Alright folks. My favorite things right now. Here are some awesome things I experienced this October, that I think will have a positive – albeit potentially trivial – impact on your life! Woo!

 MUSIC

CHVRCHES – Every Open Eye (Deluxe Edition)

Okay, fine, yes, the album came out on 9/25 technically. But it wasn’t until October hit that I had played this album approximately 90384597683495874387112389324723 times. I fell in love with this band a few years ago, saw them live in 2013, and have been waiting for this album for a while now. It did not disappoint. Fav songs: Clearest Blue, Down Side of Me. DANCE JAMZ & PRETTY VOICES.

Scavenger Hunt – Scavenger Hunt EP

One of my favorite songs right now: Lost. My friends who only listen to Taylor Swift/Top40 (not judging) told me it sounds like my “underwater mermaid music,” which was really cute.

BØRNS – Dopamine

Disappointed in myself for taking so long to finally find this. It’s a beautiful album. And it makes my heart happy. Go listen!!

You can follow me on spotify playlists here;  my running one is really upbeat and fun, and this one is songs I’m listening to right now. There’s a lot of crossover.

~*FASHUN*~

BURGUNDY ERRYTHANG

A fall color that doesn’t make me want to vom (I hate orange and yellow together, I think it’s the most heinous). Port, claret, merlot, other wine name, cabernet, marsala, how many wines are there, ruby, garnet, more jewels, bruised plum, maroon, oxblood, other names for this color – sticking with burgundy for now. Whatever its name is, I love this color, and it’s not too different from my alma mater’s Cardinal (which goes nicely with gold) – I’m wearing it via MAC Viva Glam III lipstick, Essie “In The Lobby” nail polish, and my new favorite shoes: The Octavia Sandal from Madewell. See more burgundy thangs in my post here on The Haute Mess. 

RECIPE

Pumpkin White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Found this recipe on Pinterest and DAYUM. At the risk of sounding basic, pumpkin is freaking delicious. One of my not-so-secret indulgences is pumpkin bread from Starbucks, although I do make a mean pumpkin bread myself. I found this recipe while trolling pinterest, immediately took to my oven (/snapchat – all friends were v jealous) and made magic happen. The result was chewy, rich, pumpkiny cinnamony goodness. With melty morsels of white chocolate. SWOOOOON. See the rest of my fav snack recipes on my Pinterest here (warning: not paleo, also all the glutens).

NEW WORKOUT

The Strong Movement

Just downloaded all the guides from Ailis Garcia’s The Strong Movement, including the recipe guide, lifestyle guide, and 8-week workout plan. I’m excited to start this as a post-half-marathon motivation/goal. Check out the Strong Movement here.

BEAUTY Stuff

DIY Lip Scrub

Question, do you have coconut oil, sugar, and approx 42 seconds of your time readily available ? If you answered yes to any of those three things (actually, all of those three things), then you’re ready to make an amazing lip scrub, that is basically free. You could even take a pack of sugar in the raw from Starbucks, if need be. Or ask your neighbor to borrow a cup (teaspoon) of sugar, because how cute is that idea? Not cute, I know. Sorry. Anyway. Mix the oil & sugar together until you get a paste-like viscosity. Et voila! Ironically enough, I didn’t find this on Pinterest (although it probably exists there in an infinite amount of iterations) – I was just dicking around in my kitchen and it dawned on me: an absolutely inconsequential epiphany. But my lips are smoother now so yay!

BeautyKind

This month I also discovered BeautyKind – an online beauty boutique that lets you contribute to the charity of your choice. If you sign up here, you’ll get $25 off your first order. This past month I was lucky enough to receive a StriVectin Retexturizing Facial Scrub and Frederic Fekkai Hair Mask (looking into this one too). With each purchase, 5% went to my chosen philanthropy, Catholic Charities (which serves 10 Million people each year). May I also suggest: Butter Nail Polish or  St. Tropez Tanning Set.

PLACE TO VISIT

Big Sur

You’ve likely seen all my Big Sur pictures and the recap post, but I just need to reiterate: go to this magical place. It’s an enchanted forestial wonderland sprawled along the pristine, rugged shores of the Pacific. Did I convince you to go? I used all the marketing words!

SUPER DEAL

Ulta Super Blender Beauty Sponge

Not that I question the credibility of the BeautyBlender, because Lord knows literally everyone I know is losing their shit over a f’king sponge, but I got this dupe from Ulta because I’m poor and at the end of the day… it’s a sponge, and I rarely wear makeup. This is a huge step up from rubbing CC cream on with my fingers, and my makeup looks so much better. Like the last time I applied my makeup via fingers (plebe status), I looked like an old woman and freaked out, especially because I usually look like I’m 12.

Ulta sponge = $5, BB = $20. While many critics have mentioned that the BeautyBlender lasts longer than the Ulta sponge, does it last 4x as long? Do I want to have a sponge… which collects bacteria… to use on my face… for four times the shelf life of the dupe sponge? Just think about that for a second. I’m not a math whiz, nor a scientist (although, that would be hilarious if I were both of those things and just decided to forego academia to blog about beauty sponges) – but it seems like the $5 choice is relatively logical. However, the second I come into money I’m probably gonna get the BeautyBlender. Whoops.

BookS

The Martian – Andy Weir

Hilarious, from the very first sentence. Sciency, but not so dense that you can’t get through it. Whenever the protagonist starts getting into an intensive explanation about the details of engineering or chemistry, he throws in a witty, self-deprecating punchline. It’s absolutely phenomenal, and the character development is captivating. IMO, much, much funnier than the movie. If you’re planning on seeing the movie, maybe see it before you read the book so you don’t get your hopes up. Highly recommend the book.

Modern Romance – Aziz Ansari

Another incredibly funny book, but that’s obvious. What makes Modern Romance so great is the in-depth social psychology research. And Aziz’s ridiculous sense of humor. It kept me both entertained and incredibly frightened about today’s dating scene. But it was fascinating nonetheless.

DRANK

Starbucks: Iced Matcha Green Tea + coconut milk

I’ve been opting for tea instead of coffee lately, and I think my adrenal glands are breathing a huge sigh of relief. One of my new favorite tea options is the matcha green tea at Starbucks (don’t be a snob, Starbucks makes some dank shit). I got mine iced, with coconut milk, and half the sweetener. O. M. G. so good. Really into matcha rn. I also like the Peet’s version with almond milk!

Something funny

Drake Hotline Bling x Suavemente

So there’s that.

—

Side note, as briefly mentioned, I started contributing to Ashley Tisdale’s The Haute Mess this month! I’m beyond excited to share fun content with an amazing audience, among a team of really incredible content creators like Bri Emery, Lea Michele, and the gal herself, Ashley Tisdale.

Happy end of October! Ideally, this post has exposed you to some fun new stuff to try, and then you will love me and trust me and continue to come to me for wisdomz. YAY.

xx,
Dominique