Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture | The Ultimate Fall Palette

December 1st is still Fall y'all! And even if you are already jamming to Christmas music and basking in the glow of your twinkle-lighted tree-this palette is still perfect for the holidays. I know the Subculture eyeshadows have been making the rounds of some major controversies, but now that that has settled down...I thought I'd share my thoughts and a few eyeshadow looks.

When I first saw the color scheme of this bad boy, I had to have it. Did I know how to rock an orange or teal eyelid? Hell no-but who could resist these peacock feather, rich hues? I'd figure it out...and then, I read some reviews...which led to hours of YouTube videos of people tearing up this palette. If I was already worried about pulling off the bold shades, a troublesome formula wasn't going to help. There were a few reviews citing no concerns, so I crossed my fingers and purchased.

And I love it. Not that the critiques are unfounded, they are super pigmented shades, but I haven't experienced much of the complaints myself. I use the lightest amount-no swirling here-and plan the shadows accordingly. You can't blend a blue into an orange. But you can lay down some complementary shades for some badass contrast. Below are a few looks I've photographed if you need some inspiration!

Pumpkin Spice

Peacock Feather

Moscow Mule

Camo (& a cat)

If that Beauty Insider Holiday Reward is burning a hole in your wallet, definitely check Subculture out. It will make the perfect holiday gift for your trendiest make-up loving friend or as a treat for yourself to be holiday party ready. And if you end up being in the anti-Subculture camp-I'm sorry I steered you wrong. It was worth the shot.

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Plan with Me | September 2017

Hello September! It's my favorite time of year! Fall feels like fresh beginnings. It's also my birthday month which, for me, is  a time of thinking through new goals and future adventures.

I decided to mix it up from my usual planner and test an Erin Condren Life Planner. I have heard so much about these planners, but the style didn't seem quite for my neutral loving self-until the neutral version came about as well as the hourly layout. My personal Filofax was great for jotting down an appointment and keeping a few to-do's, but lately, I have been wanting to take a bit of a deeper dive into my time and seeing what I can make from each day.

Additionally, I wanted to live more in the present and celebrate the little things. I had been following Paper & Glam on YouTube and on Facebook for a while, and finally made the jump to ordering some stickers. Couldn't resist the fall colours and the cutest of icons to make even cleaning dishes look glam!

Erin Condren $10 off code |  referral link

Paper & Glam Stickers  |  Shop 

Hope you enjoy this plan with me and the start of a new season! 

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Fall Camping

In early October, we did another long weekend camping in the Catskills. I know I am a bit late sharing these pics, but I wanted to still post them to have all these memories in one place. Check out my summer camping trip here.  The changing leaves started much earlier in the hills of the Catskills than in the city. It was also so much colder-which I was not prepared for at all.

We had some lovely autumnal walks and kept the fire going constantly. We played board games, drank pumpkin ale, and cooked up a ton of food. We love taking our breaks from the city and exploring more of upstate NY.

Rainbow!

Luckily, we still have a couple more weeks (hopefully!) of fall in the city before winter comes. Trying to soak it all in as it's my favourite season. 

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Zoya Urban Grunge

I have been rocking Zoya's Urban Grunge collection since the start of fall, but now that the holiday season is upon us, I needed to get this post out stat, so you could pick up a few shades as well. I know these sparkly shades are going to be amazing for winter and new year looks. I mentioned in my September favourites that I feel like this collection was perfect for me, so it was tough to not just order the whole collection. Here are the six shades I opted for (see I did good-I only ordered half ;p)

August (Blue toned Gray Creme)

Noah (Nude Creme)

Troy (Metallic Gun Metal)

Alicia (Silver Holo with Champagne shift)

Merida (Deep Evergreen Scattered Holo)

Finley (Deep Royal Purple Scattered Holo)

Did you order any polishes from Urban Grunge? Which are your favourites?

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Birchbox | October 2016

I am loving this month's Birchbox. Now that it finally arrived-I have been having such bad shipping luck recently. This month's theme is reviving and restoring. Something I definitely look for in my beauty products.

Box Breakdown

Air Repair Super Hydrating Eye Cream

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask

Marcelle Xtension Plus Curl Mascara

Tocca Crema da Mano in Cleopatra

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo

This box was perfect for me! I couldn't wait to try everything. I love a good mask, and this one by Tata Harper is perfect for giving your skin a fresh start. Follow that up with the Air Repair Eye Cream which is super hydrating for the colder, windier weather. Another fall/winter weather must have is hand cream. I love the size of this one from Tocca, and the scent is amazing. The Marcelle Curl Mascara gives your lashes a dose of volume, length, and curl. No need to choose. Finally, I received another R+Co product, and of course, I love it. Can't go wrong with a good dry shampoo. 

