Halloween Goodies For You

Product Information Novelty Makeup

2010-09-24T11:29:00.001-04:00

Painting Your Face:

Special Effects Without Aftereffects

Painting your face can be a big part of the fun on Halloween and lots of other special occasions. Most of the time people do this without a problem, but not always. Here are some pointers to help keep your fun from leaving you with a rash, swollen eyelids, or other grief.

Decorating your face with face paint or other makeup lets you see better than you can if you're wearing a mask. A mask can make it hard to see where you're going and watch out for cars. But make sure your painted-on designs don't cause problems of their own.

* Follow all directions carefully.
* Don't decorate your face with things that aren't intended for your skin.
* If your face paint has a very bad smell, this could be a sign that it is contaminated. Throw it away and use another one.
* Like soap, some things are OK on your skin, but not in your eyes. Some face paint or other makeup may say on the label that it is not for use near the eyes. Believe this, even if the label has a picture of people wearing it near their eyes. Be careful to keep makeup from getting into your eyes.
* Even products intended for use near your eyes can sometimes irritate your skin if you use too much.
* If you're decorating your skin with something you've never used before, you might try a dab of it on your arm for a couple of days to check for an allergic reaction BEFORE you put it on your face. This is an especially smart thing to do if you tend to have allergies.

Color Additives: The "FDA OK"
(Or, A Little Detective Work Won't Hurt)

A big part of Halloween makeup is color. But this is your skin we're talking about. Think about what you're putting on it. You might not want to put the same coloring on your skin that a car company uses in its paint.

Luckily, you don't have to. The law says that color additives have to be approved by FDA for use in cosmetics, including color additives in face paints and other cosmetics that may be used around Halloween time. It also includes theatrical makeup.

Plus, FDA has to decide how they may be used, based on safety information. A color that's OK on your tough fingernails or your hair may not be OK on your skin. Colors that are OK for most of your skin may not be OK near your eyes.

How do you know which ones are OK to use, and where? Do some detective work and check two places:

1. The list of ingredients on the label. Look for the names of the colors. THEN...

2. Check the Summary of Color Additives on FDA's Web site. There's a section especially on colors for cosmetics. If there's a color in your makeup that isn't on this list, the company that made it is not obeying the law. Don't use it. Even if it's on the list, check to see if it has FDA's OK for use near the eyes. If it doesn't, keep it away from your eyes.
For That Ghoulish Glow

There are two kinds of "glow" effects you might get from Halloween-type makeup. Ready for some ten-dollar words? There are "fluorescent" (say "floor-ESS-ent") and "luminescent" (say "loo-min-ESS-ent") colors. Here's the difference:

Fluorescent colors: These are the make-you-blink colors sometimes called "neon" or "day-glow." There are eight fluorescent colors approved for cosmetics, and like other colors, there are limits on how they may be used. None of them are allowed for use near the eyes. (Check the Summary of Color Additives again.) These are their names: D&C Orange No. 5, No. 10, and No. 11; D&C Red No. 21, No. 22, No. 27 and No. 28; and D&C Yellow No. 7.

Luminescent colors: These colors glow in the dark. In August 2000, FDA approved luminescent zinc sulfide for limited cosmetic use. It's the only luminescent color approved for cosmetic use, and it's not for every day and not for near your eyes. You can recognize it by its whitish-yellowish-greenish glow.
When the Party's Over...

Don't go to bed with your makeup on. Wearing it too long might irritate your skin, and bits of makeup can flake off or smear and get into your eyes, not to mention mess up your pillow and annoy your parents.

How you take the stuff off is as important as how you put it on. Remove it the way the label says. If it says to remove it with cold cream, use cold cream. If it says to remove it with soap and water, use soap and water. If it says to remove it with eye makeup remover, use eye makeup remover. You get the picture. The same goes for removing glue, like the stuff that holds on fake beards.

And remember, the skin around your eyes is delicate. Remove makeup gently.
But Just in Case...

