BEAT THE BLUES!

Readers share their surefire ways to beat the winter blues… try them out when you're feeling fed up!

Kelsie says:
Drawing and painting are my lifelines when I feel sad. Art is my way of expressing myself… I just channel all the emotion into what I'm working on and it helps me to sort of 'step away' from the feelings. I don't feel engulfed by the sadness anymore, and I've created something as well. Interestingly my art teacher really likes some of the things that have really been painful or emotional pieces for me. Art is about feelings, not just techniques!

Lois says:
My surefire way to cheer myself up when I am feeling low is to bake. I gather all the ingredients together and start to feel the calm of getting organised, then follow the recipe… it feels as though you are in control, making something positive to overcome the fed-up feelings. Then at the end of it, you have something sweet and lovely to share.

Cara says:
Running is the one thing that switches off the sad feelings for me. I am not very sporty or competitive, not at all, but at school we have to do cross country running and I noticed that it really lifts my mood and switches off the anxieties running through my mind. My mum runs sometimes too, and I have started going out with her, and I have been asked to go to training after school as well. I think I will, because I have never found anything so good for keeping the stress at bay.

Bel says:
I Skype my best friend. She moved away and she lives in Scotland now, but in a way it doesn't matter - we can both help when the other one is feeling down because we are outside of the everyday ups and downs at school, and we can be impartial and sympathetic for each other and offer better advice than if we still went to the same school. I know she will always be there for me and that means the world.

Jade says:
Loud music, every time. I turn the volume up and zone out, and the music I choose is heavy and I know some people would call it miserable, but I don't care because it works for me.

Zara says:
I am trying to learn to meditate, because I do get very wound up sometimes. I am not very good, but I keep trying, and if my mind wanders and starts to stress I just go back to the start and try again. Even though I am not very good, it does help and I look forward to those ten minutes every day.

Fab artwork by talented reader Chloe - many thanks!

Cathy says:
Some fantastic advice here! What is YOUR best way to beat the blues? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

CLAIRE: CAN YOU SEE IT?

Reader Claire describes what it is like to be blind… and how it impacts on her life.

Claire says:
I am fifteen, a Year Eleven student, and I have been blind since I was two months old. It started when I had a bug and was given some medication that I was allergic to. The medication was too strong, and made me lose all my sight. I have glaucoma, which means there is an increased amount of pressure in both my eyes. I try to think of sight loss as a game, I am just so used to it that sometimes I forget I am blind.

I do wish I could do better at school when we have to do visual work. An example is when we study reflection and refraction in science - no matter how it is explained, I just don't get it. I sometimes feel I am missing out as I can't join in with the extra curricular activities - I can't really do tennis, netball or badminton. I absolutely love art and drama, but there aren't any clubs for these for my age group.

Recently, sight loss had an extremely negative impact on me. In Year Nine I had to choose my GCSE options and really wanted to do drama and art. I was not allowed to do either, just because I am blind. My school said I cannot do art because the modules include a lot about colour, and my drama teacher said I could do all the parts of the drama course but not the exam. Apparently a big part of the exam involves watching a performance and commenting on it; I wasn't allowed just to comment on the audio side but had to comment on lighting, body language, facial expressions and props. They couldn't allow someone to describe the performance to me. To me, this feels like prejudice and it has really upset me.

My hopes and dreams are to go to college and do all I can to be allowed to study art. I love craft, and it would wonderful to develop my creative skills and produce tactile pieces of art. I dream of a career in art - perhaps one-to-one teaching of tactile craft, youth work or perhaps a career as a collagist or clay sculptor. I know I will have to be more determined than most to achieve my goals, because people have certain assumptions about what I can and cannot do. I want to prove people wrong. I can do these things, but perhaps I may need a little more time and support along the way.

My youth club friends are my best friends, and sometimes they ask if I ever wish I could see things, but I always say that I've been blind such a long time that I'm used to it. It does not bother me - I use my other senses instead. In the summer I did a work experience place which involved me working with blind and partially sighted people and getting them to have a try at crafts, showing them that you could do this without having to see. I could not believe what a difference I made in a week. Many of the people had never done craft before and made excellent progress. I loved every minute, and it showed me what I'd like to do in the future.

Cathy says:
Claire's account has certainly opened my eyes to the idea that art can be much, much more than merely visual. I have a feeling that her determination and enthusiasm will pay off! Have YOU ever been told you cannot do something you love? COMMENT BELOW to have your say...

