PRODUCT REVIEW: Cruella De Vil ~ WholeSaleCostumeClub.com ~ Affordable Costumes That Look Great~!!

ARV ~ $36.98

Cruella De Vil Adult Costume

This all~time classic character costume would indeed guarantee you a very exciting evening as you step out to frighten all the Dalmation puppies~!!

The Cruella De Vil costume comes complete with the three quarter black dress, two~in~one hair piece, long red gloves and white sash.  

For one night of the year, you can bring out that sense of evil and let it thrive through this incredibly accurate looking costume.  Inner evil and inner sex appeal would make this a very groovy costume to wear as you rock it as Cruella De Vil from the Disney hit movie, "101 Dalmations."

Add enhancements to spruce things up by adding stockings, high heels and the makeup for that one kind of a scary face in which she supports.  You are sure to have a grand and fun~filled time with this very attention~grabbing costume.

If this sounds like something you could dig your teeth into, then the Cruella De Vil adult costume from WholeSale Costume Club is the pick for you this year~!!

I had my oldest daughter try this on and showcase her Cruella nastiness...lol  I must say she handled the part quite well as she rocked her dramatic evil~ish self while strutting her stuff in true Cruella De Vil style~!!

One of my daughter's favourite movies from when she was a wee lassie was Disney's "101 Dalmations"~!!  She wore several copies of the movie out over the years, dreamt as a child of owning her own dalmation puppy and has been fascinated with it ever since.  Now, when she heard I had the opportunity to review for WholeSale Costume Club again, she begged me to choose the Cruella costume as she had been looking for YEARS and was unable to successfully find one...so out of my motherly love, I complied...even though I REALLY liked the Ladies Pirate Costumes...lol

I must say though, she did me proud in the wearing...

I truly thought this costume was everything it claimed to be and more...she did truly look wonderful and these pics do the overall effect no justice~!!  We had no complaints but one, she felt the dress was a tad see through and to remember to dress accordingly...lol  We both agree, however, that at Hallowe'en and your clubbing it, then it's all gooood~!!  ;)

Adding some fish net stockings and stiletto's would really pump this costume up and maybe a dalmation puppy or two...haha

I have had the delight and the enjoyment of reviewing for this company on a few occasions and I have, AS OF YET, been disappointed with anything I have ever reviewed for them.  The customer service is EXCELLENT, they are courteous and knowledgeable in all that they are able to help you with.  I would recommend them for any time you need a costume to spruce up an event~!!

  **  Reviewed by me...as I see it~!!  **

CONTEST: Wholesale Costume Club TWITTER Contest~!!

This week, Wholesale Costume Club is running a Twitter contest for www.WholesaleCostumeClub.com!  

All you have to do to enter to win is tweet the following:

Check out costumes for Halloween or whenever 

@CostumeClub by visiting http://bit.ly/IT2WHd

As soon as you do, you’ll be entered to win the contest!  

1^st prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate, 2^nd prize wins a $50 gift certificate and 3^rd prize winners will get a $25 gift certificate—good for ANY item(s) on www.WholesaleCostumeClub.com!!!

Also - Each time one of your followers retweets your tweet, you'll be entered to win an additional time (ex. If 25 people RT your tweet, you'll be entered to win 26 times).

Top Five Most Baffling Dog Costumes

I’m never quite sure how to feel about people dressing up their dogs. On the one hand (paw?), seeing a dog dressed as Darth Vader is pretty funny. On the other, the look of complete and utter canine humiliation in their eyes makes me feel kind of bad for smirking. However, in the world of doggy fancy dress there are some costumes that really make you stop and think (usually something along the lines of: “What? WHY?!”). Here follows a list of five of these; be prepared to do more head tilting than a Labrador at a dog whistle testing facility.

• Bride

You may laugh, but dog weddings actually happen more frequently than you might think. Some owners even go so far as to spend thousands of pounds on the ceremony, kitting out their pooches in designer gear and even providing lavish spreads for the ceremonies’ human and canine guests. This little number is actually rather well done and is a fraction of the price of some designer doggy gowns. However, there’s something about those little arms clutching the bouquet that I find kind of creepy...

