Bare Essentials wishes to pay homage to women wildlife warriors who dedicate their lives to educating and inspiring others to appreciate and enjoy our earth. These custodians of nature devote their time and effort towards establishing sustainable solutions for the preservation of our wild heritage a treasure worth fighting for!

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The Woman of Action is a Role Model for others representing determination, passion, a connection with nature and a self assured confidence that inspires us all to be bold and seek out adventure!

A guardian of Wild Heritage and the catalyst for a Sustainable Future, women who take action and pursue their passions with purpose are key to generating positive change for the betterment of our earth.

Show the world you mean business and let everyone know you are a Woman of Action! The store has a selection of accessories to chose from and make the ideal gift for Christmas.

Visit: Action Addicts - Bare Essentials Store

As of January 2009 Bare Essentials will be charging a yearly subscription fee of $30 with 20% of all purchases going directly to the magazines wildlife ambassadors - Vital Ground, the Snow Leopard Trust and the Cheetah Conservation Fund! That’s right now the Ultimate Action Magazine for Women offers readers the chance to be a part of the action and help preserve our wild heritage! So spread the word, Bare Essentials is inspiring women to live with passion and purpose whilst, giving everyone the chance to support nature!

She is outspoken, undaunted, wickedly funny and unapologetically sexy! Elvira represents the modern woman with a ghoulish twist. Elvira’s commanding presence is  like no other and this Mistress of the Dark knows how to have fun on Halloween.  Why not embody some of Elvira’s confidence and take a walk on the wild side!

MISTRESS MAKE-OVER

Wardrobe Necessities: ‘ONE SEXY GOWN’

The “real” Elvira’s gown was custom made for her body measurements and cost thousands of dollars! Fortunately, there are a few Halloween costumes available that look great and are reasonably priced. Below are our selections for the best Elvira style costumes available.

Elvira® Mistress of the Dark™ deluxe costume

Your first choice for the best Mistress of the Dark gown would have to be the deluxe officially licensed Elvira costume manufactured by Elusive Concepts. This form-fitting costume set includes Elvira’s trademark black gown with plunging neckline, a zipper in the back and her signature belt with dagger. It is also machine washable.

This costume is available in three adult sizes: Small (Approximately 25″ waist, and 15″ across the back of the shoulders), Medium (Approximately 26″ waist, and 16″ across the back of the shoulders), and Large (Approximately 27/28″ waist, and 16.5/17″ across the back of the shoulders). Just add sheer black hose and black high-heel shoes. This costume set retails for $40.00.

The officially licensed Elvira costume is available at Halloween Street Halloween costume store!

Note - While there are many costumes on the market that claim to be Elvira or Mistress of the Dark costumes, most do not look like Elvira’s dress at all and many are very poorly made.

Elvira Costume from other sources

Alternatively another good option would be one of the Elvira costumes that can be found all over during Halloween season. While not exactly the same as Elvira’s traditional gown, some of these costumes actually look passable. You want a long, black dress that has a plunging neckline and jagged edges around the sleeves and hemline. Also it should be split up the side for that extra sexy appearance. Most include a belt with a dagger.

They all come in small, medium and large sizes. Just add sheer  black hose and black high-heel shoes.

Make-Up Must Haves:

Eyes:
Blackest Black Mascara
False Eyelashes
Black Eyeliner Pencil
White Eyeliner Pencil
Wine Colored Eye Shadow or Pencil
Pale Lavender Eye Shadow or Pencil

Face:
Pale Porcelain Face Color
Deep Rose Blush
Deep Red Lipstick
Matching Lip Liner Pencil

Nails:
Midnight Black Nail Polish & amp; False Nails

As a licensed make-up artist, I’ve put some thought into how to do this make-up the easiest way possible. There has always been a debate when applying make-up, should the foundation go on first? Some say yes, it makes putting the whole face together much easier. Some say no, if you are using loose powder eye shadow, you risk smearing the colors together.

With this make-up, I’m going to start with the foundation as everything else seems to build from it. If you happen to make a mistake somewhere along the line, I’ll add suggestions on how to fix them.

You’ll need a pale foundation, preferably a cream-powder foundation as opposed to liquid. This will give you better coverage and wear longer. You can check out the cosmetic section of your local drug store or retailer, or find a theatrical supply or costume shop for a pale colored grease paint. You don’t want white, that’s too pale. Elvira is pale with porcelain skin, not dead. Use a foam wedge to apply foundation.

Next, work on the eyes. Apply a set of extra long, thick false eye lashes first. Choose a pale lavender color and cover from lash line to eye brows. You’ll see in the picture above that it’s pale shade of light purple. Next, use a thick black shadow / liner pencil in black and start at the inside corner of the eye, covering the lid and expanding out at the outer corner, so you have the lid covered and some of the above area to the eye socket bone.

Extend the liner to the inner corner of the eye to below the tear duct, as seen above. Line the lower eye in similar fashion. Use the wine colored eye shadow on the inner corners of the eye and below the liner on the lower lids. Use a white shadow or pencil to fill in just below the inner corners of the eye, as pictured above. Using eye shadow pencils will allow for better blending. Use a foam wedge or your finger to blend the edges out so they appear smoky and not harsh.
Apply a couple coats of Blackest Black mascara on the upper lashes and one light coat to the bottom lashes.

