Halloween is right around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve waited until the very last moment to scrounge up a costume. Luckily, all it takes is a little creativity and a good deal or two to whip up an affordable, Halloween party-worthy costume. Whatever your reason for procrastinating on your costume hunt, Shopilly has a solution for you:

1. I don’t want to pay a lot for a flimsy costume I’ll only wear once. This is where the beauty of DIY comes in. You can pull together a great costume at minimal cost by assembling the pieces yourself, which also allows you to strategically purchase pieces that you’ll continue wearing and using after the festivities are over. You may even already have pieces in your closet that you can integrate into your costume. Let’s take Little Red Riding Hood as an example. Start by layering a Fleece Cape by American Apparel over Forever 21‘s Flared Chambray Shirtdress.
            Complete your look with a wicker basket (psst — Linens ‘n Things is offering 20% off selected items until 10/23 with the coupon code Halloween20). Your costume will be instantly recognizable, and after Halloween is over, you’ll have a trendy cape to keep you warm throughout the winter, a versatile shirtdress to add to your closet, and a wicker basket to use for decoration or organizational purposes.
2. I can’t come up with an original/funny/witty costume idea. Stop being so hard on yourself! Halloween is all about having fun, so don’t stress out about having the wittiest costume at the party. Amazon.com is a reliable source for a variety of costumes, available in a wide range of prices to fit your budget. If you’re lusting after the “most original costume” award, search for “Halloween costumes” on Amazon.com and sort the search results by “New and Bestselling” to get an idea of the most popular costumes. Then avoid purchasing these costumes — or just laugh about it when you bump into another Flo the Progressive Insurance Girl at the party.
3. I hate dressing up. Who says you have to go all-out on Halloween? Even a little creative face paint can be transformational. A quick web search for “Halloween makeup tutorials” returns a bevy of tutorial videos — one of my favorites is this zombie makeup tutorial. Once you’ve picked out a look, head over to Sephora to purchase the makeup you need to achieve the look. And just in time for Halloween, Sephora is giving you the opportunity to win a discount with its Spin To Win Friends & Family Sale!

Happy Halloween from Shopilly!

Photo credits: store.americanapparel.net, forever21.com, sephora.com