Ok, there’s a theme for this one… It’s my five favorite Instagram accounts featuring cats. I’m sorry. I feel like it was only a matter of time. But it’s happening. @adventurecatsorg – One time, we took Bisous outside. He refused to get out of the cat carrier. A photo posted by Adventure Cats (@adventurecatsorg) on Sep 21, 2015 at 5:05pm PDT </blockquote> @hellokitty – I mean, has Kim ever posted a photo of herself made out of spam?

As I mentioned on Monday, I’m in San Diego this week. Which means a few long flights and a week in a hotel. Of course, I brought my usual makeup, most of which will be in my September Favorites soon, but there are other specific bits I make sure I have to make traveling a little easier. Ok, let’s get this out of the way. The R+Co Dry Shampoo Paste. Seriously, Alina, enough.

Ok yes, it’s insane that “holiday” sets are being announced (and even released!) in September. But that doesn’t mean we can’t wishlist the crap of them. Holiday Beauty sets have some of the coolest limited edition shades and products, usually at an incredible value. Here are my picks (so far) for this year! First, these Guerlain Snowflake Meteorites: Guerlain Meteorites Perles des Neiges – $80 OMG if that’s not the most perfect winter makeup ever.

How-two: 2 easy steps to doing something just a little bit better… Dry shampoo is seriously a game changer. Not only does it let you go longer between washes, something that’s not only great for your hair and scalp but down right convenient, but it also gives your hair more volume and texture. The quick and easy way to apply it is just to sprinkle or spray (or scrunch if you’re opting for this paste) right onto the sections of your hair that need a pick me up to absorb grease and refresh your ‘do.

I’m in San Diego this week for work, so it’s a lot less like fall all of a sudden, but I’m sticking with it anyway. And what says fall fashion more than wearing leather? Well constructed leather pieces are perfectly structured but soft, sleek but warm, and classic but versatile. I’ve been accumulating leather (and leather look) pieces for years and decided that last week I’d honor the onset of fall weather with one whole work weeks worth of outfits styled around key leather pieces from my wardrobe.

As you’d expect from a beauty sample hoarder and Sephora fangirl, I signed up for the Play! box as soon as it was available. Let’s take a look at what’s inside: My overall impression: This is a bigger box than you’d expect from Birchbox or Ipsy, with deluxe samples, good variety of color, skin, and hair care, and well-known brands. It’s also a great value for $10. So the first impact is a good one, but looking closer….

Happy Friday! What have you been loving this week? My picks below! Madewell v-neck pocket tees are the best closet staple (and on sale!) I’m stocking up on fall colors, like Compass Gold (below). Glamour Magazine’s Lipstick Index tracks social media beauty posts to find out what’s hot. So cool to see a real time indicator of beauty trends! This tilapia recipe is the best I’ve found. We paired it with wild rice and roasted broccoli for an easy weeknight dinner.

What’s on my desk? Here’s a peek at the essentials I like to keep on hand at work. Hand cream – Industrial, generic, anti-bacterial office bathroom soap is a dry hand nightmare, especially in the winter. I keep Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream at my desk. I got a sample of this cream and loved it so much I went out and bought the full size. The scent is light but lovely, and the cream itself is thick and luxe, so a little bit goes a long way and the $40 tube lasts a long time.

Moule-frites is just a fancy French/Belgian way of saying “mussels and french fries”. During an excursion to Whole Foods (we tried out the new one in InkBlock and omg it’s enormous) we discovered some Maine mussels and thought, well why not? We looked up a recipe for a white wine broth that seemed reasonable and bought a regular old potato for frying. For the mussels: Ingredients: 2/3 bottle dry white wine (we used the Three Wishes Pinot Grigio from Whole Foods because it’s about $3) 4-6 tablespoons butter One onion 4 cloves garlic Dry and fresh herbs to taste (we used fresh basil and dried cilantro because… well, that’s what we had) 1 pound fresh live mussels Bring the wine to a simmer with the butter, onion, garlic and herbs.

If you had asked me a year ago how I felt about hair paste I probably would have responded: “Hair what?!” But they have become part of my regular hair care and styling routine, so I thought I’d give a quick rundown on my favorite products and how to use them. The newest and probably the star of the show: R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste I feel like people are just coming around to the idea of dry shampoo, and now you throw a paste version at them?