LILY: HANG ON TO THE RAINBOWS...

Reader Lily talks about how to hang onto the bright things in life even when everything around you is fading into black and white…

Lily says:
When I look back to my childhood, it feels like everything was perfect then. We were happy - Mum, Dad, me and my brother Jon. We had fun and we loved each other, and I thought it would always be that way. I was wrong.

When I was nine, Dad lost his job and couldn't find another one in the small town where we lived. After almost a year, he found a job in Birmingham, and it was too far to travel so he stayed there in the week and come home at weekends. Then things got worse because he met someone else and he and Mum split up. He told me and Jon he still loved us as much as ever but he was never around so it didn't feel that way. Mum met a man and he moved in with us, and he was quite bossy and angry lots of the time and home wasn't a great place to be anymore.

I suppose all this coincided with me becoming a teenager, but for whatever reason the next few years were not easy. I fell out with my friends and drifted from one group to another; I got into trouble at school and my grades got worse and worse. My brother was going through some stuff too; he was caught shoplifting and Mum had to collect him from the police station - he got cautioned and everything. He's a year younger than me and I realised I had been a pretty rubbish big sister. I'd let him down. My world had gone from full-colour to black and white in the last few years and I hated that. I wanted it to change.

I can't alter what has happened, or bring Dad back, or get rid of Mum's boyfriend. I can't get my old friends back or make up for the time I wasted at school, but I can be a better daughter, a better sister, a better friend. I CAN stop living in the past and try to accept the present instead of fighting it. It is early days, but I try to find something good in every day, whether it's passing a maths test or sharing an ice cream with a friend or watching a DVD with my brother. If there isn't anything good, I try to create something. I am sick of living in a black and white world, and it's up to me to find the rainbows and hang onto them.

All names have been changed. The awesome illustration is by reader Kiki… wow!

Cathy says:
Lily's story is sad, but she is changing things and taking control again… I hope things work out for her. Have YOU ever felt as though your world has lost its colour? How did you find the rainbows again? COMMENT BELOW to have your say.

THE GIRL ON THE CLIFF...

A ghostly short story written specially for Halloween by CC reader Tilly…

There is only so much you can take… only so much coldness, so much cruelty, so much bullying. Jane was at the end of her tether. Sara and the girls at school were making her life a misery - freezing her out, spreading vicious rumours,  whispering when she came into the classroom. They weren't to know how raw Jane was feeling inside. Her mum and dad had just split up, and Jane and her mum had moved to the coast for a fresh start. Jane cried herself to sleep every night, but silently, so as not to alarm her mum. How could she ask for help when her mum was having such a rough time already?

Hallowe'en was the last straw. Jane had been shopping with her mum when she saw Sara and the others browsing the Hallowe'en accessories at the local supermarket. She put her head down and tried to walk past, but Sara saw her. 'Ooh, is Jane looking for a Hallowe'en mask?' she asked, loudly. 'Oh no… silly me. She doesn't need one. She's ugly enough already.' The girls fell about laughing, and tears pricked Jane's eyes. Why did they hate her so much?

Later, walking their dog Jack, Jane found herself walking along the cliff path and looking out to sea. It would be so much simpler if she could just vanish into the grey-blue ocean, step off the cliff and leave her worries behind. It was a fleeting thought, but Jane's heart thumped as she glimpsed a figure ahead, a girl on the cliff edge in old fashioned clothing, her shawl flying out in the wind. Perhaps she was dressed for Hallowe'en, but the girl was dangerously close to the edge, and as Jane watched she faltered and fell. Jane broke into a run, Jack at her heels, and when she reached the point where she had seen the girl, her heart skipped a beat. The girl was huddled on an outcrop of stone just below the cliff path, hanging on for dear life.

Without thinking, Jane held out her hands and gripped the girl's wrists. She was ice-cold and very thin, her face pale and her eyes were shadowed. Her lips seemed to form the words 'Help me…'

'What happened?' she asked. 'Did you slip?'

Jane whirled round to see Anna, a girl from school, standing behind her on the path. 'What? Me?' Jane said. 'No, I'm fine, I was just trying to help…'

In that instant, Jane's heart turned over. Her hands were gripping nothing but the rough cliffside grass. Where the girl had been there was nothing but a gust of ice cold air. 'I thought… I don't know,' Jane said, confused. 'Maybe… maybe I just stumbled?'