What if you followed all these steps and still had a bad reaction? In March 2005 and May 2009, some face paint products were recalled from the market because they caused problems such as a skin rash, irritation, itching or minor swelling where the paints were applied. If you have a reaction that seems to be caused by face paints, your parents may want to call a doctor, and they can call FDA, too. We like to keep track of reactions to cosmetics so we know if there are problem products on the market.

Halloween - UK History and Traditions

2010-09-10T15:10:00.000-04:00

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alix_Williams]Alix Williams

The festival of Halloween in the UK is over 2000 years old, dating back to the time of the Celts (600 BC-50 AD). The Celts celebrated the end of summer and the gathering in of the harvest with a festival called 'Samhain', which took place on the night of 31 October. Even then, this date had links with ghosts and the spirit world, as on this night the Celts believed that the boundaries between our world and the next would weaken, allowing the souls of dead to cross over and communicate with the living. A large part of the celebration involved the building of huge bonfires, which were thought to welcome friendly spirits and ancestors, but ward off those considered dangerous. People would dress up in animal heads and skins, and burn sacrifices and gifts in thanks for the harvest.

Samhain was also a time for divination and the telling of fortunes. Apples feature widely in these divination techniques. For example, when bobbing for apples, a tradition that still survives until today, the first person to take a bite out of an apple would be the first to marry that year. In addition, when peeling an apple, the longer the unbroken length of peel, the longer you would be destined to live.

Following the invasion of the Romans in 43 AD, two Roman festivals came to be celebrated at the same time as Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day in which they honoured Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees who was symbolized by the apple. The Romans were very open to the cultures of people they invaded, and they sought to merge their beliefs with those of the indigenous Celts. It is perhaps easy to see why these two festivals became linked closely with Samhain.

Christianity had spread into Celtic lands by the 800s and the Christian church appears to have practiced its usual policy of adopting pagan celebrations by converting Halloween into a Christian observance. By moving the old Christian festival of All Saints Day to 1 November, however, they maintained the link with remembering the dead. On All Saints Day, a mass was held to honour the saints and martyrs, and this was preceded on the day before (All Hallow's Eve or Eve of All Saints - in Old English, hallow meant holy) by an overnight vigil. According to the early Christian church, this day also marked the release from purgatory of all souls for 2 days. All Souls Day, which commemorated the faithful departed, followed on 2 November. Together, the three festivals - the Eve of All Saints, All Saints Day and All Souls Day - became known as Hallowmass.

The custom of 'trick-or-treating', today a large part of Halloween celebrations, could possibly have part of its roots in the tradition of the baking of soul cakes. This was an important feature of All Souls' Day (similar to the way we associate hot cross buns with Good Friday today), when beggars would wander from house to house, receiving gifts of food and money. In return for a soul cake, these 'soulers' would be expected to say prayers for those who had recently died, to speed up their passage through purgatory and into heaven. The 'trick' part of the custom appears to have arisen in the USA in the 1930s, where Halloween became to be associated with the playing of pranks and jokes.

Although the Church was successful in establishing Hallowmass as a Christian festival, many of the populace continued to practice the ancient customs and traditions linked with Samhain. With the reformation of the Church in the 16th century, celebrations of this sort were discouraged even more. However, following the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 many traditional Halloween practices, especially the building of bonfires, were transposed to 5 November (now known as Bonfire or Guy Fawkes Night). Although in England the celebration of Halloween gradually fell out of fashion in favour of Bonfire Night, the tradition was maintained for longer in both Ireland and Scotland, because of the strong Celtic links in these countries.

The resurgence in the celebration of Halloween that we have seen over the past 20 years or so, with its emphasis on dressing up as ghosts and witches, has largely been imported from the USA. Halloween and its more pagan traditions were first brought to the USA in the mid-1800s, when huge numbers of Irish immigrants fled to the USA following the Irish Potato Famine. Over time, the festival and its traditions evolved and crossed back over the Atlantic - giving us the celebration that we know and love (or hate!) today.

