October Favorites!

It's my favorite time of year! I love fall and the clothes, food & drink, decor, weather and everything else that comes with it. Unfortunately, we only had a few days of autumn weather in Texas, but towards the end of the month it finally started to cool down. I have several beauty and non-beauty favorites that I have been loving all through the month of October!

LUSH lip scrub - LUSH makes several different flavors of lip scrubs. This is their winter version - it's cola flavored and bright red. You apply this and gently scrub it into dry lips. It's made from castor sugar & coconut oil so you can lick it off and you're ready to apply your lip product. It has cherry & date extract, so it's a bright red and tastes like cherry cola. It will run you about $9 and I have had mine since last December, so it lasts quite a while.

Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - This is a waterproof eye makeup remover from Sephora's own collection. I have the 4.2 oz bottle and a little bit goes a long way so this will last me a lifetime. I typically use this in the morning if I have any mascara or liners smudges around my lashes or under my eyes before I apply my moisturizer and makeup for the day. I also use this to clean the gel liner off of my angled liner brushes. You shake it to mix it up, and the bottle dispenses it drop-by-drop. The packaging hasn't ever leaked on me, so it would be a good travel makeup remover as well. I picked this up for $10.50 near the registers at Sephora. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation - I have been loving this lately as a tinted moisturizer. I typically stay away from matte foundations because I have dry skin, but I wanted to give this a try since it was a mousse. The finish of this foundation depends on how I choose to apply it. I sometimes dab it on with my fingers quickly as a sheer "tinted moisturizer" just to smooth and slightly blur my skin. When I want a little more coverage, I use a damp beauty blender. I make sure to moisturize well before applying this and use a damp applicator so that it doesn't look cakey or dry on my skin. It matches my skin tone perfectly and it's lightweight and easy to throw on for a quick cover-up. I don't use this on a daily basis, but its a good product to swipe on if you're in a hurry but want to look put-together. I picked this up at Walgreens for around $6.

Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Luminizer  - I have this in the shade "Stardust." It's a highlight powder with a gold shimmer to it. It doesn't have glitter or any chunky sparkle to it - it's so smooth and flawless and adds a beautiful highlight to cheek bones. I use this on my cheek bones, brow bones, and even as an eye shadow sometimes. It's versatile and compact and never looks chalky on the skin. This is a good highlight for fair skin but I think it will work for so many other complexions as well. It costs $14 at Sephora. 

Stardust

If you've been reading my posts, you already know how much I love Benefit Hervana blush. If you haven't, you can read about it here. It has been my go-to blush during the month of October.

MAC pigment in naked - I've rediscovered this! I bought this years ago and forgot about it until recently. It's slightly shimmery and it's the perfect nude. I sweep it all over the lid & crease and pop on some mascara and go. Love it. MAC pigments run around $21, which is only slightly more than the basic shadows, and you get a ton of product.

Naked

Vince Camuto Perfume - I have actually been wearing this all year round, but it's especially perfect for fall and winter. This is a slightly floral, vanilla scent but it has more musky notes like leather, patchouli, and amber. The floral notes are rose and jasmine. I always get compliments when I wear this and I can't get enough of this scent. Besides the lovely fragrance, the bottle is so pretty and looks really nice on display on a vanity or dressing table.

Glade room sprays in Pumpkin Pie & Red Apple - These smell SO good and make me really feel like it's fall. The scents linger for days and when I use these, guests always say the house smells amazing and so much like fall. The pumpkin scent smells like pumpkin spice, and the red apple is a crisp and fresh apple scent. I also bought the Glade plug-ins in the Red Apple scent as well. Glade always comes out with really amazing fall and winter scents and I always go crazy buying them up. They have recently released their holiday/winter scents and they sound amazing. Can't wait to check them out!