• Scooby Doo

The weirdness of this outfit largely comes from it being a dog dressed as a dog. While you could argue that people often dress as other people, the way this costume is effectively makes it a dog wearing another dog’s skin (which, if you think about it for a little bit, is pretty weird).

• Mac Daddy

Complete with lurid purple and tiger striped fake fur as well as the obligatory bit of gold bling, this outfit is pretty pimpin’. But do you really want a Mac daddy dog wrangling around? Although the number of jokes you could make at the expense of any fine lady dogs alone would arguably arguably make this purchase worth it, you have to wonder just who exactly thought up the idea of making and selling this costume in the first place.

• Slave Princess Leia

I can understand dressing your pet as Darth Vader or even Yoda, but sticking them in a fake gold bikini complete with buns (which she isn’t even wearing in that outfit) is just mean. The outfit was meant to be humiliating for Leia in the movie, so surely this stands true for your dog being made to wear it for your amusement at a family Christmas party (though going so far as to say you are the Jabba to your dog’s Leia would be more than a little creepy).

• Sylvester the Cat

This is pure perversity. Not only are you dressing your dog as a cat, but you’re also dressing them like a crazed, psychopathic bird murderer. Okay, that’s probably being a little harsh; Sylvester is only trying to do what comes naturally. In fact, if you think about it, Tweety Bird is probably the more scary of the pair; behind that cutesy exterior clearly lurks the brain of a serial killer (come to think of it, the pair were clearly made for each other).

Eli McColl is currently writing for Ace Fancy Dress, a great place to go should you need Christmas fancy dress ideas for either you or your dog.

Doggie Dress-Up

It seems that people aren’t only dressing themselves these day, but their dogs too! With such a wide variety of dog apparel to choose from, how can you not buy a jacket or two to glam up your pooch? But with such a huge range of doggie clothing, you might wonder where to start. First you need to find out what kind of dog you have. Not just breed type, but personality. Is your pup sassy or down to earth? Does he or she like to run or stroll at a casual pace, maybe even prance? Figuring out who your dog really is will help get your started on finding the basic trends that work for it.

First up, we have the classy dog. This pooch, perhaps like you, enjoys the finer things in life. They like to walk around with a prance, knowing they are better than any other dog around. Maybe they’re too good for walking and like to be held or carried in a nice tote bag; either way, they want the best. Brands such as Juicy Couture have faux fur jackets and beds, sparkly collars and leashes, and fancy food and water bowls that your high maintenance pup will surely enjoy. Luckily, Zappos.com carries an assortment of these items and with a Zappos coupon code or discount code you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg to treat your dog to the finer things in life.

Secondly, there’s the athletic dog. The dog that wants to run outdoors, have the wind in his face and a Frisbee in his mouth. These pups can be difficult to shop for as they will hate anything that gets in their way of playtime. Stay clear of booties that will make it difficult for them to run or nice jackets that just get covered in mud. Keep things simple and stick with accessories such as leather collars, bandanas or raincoats if it’s storming outside.

Third we have the performer. The performer loves to be the center of attention. This pooch will bark, do tricks or follow you around everywhere you go as long as you, and everyone else in the room, keep your eyes on him. Performers love costumes because it’s another way for them to get your attention. Dress this dog up for holidays and events including Santa hats for Christmas, bunny ears for Easter and party hats for birthdays. Don’t forget to go crazy during Halloween; it’s the best time of the year to get your pup some new outfits.

The shy dog can also be a difficult pup to dress, as they don’t particularly feel comfortable with anything or anyone even when they aren’t dressed up. Take things slow with your shy dog. Buy a nice collar to make him or her feel a bit more special. Once they get more adjusted, bring in a hat. A hat, especially if it’s a little big is a great way for your dog to hide if it feels uncomfortable or shy. If the hat doesn’t work out, keep things small by adding bows or ribbons to the ears. Remember, not all dogs enjoy dressing up so make sure they are comfortable no matter what you choose.

