LUXlife 2019 Halloween Gift Guide
Halloween has come around once again and so it’s time to buy in the pumpkins and sweet treats to mark the occasion. Here at LUXlife, we have compiled a Halloween gift guide to suite all of your needs. So whether you need some gory themed tipples, last minute fancy dress ideas or something as specific as a personalised Halloween themed gift bag to help with trick or treating, our guide has it all- with great products for both adults and the little ones.
Crystal Head Vodka
The award-winning Crystal Head Vodka would be a perfect addition to any Halloween party, with its striking skull shaped bottle. The spirit which is crafted using the highest quality Canadian grain and pristine water from Newfoundland, is set to be a show stopper on any bar. The vodka is additive free, quadruple distilled and goes through seven filtrations – three of which are through semi-precious Herkimer diamond crystals to ensure complete purity.
The brand which was created in 2008 by Ghostbusters actor Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander, is based on Canadian grown peaches and cream corn which achieves a natural sweetness to the liquid. The stunning bottle is constructed by the finest glass manufacturers in Europe, who ensure that any rejected bottle designs are recycled.
The original vodka has a silky smooth yet creamy texture with a hint of sweetness and vanilla, with a warming sensation on the finish. Whilst the special edition Aurora Vodka boasts crisp yet delicate floral aromas with a subtle hint of anise. The spirit has strong peppercorn notes and a touch of sweetness too with a dry, clean and warming sensation on the finish.
Available at: Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and independent stores. Follow the link to find your nearest store: https://www.crystalheadvodka.com/en/wheretobuy
Turn your home into a haunted house with these salem-worthy accessories
Celebrate Halloween with spooktacular pieces from luxury online design experts The Invisible Collection, Notting Hill-based destination homeware store Summerill & Bishop and experts in creating writing instruments Caran d’Ache.
The featured items below are:
- Pierre Gonalons- Lamp Sunset- The Invisible Collection
- Marie Antoinette incense burner by Astier De Villatte at Summerill & Bishop
- Pierre Gonalons table lamp King sun black and white- The Invisible Collection
- Caran D’Ache silver-plated, rhodium-coated varius special edition Peter Marino foundation pen
- Francoise Weill screen “Mon Rothko a Moi” – The Invisible Collection
- Setsuko Cat incense burner by Astier De Villatte at Summerill & Bishop
- Creations Dragonfly oree du bois candle holder- The Invisible Collection
- Male skull dinner plate by Astier De Villatte at Summerill & Bishop
- Osanna Visconti Mongolian stool- The Invisible Collection
- Collett- Zarzycki Iliad mahogany cabinet- The Invisible Collection.
Vanilla Reindeer personalised Halloween giftbags
Personalised gift bag brand, Vanilla Reindeer, have created some out of this world designs, guaranteed to make your Halloween celebrations extra memorable.
With a range of eerie designs to choose from including a black cat or a spooky castle with bats, Vanilla Reindeer gift bags are ideal for trick-or-treating adventures, Halloween party goody bags, or for just filling with sweets to give as a super-natural present!
To make it extra special, Vanilla Reindeer gives you the option of personalising your gift bag by adding a name/message and photo. The brand prides itself on the high quality of its printing, and these bags don’t disappoint. Available in three sizes, with a rope-handle (to ensure extra strength for holding all those sweets!), prices range from *£6.99 to *£8.99 dependent on size.
Available at: https://www.vanillareindeer.com/
The Folio Society's limited edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula with haunting illustrations by Angela Barrett
There can be few novels as influential as Bram Stoker’s much adapted vampire tale Dracula.
Dracula is deathless and ever changing, reinvigorating the genre of horror literature and inspiring multiple film adaptations. The text of the first edition, scrupulously reproduced here in 400 pages of Natural Evolution Ivory paper, remains powerful, haunting, and deliciously ambiguous.
Handpicked for her ethereal interpretations of the darker fairy tales as the perfect artist to illustrate Dracula, Angela Barrett’s remarkable work is intertwined throughout this lavish limited edition. From the delicate webbing of a bat’s wing to the arresting portrait of the Count that forms the frontispiece, every detail invites the reader to look deeper. She has produced 15 intensely atmospheric colour plates, a set of elaborate hand-drawn borders, nine black-and-white tailpieces, and a pair of striking designs on the venous red leather binding and black cloth-covered slipcase.