Anna helped her up, helped to brush the mud from Jane's jeans, fussed Jack. The girls began to walk back towards the town. 'I've been wanting to talk to you,' Anna said. 'I know Sara and her lot are giving you a hard time. Take no notice - they're spiteful losers. Nobody listens to them. Why don't you sit with me and my friends at lunch and break? They'd leave you alone then. And we're OK… you might even like us! I'm meeting them at the cafe in half an hour… d'you want to come? Go on!'

Jane laughed, knowing already that she liked Anna's friendly, open manner. But what about the other girl, the girl in the shawl? How could she just vanish?

'Be careful on the cliffs, though, seriously,' Anna was saying. 'They're dangerous. People do fall. There's even supposed to be a cliffside ghost… a girl our age who jumped to her death a hundred years ago. I've never seen her, though. And if you can't see a ghost on Hallowe'en, when can you?'

'I don't know,' Jane said. She looked back over her shoulder, shivering slightly, then linked arms with Anna and walked on towards the town.


Picture modelled by reader Eden and photographed by Mary Carey… thank you  both!

Cathy says:
Oooh… shivers indeed! Do YOU believe in ghosts? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

ROZ: SUPERSTITIOUS… ME?

Reader Roz looks at some of the traditions and superstitions surrounding Hallowe'en… yikes!

BLACK CATS:
A common decoration at Hallowe'en, black cats are often thought of as bringers of good luck, especially if one crosses your path… in the UK, anyway. Across the rest of the world, a black cat is often seen as BAD luck… black cats were associated with witches, which may be why.

SPIDERS:
Lots of people are scared of spiders, and they are a common decoration at Hallowe'en. Legend says that these tiny creatures were often the companions of witches in medieval times. Superstition says that if you see a spider on hallowe'en, it signifies that the ghost of a long-lost loved-one may be watching over you.

WITCHES:
Witches symbolise evil and danger, but in fact the stereotype of the elderly witch comes from the old pagan celtic religion which venerated the three stages of womanhood - the maiden, the mother and the crone (witch). The pagan celebration of Samhain is on November 1st, the day after Hallowe'en and the crone (witch) was traditionally respected on that day. She did not symbolise evil then, but the changing of the seasons. In the middle ages, solitary women who still clung to the old pagan religion were often feared and condemned as witches, and witchcraft and paganism evolved into symbols of fear and wickedness.

DUCKING FOR APPLES:
In the olden days, apples were seen as a sacred fruit and could be used to predict the future. An old custom on Hallowe'en was the tradition of 'bobbing' or ducking for apples. A barrel or bath was filled with water and several apples were set to float on it. People then took turns to try to pull an apple out using just their teeth (no hands) which usually results in lots of splashing! The first person to get an apple out of the barrel without using their hands is traditionally the first of the group to be married.

If someone gets their apple on the first attempt, they are destined for a true and lasting love. If it takes many attempts and lots of splashing, it will take a while before they meet the right partner. Lastly, if a girl sleeps with the apple she 'bobbed' under her pillow that night, she is rumoured to dream of her future love!

PUMPKIN LANTERN:
The pumpkin lantern or 'Jack o' lantern' is said to originate from an Irish myth. A drunken farmer, Jack, is said to have tried to trick the devil, but as a result was turned away from the gates of both heaven and hell and was left to wander the underworld carrying a turnip lantern lit by a burning coal from hell. The Irish believed that placing a jack o' lantern outside their houses would pacify lost souls on the night of Hallowe'en. The legend reached the USA when Irish settlers arrived in the 19th century, and pumpkins were substituted for turnips. Up until the 90s, turnips were still used in Ireland and the UK.

Cathy says:
Ooh… fascinating stuff! I remember when pumpkin lanterns were made of turnip… very few pumpkins in the UK back when I was a child! I also remember bobbing for apples every Hallowe'en… fun times! Are YOU superstitious? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

LOOKS SPOOKY...

More readers show you how they created a spook-tastic look for Halloween last year… and CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS has more tips too! Will YOU be inspired?

Reader Kym opted for a 'Wicked' witch look… super effective and guaranteed to lift your witchy costume up out of the ordinary! It's very simple to do… using a damp sponge, dab green face paint across the face, covering eyebrows but being careful as you go around the eyes. (Always test a patch of skin beforehand to check for allergies… we like Snazaroo paint, which is really good quality and widely available!) You can choose whether to outline eyes with black eyeliner or leave them 'natural' for an extra surreal look. Lips should be red and nails black… backcomb hair or try a witchy wig for extra drama!