Steff Scholl has a Puli puppy that loves to entertain. She has taken this into account and made him a cape and a few other costume pieces that he can parade around in. However, if he ever wants to get something new, Steff knows she can use a Zappos coupon code for a better deal.

Keep Kids Safe during Halloween

Research shows that double the number of children are injured or killed by Halloween-related accidents that could have been prevented had safety measures been followed. These incidents include getting hit by cars because drivers could not see children's costumes or children were not mindful of the traffic, getting injured by a sword, or burned by a candle of a jack-o-lantern. If parents and children follow a few safety tips they can enjoy a fun Halloween without any tragedies. 

Costumes
Choose costumes that fit well so children will not trip over them at night and that are flame-resistant. Help children select ones that light-colored if possible so they will be more visible at night. Decorate costumes with reflective stickers to improve visibility even more. Since Halloween masks limit children's eyesight, decorate their faces with non-toxic face paint or make-up, remembering to test the make-up on the children first to check for allergic reactions. Even if your child's costume calls for it, prevent him from carrying a sword as he might accidentally hit another child. Provide children with flashlights so they can see better that night.

Carving Jack-o-Lanterns
Provide markers for children to draw funny faces on the pumpkins so that one of the parents can carve it out. Alternatively, let the children paint faces on the pumpkins with colored non-toxic paint. Keeping sure children are away from the knife, carve out their design. To prevent accidents, consider lighting your creation with a small glow stick instead. Display your scary pumpkin on a sturdy base, where it will not catch fire or tip over.

Trick- or-Treat Night
Accompany children younger than 12 years old trick-or-treating. Encourage older children to go out in groups and review the planned route with one of the parents and establish a meeting spot. Stay in your local neighborhood, only ringing the doorbell of houses with their porch light on. Tell children never to go into a neighbor's house, even if they know them. Walk along lighted sidewalks and only cross at official crosswalks. This helps drivers see children at crosswalks and they will be expecting larger amounts of children walking than normal so they be on high-alert.

Healthy Tips
Provide a healthy dinner for your children before they head out so they have some nourishment in them and will not just gorge on sweets. After returning home from trick-or-treating, divide treats into different piles such as chocolate candy, chips, and sour candy, while checking each wrapper. If you suspect it has been tampered with, throw it out.

Kenneth enjoys blogging, and blogs about an array of subjects. Additonally he works for fast cash for cars a company that buys damaged cars.

How To Make Halloween A Success Without Haunting Your Bank Account

Halloween is a big holiday. It can also be an expensive holiday when you add up all the costumes, parties, and trick or treating. You don’t have to go Trick or Treating to make Halloween a success. There are so many hauntingly brilliant ideas for a stay at home Halloween party. Maybe your children are a little old for trick or treating, or perhaps your neighbourhood isn’t suited to door-to-door Halloween fun. You can turn your home into a haunted house that’ll have your kids enthralled and even a little spooked if you like.

Present these ideas to your little ghouls and get the party started:

1. Pumpkin Carving: Yes, you can buy ready carved pumpkins, but it’s so much more fun to carve your own. Little ones may need a helping hand, but you can make your Jack-o-Lanterns original, and spooky. Never let your child handle a knife, you can buy inexpensive pumpkin carving sets for children and guide them through the process.
2. Your own Haunted House: Children love the idea of turning your home into a haunted house. You can assign each child a room to decorate and get their friends to help too. You need to make a show of it, so get your little Morticia’s and Dracula’s to plan their roles and act the part in their room. You can make smoking cauldrons with dry ice and a slow cooker, or turn your spare room into Count Dracula’s castle. All you need is a little creativity and a lot of kids.
3. Host a Scary Story Party: Ghost stories around the campfire. Nothing is better than being outdoors around a fire on Halloween. If you have the space, create a small campfire and decorate the garden with cheap Halloween decorations. Plan an outdoor meal and ask each child to prepare a ghost story that’ll freeze your blood and turn your bones to jelly. Younger children love to get involved but their scary stories may not haunt older children. Try to keep it age appropriate and save your terrifying ghost stories for last. If you’re indoors, then make the room completely dark and allow each storyteller to hold a single torch in front of their face as they tell their story. It’s guaranteed to raise some screams.
4. Trick or Treat Treasure Hunt: Instead of hitting the neighbourhood this year, why not organise a terrifying treasure hunt. Perfect for the garden at night, especially if you have some creepy decor and some things that really do go bump in the night.
5. Movie Mayhem: Older children and teens love the thrill of watching scary movies on Halloween. Make a party of it and have some Halloween themed food, and rent some of the classic tales of fright, horror and gore on Halloween. If they want to do something more interactive, or if you’re having an all-girls sleep over then purchase a bunch of inexpensive Halloween make up sets and allow them to create their own gory masks and weird witches with a Halloween Beauty/Beast Party

