Spooky Season
9 Easy Brunette Halloween Costumes For Brown-Haired Girlies
Stay au naturel and stress-free this spooky season.
by Margaret Blatz
John Phillips/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
I consider myself a pretty creative person, but I’m thrown for a loop every single year when Halloween rolls around. Dressing up for Halloween is all about transforming yourself into your fave celebrity, movie character, or creepy critter, but the fun of transformation has its limits. For me, those limits start and end with wigs. I love going all out with my makeup and styling my hair, but dealing with a wig is not something I’m going to do, even for my favorite holiday. Using your natural hair as Halloween costume inspo simplifies things right off the bat and helps you avoid spending money on a wig that could end up a mess by the end of the night. Brunette Halloween costumes are definitely the way to go over all that noise.
Truly, the last thing I ever want to mess with on Halloween is a wig. Good wigs can be expensive, and you probably don't want to break the bank for a single night of fun. However, cheaper wigs — ugh — are the worst. They get sweaty and tangled, and I usually wind up taking them off pretty much immediately. All-in-all, wigs just are not worth it. That’s why finding a Halloween costume that goes with your natural hair color is sometimes the only way to celebrate spooky season. While you metamorphize into whatever Oct. 31 has in store for you this year, let your natural hair run free. From creepy to classic to phoning it in, these brunette Halloween costume ideas are crowd-pleasers that will also keep your scalp happy.
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Lydia Deetz from BeetleJuice
When it comes to a campy, creepy classic, Lydia Deetz, as portrayed by Winona Ryder in the 1988 cult classic movie Beetlejuice, is the only way to go. The angsty teen has so many great, gothic looks, but my personal fave is her red wedding ‘fit. All you need is a few yards of red tulle to pull it off. Well, the tulle and some hair gel to really get her pointy bangs.
Leg Avenue Women's Beetle Bride 80s Halloween Costume
Amazon
While Ryder’s character has a lot of iconic looks throughout the movie, her wedding dress is one of the best. The red, the ruffles, and the gloves all make it a winner. To make recreating that costume easy, you can buy Leg Avenue’s Beetle Bride Costume. It comes with a veil, gloves, and a pretty accurate dress.
Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service
Halloween is all about witches, so why not dress as one of the most famous good witches out there? Kiki, the adorable delivery girl from Kiki’s Delivery Service is a super easy costume to recreate. All you need is a black dress, a big red bow, a broom, and a helpful, if sarcastic, sidekick cat.
Kiki’s black dress is pretty loose so she can stay comfortable during all of her airmail deliveries, so ASOS’ Smock Midi Dress fits the bill. It shares a similar bodice and length with Kiki’s dress and once you add a red bow, everyone will clock your character right away.
Olivia Rodrigo
Who doesn’t love a pop culture Halloween costume? When it comes to the pantheon of 2022’s pop culture icons, there are few as major as Olivia Rodrigo. Luckily, she also has a pretty easy style to recreate. All you really need is a plaid skirt, crop top, and platform shoes to steal the singer’s look.
Pastel Goth’s Plaid Mini Skirt is a perfect starting point for your Olivia Rodrigo costume. It looks like it could’ve come right out of the Sour singer’s closet and has maximum re-wear potential.
Serena Williams
In honor of her retirement, dressing up as Serena Williams makes for a perfect costume. Her ability to bring glam to the tennis court means you can dress both comfortably and fashionably this Halloween.
You can’t just toss on any old tennis dress for this costume. You have to go with something stylish. The backless detail and bow on Halara’s Backless Dress combine athletic style with a touch of femme sweetness, the perfect combo for a night out as the tennis legend.
Samara Morgan from The Ring
If you’re going for screams, Samara Morgan from The Ring is an iconic option. When it comes to Halloween brunettes, this pint-sized monster is one of the most creepy. Just make sure you practice your twitchy, glitchy crawl well in advance.
To look like the littlest Morgan, you just need a cottagecore nightgown like this Lace Trim Maxi Dress and some DIY determination. Simply smear your nightgown in dirt, makeup, or dye to give it that “I’ve been trapped in a well” look.
Raven from Teen Titans
Get your nerd on by dressing up as one of my favorite cartoon superheroes: Raven from Teen Titans. The human-demon hybrid was the coolest person on TV when I growing up, and she remains iconic to this day. Also, she wears a cape. Enough said.
Since her outfit does have a lot of moving parts, it’s probably easier to go the route of buying a costume outright. This version of Raven’s ‘fit comes with a bodysuit, cape, and boot covers for a full cosplay look.
Lara Croft from Tomb Raider
Lara Croft is an ingenious costume because she’s super recognizable and her costume is basically casual separates. All you really need is a tank top, cargo shorts, and some thigh holsters.
Throughout all of her iterations, cargo pants or shorts are a Croft staple. All the pocket options on BLVB’s Bermuda Shorts totally make them Tomb Raider-approved.
