This post is sponsored by HalloweenCostumes.com
All opinions are 100% mine.
 
The last couple of years I’ve made one or all of my kids Halloween costumes. This year I had plans to do the same, mostly because my kids were requesting very specific costumes. My littlest wanted to be a fire hydrant, my son – a transforming Bumble Bee similar to this, and my oldest, a genie. But then HalloweenCostumes.com contacted me and so I got on the computer to check them out… and don’t my kids walk up. They totally got into looking through all the costumes and found several they really liked and really wanted to be! So I tossed out the DIY plans and told HalloweenCostumes.com that I would be happy to review their costumes.
 
When the box arrived on my doorstep I knew the kids would be excited, and boy was I right! They got home and immediately opened up their costumes and put them on. And I didn’t even need to convince them to take photos because they asked me if I would take a few!
 
So what did they pick? 

Olivia chose the cutest LalaLoopsy Pillow Feather Bed costume. I love this costume because it is a nice fleece material to help keep her warm on our cold Halloween nights. I’ll be able to add layers beneath it with no issue. My only complaint is the wig. It really doesn’t fit on her head properly and the netting to help hold her hair seems to be a bit off. I’m going to really have to fiddle with it to keep it in place. But once it is there it really is so freakin’ adorable! I can’t wait to do up her doll make-up and get her out collecting candy! This costume really is the perfect choice for her because she is my doll-obsessed girl.
Mason stuck with his original choice of Bumblebee. He didn’t even mention a transforming option once he saw this one! It comes with a jumpsuit plus three plastic pieces – the mask, the chest piece and an arm piece. The piece that goes around his neck was really long so I can’t use the velcro, but it is just as easy to tie it in place, or if I’m ambitious I can sew on a new piece of velcro. 
Cassidy ended up choosing the Tween High Seas Pirate costume. I really was trying to push her towards a warmer option, but she just fell in love with this one. I have plans to make a cloak out of a pink fabric to help keep her warm (similar to what I did with her Mermaid costume a few years back). Obviously we’ll be replacing the tights as they are quite see-through. She’ll be wearing a pair of black leggings instead, and we have plans to turn tights into sleeves to help keep her arms warm when they are grabbing all that candy. But for a warmer climate, none of these issues would be a problem!
Overall I was happy with the quality and the shipping time.
The sizing was perfect for all three, and I went with their standard size. 
 
I love the selection of costumes, and really enjoyed looking at the group costume ideas. I posted a picture of the box to my Facebook page when it arrived and one of my readers jokingly mentioned that she wondered if HalloweenCostumes.com would whip up some Star Wars Angry Bird Costumes if she asked nicely… so I went and looked and sure enough they actually already had them!  But I was REALLY surprised when I searched for a Fire Hydrant costume and actually found one! Too bad it was for an adult or you can bet your boots Olivia would have chosen that one (she has a very healthy love for fire hydrants… no idea why, she just does. She has even requested a fire hydrant birthday party…. I totally could see a Fire Hydrant, Fireman and Dalmatian group costume!).****

I also asked Kate, a Halloween expert from HalloweenCostumes.com to share some
Cold Weather Trick or Treating Tips with us, so read on if you are in a cold climate state!

I have many memories of Halloween. The most vivid is of 1991 where, in Minnesota, we were hit with the historical “Halloween Blizzard” that dropped a record breaking nearly 3 feet of snow; and is spoken  of to this day. I remember stuffing my costume, tulle and all, into my snow suit to go trick-or-treating  in old-man-winter’s wonderland.  (I most definitely raked in the candy that year, as most kids stayed  indoors!)

It is a common scene for many residents of northern states to have accumulated some snow or at least
temperature reaching below freezing by Halloween. So much so that many people forgo door to door
trick-or-treating for the comfort of indoor trick-or-treating at the mall. (This is fine if you like standing in a long line and receiving one Tootsie roll or Dumdum sucker per store.] But, if you want your kids to have an authentic Halloween experience, (safe) neighborhood trick-or-treating is the way to go.

Cold Weather Trick or Treating Tips and Tricks

So, here are a few tips on how to plan for cold weather:

1. For regions where cold weather is a given, buy your child’s costume a size or two up. This way you can layer warm clothes and a coat if need be under their costume.

2. Consider accessories that might cover any bare skin. Capes or cloaks are a great and warm addition to many costumes. And gloves will pull a costume together and keep little fingers warm. Also, grab some tights for any costumes with skirts.

3. Boot covers are another great option for covering up snow boots. They match the costume and warm shivering calves, all while covering those miss-matching snow boots.

4. You can also consider a wig. Use a thin but warm beanie under the wig to keep the most important
part of the body from releasing all that heat.

5. A flesh or nude tone long sleeve tee will also come in handy if your child’s costume is sleeveless.

6. And lastly, go trick-or-treating early in the evening, before the sun sets and the air cools off.

Great tips Kate! Thanks for sharing.

 
Disclaimer: I received free product in order to write this review. As always, all opinions are mine.
 
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