Staying in doesn’t mean missing out on Halloween when you invite all the young witches and wizards in your neighbourhood over to your haunted house for a festive fright night.

This guest post has been provided on behalf of vouchercloud.com; check out their fancy dress hire offers for savings this Halloween.

Halloween is Coming! - What to Wear

Yesterday I went to a costume store in the local mall to look around and maybe even buy something. I have never really bought a lot of costumes from the store so I figured I would go take a look. When I got there, I found a Snow White dress that was really cute. When I looked at the price tag, I was shocked! $80 for a costume to wear once. There is no way people actually buy those, right? I don't even spend that much money on jeans or boots. Being in college limits a lot of our spending habits. Halloween is right around the corner and I need a costume fast. If any of you procrastinate like I do, you are probably scrambling to find one too! Here are some good ideas of last-minute and cheap costumes to throw together. 

Glasses:
Waldo
As in, Where's Waldo? All you need is a red and white striped shirt, a pair of fake glasses and some sort of beanie. You probably already have at least one or two of those things.

Old Person
Buy some really ugly clothes at your local thrift store. Girls- put your hair up in a bun, guys- slick your hair into a comb over. Buy some glasses and hunch over as you walk. Extra accessory: a cane.

A Nerd
Wear some high pants and tucked-in shirt with suspenders. Also, slick your hair back and girls-put it in braids or pigtails. The nerdier, the better.

Colored Tights:
Turtle
Green or brown tights would be best for this costume. Make a shell out of cardboard and paint it green and brown. Pin it on your back with safety pins and you become a turtle!

Bat
Wear black tights and get a black umbrella that you don't mind destroying. Rip or cut the umbrella in half and then pin them to your back. These wings are great but watch out that so they don't cut up anyone.

Dog or Cat
Black, brown or white tights all work well for this. Just make sure your top matches the tights. Then cut out cat ears or dog ears and bobby pin them into your hair. Make a tail out of anything you have and then paint your nose black. Voila! You are now an animal.

Boxes:
Dice
Take the box and make holes for your body. Paint the whole box with white paint or glue black construction paper to the box just like a dice. You could even add cards to it or just hold cards in your hand and you could be a casino dice.

God's gift to women
Wear a box that is wrapped up like a present. Make sure it has bows and ribbons all over it to make it look good. Put a tag on it that says, To: Women, From: God.

Words with Friends
This costume is a team effort so find four other friends who are willing to do it with you. Each person should be wearing a box one of the following letters on it : W O R D S. Get it. Words with friends?

So don't be discouraged this holiday season when you see the prices of those expensive costumes. Make something simple and really cheap!

About the Author

Meagan Hollman writes for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers is a great too to help students find out what kind of training and education they need to start one of today's top jobs.

Oya Costumes

Oya Costumes Canada is delighted to bring you a wonderful selection of Halloween costumes 2011 that will be perfect for any holiday or fancy dress occasion. They review hundreds upon hundreds of costumes each year, carefully selecting only the best in order to bring you fun, bold and exciting costume choices.

In 2004 Faten Hodroge followed her dreams and founded Oya Costumes after a long and successful career in international finance and a few years as a full time Mom.

From its humble start in Montreal, Canada Oya Costumes has consistently doubled its sales yearly and has expanded exponentially as a result. Most recently, Oya Costumes moved its Montreal operation in 2008 to a new warehouse location at 4710 St-Ambroise to better serve our growing customer base.