Conclusion
The celebration that we today know as Halloween dates back to an ancient festival of the Celts - Samhain. Despite the passing of 2000 years, it is still possible to trace some of the traditions we associate with Halloween - bonfires, and the link with ghosts and the spirit world - back to this early celebration of the end of summer and the gathering in of the harvest.

Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Halloween/history.htm
ucc.ie/fecc/samhain.html
bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween.shtml
americancatholic.org/Features/halloween/
chalicecentre.net/samhain.htm
bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/samhain.shtml
new-life.net/halowen1.htm
hauntedbay.com/history/bobbing.shtml
britainexpress.com/History/Celtic_Britain.htm
britainexpress.com/History/Roman_invasion.htm

Alix Williams is a regular contributor to the holistic website Aroma4u.co.uk a home based UK business providing Eco-friendly hand made Aromatherapy Stress Relief Gifts.

Alix Williams also writes about using [http://www.aromatherapy-stress-relief.com/specialgifts1.html]Halloween unique Essential Oil Gift Ideas for Stress Relief.

For more information regarding Stress related matters (stress in the Workplace), Stress Busting Gift ideas with pure Essential oils, aroma and the benefits of natural aroma and aromatherapy, please visit: http://www.aroma4u.co.uk

copyright © 2008 Alix Williams (CUS Busting Ltd)

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Halloween---UK-History-and-Traditions&id=1490817] Halloween - UK History and Traditions

Halloween in Ireland

2010-09-10T14:57:00.001-04:00

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mairead_Foley]Mairead Foley

The celebration of Halloween started in Ireland around 100AD. Back then, Halloween was a pagan festival celebrated by the Celts of Ireland who called it "Samhain", an old Irish word meaning the 'end of Summer'. They believed that on the eve of Samhain (Halloween), the dead spirits would revisit the mortal world, so huge bonfires were lit to keep away any evil spirits. It is known in Gaelic as 'Oíche Shamhna' and is celebrated on the 31st of October each year, which is All Souls Day, so in Ireland it is often referred to as the Feast of the Dead.

Here are just some of the Irish Halloween traditions which are still very much alive today;

The Pumpkin at Halloween

In Ireland, the Pumpkin traditionally known as the Jack O Lantern, is a carved out pumpkin whose top and stem have been removed. The shell is then carved normally in the shape of a scary face which is then lit up by placing a candle inside.

There are many stories of how the Jack O Lantern custom came about in Ireland. One old tale says it was as a result of a blacksmith called Jack who crossed the devil. He made the devil promise he would not go to hell, but when he was denied entry to heaven, he was left to wander the earth. He told the devil he could not wander about forever in the dark and the devil tossed him an ember from the fires of hell, so Jack placed this in a hollowed out turnip. From that day, Jack roamed the earth using his Jack O Lantern to light the way so you might spot him when you visit Ireland this Halloween!

It is said that when the Irish immigrated to the States they took this Halloween tradition with them, but instead of using turnips, then began to use pumpkins as they were much more plentiful!

Irish Halloween Food: The Barnbrack

This traditional Halloween cake is a fruit bread. What's special about this bread though, is that various things are baked inside the bread such as a coin, a rag, a ring and a thimble! The bread is then shared out among family members and eaten very carefully. Each of the items in the cake signify different things, for example if you got the 'rag' it meant that you'd be poor, the coin - rich, the thimble meant you would never marry and the ring meant that you would find romance and be happy ever after - so, of course, everyone wants to find the ring!

At Halloween in Ireland the shelves at the local supermarket are packed with every kind of Barnbrack, but nowadays it's only possible to buy one that contains a ring!

Ireland's Halloween Bonfire

The Halloween tradition of the bonfire in Ireland is said to also have originated during Pagan times when the Celts lit huge fires on the hills so the spirits could find their way. It was also said that these fires would help to keep away evil spirits. Another old Irish Halloween tale says that if you drop a strand of your hair into the flames and dream of your future husband or wife to be, you're dreams will come true!

Bonfires are a huge part of the Halloween festivities in Ireland and are lit in both rural areas and towns throughout the country. They are built from all sorts of materials and some take days of preparation!