Reader Jade chose a deceptively simple look, but one that is very effective and can be worn with everyday clothes or perhaps matched with a paint-splattered white dress and veil for the strangely popular 'dead bride' look. Face should be pale, so try a bade of white face paint if you're going for a very dramatic look, or stick with natural skin tone if you're wearing your own clothes. Smokey grey eyeshadow and liquid black eyeliner are the next step… take the eyeliner down from the lower eyelids to paint on spooky fake lashes or black tears! Lips should be pale pink or grey (use face paint) with black face paint to suggest cracks, and hair should be wild and backcombed or crimped!

My book CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS is a good buy for Halloween as it has a chapter from Skye on how to create the perfect Halloween costume from scratch - a black cat costume, for example, a witch and a ghost-girl, all from materials you may have lying around the house. A chapter from Summer follows, using all of Summer's behind the scenes ballet knowledge to demonstrate some awesome face paint looks, including spider-web witch, ghost-eyes and a dramatic 'turned to stone' look. CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS has arty, stylish things to do for every season of the year… at just £6.99 it's packed with cool ideas to help you get creative!

Cathy says:
Best of luck if you're trick or treating and/or partying this weekend… remember to send me in your pics if you would like to appear on DREAMCATCHER next year to help inspire readers to get extra creative! Just send by email via the 'email Cathy' link over on www.cathycassidy.com - and do COMMENT BELOW to tell us what you're up to at Halloween!

CARO: I'M SCARED OF SLEEPOVERS...

It's problem page time again on DREAMCATCHER… and reader Caro has Halloween themed problem. Can Skye Tanberry offer a solution?

Caro says:
I'm in Year Seven and have made some brilliant new friends at secondary school.I've been invited to a Halloween sleepover by one of them, and because I've already wriggled out of a few invites I have said yes… but I'm dreading it. There are two problems. One is that I am very anxious about staying away from home… the only times I have ever done it have been at my Gran's, and even then I get quite worried and can't always sleep very well. I am worried that I will get upset or anxious and that my friends will laugh, or worse, feel sorry for me. Or even that I will have to go home halfway through the night. The second thing is that we will be watching scary movies and that will freak me out, I know. I don't know how to say any of this to my friends and I'm scared that if I keep making excuses they will get fed up of me and dump me. Please help!

Skye says:
I could tell you to be brave, to pull yourself together and face your fears, but I'm not sure that's the right thing in this situation. The more anxious you are about the sleepover beforehand, the more likely it is that you'll feel upset and panicky on the night. One option is to pull out… if you know you won't enjoy the night, it makes sense, and I honestly don't think your friends will drop you for not joining in, especially if you explain the problem. However, this it won't help you to conquer your fears, and you will miss out on the fun. Try a compromise… explain that you're not able to stay over, but can stay until, say, eleven. Bring a DVD to watch, something you know you like, and enjoy the fun bits of the evening with your friends - they can watch the scary movies once you've gone. Next time around, invite your friends over for a sleepover at your place… all the fun and none of the stress about being away from home. From there, try staying over with just one of your friends - less pressure - and build things up from there. Work out what will help you to feel more secure - a call home, a favourite soft toy, some gentle music on in the background - and use these things. Practice staying at your grans again until the fears gradually lessen. Anxieties can be conquered, but go gently and be kind to yourself… just as you would if it were one of your friends struggling. Good luck… and Happy Halloween!

Cathy says:
Great advice from Skye… I'd also suggest Caro asks her mum to have a word with the mum of her sleepover friend, to make sure she feels safe and supported. Fears like this CAN be defeated! Do YOU agree with Skye's advice? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

ROSIE: OUR HAUNTED HOUSE...

Reader Rosie tells us about her house… which could be holding a few dark secrets…

Rosie says:
Our house always seemed a little bit different to my friends' homes. It looked different, for a start, and I always felt there was something odd and slightly weird about it too. The house is a tall Victorian building with ivy leaves clinging to it and a plaque on the gate announcing its name. Our neighbour told me about the previous owners, who had never spoken to her or been friendly, perhaps because of the high walls which divided the gardens… that was one of the things that started me thinking about the house. Why were they so secretive?

According to an old newspaper from 1889, the house was once occupied by a labourer named John. I tried to find out more about him, but couldn't come up with anything. What we do know is that he owned some land around about, and after he died the land was sold and the house divided into two smaller homes. The remaining family argued badly and the neighbours told us there had been feuds and deaths. Shortly after, my family had the building turned back into one property and when builders were knocking down an inside wall to create a new room for us, they discovered something which had been hidden inside the wall. The object was a cased, bladed razor… and for some reason, it made me feel very uncomfortable and uneasy.

