45 Easy DIY Halloween Costumes For Women

Store-bought Halloween costumes are OK — but they can be uncomfortable, and you run the risk of running into a million other people dressed just like you. That's why we love DIY Halloween costumes for women. They let you lend your own creative flair to your get-up, and they end up being way more wearable than some of the itchy, polyester pieces sold in party stores. Plus, DIY Halloween costumes allow you to create a funny (or punny) costume tied to niche pop culture moments, such as the "Barbie" movie or the "almond mom" TikTok trend. You might be surprised how many amazing DIY Halloween costume ideas for women there are to be had.

But if you're not crafty, don't let the letters "DIY" scare you. There are plenty of easy Halloween costumes for women that are totally DIY-able even for people who don't know their way around a glue gun. We have a list of 45 easy, DIY Halloween costume ideas for women, and some of them require nothing more than wearing the right color dress or slicking on some Bath & Body Works blood-red lip gloss. Other ideas here are a little more involved, for those of us who are frequent fliers at the local fabric store or have a whole craft cupboard begging to be used. Ready to be inspired?

— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano and Mirel Zaman

01

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Selena Quintanilla

Channel the late Selena Quintanilla with a sexy outfit inspired by the talented and beautiful singer. It's an easy DIY Halloween costume if you can find (or make!) a blingy bra top.

02

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: the Travel Bug

Your friends will love this play on words! Attach maps to your clothes and create "antennas" (pipe cleaners attached to a headband should do the trick) for a quirky take on wanderlust.

03

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Deviled Egg

Fans of puns will love your costume creativity. All you need for this creative DIY Halloween costume is a white dress, a yellow circle made of felt or paper, a red cape, and devil horns.

04

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Spice Girls

If you and your friends want to go in on a group costume together, being the Spice Girls is as good as it gets. Have everyone dress up as their favorite singer and strike their famous pose.

05

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: "The Devil Wears Prada"

Not everyone can pull off a Meryl Streep costume, but dressing up as a devil wearing Prada is easy — you can even write "Prada" across a plain shirt if, like most people, you don't happen to have anything from Prada lying around.

06

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Bat

If you have a black dress and pointy ears, the only thing left that you'll need to be a bat is a makeshift cape. Cut a wing-like design in a blanket or piece of cloth and take on the night!

07

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Beanie Baby

Reuse your animal ears from last year by making a homemade Beanie Baby costume. Pick your animal then make a Ty tag for this easy throwback costume.

08

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Morton Salt Girl

If you're looking for a DIY costume that's simple and sweet, grab a yellow dress and an umbrella to become Morton Salt's iconic label (but please don't blame us if you get bad luck for opening an umbrella indoors). A pro tip: bring along a can of Morton Salt to really cement the look.

09

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Strawberry

Be a sweet treat this Halloween when you dress up as a strawberry. All you need for this DIY costume is a red shirt and pants or dress, green and black construction paper, and a small green hair accessory.

10

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Angel

Want to look angelic this Halloween? Wear an all-white outfit, and add a halo and some wings. Complete your DIY costume with sparkly makeup and glitter.

11

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: the Big Bad Wolf

Sorry, Grandma. If you want to be this "Little Red Riding Hood" character, you'll need to wear a fuzzy jacket and brown ears. Draw on a little nose and whiskers and tousle your hair to make it look mischievously messy.

12

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Snickers

Nothing's sweeter than a candy costume! Wear a brown dress and attach a piece of paper with the Snickers logo to the front of it. Carry around a bag of chocolate to really make this homemade costume come to life.

13

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Beetlejuice

If you have a green wig, you're more than halfway done with this costume! Put on purple, black, and green face makeup, and complete your look with a black-and-white striped shirt.

14

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Holly Golightly From "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

A little black dress with a chunky statement necklace and small crown will turn you into the posh Holly Golightly. Put your hair in a high bun, then add opera-length gloves for good measure.

15

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Baby Yoda

Green tights, a brown sweater, and green gloves will turn you into The Child in no time. If you're in a colder climate, feel free to wear a large brown coat over your sweater to really stay warm.

16

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Scar From "The Lion King"

If you love a Halloween makeup look, this Scar costume from "The Lion King" look is out of this world.

17

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Cher From "Clueless"

"Clueless" is another movie that seemingly never gets dated, and it's currently experiencing a resurgence thanks to TikTok. A yellow plaid outfit and sassy attitude will make this "Clueless" outfit complete. High white socks and white heels will add the finishing touches.

18

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Alien

With all the UFO talk this year, an alien feels especially appropriate. Anything silver, sparkly, and fun will do for this costume. Style your hair into space buns and find all the silver makeup you can. Everyone will be seeing stars when they look at your outfit.

19

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Wednesday Addams From "The Addams Family"

Braid your hair into matching pigtails and wear an all-black outfit. You'll want a white shirt underneath your top, though, for Wednesday's iconic white collar to show through.

20

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Cruella de Vil

Throw on your most luxurious faux fur white coat and black dress, then swipe on some red lipstick. Carry around a stuffed dog or use your own pet dog as an accessory. For the final touch, snag some temporary hair coloring spray to score de Vil's signature hairdo. Or go ahead and do a split-dye — it's still in vogue.

21

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Kim Possible

Call me, beep me! You probably already have everything you need for this DIY Halloween costume. Kim Possible rocks cool cameo pants with a black long-sleeve shirt, and you can, too. If you're cold, you can add a black jacket over your outfit. Hum the theme song under your breath wherever you go.

