Frugal Fridays: Frighteningly Good Freebie!

 

Today's Frugal Friday is a particularly good deal, because not only can you get all of your Halloween makeup for cheap, but the nice folks at E.L.F. will toss in a huge eyeshadow palette, just for kicks.

 

Photo Credit (All): elfcosmetics

Now through October 31st, spend $15 on the site, and you can receive a free 32-piece Beauty School eyeshadow palette in bright with the code HW. This coincides with the unveiling of this year's Halloween collection, which includes some nifty false eyelashes (neon pink feathers!) and their sweet Large Get the Look Sets. Prices start at a buck, so you should be able to get most, if not all, of your Halloween necessities. Have a great weekend!

 

 

So...You Like Guys With Large Mandibles?

Photo Credit: Fighting Owl Films

Why are people so afraid of skulls? I mean, yeah, sure, they are the universally recognized symbol for poison...which is bad. And, okay, pirates flew the Jolly Roger as a warning and a threat...which is also bad. And, fine, I'll admit that if I found myself chasing around an archaeologist with a penchant for trouble and a love of fedoras, and I found myself face to face with a skull (crystal, impaled, or otherwise), I would probably rethink the choices that brought me to that moment...again, bad, I know.

 

Photo Credit: Fighting Owl Films

The thing is, I kind of like them. I got used to skulls working on The Night Shift, and there was absolutely nothing scary about Herbie or his stunt double, Bernie.

 

 Heck, when they were mounted on their torsos, I carried them around on my hip like a couple of two year-olds, and frankly, I find two year-olds more frightening. I don't know how many of you have seen or plan to see the movie (*cough* coming to video October 25th, and available at Walmart and Amazon *cough*), but the skull I know is sweet natured, witty, a little cocky--but endearingly so--and completely dapper. I can totally believe that he was a great lover, in his day, and look forward to the world getting to know our man Herb.

 

Photo Credit: Open Sky

So, to celebrate the softer side of skulls, I have a couple of downright elegant offerings. The first is from Soixante Neuf, and right now, I can only find it at Open Sky. If you decide you want to buy this, you will need to register and join the site. It only takes a minute or two, and I even got a $10 credit just for signing up. Their price is $79 ($69, if you get and use your credit), and I think this piece is worth every penny. It's an 18-inch 14KT gold-filled chain with tiny, dangling gunmetal skulls. It's delicately feminine, with just the right amount of edge.

 

 

Next up is this ridiculously cool bracelet from Lei VanKash. Here, it's shown in both yellow and rose gold. Each bracelet is one colored string (your choice of color) and one skull. Skulls are also available in black oxidized and silver. $140, Bottica. See! Who knews skulls could be so stylish?

Photo Credit: Bottica

 

Look At the Cute Brains! I Wanna Eat 'Em Up!

I saw this on Twitter today (courtesy of Jen Yates @cakewrecks. FOLLOW HER!), and had to share; partly because it's really cool, and partly because the author, Marc Brownlow, is just insanely talented.

 

Photo Credit: MakeProjects

 

These are Halloween Skull Truffles, and they are too cute for words. Basically, it's a white chocolate skull with a bittersweet chocolate ganache center, and a candy coated walnut "brain". Folks, you have no idea how badly I want these. The thing is, cute as these little guys are, they're also completely handmade, right down to the mold that popped them out. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create the silicone mold, whip up a ganache, temper the white chocolate, cover the walnuts, and even pipe on extra brains. There's a tremendous amount of love and artistry in these sweets. Way to go, Marc!

 

Much as I'd like to, I have neither the time nor the skill to make my own silicone mold. I did find a pre-made one, though ($9.99, Scorpio Innovations). You'll need to fill the skulls differently (fill halfway with chocolate, set slightly, then add the ganache center and fill the rest of the way), and you'll have to cut off the tops of the skulls (carefully!), but it is a workable solution. Still, if you have the resources and a few empty hours, give making your own mold a try. Once you've mastered it, imagine the possibilities!

 

Photo Credit: ebay

Yummy Treats and Scary Faces

Well, this is the last thing my diet needs.

