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Halloween costumes, decorations and treats for 2013

Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

TORONTO – Halloween is just days away, but there is still time to find the perfect costume, decorate your house and bake delectably-scary snacks.

Global News has your Halloween guide:

Best Halloween costumes

Often the best Halloween costume is the simplest. Take this stick-man costume Royce Hutain made for his 22-month-old daughter. Just a few LED lights was all it took.

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Hutain’s costume was so popular it landed him an appearance on Good Morning America. He said he’ll start selling the costume in 2014.

While they may lack in originality, pop culture costumes certainly reign when it comes to sheer volume. Duck Dynasty, the many variations of Miley Cyrus, and group costumes featuring Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their new baby North West top the choices of celebrity costumes for 2013.

If you are planning on heading to a club to celebrate Halloween this year, you’re likely to see a whole lot of this. (Photo credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for MTV). Rick Diamond/Getty Images for MTV

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Global News’ Rob Leth endured a few hours in the make-up chair to preview 2013’s top pop culture costumes.

Worst Halloween costumes

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Every year, at least one celebrity seems to forget about the firestorms of years past and chooses a costume that offends and angers.

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This year is no different: the 2013 prize goes to actress Julianne Hough for her costume portraying the character “Crazy Eyes” from the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black. Watch the video below.

When it comes to bad costume decisions, accessories that may cause blindness is a serious one to keep in mind.

Canadian eye experts are warning against the use of cosmetic contact lenses, which change the appearance of your eyes, as they may cause permanent eye damage, including vision loss.

Eye health professionals in Canada are warning that cosmetic contact lenses, which change the appearance of your eyes, may lead to permanent vision loss. SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/AFP/Getty Images

How to save money at Halloween

Between parties, elaborate costumes and multiple trips to the candy store, Halloween can be an expensive occasion. If you’re looking to save some money, take a cue from Macklemore and head to your local thrift shop.

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A recent survey commissioned by Value Village said that this year 50 per cent of shoppers who are dressing up said Macklemore’s hit made shopping at thrift stores socially acceptable, adding that they would consider doing so for their costume.

For more money-saving tips, check out HGTV’s list of DIY Halloween costumes here.

The psychology of Halloween

Have you ever wondered why people act so out of character on Halloween? Registered psychologist  attributes it to the power of anonymity.

“Every Halloween, someone is destined to wear a highly inappropriate costume, sometimes to the point that it makes the headlines. Fortunately, this type of poor judgement is relatively infrequent. Much more common are those who do things on Halloween that they swear is out of character for them. Of course, the unwritten ‘social contract’ encourages people to act in a far more sexy, silly, wild or otherwise risqué manner on this one night of the year than is ordinarily permitted.”

Read the full article from Dr. Amitay here.

Best Halloween treats

From Broken Finger Cookies to Vampire Bite Cupcakes, there is no shortage of Halloween treats to test your skills in the kitchen. Food Network Canada has a complete Halloween recipe guide.

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How to decorate like a champion

Not for the faint of heart, these Halloween decoration ideas take commitment and at least a moderate amount of skill. Move beyond the classic scary-face pumpkin with these mind-blowing pumpkin ideas, make cobweb clusters to decorate your house, and take some inspiration from these impressive Halloween houses.

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