22

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Snow White From "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

A yellow skirt, blue shirt, and red headband will turn you into this enchanting princess. Carry an apple to make this DIY costume come to life.

23

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: '80s Fitness Guru

Colorful, cute, and comfortable, you can't go wrong dressing up as an '80s workout person. You'll need a bright workout set or a pair of sweats and a large scrunchie. If you're really feeling it, you can add blue eyeshadow and leg warmers.

24

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Pop-Art Painting

If makeup is your thing, try this easy pop-art look! Cartoon features, white dots, and bright colors will make this look easy to replicate — and all you have to wear is all black.

25

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Tiana From "Princess and the Frog"

If you have a dreamy green dress, then you're on your way to becoming a princess. Pull your hair into a high bun and add a little flower accessory to make it complete. Now go find your frog!

26

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Thing 1 or Thing 2

Pair a "Thing 1" or "Thing 2" shirt with the coziest red sweatsuit you have. After you bundle up, wear a blue wig and red lipstick to make your outfit a masterpiece.

27

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Cinderella

Want to enchant everyone this holiday? Wear a blue dress (or silk robe!) to re-create the princess's dreamy look. Throw on a blue headband and white shoes to add a bit more magic to your look.

28

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Slytherin Student

If you belong in Slytherin, just wear a black blazer with a crisp white shirt and a green tie to pull together an easy DIY costume. Bonus points if you have a wand.

29

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Jessie From "Toy Story"

Giddy up! If you have a cow-print skirt or pants and a yellow long-sleeve skirt, you're ready to become Jessie from "Toy Story". Throw on a red hat and brown belt to make this DIY costume complete.

30

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Audrey Hepburn

While a black dress and pearls make up the most famous "Breakfast at Tiffany's" look, Audrey Hepburn's character also dons a sleeping mask and white dress shirt in other scenes. Draw lashes on a blue eye mask and enjoy the coziness of Halloween in a comfy collared shirt.

31

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Scientist

If you have a white coat and goggles, then consider being a scientist. This homemade costume can get as creative as you want it to, so don't be afraid to add some spooky makeup to go along with it.

32

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Flower Child

"Daisy Jones & The Six" has everyone nostalgic, so why not lean in? A crown of flowers will work great for this flower-child outfit. Wear flared pants, a colorful top, and cute shades.

33

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: "Risky Business"

This one is a classic that never feels overdone. All it takes is a white button-up, socks, and sunglasses, and everyone will know exactly what you're dressed up as.

34

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Belle From "Beauty and the Beast"

If you have a blue dress or white shirt and blue skirt, you can easily become Belle from "Beauty and the Beast." Tie your hair into a low ponytail and add a baby-blue bow.

35

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Leopard

You can style this DIY costume in a variety of ways, but our favorite way is by pairing a leopard-printed dress with a heavy long-sleeve black turtleneck or shirt. Complete the look with leopard ears and comfortable black boots.

36

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Jack Skellington From "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

Any striped black and white clothing item will do. Just make sure you're adding another accessory, like a top hat or skeleton makeup, so you don't look like a prisoner.

37

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Anna From "Frozen"

It only makes sense to have a "Frozen" character on this list. Anna knows how to brave the cold, and she does so in the most striking attire. Wear a long warm skirt with a long-sleeve teal and black shirt. Then find your warmest red coat, and go build a snowman.

38

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Carmen Sandiego

Where in the world do you get a Carmen Sandiego costume? As long as you have a red trench coat and a red hat, then you've got a DIY one!

39

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Taco

You can get a full tutorial on how to recreate this DIY taco costume on the Pleats Scalloped & Lace blog, but it's surprisingly simple and just requires a brown dress, upholstery foam, and different colors of felt. Feel free to mix up the "toppings" to your liking.

40

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Barbie

This one is obvious, right? "Barbie" is back in a serious way, making it the perfect time to dress up as any variation of Barbie you want. A pink dress and high heels are all you really need, but you can experiment with a sporty Barbie, a career Barbie, or even a goth Barbie. Don't forget the Barbiecore nails!

41
DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: an Almond Mom
Getty | adrianova_

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: an Almond Mom

This one's super simple. Just carry around a big jar of almonds, wear some mom jeans or carry around a baby doll, and voila — almond mom. For extra hilarity, fill an entire plastic pumpkin or pillowcase with almonds and tote it with you, snacking out of it all night. (Maybe sprinkle some Almond Joys in there, to keep the festive spirit.)

42

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: "Speak Now" Taylor Swift

Wear any fluffy purple dress you have on hand and curl your hair. Wear plenty of glitter and blast "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" on your phone. Heck, you can do this even when it's not Halloween.

43

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Ariel From "The Little Mermaid"

With the live-action "The Little Mermaid" premiering this past year, you can bet under the sea-themed costumes will abound. And they're surprisingly easy to DIY, with a red wig or hairspray (if you're not naturally auburn" and a flow-y blue dress.

44

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: Roxanne From "A Goofy Movie"

Roxanne's outfit is super-simple to duplicate, and you can go the extra mile with a red wig or red hairspray or not. What really takes this look to the next level is the makeup, which is so simple anyone can do it. Just use eyeliner to give yourself a Roxanne nose.

45

DIY Halloween Costumes for Women: A Mouse, Duh

"Mean Girls" is almost 20 years old, but it never really gets old. Case in point: you can slap on some lingerie and a set of animal ears and most people will totally get the reference. And if anyone doesn't and asks what you're supposed to be, you have the perfect response. "I'm a mouse — duh."