Halloween: the essential ingredients for a breathtaking party

After seeing the ads, hearing their friends talk about it and imagining the kilos of candy to be eaten, your children would like to experience their "best Halloween ever"? Are you already breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about how to prepare for it? Well, don't panic! With a little creativity, you can transform your home into a witches' den and surprise your adorable little monsters. Ambiance, costumes, make-up, snacks and games: here are all our ideas for making your children's eyes shine on October 31.

#1 - Create a magical, spooky atmosphere (but not too spooky!)

Halloween is all about atmosphere. No sooner has the school year started than the stores are overflowing with decorations that aren't always eco-friendly. But you don't have to spend a fortune to make a splash. Check out our Halloween decorating tips.

Make easy decorations from recycled materials

Whether we're talking about packing cartons or plants, they offer us a multitude of ideas. For example, you can :

• Cut out a pumpkin or ghost shape from cardboard before painting (perfect for younger children).
• Gather dead leaves to make a garland (they don't have to be too dry to pass a needle through without tearing the leaf) and kindling for a witch's broom.
• Pick up an old stewpot at the recycling centre to use as a witch's pot.
• Use chenille thread, wool or cotton to imitate spider webs.
• Tear up old sheets to make ghosts: an inflated balloon hidden underneath will make its head.

A sound and light show at home

Plunge everyone into a strange, menacing atmosphere by playing with lighting and sounds. Of course, you'll have to adapt to the age of your guests. Choose colorful lights and orange, purple or green LED garlands. You can also use stained glass paper, lantern paper or colored tracing paper to change the color of the light bulbs. As for the little sound touch, opt for a fun playlist with a few ghostly sounds, creaking floors, creaking doors...

#2 - Create scary Halloween costumes and make-up

The choice of disguise is THE moment that children look forward to... and no successful Halloween disguise is complete without make-up! Once again, you'll need to adapt your Halloween costume ideas to the child's age:

For toddlers (3-5 years): friendly monsters

Choose colorful, reassuring costumes or accessories, such as a smiling pumpkin or a witch's hat. You can also suggest a fairly common Halloween outfit: the ghost's sheet, the skeleton's suit...
As for make-up, if the child doesn't want to apply make-up all over his face, he can make do with a cobweb or make-up pumpkin on one half of the face. Finally, he may also prefer ephemeral tattoos.

For 6-8 year-olds: classic monsters

At this age, children are inspired by characters from their favorite cartoons and books: wizards, little devils, dragons or Mexican skeletons, for example. The costumes and make-up chosen are increasingly scary, but not too scary. This is the perfect opportunity to try out special effects with the artificial blood kit from Namaki! Thanks to its honeycombed latex sponge, application is fun and the result is stunning. You can find the bottle of artificial blood and its sponge in the Namaki Box World of Horrors.

For 9-10 year-olds: scary looks and style

Bigger kids love even scarier looks: zombie, dark ghost, mischievous vampire. A few trompe-l'oeil splashes of artificial blood are transformed into scars that are truer to life. More structured make-up is still easy to apply. Thanks to video tutorials and step by step on our site, getting ugly is child's play. Classified by level of difficulty (easy, intermediate and difficult), everyone can try their hand at the one they like.

#3 - Prepare a monstrously good snack

Halloween without candy? No way! But why not add a few homemade recipes? Our team of gourmands has concocted a devilish menu based on :

• Mummy fingers: small sausages wrapped in puff pastry and served with tomato sauce.
• Bat cookies or witch's hats: make your own with a cookie cutter or cut out your own.
• Spider cakes: whether small muffins or a large yoghurt cake (with a touch of orange food coloring), a large dragibus or pepito will serve as the body, while pieces of licorice will make the legs.

And let's not forget the magic potions: fruit juices in a variety of colors and flavors (the green of kiwi, the purple of grapes, the orange... blood orange, of course!)
All these Halloween recipes can be prepared with the "sorcerer's apprentices in the kitchen".

#4 - Planning an enchanting animation for all ages

In addition to the usual trick-or-treating, you can also plan homemade Halloween activities. A successful Halloween party is all about laughter and fun challenges:

• For the little ones (3-5 years): you can opt for a creative workshop with coloring and cutting out mini pumpkins or bats. For a more active time, you can organize a ghost hunt (with stuffed animals hidden around the house).
• For mediums (6-8 years): organize a candy hunt in the garden, a scary scream contest or a Halloween version of "Who am I?
• For older children (aged 9-10): imagine a trip in the dark with a flashlight, or a home-made mini escape game or monstrous riddles. And if the evening ends in a sleepover, plan stories or board games that will let them (or not) sleep soundly.

Organizing the best Halloween party isn't a question of budget, but of creativity and sharing. With a fun atmosphere, great make-up, treats and a few games, your kids will have an evening they won't forget. With Namaki make-up kits, your little monsters become adorable and scary creatures in just a few brushstrokes.

Discover all the special collection Namaki Halloween make-up and prepare for an enchanting family party!