You may or may not be aware that Sephora’s Holiday Bonus is already underway for Rouge Members (I currently only have VIB status). Not to worry: VIB Members and Beauty Insiders get our own discount between November 7 and November 11!
Time for another empties post! I finished up a bunch of beauty products in early October but my emptying waned as the month progressed. Still, I emptied a fair amount of stuff.
My fifth annual 31 Days of Horror challenge is complete! I watched 33 movies this year—there were two days in which I managed to watch two films. As per usual, this challenge got a little tedious near the end of the month, but fortunately there is no shortage of streaming horror movies to choose from. In fact, picking a movie each day was the hardest part. The infinite scroll struggle is real!
October 1: The Cabin in the Woods (2011). I’ve seen this movie two or three times before, but it’s always entertaining. I decided to kick the month off with it because I recently started listening to Cabin Minute Cast, which got me in the mood for a rewatch!
October 2: Witchboard (1986). Starring Stephen Nichols (Patch from Days of Our Lives!) and 80s video vixen Tawny Kitaen. Was this a quality film? No. Was it better than I expected? Yes. It held my attention, at least. And I appreciated the nods to The Shining and The Evil Dead in the final act. It also cracked me up that Ms. Kitaen’s nail color was different in every scene. Great job, continuity team!
1. Halloween Party Makeup: last weekend I went to a crime scene-themed Halloween party. I was tasked to dress as the murderer (we also had a victim, a detective, a medical examiner, and a cop), but I’m super lazy about costumes so I just did fun makeup. I’m really happy with how it turned out! Makeup details are in this Instagram post.
I was recently accepted for a Palm collaboration with sunscreen brand MDSolarSciences! So I paid an access fee for the opportunity to try the Mineral Crème SPF 50 (this is not a sponsored post). Of course I wanted to share my thoughts about the sunscreen here with you. Please read on, and if you like what you read, I have a 25% off discount code for you (which I do not earn commission on)!
1. Beetle House DC: John took me to the NYC Beetle House for my birthday a few years back, and when I heard they were opening in DC, we had to go! So we did an early birthday celebration there for him last weekend. The DC location is for some reason a prix fixe dinner menu, which is not how I like to eat (I’m not a three-course gal). But the decor was spooky cool and the cocktails, which came bubbling with dry ice smoke, were a highlight. The food was fine, nothing special. After dinner you’re encouraged to go to the upstairs bar for a complementary variety show…and it was honestly underwhelming. I don’t feel the need to go back, but it was fun to check out once. More pics here.
1. El Camino: this newly-released Breaking Bad movie captured my full attention from start to finish. I won’t spoil anything, but the story is all about Jesse Pinkman as a fugitive. To me, the movie felt like the Breaking Bad epilogue that we didn’t know we needed. I honestly haven’t felt super engaged with a lot of the movies and tv shows I’ve watched lately, but this one had me completely captivated. Vince Gilligan did a spectacular job, as per usual.
I’m fortunate to have received a lovely gift set from classic skin care brand Erno Laszlo! I’ve heard of the brand but have never tried any of their products. As you can imagine, I’m very grateful for the opportunity, as always! I got to choose from several full sized skin care sets. Because winter is coming and my skin gets so dry, I picked the Hydra-Therapy trio. And they threw in a mini White Marble Cleansing Oil, along with a super cute pink velvet scrunchy. Thank you so much, Erno Laszlo!
Recently, I was texting with a friend and she asked me if I was getting the Sephora Play! Luxe Vol. 5 bag. I wasn’t even aware this bag of luxe minis existed, but I decided to get one! These are now sold out, so I’m glad I jumped on it when I did. My friend ordered a set for each of us; we got Box B, which was the only available version (out of of three options) at the time.
I am super delayed with writing this post! Awhile back, indie brand Atomic Makeup reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in trying some of their products. Of course I was thrilled to have the opportunity! It’s always fun to discover new brands, and Atomic sounds exciting to me: not only are their products 100% vegan and cruelty-free, they’re formulated and made in my longtime former home, New York City.
