Halloween

Last minute Halloween costumes
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14 Last Minute Halloween Costumes For Everyone

You’ve got this!

by Jessica Booth

Fans of Halloween wait for the month of October all year long, counting down the days until spooky season officially begins and it’s finally considered acceptable to decorate your entire house with pumpkins. But once October gets here, those 31 days up until Halloween pretty much fly by, and before you know it, time is up and you still haven’t found the perfect Halloween costume. One day you had weeks to plan and put together the perfect costume, and the next, you’ve found yourself scrambling to find something, anything, to wear. It might seem like a lost cause, but there are actually plenty of last minute Halloween costume ideas that you can piece together quickly and still impress everyone you’re going trick-or-treating with.

Finding a great Halloween costume right before October 31 can be hard, but it’s definitely not impossible. There are some stores that will still sell and carry full costumes and accessories right up until the day of Halloween (although, warning: some shelves will be empty), and there are even some websites online that offer expedited shipping so you can get your costume in time. You might need to get creative or settle for something different than what you wanted, but you will find something.

Where to buy last minute Halloween costumes

Head to one of these stores for your best chance of finding a costume in person:

  • Target
  • Spirit Halloween
  • Walmart
  • Party City

To shop online, your best bet is looking at these sites and ordering up to two or three days before Halloween:

  • Amazon
  • HalloweenCostumes.com
  • HalloweenExpress.com
  • BuyCostumes.com Is

You can also check out the below ideas to put together a fun costume for you, your partner, or your kids — or everyone. It’s time to get just a little creative with these last minute costume ideas.

1A Classic Cat

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It might be basic, but there’s a reason for that: dressing as a cat on Halloween is simple, fast, and cute for anyone and everyone, regardless of age. You can almost definitely find a pair of cat ears somewhere, whether that’s in a store or for a quick Prime delivery on Amazon, and that’s really all you need. You can even cut out some felt and hot glue to barrettes or bobby pins for super easy cat ears. For a classic black cat costume, wear or have your kids wear black pants and a black shirt. You could also do cat ears with a leopard print shirt and black pants as well. From there, you just need makeup to draw whiskers and a nose. You can use any black eyeliner for this if you can’t find Halloween makeup.

2Smarty Pants

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Halloween costumes that are also puns are usually pretty easy and quick to put together, making them perfect for a last minute costume idea. They’re also clever and funny, so everyone will think you spent a lot of time coming up with a great costume, when really the opposite is true. One super easy idea that can be put together in no time and is a breeze even for people who aren’t into DIY is a smarty pants costume. You know Smarties candy? Buy a whole bunch of them and glue or tape them onto a pair of pants. Add any shirt and that’s literally it. That’s the whole costume. Cute, effective, and simple.

3A Witch

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Even this close to Halloween, you shouldn't have trouble finding a basic witch hat. They’re sold pretty much everywhere, and even if you can’t find one in a store or on Amazon, you can likely borrow one from someone you know. Once you have the witch hat, the rest is easy. You can throw on any black dress you have or anything that reminds you of a witch. Add some boots, and maybe even grab an old broom. You can also make your look more creative with Halloween makeup, which should also be easy to find. Paint your entire face green or just follow an easy tutorial you find online, like this one on YouTube. This is another one that works for anyone regardless of age.

4A Different Take On Cinderella

If you had your heart set on dressing as a Disney princess but waited so long to find a costume that you can no longer find a good one, then try a slightly different take on Cinderella. When people dress as Cinderella, they generally opt for the princess ballgown version of the character. Instead, dress as Cinderella before she went to the ball, which is much easier to put together on your own. You just need a long sleeved blue shirt, a brown dress or skirt, a white apron, and flat shoes. You more than likely have those items or can borrow them from someone, and you really don’t have to do much with hair or makeup either.

5An Ice Cream Cone

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Dressing as food is always a fairly easy option that you can put together even if you don’t have a lot of DIY skills. Dressing as an ice cream cone is one of the more simple ideas, and it’s a really cute one too. All you need is a brown skirt or even a pair of brown pants, a white tee, some colorful cardstock paper, and a red balloon. The colorful cardstock will be the sprinkles — cut them into sprinkle-like shapes and then attach them to the top of your shirt, on the shoulders and chest area. You can blow up a red balloon and attach it to a headband, then wear that as a cherry. It’s cute and fun, and you can use this tutorial as inspiration.

