All the things that made last month great!

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE | TEN

ONE | This striped sweater from The Gap will make you feel like you’re wearing a much higher end brand (ahem, Khaite, Toteme) — thick and well-knit cotton that is perfectly oversized. It’s reminiscent of the type of quality you would see from The Gap and JCrew in the 90’s, and I’m here for it! I have it in the navy ground with cream stripes, but it’s such a perfect weight and silhouette (the sleeves!) that I kind of want it in every color.

TWO | A recommendation from the newsletter Things I Bought as a Civilian, and it’s fantastic. This french brand because available stateside a few years ago, and it’s my new ‘luxurious’ body wash. It has a light and floral scent that doesn’t smell too perfume-y or overpowering. If you’re a fan of Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom scent, I swear this smells exactly like it. It makes me feel fancy and a little French, what more could you ask for?

THREE | This checkered blanket is a great Barefoot Dreams dupe, for less than half the price. It’s big and cozy, with a graphic checkered pattern, and comes in a variety of great colors to choose from. It will make a great gift for several people on my list this holiday season!

FOUR | I’ve been raving about Merit’s Minimalist concealer stick since just about the first time I tried it. It’s a clean beauty brand that follows the EU standards (a more strict ingredient list than what’s allowed in the US), high quality ingredients that won’t break you out, vegan, and cruelty-free with biodegradable packaging. It blends in so well and doesn’t settle into my fine lines like most concealers.

FIVE | During the pandemic I became very neglectful of my skin routine, and I didn’t notice a difference until I….noticed a difference. My skin has been looking dull and a little discolored in areas from old cystic acne scars, so I’ve started to ramp up my skincare rountine — nothing too involved, but more than just facewash. These ‘magic eraser’ peel pads have had the biggest impact in giving me more confident, glowy, and even skintone. They’re similar to the Dr. Dennis Gross pads — gentle enough to be able to use a couple times a week, but strong enough to feel (they tingle!) and see results. I use them at night once or twice a week and so far I’m loving the results! (Pro tip: cut them in half to get the most bang for your buck!)

SIX | I’ve tried a lot of Lululemon Align yoga pant ‘dupes’ from Amazon in the last few years, and these are by far the BEST yet. The fabric, seam placement and detail, and fit is a fantastic impersonation for the Aligns, the only thing missing is the little logo! For $32 a pair, I can get 3 of these for less than the price of one pair of Lulu’s, and that’s too good of a deal to pass up. One of my best Amazon purchases and I’ll definitely be buying them in every color!

SEVEN | I only finished one book in October, and it was one of the best I’ve read all year! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it — so well written and characters you become so invested in. It’s premise is about friends that design video games together, but there is so much more to it. It wrecked me in the way that a really good book should, and I’ll be thinking about it (and one chapter in particular) for years to come. Now I want to read everything else by Gabrielle Zevin (and you will too!)

EIGHT | I think I’m the last person to learn that applying your concealer with a (damp) beauty blender gives you the most natural finish, and these PawPaw blending sponges are awesome. They’re soft and durable and you get a pack of them for less than $10, so they’re a great deal too. I prefer these to the name brand Beauty Blenders — you won’t be disappointed!

NINE | Everyone at Spanx always looks great, but I was recently in the elevator with a coworker who smelled AMAZING, and it turned out she was wearing this amber oil from Amazon. It’s the nicest light scent and I like to wear it alone or even layered with another perfume. A seriously delicious scent, and less than $20.

TEN | The evening routine I’ve found to best manage my anxiety this month was settling into bed about 30 minutes earlier than I usually would (post new skincare routine), with a hot cup of tea, and a little TV. The Sleep with Me tea by Paromi helps me relax enough to blissfully drift off to catch some much needed Z’s.

What are some things that made your October that much better? I’d love to know, please let me know in the comments!