Spinelli From Recess
Childhood characters get a lot of praise on Halloween, so taking it all the way back to Recess will definitely earn you some cool points. On Recess, there was no one quite as hardcore as Spinelli. Her leather jacket and combat boots made her a style icon and channeling her Bikercore energy will have you causing mayhem in no time.
Honestly, I don’t like buying things just for Halloween. I much prefer shopping for costume ideas that I can and will wear again, like this orange beanie from Amazon. Add a pair of pigtails secured with red hair ties, a leather jacket, and some striped tights, and you’ll be the toughest gal on the playground.
Carmen Sandiego
If you’re prone to disappearing during nights out, Carmen Sandiego is the brunette Halloween costume idea for you. The Robin Hood-like character is known for her red trench coat and braininess, so definitely make sure you have a few geographical facts hidden up your sleeve.
Sadly, trench coats can cost a pretty penny and it’s hard to find one that really matches this signature thief’s crimson-inclined style. Luckily, there’s a Carmen Sandiego Costume on Amazon that includes her coat, hat, and yellow scarf. In this getup, you definitely won’t be freezing this Halloween.
FAQs
What should I be for Halloween as a brunette? ›
Mary Poppins Costume
Not only is our favorite magical nanny a brunette, her timeless look is also incredibly easy to emulate with just an umbrella, bowler hat and a pinned red bow on your white ruffled blouse.
Some unique and award-winning homemade costumes include emojis, milkshakes, cake slices and unicorns. Other ideas will have you rummaging through your closet to mix and match pieces to transform into flappers, lumberjacks and bookworms (P.S.
What to wear brunettes? ›Gold is gorgeous on brunettes when they choose deep tones and avoid lemony colors. Rich reds work great as well. Brown-haired ladies can look fabulous in a range of blues; denim, blueberry and pure navy all work. A clear turquoise and cobalt are other good choices to complement your hair color.
Do guys like brunette hair? ›Numerous studies point to brunette hair being more attractive. Take this 2011 study from dating app Badoo, for example. A couple of thousand UK men were polled and 33.1% of them revealed they found brunettes more attractive than blondes.
What are the easiest characters to dress up as? ›Mario of the Super Mario Bros. fame, for example, is easily identifiable with his blue jumper, red long-sleeved shirt, red cap, and distinct mustache. A character like Wednesday Addams is another distinct look, thanks to her black pigtails, black dress with a white collar, black stockings, and black shoes.
How do you make yourself fat for a Halloween costume? ›Simple packing peanuts can make you look fat. If you want to dress up as a famously overweight celebrity or a particularly round cartoon character, you will need to build up a bit under your clothing.
How do you stuff a dummy for Halloween? ›Take the rolled up blankets and use them to stuff each of the legs on your dummy. Stuff a pillow in the top of the pants. Get a large, square pillow and stuff it into the waist of the dummy. If you don't have a square pillow, you can stuff the torso of the body with newspaper or plastic bags.
What age do people stop dressing up for Halloween? ›Almost three-quarters of respondents said that by age 17, trick-or-treaters should hang up their costumes and leave the holiday festivities to younger children.
What to say if you don't have a costume? ›- I'm a conscientious objector.
- I'm the bass player from [insert pretentious sounding, fake band name here]
- I'm an undercover cop.
- I'm covering this for The Times [scribble notes furiously]
- I'm a fashion blogger [take picture of them with iPhone, glare]
- I'm hungover.
Most teenagers stop dressing up and trick-or-treating somewhere between the ages of 12 and 16 — but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad manners for them to go door-to-door, as long as they are polite while out on the streets.
Are any Halloween costumes illegal? ›
In fact, one of the Halloween costumes that can land people in hot water is a police officer costume. This is because impersonating a police officer is a crime, even on Halloween. Fortunately for those who dress as cops for Halloween, just wearing a police officer Halloween costume doesn't mean you impersonated a cop.
Has Halloween become less popular? ›Halloween is a widely celebrated tradition in the United States, with around 70 percent of Americans planning to participate in Halloween celebrations in 2022.
What colors look best on brunette girls? ›Warm tones: Warm colors such as coral, peach, and golden yellow can bring out the warmth in a brunette's complexion. Cool tones: Cool colors such as lavender, royal blue, and emerald green can provide a striking contrast against a brunette's hair.
What shade of brunette will suit me? ›For a brown hair color to best complement your complexion, you want to pick shades with undertones that are opposite of your skin's undertones. This usually means cooler shades for warmer skin and warmer shades for cooler skin. For a quick trick to identify your skin's undertones, just flip your wrist.
What should I ask for for brunette hair? ›If you're a natural brunette, ask your stylist for midlights one or two levels lighter than your base and neutral-warm caramel highlights. “The combo of the two will pick up so beautifully without unwanted warmth taking over and reading as a red,” he says. “Done right, warmth on brunettes is unbeatable.”
How do you make brunette hair fun? ›Highlight Your Hair
Ask your colorist to add highlights of your favorite shade. Depending on your preference, the streaks can be chunky or thin, subtle or bold. For a sun-kissed look, choose a shade that's slightly lighter than your base color.