How to Make a Witch's Nose for a Costume

You can create this witch's nose with some items you already have, saving yourself a trip to the Halloween store and adding a new twist. Many of the materials can even be pulled from your recycling bin. Making an adorable costume can be good for your wallet and the environment.

Get your cardboard or Styrofoam egg carton ready by opening it and separating the top and bottom either with your hands or with scissors. Cut out the pointy cone on the inside of the egg carton. Egg cartons can vary in their exact shape and contours, but find the pointiest part for the witch nose.

If you do not have an egg carton on hand, you can make a witch nose out of aluminum foil as an alternative. Simply wrap the foil so that it makes a cone shape. Use your fingers to shape it and try to make it as smooth as possible.

Hold the witch nose up to yourself or the person for whom the nose is being made. You may need to clean up the edges with scissors to get off any excess cardboard that interferes with it fitting snugly on the face. Try it on and shape it until you are pleased with the fit. If you are making an aluminum foil nose, you can add a layer of masking tape.

Decide what color you want to paint the witch nose. You can go with a skin tone or a shade of green. Add some painted-on nostrils on the bottom of the nose. This can be achieved with a darker shade of the same color or by using black or gray.

Another more comfortable alternative to painted-on nostrils is to make holes in the bottom of the witch nose to allow for easier breathing, especially if you are planning on wearing it for hours at a time. Cut out the holes with scissors or a hole punch. Set the nose aside to dry.

The devil, or in this case, the witch, is in the details. So, once the paint is completely dry, you can add some flair. One popular addition to the witch nose is a wart or even several. Now is the time to put your special effects makeup experience to work.

A small pompom makes for a great wart. If you do not have some small pompoms on hand, then you can get creative and make warts out of playdough, sculpting clay or gum. Apply the pompom or other material with glue. You can leave the colorful pompom as is or paint the pompom or other item with a light coat of paint to match the nose. You could also paint it another color to give it a little variation.

Much like a mask, the nose needs to stay on securely, even when you talk and move. Make a small hole on either side of the nose. You will thread the elastic through them.

Place the nose on the person who will wear it to gauge how much elastic will make it fit comfortably. You may need to trim the elastic with scissors accordingly. Tie the elastic to secure it in place in each hole.

If you do not have elastic at the ready, then string, thread, gimp, fish wire or yarn can be used instead for the witch nose. Be sure to tie it tight since these materials do not have any elasticity or give.

An optional step is to paint the elastic or yarn the same color as the nose so that it blends in with your face when wearing it. You can achieve this with a light coat. There's no need to make it very dark in color; just have it camouflage with the rest of the face. This painting can be done with cotton balls or even your fingers.

If you are planning on using face paint or a professional makeup kit for this Halloween costume, you can use the face paint itself to color the string or elastic. You could also put the nose on first and then paint over it with Halloween makeup. There are many makeup tutorials you can watch to create the Halloween witch in your imagination.

Hocus pocus—now your spooky costume is in focus! Add a pointy hat, a cape and a witch broom and you can be a wicked witch or a good witch. Saving money and using recycled materials always feels good, especially when the end product is so cute!