With Halloween fast approaching, people of all ages mull over what costume they will don this year, especially the few who leave their costume shopping and preparations until the day before. For those procrastinators out there, picking a costume last minute can be tricky. Sometimes shopping for costumes the day before Halloween can prove to be a challenge because most of the costumes will be out of stock already or a certain costume idea won’t be there in the store to begin with.

A more cost effective and quick way to get a costume is to make it by hand out of materials around one’s home. Costumes don’t always have to be incredibly realistic, elaborate or even scary. Sometimes, simple and whimsical ideas are the way to go, in which case, a giant, clear plastic bag and a bucketful of colorful balloons can make the perfect costume: a bag full of jelly beans. To give the costume a clear effect, wear a white t-shirt and the plastic bag will be wrapped around it with the balloons placed inside the bag.

Another simple and classic homemade costume is the mummy. Many mummies can be found at Halloween parties or trick-or-treating because they’re one of the easiest costumes to make, and people of all ages can wear the costume. The making of this costume is as simple as wrapping toilet paper around oneself and maybe even adding some dark makeup around the eyes and on the paper for that zombified look.

If nothing useful can be found around the house to create the costume, makeup is the next best solution. Halloween makeup has the power to completely transform someone into another person, creature or even object; makeup can quickly become any trick-or-treater’s best friend.

One of the most popular costumes ever worn is the Joker costume from the Batman series, and it isn’t just because of the iconic purple jacket and green shirt and tie. It’s the makeup that sets it apart. The makeup can make or break one’s costume, and in this case, the costume wouldn’t be complete without the red, clown-like smile across the face, the pasty white complexion and dark circles under the eyes.

Halloween presents opportunities for people to get out of their comfort zone or express their creativity through costumes and makeup; it allows one to slip out of their skin for one day and experience what it’s like to wear someone else’s. Whether it’s dressing up as a favorite character from a show or movie, transforming into a spooky creature or becoming something as simple and clever as a Rubik’s Cube, there’s no limit to what can’t be created or who you can’t be on Halloween.