After the razor was found, things began to happen. They were small things; glasses would suddenly move from one side of the table to the other, and footsteps would be heard behind us when there was clearly nobody there. I often saw shadows of people who weren't there, too, and whispers and hissing sounds. My family also heard and saw these things. I had never believed in spirits and things like that until this point, but now I think I do. We were recently asked by a tourist to the area if our house was haunted, and I think it may be… but hopefully not in a really frightening way!

Cathy says:
Oooh! Spooky! Do YOU believe in ghosts? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!

MOVIE MONDAYS… SUFFRAGETTE!

Introducing MOVIE MONDAYS… an occasional series reviewing the best new films! Caitlin, Cathy Cassidy's daughter, kicks us off with her review of SUFFRAGETTE!

Caitlin says:
I went to see Suffragette with my mum. The movie is set in 1912 and describes the story of how women fought to get the vote. Before I go any further, let me just say - bring tissues if you are going to watch this film… but DO watch! With stars such as Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter, this was bound to be a hit, but forget the all-star cast - this story is a deeply relevant and revolutionary part of history for all of us. The film does contain some upsetting scenes, but it is rated 12A and so should be fine for anyone of this age or above.

Through the story of a young washer-woman, Maud (Carey Mulligan), we are shown with gritty realism, the hard life of a poor, working woman in the early part of the 20th century. At first a quiet, unassuming character, events conspire to pull Maud into the fight for votes; she gains hope and develops a fighting spirit. Imprisoned several times for her involvement in the women's movement, her husband casts her out, embarrassed and ashamed, and she loses her only son. Some of the prison scenes are upsetting - I didn't know the suffragettes were treated so badly. If you don't know too much about the suffragette struggle, there will be some shocking and moving scenes which bring home how hard these women fought to begin the struggle for equality.

It's a very educational and thought provoking film, but you are totally drawn into the story - the very best kind of history lesson. I needed those tissues! Even though we have come a long way, the fight for equality goes on with public figures like Emma Watson speaking up for feminism. So keep talking, keep fighting and don't let anyone tell you are aren't equal to them! I was shocked at the end of the film to see that for example, women in Switzerland only got the vote in 1971, Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 2005. In Saudi Arabia, women will have the right to vote for the first time ever this December.

Suffragette was a powerful and enjoyable movie and I award it four and a half stars out of five!

To see a trailer for SUFFRAGETTE, click below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=056FI2Pq9RY

Cathy says:
I loved it too… recommended! Have YOU seen this film? COMMENT BELOW to give your verdict, or let us know if YOU would like to review a new film for DREAMCATCHER!

MILLY: A CRUSH IS NO JOKE...

Reader Milly writes about why falling in love with someone who doesn't even know you exist can hurt much more than you'd imagine…

Milly says:
The first time I saw Chris, this time last year, I was lost. Our eyes met across a crowded living room, and he grinned and said hi and looked away again, back to the computer screen where he was looking up chords for a song he was trying to learn on guitar. I probably captured his attention for roughly two seconds, but for me it was different. My heart was doing somersaults, my cheeks were pink, my pulse was racing. It was like being in a cheesy romcom film or one of my mum's slushy novels. I was in love.

Chris was - is - my friend Pippa's big brother. Pippa only joined our school last year, so she and Chris were new to the area… it's not like I'd seen him growing up, watched him going through an awkward, spotty, pre-teen phase. He just dropped into my world like a gift from the gods. Pippa could see it happening, of course. 'Please tell me you don't fancy him,' she asked after that first time. 'I don't think I could stand it!' But I did fancy him, and Pippa was more understanding than I thought she would be. She answered all my questions, told me everything I wanted to know about Chris. He was seventeen, good at English, music and art, liked weird bands I'd never heard of, had lots of friends but no serious girlfriend. He was in a band with some friends… he played lead guitar. He was kind to children and animals, and he always remembered my name when I called over to see Pippa.

