HELLO HELLO!! It’s that time of the month again!
NO, NOT THAT TIME!
It’s time for my October favorites! All thethings I’ve been LOVING this past month! This time I decided to include a little bit of everything – beauty, skin care, fashion, EVERYTHING. Last month I kept it strictly beauty related because I had just done a FALL favorites post, so this month I thought I would mix things up a bit – leave me a comment below and let me know which you like best, just beauty or a little bit of everything!
LET’S GET STARTED!
FREEMAN FEELING BEAUTIFUL MASKS ($5)
I have a few of these, but my faves lately have been the Charcoal and Black Sugar Polishing Mask and the Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask. The polishing mask is a favorite for days when I’m feeling extra dry and flakey, or I’ve had heavy makeup on. Since it’s rather gritty, and over-exfoliating isn’t good for your skin, on ‘off days’ I like to use the Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress mask. It’s great for de-gunking your pores, and the smell is SOOO relaxing, and I won’t lie, I love the bright blue color. And scaring the crap out of my husband! HAHAHA!!
This has become a regular part of my night time skin care routine. My lips get SUPER dry and flakey in the fall and winter, so bad that regular lip balm is no match for them! So I use this at night and follow it up with some Vaseline, and I’ve noticed a huge difference in the condition of my lips. This too, is a pretty grainy product, but it’s basically made of Vitamin E, Shea Butter, Avocado, Grape and Jojoba Oils, and sugar, to slough away any trace of dry skin. And I believe this is one of the E.L.F. products offered at CVS nationwide (they don’t carry the ENTIRE line, just a selection of it), so it’s even easier to get your hands – or lips! – on them!!
GERARD COSMETICS COLOR YOUR SMILE LIGHTED LIP GLOSS IN ROSE HILL ($24)
Now I’ll admit that this was quite the splurge for me – $24 for a lip gloss – crazy, right?! But if you consider how INSANELY pigmented this stuff is, and how wonderfully long lasting it is, I think it was worth the splurge. It’s the first baby created by YouTube beauty vlogger and professional makeup artist Jaclyn Hill, and it is, to quote her,”amaze-balls!”. It’s not too pink, and not too red, and I find MY favorite way of applying it is to just put a little in the center of my bottom lip and then blend it out, so it’s leaving more of a stain. Of course you can go balls-to-the-wall and go for a nice, thick layer of it and it’s BEAUTIFUL. But I like the pretty, natural, just bitten look I get from just a small amount. AND it’s got a built in light in the wand, and a mirror on the side, making application in low light or ANYWHERE really a BREEZE! ❤
NOT YOUR MOTHERS CLEAN FREAK DRY SHAMPOO ($7)
I FREAKIN’ LOVE dry shampoo. I don’t know if it’s because it’s just too much hassle to wash my hair as often as I should (#SAHMprobs) or because they offer flexibility in styling by adding volume and texture to the hair, or because they’re so portable and convenient. But after trying pretty much every dry shampoo out there EXCEPT this one, I figured ‘why not?’. It was on sale, which is ALWAYS a win for me, and it claimed to leave no residue, and a light matte finish. Now because I’ve yet to find RED dry shampoo (they make blonde and brown, why the hell not red?!) to match my ruby red hair, I was anxious to find something that wouldn’t leave me with that white cast at the root, or looking pink. This stood up well. Me like-y.
MAYBELLINE VOLUM’ EXPRESS PUMPED UP COLOSSAL MASCARA ($5)
This is sort of a rediscovered favorite for me. I picked this up awhile back because I’ve always been impressed with Maybelline mascaras, and I just love voluminous lashes and big, fat, bristle brushes. But my FAVORITE thing about this mascara is that it doesn’t flake or smudge during the day. The brush is a little tricky, as it’s tapered a LITTLE bit at the end, but still kinda tricky to maneuver into the inner corner and grab the little baby lashes, but it gives AMAZING volume and pretty great length too. I’m trying to use it up so I can buy a new one, but it’s DEFINITELY one that I plan to repurchase again and again.
REVLON COLORBURST LIP BUTTER in FIG JAM ($7)
If you’re looking for a great fall color, this is it. It looks crazy brown in the bullet, but when you apply it to your lips it does something magical with your own natural lip color – I can’t explain it. It’s a lovely autumn shade that goes with any look, from a smokey eye to minimal makeup, and BONUS – it’s a total dupe for the Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey ($17), and who doesn’t love a good dupe?!
ADRIENNE VITADINNI 17″ QUILTED NYLON EAST WEST LAPTOP TOTE ($90)
I was in TJ Maxx the other day, and while I was walking around looking for my nephews birthday gift, took a stroll through the handbag department, as per usual. That’s where I spotted this. I needed a fall bag, and while yes, this is quite large for the everyday bag, I also tend to carry a sizable makeup bag, diapers, wipes, food, assorted toys, etc. So the multitude of storage, lots of pockets, all these things appealed to me. Now I managed to get this on sale for $40, which is why I’m including it in the post, but if you don’t have a TJ Maxx near you and you happen to love this bag as much as I do, the link is above. Let me be clear in saying that before any purchase over $20, I have a rule – I go home, sleep on it, and if I’m still lusting after it the next day, and can afford it, I’ll go get it. Well, they originally had one in an olive green, so the black one here was my second choice. BUT I think it was a good move. Black is classic, and I can use this forever. It would even be great to travel with as a carry on, as soon as we have the means of course!
In the fall and winter, I love tea. At any given time I have 4-5 boxes of different teas in my kitchen. Ever since I had my gallbladder out in June of 2015, I’ve had some lingering stomach issues, mainly nausea and the inability to tolerate too much caffeine, dairy, fat, etc. So usually in the afternoon and right before bed, I make a big cup of peppermint tea with about a teaspoon or so of honey, and it helps to just relax my entire body, tummy included. And I’ve noticed that by scaling back on the coffee and having more tea, my skin is clearer and my teeth are whiter, and I’m able to unwind much easier at night. Plus it’s just so soothing and cozy.
What are some things YOU guys are loving for the month of October?! Leave me a comment and let me know!
And as always, go follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito to keep up with me!
LOTS of LOVE!!
XOXO – Donna
Affordable Gorgeous 