Halloween Face Painting Ideas

By Timothy Croy

With Halloween just around the corner it’s time to start planning for costumes and makeup. Halloween is the perfect holiday for face painting. A good costume doesn’t end with just the clothes and accessories. A painted face can make a true statement and define your look.
Especially now that Halloween masks are prohibited at most all school functions, dances, and parties, face painting is a more comfortable, inexpensive way to finish your ensemble. There are minimal tools needed to get started and the quality of face paints have come along way for a safe, comfortable and long lasting wear.

The basic tools are face paints, 3 to 4 brushes and some sponges. From a ghost, butterfly, clown, vampire, or pumpkin there are plenty of Halloween Face Painting Ideas and that can give you step by step directions on how to paint on a disguise. Once you have decided what you are going to be for Halloween there will be plenty of ideas for a unique look. There are plain colored face paints, ones that contain glitter for a sparkle effect, and some have pearlescent effects added to them or even some ultra-violet light reflecting paints. You may also choose to add embellishment like stick on gemstones for an extra special sparkle design, a piece of painted puffed rice for a wart, or even temporary tattoos.

The options are limitless. I suggest starting with a basic concept, having a drawn out example or sketch and then use your imagination and creativity to make it your own. There are also face stencils if you don’t have a knack for drawing. There are many different techniques for blending, shading, feathering and many more. So I suggest starting with an easy how-to guide and in no time you will be a pro. Make this Halloween memorable and paint away.

Tim Croy is an expert when it comes to simple designs for face painting!

Read more about simple face painting designs at: Face Painting Ideas

Top 10 Dog Halloween Costumes

By Phil Sikes

At Halloween, kids aren't the only ones who get to dress up and enjoy treats. Hundreds of dog lovers get their pets into the act with dog Halloween costumes. The following are the top 10 costumes for dogs this Halloween.

1. Jailbird
The jailbird outfit with the classic black & white stripes will bring a smile to any dog lover's face. Make sure you get a funny hat to complete the look.

2. Angel
How cute would your little pooch be with a halo and a pair of silk wings? After all, aren't they all little angels?

3. Devil
Okay, maybe they're not all little angels. The bright red color of most devil costume is really eye-catching. Add a red cape or bow tie and a pair of horns and you've got the perfect little devil.

4. Superman
Or should that be Superdog? Put him in the red & blue tights with the big "S" on the chest and you'll have a dog of steel. Top it off with red boots or footies.

5. Bride & Groom
If you've got two dogs, bride and groom costumes are a great way to include them both. The groom costume is especially effective with a breed such as the Bulldog, which often looks a little unsettled anyway.

6. Pirate
Pirate costumes are popular right now with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and your dog can help you complete your outfit. A bandana and an eye patch will give your dog the necessary look, and he can replace the parrot as your trusty sidekick.

7. Clown
If you're lucky enough to have a dog that will accept a clown nose for more than two seconds, this is the perfect costume for you. Even without the nose, you can get a pretty good looking clown with a crazy wig and some bright, colorful duds.

8. King or Queen
Your dog probably already gets treated like royalty, so why not complete the effect? Velvet robes, crowns and jewel-studded collars will make your pet into a regal figure.

9. Animals
Maybe your dog would like to spend a day in your cat's shoes? Why not try dressing him up as a different animal even - pigs, cows, bunny rabbits and frogs are just a few of your options.

10. Flowers
If your dog is willing to put up with a hat for the night, there are lots of cute flower costumes you can get. Even if they won't go for the hat, you can get some costumes that have neck pieces made to look like petals or leaves.

Whatever costume you decide on, just make sure you try it on a few times before Halloween night so your dog gets used to it. The last thing you want is having the costume torn up when he's thrashing around trying to get out of it!

Are you looking for ideas for dog Halloween costumes? Check out the Get In Costume website for lots of fun & creative costume ideas. Plus, get a free copy of my special report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety" at http://www.getincostume.com

Halloween Recipes Are Great For Creating Ghoulish Halloween Food And Candy Treats

By Daryl Plaza

Halloween is meant to be the most frightening and scary night of the year. The guests at your Halloween themed party are certainly going to want to see you using some Halloween recipes to create fantastic Halloween treats for the table. Of course, the more ominous looking, and shockingly scrumptious the Halloween food is at your Halloween themed party, the more fun it will be. You can find a lot of different Halloween recipes that will bring out the devil in you, and provide you with inspiration to create ghoulish Halloween treats from almost any type of food that you can imagine.

Frighteningly Fun Halloween Recipes
One of the most well known and enjoyable types of Halloween decorations is a Jack O'Lantern, carved from a pumpkin. Of course, once you have carved a handful of pumpkins into scary masterpieces that you can display around your home, you are left with a lot of pumpkin flesh - this means it is time to get cooking some pumpkin Halloween treats. Some of the best Halloween recipes that are a great way to use this leftover pumpkin are for pies, soups, cookies and muffins.

Apples are another popular Halloween food item, because they are in season then too. Toffee apples are wonderful Halloween treats, and bobbing for apples makes a great game at your Halloween themed party that all the kids will love. Cookies are always a favorite treat, and you can create some creepy cookies for your Halloween party. The type of cookie mixture doesn't need to be anything fancy, the fun comes from using Halloween themed cookie cutters, such as bats, ghosts or Jack O'Lanterns, or just letting your imagination run wild and creating your own free hand designs. Food coloring adds a truly frightening finishing touch to the icing on these Halloween treats.

Halloween Tricks - or Treats?

It doesn't matter whether you are choosing which types of Halloween treats and drinks you want to serve at your Halloween party, or are trying to decide what sort of treats you are going to dish out to the miniature monsters and small spooks that turn up at your door, there are a lot of fun Halloween recipes that you can wrap up and give away as Halloween party favors, or rewards for not having any tricks played on you.

For example, a great idea for treats for your Halloween themed party is to make popcorn ghosts. Just use your favorite popcorn ball recipe, and shape them into ghostly shapes. Add a Popsicle stick for a handle, and jellybeans for eyes, and you have the perfect Halloween treat. You can adapt all of your kids' favorite foods into terrifying treats. There is no need to spend a lot of money on Halloween treats, and it can be easy to create some monstrous munchies with a little imagination. You can add your own hint of Halloween to almost anything to create devilish drinks and gruesome goodies.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to Spookynite.com a Halloween informational website on creative ideas for planning a Halloween parts with decorations, music, costumes, food and candy treats.