What did you get in this month's BB? What did you pick for November's box?

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Beauty Favourites | September 2016

Happy October! It's been awhile since I've done a favourites. I feel like I have been using the same products all summer. Well, now I have a few new items in the mix and thought I'd share. I even made a video! Filming and editing are so hard-I think I'm slowly getting better at it? I'd love to share more through YouTube, so let's hope the learning curve gets a little easier over time.

Nars Nordstrom's Best Blush Palette

Milk Makeup Highlighter

Burt's Bees Pumpkin Spice Lip Balm

Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black

Zoya August, Troy, & Alicia from the Urban Grunge collection

Wet n Wild Contour Palette in Dulce de Leche

Muji Sonic Diffuser Love & Energy Blends

Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner, Luminous Eye Serum, Coconut Water Day Cream

R+Co Analog Cleansing Foam Conditioner

Too Faced Brow Envy

Urban Decay Naked Smoky

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Body Wash

What were your favourites this month?

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Fall Nails | Zoya Hunter & Aggie

Just wanted to share a simple fall mani. I have been loving pairing Zoya Hunter, a deep forest green, and Zoya Aggie, a bronze-oil slick duochrome. I have done the accent nail thang and loved it, so I decided to pair it again but as a gradient. A touch of glitter is perfect for this time a year- just a bit more festive. If it's a metallic polish using a make-up sponge for the gradient is the way to go. If it's a chunky glitter in a clear base, you can go straight from the bottle.

What's been your favourite fall polish combo?

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Beauty Favourites | October 2015

Really late on this one, but here are my October beauty favourites! Many items you have seen over & over again.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit

Nars Blame it on the Nars

Bite Winterberry

Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara

Macadamia Nourishing Moisture Oil Treatment

Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade Soft Brown

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Ole Henriksen Empower Featherweight Moisturizer

Zoya Aggie

Zoya Hunter

Wet n Wild Wine Room

Bite Bellini

100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

Urban Decay Naked 3

What were your stand-outs last month?

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Hello November!

Did October go by in the blink of an eye or was it just me? I'm planning on doing an October Instagram Round-Up to show my #31thingstodoinOctober pics, but today I want to focus on the upcoming month. With October, the change is bright and obvious, from greens to orange. Hot days mixed with sweater weather. However, the change from October to November was very equally as apparent with the clock change. The days are so much shorter now. Before I am out of work, it looks as though it was midnight. October brings about outdoor activities, while I feel November is about those cozy nights in and appreciating the little things.

Soon these orange and red leaves will crumple up brown. But there is a lot to look forward to as the holiday season swiftly approaches. I know I already am trying to finalize Thanksgiving and Christmas plans. Browsing through stores, thoughts of gift giving are coming to the surface.There is so much to do. And then don't even get me started on how soon it will be 2016. Where does the time go..

While October was jam packed with events, I am hoping to take it slower this November. Prep for the holidays, so it doesn't catch me off-guard. Maybe, cook at home a little more often. Make a few DIY gifts. Relax for the inevitable craziness of the Thanksgiving to New Years rush. Will three weeks be enough time? Probably not. Though this quarter of the year is my favourite, it has to be the one to pass by the most quickly. Hopefully, I get a couple of more weekends of colourful leaves.

What are your hopes for November?

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Hallowreads

Fall time just makes me want to snuggle up under the covers with a good book and a creamy cup of tea. I have a wide interest in genres and am always on the look out for recommendations. I have blogged a few times here and there on my current reads and thought, in honour of Halloween, I would share a spooky assortment.

Thriller

Sometimes you just want that quick, page turner to make the train ride a little more entertaining or that lazy weekend a bit more exciting. My go-to recommendation in that department (and I am sure many others) is Gillian Flynn. If you really haven't read Gone Girl (come on now!), trade that scary movie marathon for the novel instead. Or try one of her other works, Dark Places and Sharp Objects. If you are like really, Kim, of course I have read Gillian Flynn. I have a couple of not-quite-copy-cats but along the same lines. I enjoyed Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins a thriller told through an unreliable narrative. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica is another quick, psychological option as well.

