With Halloween 2026 just weeks away, one costume pairing is everywhere: Wicked's Elphaba and Glinda. RealSimple's 2026 costume forecast called it flat-out — "Wicked Witches Are In" — and the Wicked-inspired Halloween trend is showing no signs of disappearing. It's the perfect bestie look: one of you goes bold green, the other goes pink and sparkly, and together you're instantly recognizable.
The best part? Both looks are pure makeup magic — no expensive costume required. Below is the full duo tutorial: Elphaba's theatrical green face paint and Glinda's pink glam, plus budget drugstore notes so the whole thing comes together for next to nothing.
Why the Elphaba + Glinda Duo Is Winning 2026
The contrast is the whole appeal. Elphaba's emerald-green face paint, black witch hat, and dark berry lip against Glinda's rosy glitter lids, blush-heavy cheeks, and tiara reads as a story in a single photo. PerfectCorp's 2026 couples and friends costume roundup put the duo among the top bestie picks for exactly that reason — green and black versus pink and sparkle, and neither side needs a full costume to sell it.
It also solves the classic group-costume problem: nobody looks like an afterthought. Each makeup is a complete look on its own, and together they're stronger than any single costume. With two Wicked movies now out, every reference photo you need is already in your memory — or your For You page.
Elphaba's Bold Green: The Theatrical Side
Start with a water-activated green face paint or a highly pigmented green cream base — theatre-style products are cheap and built for exactly this. Press it on with a damp sponge in thin layers, building coverage slowly so it doesn't crack; set with a translucent setting powder, and go back over the T-zone for depth. The trick is evenness: patchy green reads "Hulk," blended green reads "Elphaba."
Keep the rest of the face simple but dramatic: sharp black winged liner, smoked-out dark eyeshadow, defined brows, and a deep berry or blackened-plum lip. Finish with the witch hat — a plain black one works — and a long dark dress or black top. Thirty minutes of work, and the transformation is total.
Glinda's Pink Glam: The Sparkle Side
Glinda is the opposite energy: soft, luminous, and very pink. Lay a shimmery rose eyeshadow across the lid, press glitter onto the inner corner and center, and finish with long lashes and a soft brown liner instead of harsh black. Heavy blush swept high across the cheeks — the 2026 Glinda trick is going further with blush than feels reasonable — plus a glossy pink lip completes the face.
The costume cues are minimal: a pink dress or skirt, a toy wand, and a tiara or sparkly headband. Curled hair sells the rest. If Elphaba's side is theatre makeup, Glinda's side is just your glam night-out makeup dialed up with glitter — most people already own everything it needs.
The Budget Version: Drugstore + Thrift Pairing
Neither look demands a Halloween store run. Green cream makeup runs a few dollars online; everything else — black eyeliner, berry lipstick, pink eyeshadow, blush, glitter — lives in the drugstore aisle. The costumes themselves are thrift-simple: a black dress and hat for Elphaba, anything pink and floaty for Glinda.
Total cost for the duo can stay under what one pre-made costume costs, and the makeup products stay in your kit afterward. The only item worth buying new is the green face paint, because skin-tone coverage is where cheap alternatives fail.
Finishing Touches: Poses That Sell the Duo
The duo framing is what makes this a 2026 costume — photograph it that way. Back-to-back, the "defying gravity" reach, Glinda blowing a kiss while Elphaba broods: the contrast does the comedy and the drama at once. Matching broomsticks optional but encouraged.
Set everything with a setting spray before you leave the house — green face paint transfers onto hugs, and Glinda's glitter travels everywhere. Snap the photos early while the looks are fresh, then go enjoy being the most recognized duo at the party.