Available exclusively at: www.FolioSociety.com
Scarily good Blood Orange Gin
The Manchester Drinks Company has launched a new Blood Orange Gin just in time for Halloween, and any parties which entail.
The small-batch gin liqueur infused with blushing blood orange is typically distilled and cut with pure mountain water, giving it a refreshing taste. The blood orange provides an impactful citrus kick, making it the perfect accompaniment to prosecco or soda water for a zesty, fruity cocktail, and the hidden shimmer which is activated when shaken makes this gin perfectly indulgent.
Richard Benjamin, Director at Manchester Drinks said:
“We are so excited to have expanded our range of gin liqueurs with the addition of Blood Orange Gin. With its notes of citrus bursting through to create a beautiful tangy flavour and the deep autumnal orange appearance, we’re sure the Blood Orange Gin will be a great addition to the autumn drink scene and a real talking point over the Halloween period.”
Available exclusively in Home Bargains stores for a limited time only for £8 per 500ml bottle.
Pink Boutique's glamorous Halloween party ready looks
If the idea of dressing up head to toe in a costume for Halloween makes you shriek with fear, then rest safe in the knowledge that there are ways to cheat the dress code. Online clothing company Pink Boutique believes you should still be able to feel glamorous on the scariest night of the year and that your outfit ideas should feature quality pieces that you can wear time and time again.
Pink Boutique’s Boudoir Belle’s collection features stunning pieces to help you create killer looks that will avoid a Lindsey Lohan in Mean Girls moment at all costs. The collection features key pieces that can be taken from day to Halloween night.
The collection is available at: https://www.pinkboutique.co.uk/collections/shop-by-occasion/halloween
Fortnum & Mason fang-tastic Halloween hampers
With Halloween just around the corner, let Fortnum’s cast a spell over you with their spook-tacular treats… Perfect to dig your teeth into this year. Whether it’s mouth-watering Witches’ Finger Nails or Vampire Blood Bites, it’s sure to be a pretty sweet Halloween.
Available at: www.fortnumandmason.com
Swizzels Trick or Treat sweet mix
It wouldn’t be Halloween without the iconic British confectioners Swizzels; their sweets are a classic among trick or treaters. The spooky variety bags with individually wrapped sweets are set to be amongst the best sellers this Halloween season.
Swizzels’ Trick or Treat Lolly mix bag contains a variety of 30 lollies, including Monster-themed Double Lollies and the Cherry and Apple flavour Drumstick lolly. Meanwhile, the Trick or Sweet assortment will definitely get the taste buds tingling, with its Sour Apple Refreshers chew bars, classic Love Hearts and Drumstick Lollies.
Swizzles have also released the Monster Treats variety pack, containing spooky-themed wrapped candy classics. For those throwing a party or expecting lots of trick or treaters, Swizzles are also selling a huge Spooky Mix tub of assorted sweets.
Claire Lee, brand manager at Swizzels said: “Our range of products contains something for everyone and is perfect for sharing with the trick or treaters or at parties.”
Swizzles Halloween variety bags can be purchased from supermarkets across the UK.
Zippo's Halloween themed orange skull lighter and hand warmers
Zippo’s who are known for selling reusable lighters, have released an eye catching orange skull themed lighter for Halloween. It’s a complete necessity for all those pumpkins and candles you’ll need to light around Halloween and also looks great.
Additionally, Zippo have released reusable hand warmers in a perfect pumpkin-orange shade, which is ideal if you want to combat the cold during trick or treating. With up to 12-hours of constant, finger thawing warmth, the warmers will also come in handy for bonfire night, which is just days after Halloween. Zippo’s rechargeable hand warmer and phone charger in one would also be great to take out to a firework display or whilst taking your own Ghosts and Zombies trick or treating.
Available at: https://www.zippo.co.uk/
Halloween themed cookies by 'Baked by Steph'
Perfect for friends, family and colleagues that like to freak out their taste buds, Baked by Steph’s brand new Halloween range provides the perfect Halloween treat. No tricks here, inside every box hide terrifyingly tasty biscuits that are so cute and gorgeous you won’t know whether to scream “AAAAHHH!!” or “AAAAWWW!”
Based in East London, Baked by Steph is home to some of the most beautiful, inventive and delicious confectionery with a range that varies from cookies, to cakes (cookie cakes even), to macaroons, to doughnuts and more.
