Unlike holidays like, say, Easter or Thanksgiving, which fall on different dates each year, Halloween is and will always be on Oct. 31. Some years, you’re totally prepared with the perfect outfit and makeup to boot, but there are those few lost years where All Hallows' Eve smacks you in the face like a hard deadline, and you have no candy to give out or costume to wear. No one’s judging you for being forgetful or just downright lazy, by the way, but if you’re in need of last-minute Halloween costumes that require no money or effort because you’re either out of time or cash, there are options.
If we're being completely honest here, minimal effort and low-budget is the way to go whether you're lazy or not. Halloween has gotten a little out of hand, and I can't be the only one who's noticed. For starters, store-bought costumes are wildly overpriced. Why would someone ever consciously pay over $20 max for a cheaply made ensemble that realistically will not ever be worn again once All Hallows' Eve comes to an end?
Plus, Halloween is supposed to be fun, not a fashion show, and quite frankly, I prefer creativity on a dime to dramatic, intricate designs anyway. So own that lazy title, and do not get down on yourself for waiting until the very last possible second to throw something together. Trust me, we've all been there. Don't panic — get playful with these lazy Halloween costume suggestions that cost nothing and are effortlessly epic.
Now here's a scary AF ensemble that I guarantee will have every party guest in cold sweats.
Student loans are hands-down the absolute worst thing to ever happen to college attendees. Consider this a friendly reminder that most of us will be haunted by them for years to come post-grad. If your goal was to spook your peers with nothing but a pad of sticky notes, this super intelligent (and super cheap) costume takes the cake.
OK, so this costume technically requires money, but I find it hard to believe you don't have a few nickels to spare for this punny Halloween costume.
Not only is this costume clever, it's also an ice-breaker because I know myself and, personally, I've yet to come across someone who doesn't have a heated opinion on Nickelback.
Thanks to Instagram and Facebook albums, physical photographs are a dying fad. Because digital pics are more popular than albums these days, you most likely have a few empty frames taking up space around the house. Well, now is the time to utilize them, my friend!
Dress like you would on any normal day, and the most effort you'll have to put into this costume will be to grab an empty picture frame and hold it in front of your face anytime someone strikes up a conversation. Your arm might get a little tired by the end of the night, but it's worth saving a few bucks, right?
Veiling your entire body under a plain white sheet is not only a classic Halloween costume — it's also kind of creepy depending on how you execute the persona.
Here are your options: Wail like you're in excruciating pain, weep for your lost soul, or go as a vintage-style Casper and (ironically) be the life of the party! If you're looking for laughs, pick a sheet from your childhood with embarrassing cartoons or patterns. Either way, it'll work.
Last year, I took the lazy route and sported a killer Halloween costume that only called for three products: a black eyeliner pen, black eyeshadow, and white eyeshadow.
The goal here is to look as deceased as you possibly can, with a pulse. To start, I brushed white eyeshadow all over my face, then focused on shadowing around my eyes, nose, and contouring the angles of my face with black eyeshadow. To add a few finishing touches, I drew stitches around my lips, extending the lines across my cheeks.
This costume required zero spending, minimal effort, and attracted a lot of stares from strangers in Penn Station. A total win all-around.
With a little more time to spare, this would absolutely be a post detailing how to transform yourself into the legendary DC comic super-villain, but last-minute costumes call for quick creativity.
Dig into your makeup collection and make do with what you've got. Copy Twitter user Maddie's half-cat complexion, or create your own double feature. Makeup is powerful, ladies. Use it to your advantage.
Granted, you may not be able to fully transform yourself into a legitimate replica of the Nickelodeon Rugrats characters with minimal effort or cash, but you can definitely pose as a baby for Halloween this year (and every year thereafter if you so choose).
The first step is to wiggle into either your favorite, or most embarrassing pair of pajamas. Next, toss your hair into two pigtails, and draw a few obvious freckles just above the cheekbones with either a black or brown eyeliner pen. Fill up a water bottle with apple juice, and you're good to go.
