Halloween Express {Review & $75 Gift Certificate Giveaway & Coupon Code}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Jenn S!}

With the focus around here lately on fall and back-to-school (and admitting that both of my kids are now old enough to be going), I've begun to notice October trying to quietly creep up without me noticing. Where does the time go? What happened to June?

Considering the amount of excitement that my girls have over Halloween and how much they enjoy dressing up, it's not a surprise that they have been ready and waiting for the holiday to arrive so that they can pull on some costumes and head out for some spooky fun.

This year when it came time to decide just what those costumes would be, however, we spent a little extra time discussing the possibilities to make sure that we got it just right. After all, finding the balance between a cute and humorous concept while still being comfortable and versatile required some dialogue, right?

Plus, with a collection of thousands of costumes, wigs, decorations, accessories and more at Halloween Express, narrowing down favorites can be awfully hard to do!

Halloween Express is the name when it comes to costumes. With nearly 300 retail locations across the United States and over 20 years of experience, they are easily one of the most recognizable places to visit for costume merchandise year-round. And, as their assortment is updated annually, you always know that you'll find a mix of the latest trends and the classic best sellers.

As soon as we arrived on HalloweenExpress.com, there was no doubt that they have it all. Whether you're looking for an outfit from the movies or television or something scary, cute or sexy, they have a huge selection for adults, teens, kids, toddlers, infants and even pets. If you're looking for convenient shopping, I love the way the navigation links across the top as well as the categories along the bottom of the site bring you directly to what you are searching for in a click or two.

So when it came time to decide on outfits for Big Sister E and Little Sister B, we found ourselves returning to the Humorous Costumes time and time again. And although we got some pretty good giggles from a few...

...we had to go with the ones that we knew would work for being worn to school, out trick-or-treating, to various Halloween parties and more, while being fun and still bringing that smile.

I think we did a pretty good job.

The Crayola Blue Crayon Costume and the Crayola Tickle Me Pink Costume are cute, simple tunic and hat combinations that the girls loved right away. Big Sister E was thrilled to pick out blue, her favorite color, and Little Sister B was just happy to chime in with, "Crayon! Crayon!"

These costumes are easily recognizable, iconic in the world of children, and will be fun to dress up in long after Halloween is over. Being that the kids just pull them on over their heads, they'll have no problem wearing a long sleeve shirt underneath for during the day and layering sweatshirts (or even a jacket) depending on the weather on October 31st.

At first I was surprised that the poly-foam material of the front and hat doesn't continue around to the back...

...but later realized that it would make it much more difficult for the kids to move, let alone sit down, if they were completely encircled. Retailing for $34.99 for larger children's sizes and $26.99 for toddler and smaller children's sizes, I have no doubt that we'll be playing with these crayons for years to come!

However, this year Halloween Express was also able to get my husband into the Halloween spirit, as he decided that it would be fun to have a costume of his own. Of course we did immediately think of this to match the kids...

...but ultimately decided on something that he would be able to wear long after they aren't still donning their crayon costumes. After going through a few different options (it did take him longer to make a final pick than it did for the girls), the final selection did turn out to be pretty fun:

Although we still need to give it some steam to get out all of the wrinkles, the Mr. Potato Head Costume was providing quite a few chuckles right out of the bag. The one-size-fits all foam overlay is also easy to pull right on while still providing movement and, just like the crayons, the layers underneath can be adjusted depending on the weather.

Even better, this costume comes complete with attached ears, detachable male eyes, nose, moustache, mouth, and also includes the female hat, eyes, nose, and lips so you can change to Mrs. Potato Head in a matter of seconds!

The Velcro attachment of the pieces allows for a quick change, yet are strong enough that the accessories don't droop or fall off.

In fact, they were just right to make a speedy transition from Mr. Potato Head into Mrs. Potato Head and get my visiting sister-in-law in on the pre-Halloween festivities:

You just never know what you're going to be coerced into doing when you visit our house!

Retailing for $59.99, the Potato Head costume does have a higher price tag than some, however, I know that my husband is going to be wearing it with the kids, to work (his coworkers are going to get some good laughs), and more for all of the foreseeable future.

Besides, who wouldn't be swayed into handing out a little extra candy when they find this bunch on their doorstep?

More than just for October, Halloween Express has everything you need for costumes and decor all year long. The next time you're looking for just the right outfit for the 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, a school play or just for dress-up, you'll find what you're looking for at a low price! Plus, with their fast shipping and 110% price guarantee, you won't have to worry about finding a better deal or having to wait too long for your selections to arrive.

So what are you waiting for? As Halloween draws near now is not the time to go brave the crowds and dig through messy racks of overpriced costumes in the store, it's time to shop online from the comfort of your own home at the time that is convenient for you. With Halloween Express' great pictures (I love the zoom feature when you scroll over the costumes to really see the details), high quality and bargain prices, you'll be happy with what you find there.

But, wait! A real deal comes with a discount, of course! Valid now until the end of the year, simply enter the coupon code THANKSMAILCARRIER at checkout (it will be automatically entered when you visit Halloween Express directly from this blog) and you'll receive 10% off site wide with no minimum order required (excluding gift cards, special orders, and personalized items)!

The hardest part of browsing at HalloweenExpress.com is narrowing down your favorites - there are just so many great options! But, thanks to their generosity, one person will get to do just that, because...

One lucky person will win a $75 gift certificate to Halloween Express!

To enter to win: Visit the Halloween Express and tell me the name of one of the items you might purchase if you win.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you follow Halloween Express on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

WIN a $75 Halloween Express gift card and be ready for Halloween costume fun! http://bit.ly/oUhX8Q @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on October 5th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Halloween Express for providing a gift certificate for me for review as well as a $75 gift certificate for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.