Columbus Day weekend marked the two-year anniversary of the night Matt and I got engaged. It was a very simple proposal, just in our apartment with a ring in a glass of champagne (cheesy but classic!), followed by the most amazing meal we’ve ever had at Daniel. We did a late seating and chose the 6-course tasting menu with wine pairings so it was quite late and we were quite drunk when we finally made it out of the restaurant.

Beautylish is the exclusive retailer of Bioderma (cult favorite French micellar cleansing water) in the US and they just debuted a 500mL bottle with a pump top! Speaking of beauty e-retailers, Birchbox is launching their own makeup line. We’ve been indulging in affogatos for dessert. And breakfast. And anytime throughout the day. It’s fine. (P.S. You don’t even need to click through to that recipe, it’s literally just ice cream and espresso!

In case you haven’t seen, they recently announced the Allure Best of Beauty Winners for 2015. Brace yourselves before you go look up all of the products though, as the list is quite long. There are about a million categories, and then winners are chosen across mass and prestige products, so there are quite a few winners. Obviously I haven’t tried all of them, but a fair few have made their way into my bathroom or vanity, so I did a bit of the work for you.

This month’s box was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, one of the samples leaked so the whole thing was a bit messy inside, which led to less than fantastic photos, but you’ll get the idea! First, the prime offender, Number 4™ Lumiere dhiver Fluoro5 Elixer Restore & Repair Oil. Ok, ignoring the fact that this has the longest name ever and spilled all over the place, I really like it. It smells amazing.

I woke up to the sound of the rain on the roof this morning. As lovely as that sound is, a rainy day is not the most encouraging after a long weekend! But it brightened up a little bit when I threw on my favorite rainy day outfit. Obviously, I started by not washing my hair, and instead applying a healthy amount of Bumble and bumble’s Pret-a-Powder. For my outfit, there’s nothing cozier than an oversized sweater, and pairing it with sneakers can still be chic if you choose metallic or printed low tops, which look perfect with ankle length jeans.

My new favorite pizza topping (pair it with Italian sausage – YUM) Returning home from San Diego to all of the snuggles from this handsome (yet suspicious) fella I’ve also been living in that white sweater from Madewell. It’s now sold out, but I’m eyeing this one next. So much lust for the new Everlane Petra Backpack in leather. Unfortunately it won’t fit my laptop, so not the most functional for me, but so beautiful.

Shopping for jeans has always been bittersweet for me. Sweet because: new jeans! Bitter because: the fitting room (and the price tags). It’s been a long time struggle until recently. I magically found a pair of jeans that fit perfectly on sale at Intermix about three years ago. They were the J Brand 835 Mid Rise Capris (yes, capris, I have short little legs) in Misfit. The length hit me right above the ankle, which is perfect for wearing with ballet flats or heels or even sneakers.

Matt and I are both huge fans of pie (fun fact: our wedding was on Pi Day – 3/14/15). His favorite is pumpkin, and I can’t get enough blueberry, and we both agree: pecan is also at the top of the list. But really you can’t go wrong with any flavor. My easy pie making secret is to buy the pre-made rolled up pie crusts from the grocery store. I always get better results from the Pillsbury brand crusts rather than generic, but you can stock up when they’re on sale and keep them in the freezer for emergency pie situations.

How-two: 2 easy steps to doing something just a little bit better… A lot of people struggle with how to wear makeup with glasses. There are plenty of videos on youtube that will break down exactly what (and what not) to do, but as a long time glasses and contact lens wearer, this is what has worked for me. Really go for it with your lipstick. You’ve got frames adding weight and drawing attention to the top of your face, so a bright lipstick can balance that out and make your face look more like a face and less like just a pair of lenses.

Before we get too far into October and this becomes irrelevant… I don’t know if I’m going to do monthly favorites. It feels a little repetitive since it’s rare that I find anything life changing, but I haven’t listed my general favorites since my holy grails, so I thought now could be a good time. Here’s what I’ve been loving lately, my September favorites! Again, the R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste.