US readers - I’m sure you know, but today is Election Day! If you’re eligible to vote and haven’t yet, PLEASE DO today! If the polls close while you’re in line tonight, STAY IN LINE! You’re still allowed to vote as long as you are in line by the time the polls close. I’ll be sharing more resources about Voters’ Rights in my Instagram Stories today. The future of our country depends on the outcome of this election!! Although they were not my first choice during the primaries, I proudly cast my vote for Joe Biden & Kamala Harris today. Anyway, if you’ve voted already and are looking for a distraction from today’s news cycle, here are my October Favorites!
October has absolutely flown by, and now it’s time for my monthly favorites! This month I went even more fashion-crazy and fell in love with J.Crew - so sorry in advance that I’ll probably be mentioning pieces from there for awhile. I didn’t change too much in my beauty routines, but I did still manage to find a few favorites I wasn’t using last month. And I cut my hair! I got curtain bangs a couple weeks ago, so I’ll probably be sharing more hair products soon as I figure out my favorite way to style my new ‘do.
Makeup
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer - I know I’ve been mentioning Rare Beauty so often lately, but I’ve been absolutely loving their products! I’ve been using the concealer every day that I wear makeup, and I only seem to love it more as time goes on. It has a thinner consistency, but it gives decent coverage - about a medium. If you like full coverage concealers, this probably isn’t for you. But I love that it’s quite hydrating so it never gets cakey, and it has a soft glowy finish that I especially love on my undereyes. I find I like it just as much on redness and blemishes, too.
Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lipsticks L to R - Blush, Muse, Beauty, & Fawn. Gloss shades in Muse & Beauty are on top!
Jillian Dempsey Lid Tint, ‘Bronze’ - Exciting news: I can wear eyeshadow again! The eczema on my eyelids has cleared up for now, so I’m not wasting any time in getting back into wearing simple eyeshadows. My favorite one to use has been the Lid Tint in Bronze - I first reached for it because it has a balmy consistency, so I knew it wouldn’t dry my eyelids out and cause another flare-up, but I really fell in love with it all over again. It leaves the prettiest glossy sheen on the eyelids, and the Bronze shade gives a bit of subtle definition that I really like. It creases quite quickly on me, but that’s to be expected for the type of product this is. Creasing doesn’t bother me - I simply just pat the lid tint back into place and continue going about my day.
Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lipsticks - Lisa Eldridge launched a few new shades of her True Velvet Lipsticks along with new gloss and lip liner formulas, and it just reminded me how much I love her lipsticks. I did order the glosses too, and they’re lovely - they’ll probably show up in next month’s favorites. But the lipsticks are truly wonderful and not quite like anything else I’ve tried. They live up to their name in that they do feel and look velvety on the lips. They’re matte, but not totally flat or and don’t leave your lips dried out. There’s still a bit of a softness and glow to them. They’re very comfortable on the lips and last well. If you pat them onto your lips with fingers, they last even longer and won’t transfer under a mask. My favorite shade is Velvet Muse, but I also love Velvet Beauty, Velvet Blush, and Velvet Fawn.
Skin/Bodycare
Naturium Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream - How do we feel about Naturium? I’m still a little iffy on them after the fiasco that happened in the spring (details here), but I did want to call out this Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream. It’s been really saving my skin. We have a propane fireplace to heat our basement (where we spend most of our time after work hanging out), and it gets really dry, even with a humidifier. I’ve been worried about going to bed with dry and dehydrated skin, but this Intense Sleeping Cream is so thick and buttery and just envelops the skin in moisture and locks it in all night. You know those creams that just feel comforting to use? This is like that. I mix a little bit of the REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm for good measure, and my skin has never been happier!