The range includes:
- Trick or Treat Yo’ Self Letterbox Cookies – £26
- Creep It Real Letterbox Cookies – £26
- Hey Boo Letterbox Cookies – £26
- Magical Pumpkin Letterbox Cookies – £24
- Rainbow Ghost Letterbox Cookies – £24
Available at: https://www.bakedbysteph.co.uk/
Tony's Chocolonely White Chocolate Raspberry Popping Candy Chocolate bar
Tony’s Chocolonely has launched a brand new flavour from October – White Chocolate Raspberry Popping Candy. The new bar comes in a bright pink wrapper, is made with Belgian Fairtrade white chocolate with freeze-dried pieces of raspberry and a generous scoop of popping candy – it’s totally delicious and is a great addition to any Halloween goodie bags!
Tony’s exists to make the chocolate industry 100% slave free – it’s an industry fraught with ethical problems, especially in West Africa including Ghana – and Tony’s has revolutionised how it sources, processes and pays for cocoa to inspire other chocolate makers to change their ways and make a difference. The white chocolate is made with cocoa butter – Tony’s have created their very own system in West Africa to be able to trace their cocoa butter back to source, and they personally work with the farms and factories to make it.
Available at: Wholefoods, Selfridges, Tony’s online store and independent stores nationwide. Visit https://tonyschocolonely.com/uk/en to find out more.
Hannah The Spanner and The Robot's Halloween Tale
Hannah The Spanner and The Robot by Stuart Simmonds is the perfect book for children between aged 4-9 this Halloween. The story is far from being scary and follows the funny story of a girl who loves Halloween.
Set at Halloween, the story tells how a little girl, Hannah meets an adorable robot and takes it trick or treating with her friends. There she encounters her arch-nemesis the Awful Aubrey. When he plays a nasty trick on Hannah, the robot stands up for his new-found friend with hilarious consequences.
Available at: Waterstones and all good bookshops, Amazon and direct from the Hannah the Spanner website: www.hannahthespanner.com
Marty’s Universe allergy-friendly popped chickpea crisps
Available in three ghoulishly good flavour-packed varieties-Cheese & Onion, Barbecue and Ready Salted- Marty’s Universe provide snacks that everyone can enjoy this Halloween.
The brand is on a mission to make the world an allergy-friendly one, with their allergy-free popped chickpea crisps that are vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free and egg-free. Dedicated to helping allergy-impacted children eat, play and socialise in a fun, inclusive and safe way, Marty’s want to make sure no one misses out on the fun of trick or treating over fears of unknown ingredients.
Available from: Ocado, Amazon UK and selected independent stores.
Spooky Sushi for a healthier Halloween
Halloween can quickly turn into a sugar fest as the candy jar comes out, the sweet tin is filled up and the toffee apples are dipped. But now there’s a healthier, but equally scary, option: spooky sushi!
Sushi experts Sushi Daily have launched two special edition products at their counters in major supermarkets, including Waitrose and Asda.
Handmade on site by the company’s creative Sushi Artisans, the creations are designed to give you the chills on 31 October. Customers can choose between five pieces of Futomaki Salmon and six pieces of Nigiri Salmon, both made with spooky black rice.
Sushi Daily’s UK Managing Director Daniel Coole said: “Choosing spooky sushi is a great trick to treat kids with something which is just as fun – but far better for them.”
Visit sushidaily.com to find your nearest counter.
Glo Skin Beauty Pumpkin Enzyme Scrub exfoliator
We all need an excuse to buy new beauty products- so why not add some Halloween inspiration to your skin care routine with Glo Skin’s Beauty Pumpkin Enzyme Scrub exfoliator.
The scrub removes dead skin cell buildup and stimulates cell regeneration with granules and enzymes that exfoliate without stress or irritation to the skin. The scrub is suitable for all but sensitive and acne-prone skin.
The exfoliator is a natural, product that works to improve skin texture and soften the skin while simultaneously helping to protect cell surfaces against harmful environmental factors.
Available at: https://gloskinbeautyuk.com/collections/exfoliators/products/pumpkin-enzyme-scrub
San Miguel
Make sure you’re prepared for any upcoming Halloween events with San Miguel beer. The brand offers a ranch of different beers, from gluten free to non alcoholic beer. The San Miguel Especial is particularly suited to the autumnal season with its flavours of apple and white fruits.
Available at: Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
So whether you’re hosting the Halloween party of the year, or just taking the little ones trick or treating, you’re spoiled for choice this Halloween with all of these great products.
