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Spook up your Halloween: Tried and tested must-haves

Looking for ways to create a haunting Halloween in your own home?

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Get haunting for Halloween with our ghostly gift guide

Why not get the whole family involved with these frightfully brilliant creepy gift ideas. We've even tried and tested them, so you don't have to.

Happy Halloween!

Small Blue Blinking Doll Eye Oddity Earrings - £19 - jawlinejewellery.com

Small Blue Blinking Doll Eye Oddity Earrings

5 out of 5

Dolls have long been a terrifying Halloween icon - with their macabre smiles and blinking eyes that seem to follow you around the room.

And now you can scare your loved ones with these delightfully spooky accessories from Jawline Jewellery.

These striking blue blinking doll eye earrings are expertly crafted with black plastic and silver coloured metal that make them sturdy yet lightweight for prolonged wear.

Eyes are genuine, vintage style doll eyes with long lashes that are truly haunting to stare into.

The fact they blink as you move just adds to the spook-factor and is a fantastic touch to the macabre creation.

Both spooky and cute at the same time - these earrings are perfect for oddity lovers and those with a cabinet of curiosities.

Black Fire Tequila Coffee Liqueur (over 18s only) - £20.95 (70cl) - Amazon

Black Fire Tequila Coffee Liqueur

6 out of 5

Treat yourself to something dark and delicious this Halloween with this scrumptious liqueur.

This unique drink combines the flavours of coffee, tequila and a hint of chilli, making for a sweet, indulgent, warming tipple, ideal for the colder months. It also boasts a beautiful chocolate flavour, thanks to the raw extract of cacao.

Though it is 33 per cent ABV, Black Fire is smooth, sweet and easy to drink just on its own - it’s scarily good. Despite the drink being delicious neat, the makers also suggest using it as a base for cocktails such as an espresso martini, white Russian or coffee negroni.

If you’re seeking a spooky gift this Halloween, the stunning design also makes Black Fire a wonderful gift, thanks to its square bottle and attractive black, white and copper labelling.

I, for one, do not usually enjoy coffee liqueurs, but this was outstanding.

Disney Villains Face Masks - £3.99 - madbeauty.com

Disney Villains Face Masks

3 out of 5

If you're the type of person that rooted for Ursula to keep Ariel's voice and for Cruella to make the coat of her dreams - then this is the beauty product for you.

Disney and Mad Beauty have teamed up to create face masks based on some of the film franchise's most popular villains, while giving you silky smooth skin.

The masks bare the image of different Disney villains - a hilarious sight for my husband as I wandered around the house with Maleficent's distorted mug across mine.

Though I didn't see a drastic difference in my naturally dry skin after removing the mask, the comic value alone of how they looked while on made them worthwhile.

They're gentle on the skin and do not leave your complexion too oily after use, all while smelling completely divine.

Made with Disney fans in mind, these face masks are certainly wicked.

Hobgoblin Beer & Bugs Snack Pack (over 18s only) - £32 - Hobgoblin

Hobgoblin Beer & Bugs Snack Pack

5 out of 5

Experience a true trick or treat moment this Halloween with Hobgoblin’s Beer & Bugs Snack Pack, launched to coincide with the firm’s Extraordinary Eaters at HobtoberFest campaign.

This truly bizarre pack includes a range of Hobgoblin’s beloved and delicious beers, each paired with flavoured cricket snacks.

The set contains Sweet Chilli & Lime Crickets, Smoky BBQ Crickets, Peri Peri Cricket and Salted Toffee Crickets - a healthy, environmentally-friendly snack for the brave this Halloween.

Beers in the set are Hobgoblin Ruby, Hobgoblin Gold, Hobgoblin IPA and King Goblin - four of each are included.

It also contains a Hobgoblin eye mask, for blind taste testing, a Wychwood Brewery 2/3 pint glass, and a Beer & Bug matching card.

Do you dare try something a little different this Halloween?

Harvest Mini Shoes - £19 - poconido.com

Harvest Mini Shoes

4 out of 5

It's a well-known fact that children's Halloween costumes and clothes are irresistibly cute - and these adorable shoes are no different.

Award-winning British baby and children’s footwear brand Poco Nido create barefoot-friendly shoes with striking patterns perfect for all occasions.

We opted for the pink Harvest Mini Shoes for our little pumpkin, and were impressed with the expert craftsmanship in every little detail - from the quaint design featuring smiling vegetables to the equally intricate packaging.

The shoes are made from a cotton twill upper, cotton jersey lining and cow suede sole that make them barefoot friendly for walking tots, with or without socks.

They are suitable for outdoor use but not recommended due to damage that can occur to the sole and shoe, making them more delicate than we anticipated.

However, we were impressed with the Pull On Stay On technology that keep them on your little one's feet, as well as the durable grip and malleability of the soles.

Available in a range of designs and sizes, these shoes are great for little guys and ghouls to get into the spirit of Halloween.