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte & Oprah Chai Tea Latte - I always anxiously await the arrival of the PSL, and this year it was released early. We had a few cold & rainy days early in October and I quickly made a Starbucks run to have my first PSL of the season. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, I typically prefer tea, but I'm not a big fan of to-go hot teas at Starbucks. My standard Starbucks order is usually a soy chai tea latte and I switch to the frappuccino in the summer. I waited quite a while before I gave the Oprah Chai a shot and I'm sorry I did because I love it! It isn't drastically different than the original chai, but it is a bit bolder and the flavors seem more pronounced. Also, a portion of proceeds go to Oprah's education foundation. I'm currently sipping a chai tea latte and loving that they've brought out the festive red cups!

What were your favorites this past month? What are your favorite fall staples? Happy fall everyone!

HUGE Fall Candle Haul & Review

I'm a candle addict. I have been on several shopping trips since the beginning of September to stock up on fall (and winter) candles. I love burning candles and making the house smell and feel like Autumn. It can really make you feel more festive. Here are the candles I have recently picked up...

Pumpkin Caramel Latte - I found this at Bath & Body Works. It's part of their limited edition Pumpkin Cafe line. It's sweet and caramel-y with notes of espresso. I'm (not so patiently) waiting for cooler weather to light this one. This scent has gotten rave reviews online - it's a favorite of many! 





Heirloom Pumpkin - This pumpkin scent is more fresh, but still very autumnal - with hints of nutmeg. It's spicy and perfect for fall. I love these mason jar candles; I'm going to clean them out and reuse them when they're gone. Bath & Body Works candles strongly scent the entire room and I've been burning this candle a lot lately and it seems to burning slowly but giving off tons of spicy pumpkin scent.

Artisan Market Mason Jar Candles

Vanilla Chai

This is one of my favorites so far. It smells just like my routine Starbucks order: Vanilla Chai Latte. Notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and those unmistakable chai spices. I can't wait to start burning this one.

Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding

This smells like bananas. If you're not a banana fan, this one isn't for you. The banana smell is a tad artificial but when combined with the nutmeg and brown sugar scents, it really does smell like banana bread pudding. I'm interested to see how this smells when it's burning. 

Vanilla Snow Flake - This is one of my all-time favorite scents. I LOVE the vanilla variations that B&BW releases. One year, I stocked up on Vanilla Bean Noel so that I could burn it throughout the entire year. This is a very similar scent. It's the perfect vanilla with subtle hints of peppermint that really brighten up the smell. I'm saving these for serious winter coldness (can't wait!). I also really love the packaging and labels on these. The 3-wick candle has the cutest label and snowflake detailing on the lid. 

Espresso Bar - This smells like a freshly brewed cup of espresso. I bought this intending to burn it in the kitchen so it always smells like fresh coffee. It has light hints of vanilla as well. This is a "small candle" that claims to burn 20-30 hours. These are frequently bundled for a good discount. 

Apple & Pumpkin Picking - I love Yankee Candles. They are also very strongly scented and really fill an entire room. I would say they burn at a similar rate as B&BW candles. At 7oz, these are slightly larger than the mason jar candles, and claim to burn 35-45 hours. I've had this burning in my bedroom and I love it. It's sweet with strong notes of crisp apple and pumpkin, without any spice or added notes. It's purely pumpkin and apple - perfect for early fall. 

Pumpkin Patch - This is a swirled mix of Yankee Candle's Harvest and Spiced Pumpkin candles. I've had this burning in our guest bathroom - it smells just like an autumn wreath. It smells of cinnamon, pumpkin, and fall spices. I actually picked this up at Home Goods for a discounted price. I thought the Halloween label was cute for October. 

Hot Cider - This smells exactly like hot apple cider - apples & cinnamon. Again, I picked this up at Home Goods for about $6 and I've been burning it in my entryway. It's from the Yankee Candle Simply Home range. The only thing I don't like about Yankee Candles are the shape of some of them - the tapered opening gets blackened from the smoke and towards the end of the candle, it can get really messy if you touch the opening. You have to be really careful about trimming the wick. However, I love this scent, it makes me crave some cider. 