 

Krispy Kreme (conveniently located about a mile from my house) has just revealed their Halloween offerings. My skinny jeans are totally going in the donation pile; I can tell that now.

 

Anyhoo, those of you not counting every blasted calorie can look forward to Jack O'Lantern, Spider Web, Pumpkin Spice, and Chocolate Iced Halloween Sprinkle doughnuts. According to QSRWeb, here's what to expect:

 

Jack-o-Lantern Doughnut: A pumpkin-shaped doughnut wearing a mask of orange icing and a jack-o-lantern face.

Chocolate Iced with Halloween Sprinkles Doughnut: An orange and black sprinkled doughnut.

Spider Web Doughnut: A chocolate-iced doughnut with Kreme filling and a web of white icing.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut: An old-fashioned cake doughnut made with pumpkin flavors and spices and finished with Krispy Kreme's Original Glaze.

The Pumpkin Spice will stick around until November 27th, but all the other flavors are out of there come Halloween, so grab 'em while you can. I know I will...*sigh*

 

Photo Credit: Bath and Body Works

Moving on to something that won't add ten pounds, I gave Bath and Body Works' True Blue Spa Blackberry Purifying Peel Off Mask a shot (that's a mouthful). Actually, I conned Thomas into doing it with me, so I wouldn't look totally stupid all by myself. You see, masks just look silly, pure and simple. Clear ones are awesome. Green ones are kind of the norm, but lead to "take me to your leader" jokes. White ones make me look like Marcel Marceau. But this one...well, this one was thick and black. I put a little on my nose and looked like a puppy. If I was going to spend the next 10-20 minutes looking ridiculous, he was doing it with me. For better or for worse, right?

 

Now, I've had a little bit of experience with black masks before, and I have to say, I wasn't impressed. Yeah, it worked like a charm, but it was a pain in the rear to use. I got this hoping for similar results with less hassle. Unfortunately, you can't always get what you want.

 

Ease of Use: 8 out of 10. I had no problem applying this mask. Thomas did, but he has a tendency to jab at his face like it's going to bite him when he applies anything to it. You have to spread this on almost like frosting, and make sure you have your hair pulled completely away from your face. Likewise, for me, removal was a cinch. Actually, by the time I starting peeling, some of the mask had already lifted up at the edges. Thomas had more trouble, but only because he didn't apply it thickly enough. Even so, he was able to get most of it off before finally washing off the remainder. Clean up wasn't a problem with this mask, either. What fell in the sink dissolved, and the rest could either be thrown in the trash or flushed.

 

Effectiveness: 2 out of 10. It's okay. It exfoliated my skin and left it feeling very soft and smooth, but I couldn't see where it unclogged any pores. Thomas thought his pores were clearer (Lord, he's a good sport), but wasn't blown away by the mask. Basically, it's good for a quick brightening, but that's about it, and considering this is billed as "purifying", that just doesn't cut it.

 

Comfort: 9 out of 10. I love wearing this mask. It does tighten up, but it's not miserable. I could still carry on a conversation without my lips pursing up like Daffy Duck's. This is also the most delicious smelling mask I've ever worn. It smells like candy, and I was actually sad to take it off. Thomas thought it smelled good, too.

 

Final Verdict: 6.3 out of 10. If you just need a fast and easy pick-me-up, you could do worse for $12. Just don't expect it to work miracles.

Halloween Costumes the MacGyver Way!

Let's face it, for some of us, putting the costume together is half the fun of Halloween. Sure, store-bought costumes are convenient, but--at least for this girl who grew up in homemade outfits--they kind of feel like cheating. Today, I thought I'd throw out some fairly cheap and easy (no, not like that!) suggestions for DIY costumes. If you have any you'd like to share, I've got a comments section for just that reason. One more thing: while I have some stores linked, most of the recommended clothing bits could easily come from a thrift store. Happy Haunting!

 

Most Popular:

Kate Middleton

 

You'll Need:

Nice Dress--blue, if you've got one

Tiara or Fascinator--I found a beautiful one at Target for at eight bucks (can't find link, but here's a photo), but here's an easy tutorial for the DIY-inclined.

