Six I’m Trying this October

Where on earth is the time going? I can't believe we're nearing the end of October already. Speaking of time flying by - I've officially been in my new place with my bf for an entire month. Like really tho, time. is. a. flyin'. When I moved out I told myself that I would be good about my spending habits - especially after I rearranged all my stuff and saw just how much beauty/skincare bits I have in one place. If you guys have your stuff scattered everywhere, I highly recommend putting it all together as it is a bit mind boggling. Unfortunately I wasn't very good about not adding new things in - partially because some good deals came about and partially because I wanted some new things for new reasons. Here are 6 new things I've been using/trying this month!

The first addition to my collection earlier this month were some skincare bits from Jordan Samuel Skincare. I picked up The Original Trio which includes the treatment cleanser, hydrate serum, and étoile facial oil. I know I should be trying all three together but right now I have too many cleansers/oils on rotation, so the one thing I really wanted to use was the hydrate serum which is a firm favorite of many skincare lovers out there. I quite think this is a thicker version of Glossier Super Bounce but some others think it's reversed. Although it's thicker to me, it still feels lightweight on the skin and my skin is absolutely glowing in the morning. In addition to the hydrate serum, I've been using the Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Glycolic via the Volume 1: Hot Date. This set is SUCH a good deal as the night serum on its own costs $90, but this set gives you some mini trials of the cleanser, moisturizer, and virgin marula oil for a mere $8 more. With the Sephora VIB sale coming up this is definitely one to snag as I'm sure it'll be selling out ASAP. 

I picked up my first big Lush haul since moving out where I restocked on one of my favorite body washes (The Olive Branch) which I share with my bf. I also picked up my first (I know) bath bombs/bubble bars. One that has been on my list for forever was The Comforter Bubble Bar. I've yet to try this but I think I'll be giving this a whirl this weekend! But in the meantime I'm enjoying how pretty this one looks. Once I give some of my haul a try I'll be sure to give my own opinionated views on them ! 

On the makeup side I haven't really added anything "fun" in a while, aside from buying restocks of my everyday go-to eyeliners and concealers. I went on a shopping date with my mom a few weekends back and she kindly bought me some bits from Charlotte Tilbury - including the Instant Look in a Palette Beauty Glow. I've been eyeing this palette for a few months now and I'm excited to have this in my collection! I think it's the perfect palette as it has some neutral eye colors (which I'm trying to use more of) with some face powders which are perfect go-to's in my daily routine (blush + highlight and a little bit of bronzer). 

In addition to wanting to mix up my eye makeup, I also wanted to mix up my everyday look a bit - including my hair. I have naturally wavy hair but it's kind of the odd, inconsistent wave. To make everything nice and even I usually straighten my hair as that's easiest, but these days I'm a lot lazier and don't want to do much. I've been seeing these heated brush type straighteners and when the Polished Perfection Set deal from Amika came about, it was hard to resist. For the price of the Straightening Brush, you also get a mini version perfect for traveling along with full sizes of their Texturizing Spray + Dry Shampoo. I'd never tried any of their haircare so I thought it'd either be a good way to test their products out or maybe I'll just gift them away to someone for the holidays :) I've given this a try twice now and am actually very impressed with the results. I find that brushing my hair outwards is the easiest as I can still press my hair against the back of the brush to quickly even out my hair. It took probably 5 minutes or less to straighten my whole head and it was actually quite even and a lot less work than using my straightener. I'm pretty sure my day job is giving me early onset carpal tunnel and my hand has been cramping up a lot when using my straightener (yep, I'm in my 20's LOL). So I think this will definitely help with that and I'll keep you guys posted on how I like it in the long run! 

The last thing which I'm probably most excited for are my new Air Pods. My boyfriend surprised me with these and I've been using them everyday since. He has a pair and loves them so he knew I'd like a pair too. Since we moved in our desks are on the opposite ends of a couch and it can definitely get pretty loud when we're both trying to do work. He also knows it can get pretty loud for me at work so having headphones but be easily mobile is important. Tbh I was never all too fussed about Air Pods when they were first released, but they're definitely a nice little treat if you can afford them. I'm still using my iPhone 6s but whenever I do upgrade, I know the wireless headphones are gonna be extremely handy to have! 

What are some bits that you've been testing/using recently?

* This post contains affiliate links. All profits from my blog are always funneled back into this space in someway or another. As always, I am so thankful for your continued support!!

** HUGE thanks to my girl Adri (@sortofobsessed) who gifted me a Sephora Friends & Family coupon so I could snag some of my Sephora bits in this post as well as some backups :)