True Crime

If you are looking for something a bit more intellectual and like your horror historical, give The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson a go. A dual story of America's World Fair in Chicago intertwined with H.H. Holmes serial killings make for an engrossing tale. Initially you read it for the Holmes story, but somewhere along the way the historical significance and climate of Chicago architecture in the 1890s begins to grow more and more interesting. I can't believe how many everyday objects began from that fair in Chicago. Plus, if you read it now, you will be ahead of the game when it premieres as a Scorsese movie, starring none other than Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Ghost Story

No real ghosts, but this short story changes position and type such that it reads with the tempo of a tale around a campfire. The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski only takes an hour, so it's perfect for Halloween night-the day the story begins. It's now a tradition for me to read it each Halloween. If you fall in love with the style and want more, House of Leaves is another perfect Halloween read as an uncanny tale. House of Leaves is an endeavor, but I highly recommend it-so start now! And while you are at it, pick up The Familiar Vol. 1 and pre-order Vol. 2 which will be released on October 27th.

Currently, I am reading a horror novel that Preston recommended called Bird Box by Josh Malerman. So far, I am very intrigued. I would say this is your classic horror novel- post-apocalypse, mysterious killings, Stephen King-esque. 

Do you have an spooky book recommendations?

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The Weekend | Apple Picking

This weekend Preston & I headed to New Jersey and were in for an awesome weekend of fun fall activities. It was amazing to spend the long weekend outdoors in basically an Autumn wonderland.

I have never been apple picking before, being a girl from Florida. I imagined it would be a lot more difficult to access and was pleasantly surprised by how many farms are open to the public. We went to Melick's Town Farm. It was fun to walk around the grounds and see all the different fruits and veggies.

There were amazing views from the top of the hill. So many trees are showing their Autumn colours. We also got a short hay ride too.

We left with bags of apples, apple cider doughnuts, and this delicious Sparkling Apple Cider.

After our farm excursion, we hiked around the reservoir. We have done this hike quite a few times and love the beautiful Northeastern forest.

Our day didn't end with the hike either. We returned to start baking with our freshly picked apples. Preston made an apple pie, and I made this crumble again. We then headed to Norz Hill farm for some haunted attractions. We miss our Halloween Horror Nights, but this definitely did the trick.

Monday we are headed back to the city, where I am hoping fall will have arrived. I might have covered many fall bucket list items in just one day, but I am in no way ready for this season to end-it has only just begun. 

What were you up to this weekend?

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Lushoween

Spooookyyy! On a cold, fall night, with the wind howling, the prospect of a warm, comforting bubble bath sounds all too perfect. Especially, when you add in a couple of new Lush goodies- then it basically becomes a reason to celebrate. Of course, I had to check out the Halloween items as it is October, and I found a couple of treats I am really excited to try.

Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar This little, glittery pumpkin is so cute. I tend to only buy bubble bars if they are ridiculously adorable as they don't pack as much of a 'wow' factor as the bath bombs do. This one might might be a wow with all the sparkles though! I love the cinnamon stick center. It smells amazing-juniperberry, grapefruit, and lime.

Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb I have heard so many great things about this bath bomb, but since I have been unlucky with Halloween items in the past, I haven't had a chance to try it. First things first, it's huge! It smells amazing as well (patchouli and black pepper oil-though I'm not picking up on that as much as the vanilla and gardenia), it can be a bit overpowering, but I'm going to break this bad boy into quarters, so it won't be an issue. I'm excited to see the changing colours-the deep wine shade should make for a spooky looking bath.

Did you get Lushoween items?

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October Filofax Weeks

Hello again! My blogging everyday has gotten a bit harder after I lost this weekend to being awfully sick. There always has to be a brick to shatter your plans. Though being under the weather gave me time for some filofaxin'. I have to admit I haven't decorated in what seems like forever.  So I re-peaked my interest with some new glittery orange & black tape.

My version of a 'glam' fall spread. (Oops- I left my temporary meeting note on there!)

I really love how this cozy coffee theme turned out. My favourite planner colours are kraft + black + white.

Halloween! I have so many themed tapes I tried to incorporate them all in little flags.

I am really excited for this month! I have a whole lot of fun things coming up. I haven't written much in my planner pages yet, but it's coming. I'm glad I am feeling much better so I can actually enjoy one of my favourite months of the year. 

Do you decorate your planner?

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