Long Brown Wig (unless you have long brown hair)

Engagement Ring--this one's not exact, but it's close and it's cheap

 

Here's your chance to be a princess, minus the discomfort of an old thrift store prom dress! Not a Kate look-alike? No problem! Either don a wig, or carry around an envelope with a fancy seal and go as a wedding guest.

 

For the Couple:

Food Network Challenge

 

You'll Need:

Chef's Uniform--here's a discount place with phenomenal pricing. You can find tops and bottoms in the ten dollar range. If you want, try printing the FNC logo onto iron-on paper and embellishing your uniform.

Flair--bandannas, leis, crazy hair accessories, funky makeup, etc. Whatever you want! I saw a couple of ladies wearing tutus on one baking challenge. Kid you not.

A Partner with a good sense of humor

 

This is a fun, silly take on the couple's costume. For a little something extra, dust yourselves with baby powder "flour" and makeup "icing".

 

For the Procrastinator:

Muppet Performer

 

You'll Need:

Muppet handpuppet, or just carry around an old Tickle Me Elmo.

Normal clothes, or go all out and wear a black tee with jeans. Yeah, this one's really complicated...

 

You totally forgot you had a party tonight, or your kids are insistent that you not dress up as a parent for the third year in a row.

 

For Laughs:

Flo, the Progressive Lady

 

You'll Need:

White Polo and Slacks or Scrub Pants

White Apron--online shops start around $2, but shipping's crazy. Check a local restaurant supply store.

Iron-On Paper (for the Progressive logo)

Converse (or knock-off) Shoes

Name Tag--try these from Staples. The color is close, and they run about four bucks.

Blue Head Band

Black Eyeliner and Red Lipstick

Short Brown Wig (or your own hair)

 

This one requires a little preparation, but shouldn't be too expensive or time-consuming. Honestly, back-combing the bouffant should be the most effort involved. Also, this may be the most comfortable costume of the bunch.

 

The Classic:

The Walking Dead

 

You'll Need:

Ripped Thrift Store Clothes

Fake Blood (homemade or store-bought)

Makeup and/or Prosthetics from the local Halloween shop

Props

 

This one can be as simple or as complicated as you want. My advice: decide what your zombie did in life to get your base costume (Doctor? Lawyer? Clown?), then figure out how they *ahem* became a zombie. That'll tell you what kind of costume destruction (rips, tears, missing pieces, etc.) and how much makeup you'll need. After that, you just have to practice shambling and calling for braaaaaiiiinsss!!!!!

Happy Haunts and Helping Hands

*I wrote this on Friday, if that means anything...

 

Today's Frugal Friday comes courtesy of Couponing to Disney, a fantastic site for deals and freebies, run by a fellow Disney-file. I swear, before my last trip, I was on that site daily. According to the site, Disney has released free Haunted Mansion wallpapers for electronic devices. There are also wallpapers for Dumbo, Pirates of the Carribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad if the ghosties aren't your thing. Click here to download.

 

 

Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog

 

See, this is what Halloween is about: safe scares. Celluloid slashers, haunted hayrides, and the aforementioned grim, grinning ghosts provide plenty of screams, but with the knowledge that nothing is really going to happen to you. The slashers stay on the screen. The hayride ends with laughter and hot apple cider. There will never be more than 999 residents of the Haunted Mansion. It's all just pretend, and all in good fun. Unfortunately, not all scares are safe ones. In fact, about 1 in 8 women will, at some point in their lives, have their wits scared out of them when they find out they have breast cancer.

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I have two super easy and not completely unselfish ways you can help (sometimes doing good has its perks). First up, from now until Halloween, Smashbox is donating the entire purchase price of their O-Gloss Intuitive Lip Gloss ($22, Smashbox) to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. While you're there, if you spend $75 or more, you can pick up a special gift: a black mini-clutch with pink lining and a full-size Fusion Soft Lights in Brighten. Just use code BCA2011 at checkout.

