Cheap Halloween Costumes for Adults or Kids

Homemade Discount Halloween Ghost, Skeleton and Ghoul Outfits

Sep 3, 2009 Helen Smeaton

Make your own cheap Halloween costumes by choosing easy to make Halloween characters or buying a discount outfit from an online fancy dress store.

There are thousands of Halloween stores both on and offline selling everything from scary costumes and masks to party decorations, props and makeup. Many people buy online as they don’t have the time or imagination to make their own fancy dress costumes.

This article shows how easy it can be by choosing simple to create Halloween characters and applying some cheap Halloween makeup.

Homemade Halloween Costumes

Skeletons, ghosts and ghouls are popular Halloween outfits that are easy to create at home. First make the outfit:

Skeleton Costume – Simply take a plain black top and a pair of black pants or leggings, preferably old items from the wardrobe or dye some old clothes if black is not available. Lay them out on an old white sheet and trace around the garments to form a template. Take a pencil and draw bones onto the template then cut around the shapes and sew them onto the black garments.
Ghost Costume – Take an old sheet, cut a hole in it wide enough to fit the head then ask a friend to cut the bottom at roughly ankle height. Cut strips of fabric from the off cuts and pin them to the bottom of the sheet or just make rough cuts in it to form jagged edges on the sleeves and hem. Cut out holes for the eyes and use a marker pen to draw an open scary mouth on the sheet.
Ghoul Outfit – Find some old clothes, a top and a pair of trousers, the scruffier the better! Cut off half of one sleeve and half of one leg and slash the cut ends so that they start to fray and look even older. Spread boot polish in patches onto the clothes then soak the garments to prevent the polish staining hands when touching the outfit. Let them dry creased to maintain the worn look.

Scary Masks Using Halloween Makeup

Next apply the makeup for each costume. Whilst specialist Halloween makeup may give the best effect, good results can be achieved by using light face powder, black eyeliner pencil and cheap face paints.

For the skeleton, whilst white face paint is best, simply dust light face powder or even talcum powder all over the face. Draw large black circles under the eyes with some black face paint then add some detail around the mouth, forehead, chin and cheekbones as in the picture below.
The ghost outfit doesn’t really need any Halloween makeup other than some white face paint or talcum powder on the face near the holes in the sheet.
Face makeup is the main requirement for the ghoul outfit, however, as it effectively creates a Halloween mask. Apply white face paint or powder to the entire face then use dark colors like black and navy blue to draw lines around the eyes and mouth. Eyes should be heavily outlined with as much black as possible. Use red lipstick to paint fake blood on the face and any exposed areas of the body. Red food coloring can also be used but should be diluted as it stains easily.

If looking for face paints, a good brand to try is Snazaroo, available for just a few dollars from Amazon online.

Discount Adult and Kids Halloween Costumes

If homemade costumes sound like too much hard work or if pushed for time then shop online at Zoogstercostumes.com. They have a large range of end of line costumes and scary Halloween masks at fantastic prices, some as low as $6.99. See the howling ghost and skull mask pictures below as examples.

Alternatively, buy some scary Halloween contact lenses and dress in ordinary clothes, but be aware of the potential health risks if buying from unapproved retailers.

Make Cheap Halloween Costumes at Home

Save money and have fun this Halloween by making an easy to create ghost, ghoul or skeleton outfit from old clothes and a small amount of makeup. If pushed for time, buy online from a discount Halloween store, just allow enough time for the delivery to arrive.

Related Articles

You may also be interested in reading about Funny Halloween Costumes for Female Groups and Ideas for Scary Halloween Party Decorations.

The copyright of the article Cheap Halloween Costumes for Adults or Kids in Crafts is owned by Helen Smeaton. Permission to republish Cheap Halloween Costumes for Adults or Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.