DIY Alien Costume
An alien is metallic or all-black clothes, a pair of antennae, and a green face. That's the whole recipe, and it builds from clothes you can pull together with two small buys.
The antennae and a green face-paint stick are the two things worth buying. The clothes you can borrow or thrift, and foil accents are optional from there.
What you need
A metallic, silver, or all-black outfit, with antennae and green face paint.
- Effort: A little more
- Cost: ~$18
- Time: 15 min
What to buy
The antennae
Amazon Our pick
Veemoon Light-Up Martian Antenna Headband · $9.99
$9.99 buys light-up green antennae that carry the alien on their own, at 4.1 stars across 45 ratings.
The costume stores sell full alien outfits only, so this is the cheap headband route.
See it at Amazon →Checked Spirit. Full alien costumes only, no cheap antennae headband.
The face paint
Amazon Our pick
Go Ho Green Face Paint Stick · $7.98
A $7.98 green stick covers a face in one pass then blends and washes off, an Amazon's Choice pick at 4.4 stars across 1,454 ratings.
A single-color stick is better than a multi-color kit if you'll leave it mostly unused.
See it at Amazon →Also checked
How to put it together
- Start with a metallic or all-black base. Pull together anything silver, metallic, or all black, a top and bottoms or a jumpsuit. Silver and shine signify spaceship; head-to-toe black makes the green face glow against it. A puffer or windbreaker with sheen works as well as anything bought for the part.
- Add the antennae. Clip on the antennae and the costume turns alien. Bobbing antennae are the one element a human silhouette doesn't have, so they're what tells people it's a little green alien and not a robot or a spaceman. The light-up pair adds a glow in the dark.
- Paint the face green. Cover your face in one pass with the green stick, then blend at the jaw so it stops cleanly at the collar. Green skin is what carries the alien up close, where the antennae do the work from a distance.
- Add foil accents and features. Strips of kitchen foil at the cuffs, collar, or as a belt push the metallic look further. Draw on a few dark features with the green still wet, a small nose and a wide mouth, or skip them for the smooth blank look.
Make it your own
- For a kid
- Same recipe, smaller. A silver or black outfit, the antennae sized to a child's head, and a quick swipe of green on the cheeks and nose rather than a full face for a wriggly trick-or-treater.
- For a group
- Matching antennae and green faces turn a few people into a fleet of aliens. Or pair one alien with an astronaut for a first-contact duo, the two halves of the same story walking in together.
- To level it up
- Add a toy ray gun, alien contacts, or a foil-wrapped headpiece. A second antennae color or some face gems on the green push the closet build toward a made one.
Best if you'll commit to green face paint and own something metallic or black.
More easy DIY costumes
Prices checked June 14, 2026. Stores set their own prices and may change them — the “See it at” links go to the live listing.