The Artistry Book Eyeshadow Palette by LaRoc Pro - £39.99 - beautybase.com

The Artistry Book Eyeshadow Palette

6 out of 5

Creating the perfect Halloween look can be a monumental task, with multiple products strewn across your floor as you strive to create the perfect face.

But this vibrant eyeshadow palette is here to make getting spooky a lot easier with a plethora of vibrant shades at your fingertips to experiment with.

The Artistry Book from LaRoc Pro showcases a colour spectrum of 48 uniquely created shades, allowing you to experiment and explore colour, including 34 buttery mattes and 14 sparkling pressed foils.

The colours are highly-pigmented and easy to apply, requiring very little product to achieve a deep and eye-catching colour.

And the range of colours is truly exquisite, with fiery reds through to deep blues and glistening greens that can help achieve any Halloween look - from a gore-splattered zombie to an other-worldly spirit.

They're easy to remove and do not stain your skin - something that you can often fine with highly-pigmented shadows.

This truly is the holy grail of makeup palettes and an absolute staple for anyone's dressing table this Halloween.

STYLPro's Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer Gift Set - £29.99 - Available from Boots, ASOS, Argos, Look Fantastic, Next, Very, Littlewoods

STYLPro's Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer Gift Set

4 out of 5

After a night of partying, the last thing you want to do is clean your makeup brushes.

But the latest invention from Tom Pellereau, winner of The Apprentice and inventor of the curved nail file, leaves makeup brushes clean, dry and ready to reuse in minutes.

The StylPro Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer is suitable for most makeup brush types and allows you to wash and dry your favourite tools in the blink of an eye.

It is compact and easy to use - all you need to do to have sparkling implements is attach your brush to the StylPro device using the attachment spindle before washing in your cleaning bowl with warm water and the recommended cleanser.

I found the cleaner easy to use, yet some of my brushes with thicker product on them - such as foundation or liquid lipstick - did have to be washed and dried a second time to ensure they were clean.

The cleanser left my brushes feeling silky soft as if they were brand new, and I had next to no bristles fallout during washing.

A handy piece of kit for any makeup lover, this device is great to keep your brushes hygienic and ready for use at a moment's notice.

Steiff Hedwig Owl - £82.99 - steiffteddybears.co.uk

Steiff Hedwig Owl

5 out of 5

Striking orange eyes, Razor sharp talons and pristine white feathers - the snowy owl is a magical symbol of all things witchcraft and wizardry thanks to the Harry Potter franchise.

And Steiff has created its own Hedwig plush for little ones to love this Halloween.

Presented in a beautifully intricate box, this teddy bear is sure to have your jaw dropped thanks to the detail and expert craftsmanship on show.

From the flecks of colour between the feathers to the fluffy feet - every little quirk of this beautiful bird is accounted for in one small package.

The plush is machine washable and suitable for all ages with no sharp or removable attachments for your little one.

Worth every penny of its steep price tag, this lovable nocturnal creature isn’t just for Halloween. It’s sure to be loved all-year round.

Magnet Mouse Mouse Tail Onesie - £24.95 - magnetmouse.co.uk

Magnet Mouse Mouse Tail Onesie

4 out of 5

The perfect first Halloween outfit, Magnet Mouse’s adorable onesie with magnetic fastenings means dressing up your little Mouse this Halloween needn’t be scary.

The fastening simply snap together making it a quick and easy change with a wriggly baby, and it comes in a multitude of sizes to suit your growing little rodent.

Made from 100 per cent thick cotton that makes the onesie perfectly cosy in the chill autumn months, this Halloween outfit is not only cute but practical as the days begin to cool.

A perfect outfit for a family of witches and wizards, this simple costume will involve your little pumpkin in all the fun of spooky season.

The Scary Book - £9.99 - Available from all good book stores

The Scary Book

5 out of 5

As a child I loved reading ghost stories by torchlight, and this is perfect to welcome my own daughter into the same tradition.

The Scary Book from Prestel Publishing is a lift-the-flap board book filled to the brim with creepy creatures perfect for some Halloween fun.

The illustrations are vibrant with sharp teeth and slimy tentacles behind each page.

Spiders, snakes and creatures that go bump in the night adorn every eye-catching page bringing the excitement and thrill of Halloween to life for little ones.

A perfect blend of silly and scary - this book is a great Halloween treat to encourage your little ghoul to embrace their spooky side.

Toffee Popcorn Flavour White Hot Chocolate - £9 - whittard.co.uk

Toffee Popcorn Flavour White Hot Chocolate

5 out of 5

Roaring fires, horror films and the crunch of popcorn will always signal the start of Autumn to my family and I.

And on an unseasonably scorching September afternoon, this delectable hot chocolate transported us into the spooky season.

Made by the sweet treat experts at Whittard, this delightful limited edition toffee popcorn white hot chocolate is the perfect drink as the nights become darker and cooler.

Deliciously creamy served both with and without milk, this is a hug in a mug from the very first sip down to the last.

All the richness of white chocolate combined with the buttery sweet flavours of fluffy popcorn - what's not to love?

This a real treat of a hot chocolate - no tricks here.

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