My Halloween TV + Film Picks

Images from Google

Up until three years ago I was never really interested in Halloween - we had halloween discos at primary school and during high school we always watched something halloween related but it wasn't until  I started my blog just over three years ago that I started to get Halloween fever every year. 

I started with Halloween nail art and now I love craving a pumpkin with my sister every year and watching 'scary' or Halloween themed films and TV shows as well as nostalgic TV/films such as The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes and The Nightmare Before Christmas while I ignore trick or treaters. We actually don't get that many Halloween trick or treaters even though we live in an area were there are a lot of families as trick or treating isn't an English thing. 

For the past couple of years I have created a Halloween makeup series on my blog and this year has been no different! I love creating Halloween looks as it allows me to use products and shades that I wouldn't normally and it means I can be really creative! Here are the looks I created last year: Poison Ivy, Corpse Bride, a Lichtenstein inspired look, a doll look and the Cheshire Cat.

When autumn rolls around (and before then because I just love these types of films/TV all year round) I always want to watch anything slightly scary or literally anything from Tim Burton because he is my favourite director! My favourite Halloween/slightly scary/autumnal films recently include: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice as well as Sleepy Hollow because, you know...young Johnny Depp...

My favourite TV shows for this time of the year are definitely a bit darker than I would usually have watched a few years ago such as Penny Dreadful which is definitely NOT for the faint hearted, The Strain, Sleepy Hollow (it's a pretty good TV show, even if it is a little cheesy at times) and Copper which isn't a halloween or scary TV show but it is all about crime, violence and the rouges of  New York in the late 1800's. 

If you have any Halloween TV shows or film recommendations let me know! Also if you have any Tim Burton like recommends leave a comment or tweet me! 

What are your favourite Halloween films/TV shows?

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Halloween Jewellery @ The Folly Boutique

Halloween is one of my favourite holidays and one of the best things about it include all of the decor, homeware and accessories that are spooky! I love it when brands release or collab a halloween collection! Folly Boutique have put together a gorgeous halloween range featuring luxe, halloween themed jewellery from brands such as House of Bourgeois, Dianna Broussard, Leivankash and the brand that interested me the most is Tessa Metcalfe. 

They have gorgeous pieces that can be bought or rented so they would be great for halloween parties or special occasions. I chose the *Tessa Metcalfe Pearl of London Earrings (£120 to buy or £21 for a 3 day hire and £42 for a 6 day hire) which are composed of oxidised silver and the claws are gold plated as well as a loose spinning fresh water pearl *yes, how decadent does that sound*. The earrings are studs so they are comfortable to wear, they aren't too big or heavy therefore you could wear them for a while and they look so expensive! I love the oxidised, distressed/worn silver metal and the addition of the pearl which looks so unique. 

I also chose the *Tessa Metcalfe Single Claw Ring in Oxidised Silver (£59 to buy or £15 for a 3 day hire and £30 for a 6 day hire) which matches the earrings so they would be perfect worn together. It is also composed of oxidised silver and gold plated nails/claws which compliments the worn/distressed silver. I have the small size which is approx. UK size J and it fits so perfectly but if it doesn't for you then you can gently squeeze together the claws. The ring is comfortable to wear and it looks so expensive and impressive - it's sure to get people talking! 

Overall, I'm so happy with both of these pieces - I think they look amazing and they would be ideal for a halloween party! You get to wear some gorgeous, luxe jewellery without the slightly heavy price tag and they come well packaged with a pre-paid bag so you can easily send them back. They would be perfect for a halloween party but if these aren't your style then check out their other pieces in the halloween range: 

*You can get 10% off your basket with the code: HEATHER10 which will be active for 6 months so you can get a discount on pieces for halloween, christmas and new year parties!* 

What do you think of the Tessa Metcalfe jewellery I picked out? Have you bought or rented from The Folly Boutique?

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Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite Lipsticks

Makeup Revolution has to be one of my favourite brands of the year and last year actually so when these beauties arrived, I was so excited especially as they are all fun and unusual shades which will be just perfect for so many halloween and fancy dress looks! 

The *Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite Lipsticks (£1 each or buy the full collection for £4) come in the regular Makeup Revolution packaging with the colour indicated on the base of the tube which I think is a fantastic idea! The shades from top to bottom according to my swatches are as follows:

- Legend: Deep metallic faded purple shade which I think would be great as a lipstick or face colour shade for a robot look as it is so metallic and it has a grey undertone. 

- Pink Myth: Bright coral pink with raspberry red undertones, it has a sheen but it isn't glitter or metallic like the others which makes it far more 'normal' and wearable - it would be a gorgeous shade during the summer months. Perfect for a doll look!

- Throne: Similar to Throne but it is lighter and brighter but it still has that gorgeous shimmery metallic finish. It is almost a metallic lavender shade that I think will be great for so many fun halloween looks. 

- Horn of Magic: Bright, electric light turquoise shade that is packed with shimmer and glitter so it would be great for a mermaid look or any kind of aquatic halloween look. This is my favourite from the collection in terms of how unusual it is!

- Magical: Vivid violet with blue undertones, it has an iridescent shimmer to it and it's my favourite shade overall. You do have to build some of the shades up as they can be sheer but if you did want to wear this one sheered out then it looks like a iridescent bruised shade *granted not what you would typically want for everyday but perfect for halloween* 

Overall, I think the price of these lipsticks is just fantastic making them perfect for fancy dress parties or halloween because if you're like me then you don't want to buy expensive products that you are only going to use a few times a year. The lipsticks are so versatile as you can also be used as blush or as face paint accents, for example, I used the blue shade around the exterior of my face for dimension on my cheshire cat look. Overall rating: ★★★★☆, 4/5. 