Baked Apple

Crispy, Warm, & Canny Baked Apple. This was $7 at Home Goods and it's one of my favorites. I LOVE the packaging. The jar is so cute and it's actually made from yellow glass (the candle inside is white). I will definitely have to clean this out and repurpose the jar when the candle has finished. It smells just like baked apples - warm apple with a light touch of cinnamon. I enjoy the smell but the jar is really what sold me. This is a DW Home candle. 

Juicy Cranberry - This is another DW Home candle from Home Goods. I should have known because the packaging is almost as cute as the previous jar. This smells like sweet, tart, and fruity cranberries. No spices or anything else - just cranberries. It's in a red glass cup with a cork lid. Definitely another container I want to repurpose. I've been burning this in our master bathroom and I love the way it smells. 

Pumpkin Spice - Another DW Home candle. I didn't pay attention to the brands when I saw these at Home Goods, and they all have very different packaging and labels, but they're all in really cute jars that you could totally use for other things once the candle is gone. More red glass! This candle is very spicy and autumnal. It smells like pumpkin pie spice - cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin. 

Maple Butter

This makes the whole house smell like pancakes. It's warm, buttery, and maple-y. I've been burning this like crazy since I discovered it at Home Goods. I can't get enough. I could burn this any time of year but it makes you want to get warm and cozy in the fall. I can even smell it from outside the front door sometimes. One of my favorites of this haul. 

Everyday Luxe Candles

I think these are the prettiest candles I've ever seen. They're simple with just a touch of sparkle. I have the butter cookie scent sitting on a stack of magazines on my coffee table and it looks so beautiful. The butter cookie scent is very sweet and smells like you're baking sugar cookies; An ultra-sweet vanilla scent. I almost don't want to burn it because it's so pretty. The sparkling plum smells very similar to grape juice but it's very deep and rich. It reminds me of sugar plums and the Nutcracker ballet, so I'm saving this for December. It would definitely be a lovely coffee table candle - it needs to be displayed!

These last couple candles I picked up for their looks more so than their scents.

Wild Honey Nectar - I initially picked this up because of the jar - it's a cracked mirrored silver jar with a simple white candle inside. I expected the candle to be unscented, but it's actually a really nice scent. Surprise, surprise, it's another DW Home candle from Home Goods. This seems more of a spring or summer scent to me, so I haven't burned it yet, but it looks really pretty on display. 

Pumpkin Tart - I picked this up because the jar is really nice. For just under $10, I would have purchased it if it was just the jar. Having a candle inside is an added bonus. Also, it's HUGE (15.5oz) with a burn time of up to 80 hours. It smells like simple, fresh pumpkin. This is a Laura Ashley candle. 

What are your favorite fall and winter scents? Please share your favorites and where you go to stock up on candles!

October Obsession: Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask

I have been using No 7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask from Boots everyday this month. I have always loved this product, but for some reason I've been obsessed with it throughout the month of October. I have the formula for dry/very dry skin and it hydrates my skin so much. I struggle with extremely dry skin especially on my face, and this mask solves my dry skin problems every time. It's meant to be a mask that you apply and then later remove, but it can also be used as a deep moisturizer. I apply a thin (actually, not so thin because I love it) layer to my skin and let it sink in overnight. When I wake up I never have any residue or a greasy feeling - my skin always drinks this stuff right up. Even if I use a cleanser for dry skin, I always feel much dryer at the end of the day after a shower or after washing my face. I apply this directly after cleansing or right before bed and it seems to cure my dry skin overnight.

I was reading through the reviews when I first purchased this product, and I noticed some people complained about the smell and about it tingling sensitive skin. I love the smell, I think it smells new and clean and it doesn't bother me at all; I don't ever find it offensive. I also haven't had any irritation problems with this. It's so silky and soothing that I can't imagine it would ever bother my skin. I would say I have sensitive skin, and I often find that certain products burn or irritate my skin, but this isn't one of them. I love the packing as well - you can dispense the desired amount of product, it stays clean, you can see how much you have left, and the pump works seamlessly. An all-around love for me!

I get mine at Target but you can also find it at Ulta and online at Boots. Your local drugstore like Walgreens or CVS may carry it as well.