 

If that's a little too rich for your blood, the nice folks at E.L.F. are donating 100% of profits from sales of Twinkle Pink Glitter Gloss and Wild Watermelon Glossy Gloss to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. At only $3 each, you can snap up a few to put aside for stocking stuffers. Again, the donations are for sales made now through Halloween. Thank you!!

 

The Cutest Halloween Makeup Tutorial. Ever.

To me, the most fun part of Halloween has always been dressing up. When I was tiny, it meant putting on something princessy that my mom either made from scratch, or put together using that year's ballet costume and more determination than any human should ever have to. I'm sure that determination was helped along by the little tyrant standing next to her, demanding her to, "Sew good, Mama. Sew good." But I digress. Anyway, Halloween meant sparkly dresses and--the cherry on top, to a five year-old--digging through Mama's makeup. Afterall, you can't expect a princess to be seen without her blue eyeshadow and pink lipstick. I mean, come on.

When I was little, there was nothing more fun in the world than playing with Mama's makeup. Every now and then, she'd replace something or decide a shade didn't work for her, and it could go in my dress-up drawer. For as much joy as that brought me, you'd have thought she'd given me a million dollars. Of course, this was just for me to play with. I was never allowed to leave the house wearing makeup (not until I was much, much older, anyway), but I could play with it as much as I wanted.

I remember babysitting my two year-old cousin one day, just a few years ago, and her looking up at me, holding out her hand, and simply saying, "Fingernails pink." Next thing I knew, I was knelt down beside her, making her fingernails pink. I think silver glitter may have been involved, too, but I did draw the line at letting her make my fingernails pink. That sort of seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

Little girls and dress-up go hand in hand. I mean, look at the success of places like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, or all those spa tea party places that keep popping up (or is that just a local thing? I swear, there's got to be one on every corner around here). As long as it's just good, old-fashioned, innocent fun, I think there's nothing more adorable. Now, it can get out of hand, but I'm in too good of a mood right now to spoil it by going off on a rant about skanky baby clothes, that French child model, Toddlers and Tiaras, or the way-too-goshdarned-early sexualization of girls today. I'd prefer to keep to the positive, and introduce you to Madison.

Madison is five years-old, and she loves makeup. Even more, she loves "complete looks", with hair styles, costumes, props, and anything else she can think of. She's also more than happy to show off how she creates her looks through remarkably articulate YouTube tutorials, which, at last count, have more than 11,000 subscribers (of which I am now one). Madison's not super picky about her brands, either, other than her sponsor-supplied brushes. She seems to prefer MAC, but utilizes everything from CoverGirl and E.L.F. on up. (Honestly, I get the feeling it's whatever Mom happened to have lying around.) When she really likes something, she'll even tell you to buy it or she'll be sad, but she says it with a grin.

This is a child who is having fun. Dear God, there aren't enough of those around these days. She's not expertly applying makeup to accentuate her features or play up her sex appeal; she's playing around with colors and putting on what she wants, simply because she wants to. She's not bad, either. Her technique's not great (little baby hands weren't built for brushes), but she understands swatching, colors, what brushes are used for, and can toss off well thought out opinions, reviews, and advice, such as, "I really love this eyeshadow for a highlighter." You don't see a lot of foundation, because Mommy won't let her wear it. I've been through several of her (at writing) 43 videos, and have yet to see mascara. This is just a sweet baby playing dress-up on camera, and it's heartwarming. Her exuberance is infectious. When she bursts into fits of giggles at the "pet spider" prop shimmying up and down his web, I chuckled along with her. You cannot watch this precious, precocious child and stay in a bad mood. I'm also highly impressed with her parents. They're fostering creativity, allowing her to enjoy her childhood as a child, and, if you compare early entries with her latest, her vocabulary and public speaking skills have improved exponentially.

Madison's latest tutorials are all Halloween-centric, with instructions for a sunflower, ladybug, kitty, clown, and (my favorite) a vampire princess. This is Halloween, folks. This is the joy of childhood innocence and imagination. Meet Madison. You'll be glad you did.