Trick or Treat in Ireland

This old Irish Halloween custom originated centuries ago when the poor would go round to the rich peoples houses and ask for food or money, which they would then use for their celebration of Halloween. Nowadays, children dress up in scary costumes and go house to house trick or treating, arriving home with bags of goodies which they use for their Halloween party.

Halloween fun & games

There are many games associated with Halloween. Apples are a traditional Halloween fruit as they were very plentiful in October. These games are still played today.

One of the most popular Halloween games in Ireland is 'Snap Apple'. In this game an apple is hung from the ceiling and the children are blindfolded. The first one to take a bite from the apple wins! This game can also be played by putting apples into basin of water. The first person to lift out an apple by grabbing the stem with their teeth is the winner.

Another Halloween custom involves peeling an apple in one long strip. Then throw the peel over your left shoulder and try to figure out what letter it resembles. The initial will be the first letter of the name of you future spouse!

If you're in Ireland during Halloween then you might like to sample some traditional Halloween foods. Try some Colcannon, it's a tasty savoury dish which consists of potatoes, cabbage, onions, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Other foods such as nuts are also hugely popular at Halloween (especially hazelnuts, monkey nuts and peanuts), corn on the cob and, of course, apples!

Over the past number of years, people have begun decorating their homes more and more for Halloween with ghosts, ghouls, witches, goblins and harvest displays. Some of the bigger cities may have authorised firework displays, but be aware that to buy fireworks or bring fireworks into Ireland is illegal and the penalties severe.

There are Halloween celebrations in towns all over Ireland, but if you want to really get into the spirit of Halloween, then we recommend you head for Derry city in Northern Ireland or Dublin city for two of the best Halloween parades in the country!

Check out [http://www.goireland.com/]http://www.GoIreland.com for more articles on [http://www.goireland.com/BLOG/Categories/Irish-Culture.html]Ireland culture.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Halloween-in-Ireland&id=1296910] Halloween in Ireland

Halloween Recipes

2007-10-03T11:24:00.000-04:00

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jill_S]Jill S

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Probably because of the sheer amount of sugar involved. As a kid (or adult for that matter), what other holiday can you dress up funny and stuff your face full of candy and sweets and not get yelled at? And then there are all of the fun (and sometimes absolutely disgusting) things that you can serve to your friends at Halloween gatherings that you would never dare to serve on any other holiday. The only time it is permissible and even encouraged to put worms, spiders, bugs, and bats in your food. Happy Halloween!

Halloween Crisp Treats

1/2 cup butter
10 cups crispy rice cereal
9 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups candy corn
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
candy pumpkins
orange food coloring

Grease a large jellyroll pan. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and marshmallows together. Mix it together until it is smooth. Put the crispy rice cereal, candy corn, and mini chocolate chips into a large bowl and mix well. Mix the orange food coloring into the marshmallow mixture and mix well. Put the marshmallow mixture into the cereal mixture and mix it together quickly. Spread the mixture into the greased jellyroll pan and press it down into the pan with well-greased hands (butter works best). Press the candy pumpkins onto the bars, keeping in mind how big or small you will want to cut the bars. You can have fun with this by serving it in a bed of gummy worms, cut “bites” out of the candy pumpkins and have the gummy worms look like they are eating the pumpkins.

Sparkling Halloween Punch

4 cups apple cider
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups apricot nectar
6 cups chilled gingerale
orange and lemon slices
gummy worms

In a large bowl, mix the apple cider, orange juice, pineapple juice, and apricot nectar. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more. Right before you are ready to serve it, mix in the gingerale and add the orange and lemon slices. Drape gummy worms over the sides of the bowl. For an added Halloween touch, put small plastic spiders in ice cube trays and fill with water. Put in the freezer and add the spider ice cubes to the punch.

Jill Seader loves to share her [http://www.yourbakingstory.com]baking recipes at YourBakingStory.com. She has a passion for baking and stories that she shares through recipes and recipe scrapbooking supplies. Come share your story or create one of your own!

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