'Don't get your hopes up,' Pippa told me. 'I don't want to hurt you, but he's not interested. He thinks you're too young. He just sees you as my friend.' I knew she was right, but I couldn't help dreaming. In fact, dreams about Chris filled my days as well as my nights. I dreamed that he asked me out, wrote a song for me, bought me flowers. I dreamed that he kissed me on the lips and told me I was beautiful, that he'd never met anyone like me before, not ever. I was lovesick. When I did see him, I was tongue-tied and awkward. I knew he was too old for me, too good for me, but I couldn't help myself. I doodled our names together in the back of my school jotter. Everyone told me it was just a crush, but it didn't feel that way. I knew it was one-way, I knew he barely knew I existed, that he saw me as a kid, but my feelings were too strong by then. If it was a crush, it was crushing ME. I was sad all the time, longing for something - someone - I just couldn't have.

It ended when Chris went to uni earlier this month. He's miles away, in Glasgow, and according to Pippa he has a girlfriend now. I know it's time to let go. This crush hasn't made me happy… it's made me sad and mopey, wistful and pathetic. A boy in my French class asked me out in the summer and I said no, because he wasn't Chris… but seriously, if Chris had asked me out, would I have coped? Probably not. He is five years older than me, and I'd have been way, way out of my depth. I was safer with dreams and fantasies. So when do you let go of a crush? When do you move on? I don't know, but now seems like a good time because one thing's for sure, this crush is not making me happy. I am writing this because I know it's over - even though, of course, it never actually began in the first place. I am setting myself free. If the boy in my French class asks me out again, I might say yes. And if Chris come home in a few years time and looks at me for more than two seconds… really looks at me… well,  who knows. I can dream.

All names have been changed in Milly's account.

Awesome artwork by reader Violet - just wow, and thank you!

Cathy says:
Milly's heartfelt description of a crush is really powerful… most of us know the feeling. Have YOU ever fallen for someone you really couldn't have? What happened? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!

TRICK OR TREAT?

We've got some great ideas to help you dress up for Halloween… three readers show you how they got their looks last year!

Reader Piper is rocking this look! A witchy costume is always popular for trick or treating, or for Halloween parties, and it's easy to put together, too! The pointy hat can be found very cheaply in almost every large supermarket, newsagent or novelty shop at this time of year - but arty girls can always make their own version, either from fabric or even black card. Team this with a black dress or black top and skirt, you have a passable costume. My book CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS even has instructions on how to make a tattered witch-style skirt from an old bin bag! Piper has added some spray in green crazy-colour to her hair and backcombed it for a wild and witchy look. Heavily outlined eyes with spooky green eyeshadow add to the drama. A few carefully painted zig-zaggy lines above the eyebrows and pouty black lips are a great finishing touch! Why not carry a little novelty pumpkin as a bag to collect your trick or treat swag?

Reader Manda chose a more unusual look, but one that is very effective… the 'broken doll'. The costume for this can be any cute, 'little-girl' style of dress… raid your wardrobe or the local charity shop in search of inspiration! Hair looks great in plaits, but bunches work too, or even a ribbon bow on shorter hair. The make-up is all-important for this look… start with a pale foundation (or even white face paint if you want to be super dramatic). Add pink cheeks and rosebud lips, outline the eyes with liquid eyeliner and then paint on four or five random shapes with black face paint on cheeks and forehead, to suggest broken or cracked china. Experiment a few times before the night to get the look just right! My book CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS has some awesome ideas and instructions for Halloween make-up, including a variation on Manda's look!

Reader Amber's look is a classic vampire one, and always very popular at Halloween. The costume can be put together quite simply - Amber chose a striking red dress, but a men's suit with white shirt and tie can look good too. You could even spatter the shirt with a little red paint, if it's one you won't be needing again! The black cape gives a stylish finish to the costume, and this can be picked up very cheaply in supermarkets/ newsagents/ novelty shops at this time of year. Another effective accessory would be a set of novelty vampire teeth! Hair can be backcombed  for a cool, messy look, or, if you have shorter hair, slick it back using hair gel for a Dracula look! The make-up for this look is simple but very striking. A pale foundation base (or, again, white face paint) can be accentuated with strongly outlined eyes and red lips. Try shading dark shadows beneath the eyes with grey eyeshadow, or add smudges of grey to the cheeks.  A trickle of blood-red face paint coming from one corner of the mouth is the finishing touch. Ready to go trick or treating? Go for it!

Cathy says:
These three readers totally aced the Halloween look last year… I couldn't resist sharing their pics to inspire your own fancy dress looks! Are YOU going to a Halloween party, or trick or treating with friends? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more, and remember to email a pic to me via the link on www.cathycassidy.com if you'd like to be in with a chance of being featured NEXT Halloween!