6Olaf

A simple and quick costume idea for dad (or really anyone) is Olaf from Frozen. You don’t need to go out and buy a whole costume to dress as everyone’s favorite talkative snowman. You can either wear all white, like white pants and a white shirt, or you can just make things even easier and wear basically whatever you want. Use black felt material to make three large black circles, which you can attach to your shirt like the buttons of a shirt on a snowman. Grab a white baseball hat and get crafty by using construction paper to make eyes to attach on top. You can also use orange paper or orange felt material to make a carrot-like nose to attach to the hat as well — this will be Olaf’s face.

7A Baby Animal

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Want your littlest one to get involved in the Halloween fun? A super simple and versatile idea is to dress them up as a baby animal, like a baby bear. Places like Carter’s make these really cute fuzzy jumpsuits that look like a cuddly teddy bear. They’re adorable, cozy, and cuddly, and they’re perfect for an infant or a really little one who just doesn’t get the concept of Halloween yet. They’re ideal for cool weather, and even better? They aren’t actually a costume, so they can be worn any other time as well.

8A Yoga Instructor

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If you want to be incredibly comfortable all night long, dress as a yoga instructor. Is it a lazy option? Sure, but sometimes that really doesn’t matter. You probably don’t even need to buy anything for this costume: put on a pair of leggings and a tank top or longline sports bra, sling a yoga mat over your shoulder, and put your hair up. A zen mood is a must! While this is easy for adults, it’s actually really adorable for a toddler or little kid and is such an easy and comfortable costume option for them. Be sure to practice some simple yoga poses for photos!

9A Ballerina

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If your kid already takes ballet classes, then you kind of have a costume sitting in their room waiting for you. Dress them up as a ballerina! All you need is a leotard and ballet skirt or tutu, tights, and a pair of ballet shoes. All of these things are pretty easy to find, although this is obviously more ideal if you already have them all. Put their hair in a bun and show them some easy ballet dance moves they can do for photos. If you want to make it sound more creative, say they’re dressed as Angelina Ballerina from the classic book series.

10A Mime

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A mime isn’t exactly the most unique costume option out there, but it is ideal for a last minute Halloween costume, so you really can’t beat it. Anyone can dress as a mime, whether you’re a toddler, a teenager, or an adult. You probably already have everything you need for the costume too — you just might need to buy some costume makeup. You really just need a black and white striped shirt and black pants. Black suspenders would be a great addition if you can find them, and a black beret would also be perfect. Add some white face makeup and dramatic black eye makeup as well to complete the look.

11Jack and Jill

If you’re looking for a last minute couples costume idea, dress as Jack and Jill (you know, from the nursery rhyme). Not only is this a kid-friendly option, but it’s also simple — and it works for a couple or for two siblings. You can basically wear any clothes you have, like overalls and a striped shirt, or jeans and a button down with suspenders. Just make sure they look a little dirty and beat up, as if you just rolled down a hill. Someone should carry a pail (like a pail of water) and use makeup to make markings on your face that look like dirt. Add some bandages and name tags that say Jack and Jill so that no one feels confused.

12Rosie the Riveter

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The tiny feminist in your life was basically made for an easy Rosie the Riveter costume, and of course, it’s great for you as well. It’s easy because everything involved is so basic and you probably already own all of the materials. You’ll need a denim shirt (or a denim jacket will work in a pinch), a pair of jeans, a red bandana, and maybe red lipstick. That’s really it! It’s so cute for little kids and toddlers to wear this, but it’s really just a versatile choice that can be thrown together at the last minute.

13An Artist

14A Ghost

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It’s the easiest trick in the book: go as a ghost. Sure, it’s super simple, it’s lazy, it’s been done a million times before, but it’s also perfect for Halloween, and it’s a classic. Sometimes you just have to go that route. To create the easiest ghost costume, grab a white sheet and cut out holes for eyes and a mouth. Have the person wearing it wear all white underneath. For a baby, you could also do a white onesie that you draw ghost eyes and a mouth on and a white tutu for a fun twist. And for older kids, keep the sheet off their face and use makeup instead.

Remember, not every Halloween costume has to be super elaborate and creative! Sometimes you need a year where you go as something easy and basic so you don’t bend over backwards trying to find the perfect costume. Any of these last minute ideas are great in our book!