you can just yell “cousin!” at your friends all night. The choice is yours.

You’re sure to be popular this Halloween if you dress up as the most famous witch in Oz. Elphaba is easy as long as you can use an old black dress and secure a witchy hat. As for the green body paint, it’s up to you whether you want to go full-on or only apply a few swipes to the cheeks and temples (like our model here!).

Devilled eggs, the retro canapé is back on the menu this Halloween and what better way than to dress like one? Once you’ve bought a white egg-shaped styrofoam structure, you’ll just need to cut it in half and glue on yellow rope, green pipe cleaners and red sequins to create the yolk. Once that’s dry, hot-glue the egg on to a white hairband and that’s it!

Love a charcuterie board? Why not dress like it? This costume works best with multiple people and requires yellow and red craft paint and styrofoam cake rounds for creating the slices of Gouda, which you can then attach to a hairband with hot glue or place on a wooden board as a prop to carry around. As for the grape hairband, you’ll have a bit of crafting to do once you buy purple tree ornaments and some floral wire. But don’t worry, it’s easy!

Instructions:

1. Cut several 30cm lengths of floral wire. Thread an ornament on to the centre of each wire and twist the ends together.
2. Gather all of the wired ornaments and twist the wires together to create a tapered bunch of grapes. Trim any excess wire pieces off and wrap any exposed wire with floral tape.
3. Cut a grape leaf shape from green paper and attach it to the bunch with hot glue.
4. Wire two small hair combs to the bottom of the bunch to secure on to your head. You might need some extra bobby pins to secure as well.

Your little one will catch all the Pokémon with this Ash Ketchum costume. Find a red cap, a blue vest and a pair of lime green gloves (cut the fingers off to really fit the look!). Then, DIY a Pokéball from a baseball, and purchase a Pikachu plush.

Tanya won't be in season 3 (sob!), so this is the year to honour all of her chaotic energy. Grab a long-sleeved dress, a scarf to wrap around your head, gold heels, over-sized sunglasses and continuously have a glass of Prosecco in your hand for the evening.

A low-key outfit and a blast from the past that’s so easy to create, it makes it hard to think of a reason not to dress up this year. Grab an all-black outfit and some Post-Its to finish the costume.

After the massive success of the Barbie movie, it’s a no-brainer to grab your Ken and go as the iconic duo.

SHOP KEN OUTFIT

SHOP BARBIE OUTFIT

We created templates for you to follow so you can easily recreate the hats (and yep, another look that works for adults). The rest of the look is made with some duct tape and your favourite sweats.

Season 4 of Emily In Paris was nothing short of spectacular, so dress like your favourite American in Paris with this simple costume idea. All it takes is a red skirt, a Breton top, a beret and you’re on your way!

Get ready for your comfiest Halloween yet! Grab a long-sleeve black shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. Then, cut or tear a piece of duct tape the length of a bone and place it on the clothing items. Draw the bone shape on top of the duct tape, peel the tape off and place it flat on to the cutting mat. Using an X-Acto (hobby) knife, cut out the bone shape. Once you have finished cutting out your bones, you can restick them back on to the clothing.

No one will ever believe this costume is made from plastic tablecloths!

For the cape:

1. Lay red and black plastic tablecloths on top of each other.
2. Trim both to fit your height (you want about 45cm extra to fold over the top).
3. Cut a scalloped edge along the top and bottom sides.
4. Lay a piece of black ribbon about 45cm from the top of the tablecloths.
5. Fold the tablecloths over the ribbon and tie them around your neck.
6. Fluff the tablecloths as needed.

For the collar:

1. Cut a 5cm thick strip of printer paper to fit around your neck comfortably.
2. Accordion-fold rectangle doilies and large round doilies cut in half. Attach them to the paper strip with a glue stick or double-sided tape.
3. Glue a ribbon around the paper strip to fasten it around the neck.

Here’s one way to make an entrance. Blow up long, pink balloons and attach them by the knot to a pink shirt with safety pins. Sprinkle in a few context clues, so people can figure out what you’re dressing up as, such as a felt crown embellished with plastic fish.