In addition, US clients are also being served through our warehouse operation in Champlain, NY.

Oya costumes is a very selective company; they carefully inspect and select only the best to add to their collection in order to ensure that their customers are offered only the best products available.

They are constantly expanding their collection. In the past two years they have greatly expanded their collection adding shoes, boots and other accessories. This year they will adding hundreds of new costumes for 2011 including all new pet costumes. 

Oya Costumes Blog

And what is in the name of Oya? 

Oya Costumes is named after Oya the fearless and strong African Goddess of storm and winds. Oya is the only God who dares to accompanies spirits to the netherworld because of her great inner strength.

As well, Oya loves to dance! Halloween originated with the Celts more than 2000 years ago in a society that blurred the boundaries between the world of the living and after life on the 31 October, Oya's strength fearlessness and love of dance makes her a perfect Halloween Goddess.

 Level up! With this adorable Deluxe Luigi adult costume. This costume presents an adult version of Super Mario Brother's Luigi-style jumpsuit with two flashy yellow buttons, inflatable tummy and a green "L" hat. Deluxe Luigi Costume contains:

* jumpsuit
* inflatable belly
* hat
* moustache.

Complete your Super Mario look with his symbolic hammer!

ARV $54.99

My Thoughts~!!

What an absolutely wonderful costume~!!  My son is infatuated with it and wants to wear it everywhere!!  He believes even AFTER Hallowe'en he is going to continue to wear the hat!!

The costume is very comfortable and roomy, with no restrictions in your movement.  The material is of decent Hallowe'en quality with velcro strips on the back to keep the costume together.  It was very very easy to put on and no one needs to help with donning the costume.

The moustache is adhesive and should stick nicely to the face, we haven't removed it from its backing as of yet, believing it to be a one use kind of item.

 The inflatable pack is easy to blow up and comes with velcro straps in order to secure it around your waist and neck.  My son doesn't believe Luigi to have a big belly, so he opted to give Luigi a big bum, which, according to his beliefs, is where he is more rotund.

After putting the costume on he proceeded to go the store and wave at folks as he went along.  My fourteen year old can be such the comic!!  He was even talking in an Italian accent and while he got some raised eyebrows, for the most part, everyone was enthralled with his outfit and his daring!!

I thought the people at Oya Costumes were very nice folks to work with; they have some GREAT selections to choose from!!  If I had to decide one for myself, I would've been there for days, however, my two sons decided back in the summer they wanted to be Super Mario Bros. characters, they even tried talking their sister into being Princess Peach but she wasn't having anything to do with their jocularity!!

I thought the shipping rates were very comparable and delivered in a timely fashion!!  I love that they are Canadian, they do ship to the United States or you can stop by their place if you happen to be in the area to pick it up yourself.  They are open most week days with extended hours in October.

Not only can they service your Hallowe'en needs but they have offerings for Christmas, mascots or if your putting on a play this year and need some really groovy costumes to allow you to appear authentic, then Oya Costumes is the place for you!  And don't forget to check out their awesome accessories!!

I believe that this is an outstanding Costume company who brings you affordable prices and imaginative, decorative and eye-inspiring costumes~!!

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

How to Get the Most from Your Money This Halloween

According to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation, the average person plans on spending $72.31 on Halloween related items this year. However, ⅓ of consumers also state that they are looking for ways to cut back on expenses as part of the overall trend towards frugality brought on by the current lackluster economy. For parents, this means looking for ways to celebrate the holiday with their children while getting the most value for their money.

Here are five suggestions to help you spend wisely this Halloween season.

1. Look for costumes that will provide play value all year long. Children love playing dress-up and parents love how imaginative play provides hours of fun and helps promote an active imagination and cognitive development. Halloween is a great time to find good deals on costumes that can be used for months, even years to come.

Instead of character costumes that will soon become dated, steer your child towards timeless classics that can easily be incorporated into future play such as a firefighter, fairy, princess and knight. Good quality costumes, such as those made by Melissa and Doug, don’t cost that much more the ones you can find at discount retailers and party stores and will stand up to daily use.