Holifrog Galilee Antioxidant Dewy Drop* - I was so excited about this launch - Holifrog previously only made cleansers, and this new antioxidant serum is their first non-cleansing product! It comes in the cutest little dropper bottle and contains skin-loving ingredients like Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Jojoba Oil, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Azelaic Acid to hydrate, calm, protect, and moisturize the skin. It’s a milky consistency that instantly feels soothing and plumps my skin up. I love using this in the morning especially because it makes my skin look so radiant and healthy. *This product was sent to me as a PR sample
Olive & June Hand Serum - O&J are killing it with their new launches lately. Their new hand serum launched recently, and now I try to make sure I have a bottle on me at all times. My hands have been getting super dry from washing them so often, but this is helping tremendously. I love that it’s so lightweight and sinks in quickly, so I can slap it on and get back to what I was doing without waiting for a dry-down. It doesn’t have any discernible scent, and it’s incredibly hydrating and smoothing, using hyaluronic acid and cactus flower to moisturize and fruit extracts with AHAs to gently exfoliate.
Glossier Body Hero Dry Oil - I LOVE Glossier’s Body Hero line, so I was so excited when they expanded it. I haven’t tried the new Exfoliating Bar yet, but I’ve really been loving the Dry Oil. It has the same lovely neroli scent as the other Body Hero products (I’m still really hoping they make a perfume out of this scent), and it comes in a weighty glass bottle with a spray nozzle. A little goes a long way - I’ve used it all month after every shower and have barely made a dent in it. It’s easy to spray on and rub into the skin, and it feels super nourishing without being greasy or heavy. I like that it sinks in so quickly so I can hurry up and get dressed - definitely necessary now that it’s getting colder out. Who wants to stand around naked in a chilly bathroom?
Hair
Revlon One-Step Volumizer Hair Dryer - I’ve spent years and years trying to learn how to give myself a blowout, but I just can’t do it! It takes forever, makes my arms ache, and it never looks as good or as smooth as when the hairdresser does it. I got the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Hair Dryer, a blow dryer + round brush in one, at the beginning of this year and it’s been an absolute game-changer. I simply divide my hair into three sections, and run the brush through small sections of hair at a time. I can get my whole head done in about ten minutes, and it always looks so voluminous and bouncy - exactly what I’m looking for. Ever since I cut my hair last month, I’ve been using this every time I wash my hair. It’s so easy, and I’ve literally never loved my hair more or felt more confident. I do worry about how hot it gets, though, and I hope I’m not doing too much damage to my hair. I recently picked up Amika’s version in the Sephora sale, so I will test that in comparison and let you know if Amika is worth the price difference!
Style
Sam Edelman Lior Loafers - I’ve had my eye on these ever since the Gucci loafers became popular. I could never spend the Gucci price on one pair of shoes, but the Sam Edelman price tag was more easily digestible. I picked up the Lior Loafers in Saddle Brown from Nordstrom at the beginning of the fall, and I’ve reached for them almost exclusively. The brown shade goes with just about anything, they’re comfortable, and they’re the perfect balance between polished and casual. Every look gets just a little bit elevated when I put these on! They fit true to size for me. I have extremely narrow feet and there’s a little bit of room width-wise, but it’s not too much to feel like they’re not fitting properly.
J.Crew Mock Neck Sweater (currently 50% off with code DRESSYISH) - I featured this sweater in my Sweater Weather post, and I still absolutely love it. It’s comfortable, soft, and really stretchy, but not baggy like you would think with a stretchy material. It feels a bit structured. I love the mock neck to keep cozy without the bulk of a turtleneck. I have this in two shades now - the burgundy and charcoal gray.
J.Crew Polartec Fleece Jacket (currently 25% off with code DRESSYISH) - This might be one of my favorite purchases of the year. I saw Carly the Prepster wearing this, and it looked SO cozy that I had to have it. It’s incredibly soft and warm, but not too heavy or bulky. I love the brown trim on the off-white fleece, and I love that it has snaps instead of a zip. I’ve been wearing this every afternoon to walk the dogs, and I find it keeps me really warm, but since it’s not super heavy it doesn’t make me sweat. A win! Target has one that looks super similar, although I can’t speak to the quality or warmth of that one.
What were your favorite things in October?
This post contains affiliate links.