Have you tried anything from Makeup Revolution? What do you think of these lipsticks?

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Halloween Makeup Look: Pop Art Zombie

Here's my third halloween look of the year and I had a lot of fun with this one as it is not is typical look - it's a mix between rotting zombie and pop art and I love how it turned out on the whole but there are things I'd like to change as I would have preferred the brows to be thinner. Here are the products I used for this look:

- Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Correct Palette

- Barry M White Creme Foundation

- Colorsport Rapid Lash Gro Eyeliner in Black

- Duwop Plumping Lip Styxx in Chop Styxx and Night Styxx

- Eye of Horus Goddess Liners in Black and Teal

- Rimmel Smoke 'n' Shine Liner in Blue Steel 

- Makeup Revolution Awesome Eyeshadow Collection Palette

- Makeup Revolution Viper Mascara

- Real Techniques Sculpting Brush

- Spectrum Eyeshadow Brushes
- Essence Fixing Powder

- L.A.B2 Brushes

1. I always prep my skin well before halloween looks as white foundation and bases can make my skin look really dry. I applied the green and lilac shades as a base all over the skin making sure to stipple as otherwise it will look streaky. 

2. I used a black pencil liner to map out the shape of the mouth, tear, brows, brain section and teeth. I then filled in the pink flesh/muscle parts of the mouth and the lips with the two Duwop lip crayons - I fill in the brows and brain with the same pencil. I filled in the tear with a blue pencil liner. 

3. I added various lip liners and shading to the brain section to make it looks more textured and 'realistic' in a pop art way. I added detail to the tear with the white foundation. I used the same white foundation to fill in the teeth with a tiny liner brush (don't worry if you go over onto the black outline as you can go over the black at the end). 

4. Now onto the eyes, I used Makeup Revolution shades to create a bright smokey eye with a bright teal shade across the inner third of the lid and a navy on the user two thirds in a winged shape. Finish with winged liquid liner and a black pencil on the upper/lower water line; then mascara and lashes if you want to add them. 

5. Finish by adding expression lines with a black pencil and or liquid liner. Then set the base with a small face brush and a white or transparent powder. 

Overall, I think this simple and easy look is so effective and quite unique! You don't have to use all of the products I did but if you don't have specific face paints or halloween makeup products then this is a great halloween look to create with products you already have in your collection - the Makeup Revolution corrector palette is amazing as face paint! Coloured contacts would be great for this look - check out my Cheshire Cat look to see some in action. Also check out my quick and easy sugar skull look!

What do you think of my pop art zombie look? What are your plans for halloween?

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Halloween Cheshire Cat Look ft. Vision Direct

Halloween is almost here *squeals*, it is one of my favourite holidays, closely followed by the mother of all holidays - Christmas. For the past couple of years I have been creating Halloween looks of varying success...and I couldn't wait to create some this year. As Alice in Wonderland was one of my favourite cartoon films as a child, I had to create another Cheshire Cat look but unlike my previous look, this one is based on the Alice in Wonderland film featuring Johnny Depp. 

I received the *Freshlook Colourblends Contacts in Turquoise (found here at £14.48 per lens) which are prescription coloured contact lenses from Vision Direct. I chose the turquoise shade as the Cheshire Cat does have teal/turquoise eyes in the film but if you didn't want this shade then there are a range of others to choose from including amethyst (which would be great for the original purple Cheshire Cat look), Honey and Gemstone Green which looks amazing! 

I've been wearing contacts since I was 17 so these were quick, easy and fuss free to put in, remove and wear for hours and unlike other coloured contacts I have tried, you don't see the colour while you're wearing them which makes them feel like my regular lenses. They look so vivid and bright on my eyes and are perfect for this look. They may be a little expensive but I think they are the most comfortable and bright coloured contacts I've tried. 

Here is my step by step guide to achieve this easy but effective Halloween look:

1. I prepped my skin with my daily moisturiser and applied a mixture of the green, lilac and silver shades from the Makeup Revolution Corrector Palette with a combination of my Real Techniques and Spectrum brushes until the base is even. Stipple the foundation/base you are using to add more coverage. To add extra colour, I used the blue shade from the new Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite lipstick collection around the perimeters of my face for more depth. I then set the base with the Essence Fixing Powder but you can use any white powder so it won't affect the colour. 

2. Next up, I used a range of black liners from Essence and Makeup Revolution to draw in the nose, mouth and teeth as well as a swirl at the end of each corner which makes it looks a bit like a Tim Burton character to me. It is a little time consuming but it is a Halloween look so it doesn't have to be completely perfect. I filled in the nose with a purple/plum lipstick from Duwop; I also filled in the teeth with the yellow shade from the same Makeup Revolution Corrector Palette but a white face paint would be better. 

3. This step is the one that makes the look, in my opinion, I used so many liners of different shades and textures to add the effect of fur. I used a silver shimmer liner from Rimmel as all as navy and blue liners. 

4. Now onto the eyes and brows. I used the Eye of Horus Teal Malachite Pencil to fill in my brows and the Makeup Revolution Salvation Palette to create a winged out blue smokey eye with most of the deeper blue shades under the eyes and the outer corner - blend, blend, blend. Lastly, I lined my upper lash line with the Colorsport black liquid liner and my upper/lower waterline with a black kohl pencil. Then the best step, add the contacts! Make sure you hands are clean and free of makeup before you add the contacts. 

Overall, I'm so happy with the way this look turned out first time round as it is simple and easy to create but so effective. I have to say, the contacts are comfortable to wear and they really make this look! Vision Direct have a great range of coloured contacts which would be perfect for halloween or fancy dress parties. This is a sponsored post. 

What do you think of my first halloween look of the year? Have you tried any coloured contacts?

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