Apply a deep rose blush, using either powder or stick, depending on what you find and your preference, to cheeks. Stick more to the lower cheek bone and the hollow just below it. Blend this as well, using a foam wedge. Finish the face off with a dusting of translucent loose face powder and a large powder brush, be sure to tap off excess before applying to face. This will set the make-up, making it last longer into the night.

For the lips, you’ll want a red shade with blue undertones to it, not a yellow based red. Blue based reds give the deeper, blood red look that you want. Find a lip pencil in as close to the same color as possible. Line the lips with pencil first, it will help hold lop color on the lips and prevent it from feathering into make-up. Fill in lips using the tube or a lip brush. Blot lips on a piece of tissue then apply another coat to set it.

Use the black liner pencil to add a beauty mark if you choose and there you go! Add a set of false nails, you can find press-on long black nails at this time of year or paint your own black. The Elvira make-up is now complete!

Hair:

So many things about Elvira are unmistakable traits of the Mistress of the Dark. Her sexy gown, exotic makeup, devil-may-care attitude, and last but certainly not least, her big hair. A version of the beehive, this hairstyle was very popular during the sixties, and was applied named because it resembled a beehive.

Unfortunately, after searching and searching, we have not found any wig that looks “exactly” the same as Elvira’s hair style. Many claim to be Elvira like, but few are anywhere near. Most of them have long black hair and the top is cut short with a few curls. This so not what her hair looks like!

The closest we have found is the Elvira Wig available from Annies Costumes.

The length is close to that of Elvira’s, and unlike wigs claiming to be Elvira like, this one is full on the top. The top can be back combed or a lift can be added under the hair for added height. You can make your own lift by taking a knee-hi nylon and stuffing it with paper towel or tissue until you have a domed shaped half ball.

You’ll need a wig stand or a person wearing it to add this on.                                             Lift and section off the hair on top of the wig. Secure the lift on the crown with hair pins and start securing the sections of hair over it with hair pins, making a beehive do’ similar to the one pictured. You can also back comb the hair for extra lift. Make sure and use a generous amount of hair spray to hold it all together! Wig retails for about $19.95.

The Elvira wig is available at Halloween Street!

Finally you aren’t complete without the most important accessory of them all!
Elvira’s Attitude: 

As we all know, Elvira wouldn’t be Elvira without her trademark wise cracks and “the heck with everyone” attitude! If you want to dress like the Mistress of the Dark, you better be prepared to act like her as well.

If you need some help on this, we suggest watching her first film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark for inspiration. Make a list of some of her better one-liners and practice saying them with attitude! For some extra inspiration, check out her second film, Elvira’s Haunted Hills, as well. It has some equally great zingers in it and after watching both of these films, if you don’t have the attitude down right then you must be dead!

Here is a list of some of Elvira’s best one liners:

“Revenge is better than Christmas.”

“Hey, nice jacket. Who shot the couch?”

“Listen sister, if I want your opinion, I’ll beat it out of you.”

“My name’s Elvira but you can call me ………’tonight’.”

“Adrian! You came too late! *pauses* Again!”

Think of that care-free, smart aleck that you were when you were a teenager and go from there. It will be fun to let it loose again for a night. Of course, if you are like some of us, working the Elvira attitude won’t be too big of a stretch. If you enjoy it, carry it on year round and keep the Elvira spirit alive all year long!

To get your hands on all these items and live like Elvira for the night simply click on the banner below!

I am pleased to announce a special feature in the next issue of Bare Essentials Magazine. Fans of the WWE will share my enthusiasm, as we talk with Superstar John Cena on his role outside the ring with the Make a Wish Foundation.

To find out what makes John such an impressive Champion be sure to catch the Nov/Dec issue of B.E. (click here to check out the current issue)

“Making all your actions count!”

During the months of September & October, every purchase of Ripped Rotations will provide essential support to the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

This best-selling fitness series is the innovation of personal trainer and fitness personality Jari Love.  This unique program is based on a scientific formula of resistance conditioning, to add a new level of intensity to your fitness routine and help you achieve results in half the time!

Who is she, where is she? That’s up to you to find out, follow the action advisor on her quest for adventure and see if you can figure out, where and what she’s up to!

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Bare Essentials is dedicated to providing responsible publishing choices to allow Green Advocates & Women of Action a sustainable media that won’t damage our Earth. This means we are going digital, which allows readers more versatility to explore the archive of resources that promise to Inspire & Inform. Because we all want to Live with Passion & Purpose!

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Dear Athlete

I am looking to promote a non-profit event for the Cheetah Conservation Fund “Run for the Cheetah”. I am committed to organizing an Australian Chapter to help sponsor this event, and invite you to be a part of this.

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Bare Essentials has just launched the new website!
In order to provide the best resources for Women of Action, we want to know what you want. Please add your thoughts to the comment box below or email the editor at  inga@bare-essentials.com.au

To learn more about the Launch, click here