Need something spooky to smoke for your Halloween party? Then you may want to visit one of the "unlucky" 13 retailers chosen to stock this year's Tatuaje Monster cigar. Tatuaje's 2008 monster, known as the Frank in reference to Frankenstein, is a 7 5/8 inch by 49 ring cigar which is box pressed giving it a square appearance just like poor old Frankenstein's head. The wrapper looks sewn together and the cigar band is a Frankenstein-skin green. The Frank comes in a coffin-shaped box of 13 and sells for $13 per stick.How many boxes are available? Why, 666 of course.
Shu Uemura has paired up with fashion designers Victor & Rolf to create what can only be described as an outrageously fun collection of false eyelashes that's part of their Tokyo Lash Bar 2008. The Victor & Rolf "Couture Collection" consists of three pairs of lashes called Swirl Couture, Wing Couture, and Rhombus Couture that sell for $95 a pair, and other lashes in this year's group are even more fun and sell for slightly less -- like these black lace lashes and velvet feather lashes for $50 each.
Give you any Halloween ideas? The lashes just might enough costume all on their own.
Franka Lane, a Los Angeles jeweler, has put this $19,500 Halloween pendant on eBay for the bargain BuyItNow price of $12,000.
Someone had fun making this. The custom pendant is 14k white gold with a diamond pavé casket. The casket is a locket, and inside is a 14k white gold naked lady. Shouldn't it be a vampire? That's mildly confusing.
The white gold lady will not suck your blood, just your bank account. The chain is sold separately.
If you are not into dressing up for Halloween, but still want show your Halloween spirit, why not try the Iridesse Spider Web Brooch as an alternative. Made of 18kt gold and elegantly accented with cultured freshwaer pearl and a single diamond, celebrate Halloween in style. Who knew a spider web could look so good? It's even sophisticated enough to wear throughout the year. Price: $925.
We've mentioned the curious goods offered by Douglas Little before, his latest venture takes him into the world of the edible but he has not left his love of skulls behind. He has worked with confectioner valerie gordon to create the mori ex cacao (death by chocolate) collection. The delicately delicious skulls are done in bittersweet chocolate and filled with either scorched caramel, bitter brandied cherry or chili and chocolate and then painted with colored cocoa butter. A set of three, one of each flavor, sells for $90.
Ghosts are supposed to be scary, especially this time of year, but these little salt and pepper shakers are anything but. Designer Marcel Dzama must have had some reason in mind as far as why these little guys are crying, and although I think they're super cute I would probably not have them in my own home because it would bug me that they're upset all the time (silly, I know!).
The Mummy Chair! It sounds a little scary but it isn't really -- it actually looks quite comfy. Nothing like taking the hard edges off what looks to be a fairly standard dining chair. Designed by Peter Tragg in 2005, it's created by covering a beech-wood chair and polyurethane foam with polyester ribbon. There are 5 different "Mummies" in the collection and aside from the black and gray they all have a decidedly whimsical feel because of the bright colors. Made in Italy, $1010.
Most designers don't go out of their way to put out something specifically for Halloween. Even though it is the third-most expensive holiday in terms of the money that is spent specifically on holiday items, a good deal of that money goes towards kids stuff and costumes, not other accessories. Louis Vuitton bucked the trend with a very cute keychain this year. The Jack & Lucie Keyring was a limited edition (rumored to be sold out by now) accessory offered just for Halloween. It features two lacquered heads - one of a Jack o' Lantern and one of a skull, named after the oldest human fossil, Lucie - with Swarovski crystal smiles. The back of each has the LV signature logo.
Although they look like small dolls or children's toys, these little Halloween characters are actually fancifully decorated chocolate truffles from teucher chocolates. The truffles are available either in champagne or "assorted" flavors, though the latter choice seems a little strange because the chocolates are sold individually. You can buy one to treat yourself, but they would make even better treats for adults at a Halloween party, since their packaging makes them seem fun, while the high-quality chocolate truffles will make even a chocolate connoisseur's mouth water. Price: $10 each.
You can buy all the pumpkin-shaped pans that you want and spend all day in the kitchen, but the odds are good that no matter how much time you put into it, you will have difficulty getting a cake to come out as perfectly as the this Harvest Pumpkin Cheesecake. We know we would, which is probably why we like this one so much. The 3-pound, handmade cake is entirely edible, including the realistically twisted stem. The cheesecake beneath the white-chocolate "skin" is swirled with an addictive pumpkin hazelnut toffee crunch and has a crispy cookie crust. With some judicious cutting, you'll probably get about 10 servings from this cake, making it a good choice for Thanksgiving, as well as for Halloween. Price: $100.
One reason to drop in to Godiva this month is to try their Pumpkin Patch Truffles. Instead of just wrapping up chocolates in orange and black wrappers in a weak attempt at seasonality, the chocolatier goes all-out by creating a uniquely fall-flavored confection. The truffles have a pumpkin-spiced ganache center and are coated in a velvety milk chocolate. As a final touch, the truffles are lightly dusted with cinnamon before being wrapped up link miniature pumpkins - complete with tiny leaves. It's $12.50 for a 3.25-ounce package with five truffles.
Moonstruck Chocolate Co. has some of the most innovative, delicious chocolates you can find and never fails to disappoint where packaging and presentation are concerned. As part of their Halloween line this year, they are offering a Chocolate Cauldron with Shortbread Bones. The cocoa-dusted cauldron is completely edible and comes filled with a rich dark chocolate ganache that is perfect for dipping the buttery shortbread bones into. It's a snack to savor once all the trick or treaters have retreated for the night and you can relax. Price: $25.
Halloween is a great holiday, in large part because of all the treats, although the costumes and parties that accompany the holiday are fun, too. The decorations, unfortunately, tend towards being dull or cheesy. You don't want to scare all the trick-or-treaters too badly, particularly if your neighborhood happens to have a lot of very young children, but it's hard to come up with an impressive display without setting up a movie-quality set. By using a Light Display Projector, you can set up a great display (even better if you use a fog machine, as well) without having blood-soaked zombies lurking behind corners. The projector has several interchangeable designs, including deer, stars, balloons, skaters, witches, bats, and ghosts so it can be used again and again, and a rotating mirror ball keeps the images moving. Price: $89.95.
If you don't go for the miniature candy bars that are so incredibly prevalent this time of year, but want to get into the Halloween spirit, an acceptably grown-up treat would be something like a luscious caramel apple from Dean & Deluca. The tart Granny Smith apples are coated in a thick layer of smooth, buttery caramel before being dipped into either milk or dark chocolate and decorated with a light white-chocolate drizzle. A set of four apples is $45 plus next-day shipping to ensure that they arrive in pristine condition.
To take any Halloween celebrations to the next level, you'll need to find some really killer decorations. Instead of searching to find natural-looking props at the party store, why not seek out something a bit more realistic? Skulls Unlimited has a bit selection of real ("natural") and cast bones, human and animal, rare and common. A hippopotamus skull ($2,400) would make a big impression and some little vampire bat skulls ($49) would fit the theme. For something really creepy, there is a human skull with bullet wounds in it, but a grab-bag of assorted animal bones could go a long way at a party.