If you opt to make your own costume, look for high quality accessories that can double as toys throughout the year. In most cases the cost difference between a “costume” sword or wand and a “toy” one will be negligible but the difference in quality will be huge. Be sure that any face paints, jewelry and hair products are non-toxic and safe for your child to use.

2. Instead of buying decorations, have a blast making your own with your children. Not only will you save money, you’ll also be creating wonderful memories and help encourage your child’s creativity and exercise their fine motor skills. The Internet or your public library is a great source of ideas for easy to make, inexpensive craft ideas.

Be sure to take lots of pictures of the process and end results so that your children can show off their handy-work to friends and relatives!

3. Now is the time to start looking for deals on candy. You can often combine a manufacturer’s coupon with a sale for added savings. Buy candy that you won’t mind eating yourself in case there are leftovers!

4. Reduce your stress and save money by limiting the number of activities your family participates in this Halloween. Choose one or two that you’ll really enjoy - remember there is always next year! Older children can participate in the decision making process which will give them hands on experience in making priorities and weighing value-per-dollar.

5. Take advantage of after-holiday sales, but don’t go overboard. Clearance sales are the perfect opportunity to shop for higher-quality, nice to have decorations at a bargain price but don’t remember to stay in your budget and don’t buy any old thing just because it’s cheap. Don’t forget to grab any great costumes - you can save them for next  year, put them aside for Christmas and birthday gifts or dole them out on rainy days. Be sure you’ll be able to find what you’ve bought next year by storing all of your Halloween items together in clearly labeled boxes in one central location. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating (and less frugal) than buying something that you know you have but just can’t find!
 

As the proud parents of five pre-teen children, Carol and Jacob Maslow know quite a bit about the importance of play in a child's life. Carol is also a therapist who specializes in working with developmentally delayed preschoolers so that they can successfully integrate with their classmates. Jacob works for Today's Concept, where parents can find the highly regarded Melissa and Doug line of classic toys. Both firmly believe that the best toys don't use batteries!

 

Eden Fantasys ~ Costume Accessories

 

I've been searching around Eden Fantasys and have found some very interesting things to enjoy for this upcoming Hallowe'en season~!!  Yes, they sell sex toys, even some of them make me blush, but they also sell more than pleasure toys and its my mission to share them with you~!!  I'm trying to keep this family friendly while showing you there are other things to be found and explore~!!

Like take this Maximum Impact Liquid Latex here for $14.99...this stuff is NOT easy to locate, well, at least not in my neck of the woods...do you know the possibilities you could create if you had some Liquid Latex??  Why, you could make your own masks, appendages, ANYTHING that you would need to make your costume REALLY groovy~!!

It also comes in a variety of colours so you don't HAVE to mix your own~!!  What I would have done for a jar or two of this the year I was a Klingon...my skin and hair would've appreciated it anyhow...LOL  It also comes in a larger 32 oz. size retailing at $22.99 OR you can purchase a WHOLE kit for $32.99~!!

The Body Paint priced at $13.99, is ALWAYS hand, especially if you need the right shade of skin to go along with your ensemble~!!

You are given the primary colours in which you can mix and match to come up with your own shades~!!

Also included are stencils and paint brush AND the paints are totally edible, so you don't have to worry about getting yucky paint flavours in your mouth every time your hand brushes your face!!

The Body Wash is only $5.99 for an 8 fl. oz. bottle and is GREAT for washing off the Latex remnants that may hang on...guaranteeing you do NOT have to rip anything off of your body~!!

This is a bio-degradable formula that has been created to emulsify and remove Liquid Latex easily and without hassle!

You can take this in a sexual way, but I find it would make an AWESOME costume for those who don't REALLY like to dress up but don't want to miss out on the fun~!!

This would make an excellent stand-alone costume as it's an attention grabbing accessory  that would bring comedy to any outfit, even if you don't want to dress up...the crown says it all~!!

Honestly...I think that everyone, whether their shy, modest, hedonistic or sexually promiscuous would find something at Eden Fantasys to enjoy~!!