Happy Friday! This was another very long week but I have a long weekend ahead as I'm off from work today. Tomorrow, I'm having a little Hocus Pocus 2 viewing party for my friends and I'm really excited. I'll feature it on the blog next week so you can see everything I put together for a Halloween party.

I can't believe September is over - it went by very slow but it feels like the year has just flown. It's so crazy how time goes by so fast.

I meant to post my September favorites this week but ended up not finishing the blog post in time so I'll post it next week. I want to head into October with a clean slate and some fresh goals, but it seems that I am a victim of my own worst behavior. We'll see if I can get my act together in the last few weeks of my 20s. 

I'll shut up now and get right into the wrap up.

 Megan Miranda is one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors ever and whenever she releases a new book I immediately pre-order it. I know her stories are easy to read, have tormented characters and will always deliver a nice twist.

I knew her latest, "The Last to Vanish", published on July 26th, wouldn't be any different and I was right. I flew threw the book within a few days and it was a solid read. It definitely wasn't my favorite book by Miranda but I enjoyed it and would recommend to mystery lovers and those who enjoy an easy, mild mystery with a handful of twists. 

 I have collected a lot of lip products during my time as a beauty obsessed adult but I don't think I've ever loved a lip product the way I love the Makeup by Mario Glow Lip Serums. When I first heard Mario was coming out with his own makeup line, I expected nothing but the best and he has exceeded expectations.

The Lip Glow serums were the first Mario product I bought and it quickly became my most worn lip product. The serums are one of the most unique lip products I've ever tried and I now own three shades, and hoping to add more to my collection.

Mario just spent the entire summer releasing new high shine shades but the original shades were all shimmer finishes which add a subtle yet beautiful, interesting glow to your lips. It gives a lot of definition while providing a glossy finish without feeling overly slippery. 

 This was an incredibly long week and I'm thrilled it's over. It started off with waking up at 5 AM on Monday for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. It was really moving and special to be able to watch this monumental, historic moment filled with so many emotions.

The week continued with a vengeance - I went into the office one day, which was really nice even though the UN traffic was a nightmare. The week dragged on as I was hunkered over my laptop for most of the work days. This weekend I have my cousin's Baptism and I'm excited to see him and celebrate. This officially starts a very busy few weeks ahead and it's going to be really fun.

I wasn't in the best mood this week, mainly because of PMS and just being too inside my head, along with feeling a little lost. It's been a rough year and knowing that it's coming to an end soon along with my 30th birthday, I'm just feeling a lot of things and thinking about my life for the past 10 years. It's been a rollercoaster.

Let me not get ahead of myself, let's just get into the post.

As hard as I try there are some books that just don't click with me. Sometimes I DNF (do not finish) and sometimes I power through because I'm hoping that it gets better. I end up not liking books for a bunch of different reasons: the writing, the storyline, the pace or characters. 

Over the course of a year I usually end up liking most of the books I read but this year, I've DNFed a lot of books and have really disliked a lot that I've read. Even if I didn't totally dislike it, I wasn't fond of a lot of the stories.

Perhaps it's because I expect more because I read too much or because I'm trying to read books that aren't for me. 

I don't like bashing books but I had a lot of thoughts about these particular books I didn't like so let's get into it

This post is for the ladies and it's going to be a little TMI so proceed with caution.

I went off birth control in January of this year. I had been on it for 8 years and was just ready to be done with it. I was having horrible migraines and my mental health wasn't great. I thought that maybe the birth control was contributing to that so I figured I'd try to get off it.

Well, that was a mistake, and I kind of regret it. That's an entirely different post but basically, my mood swings and PMS symptoms have been out of control and I finally feel like now, 9 months later, my body has adjusted. 

However, along with those mood swings and PMS comes a period like I haven't had since I was 15 years old. I used to get bad periods, like staying home from school, leaving school early, or, spending the day in the nurse's office bad. 

Because of this, I needed a solution that wasn't panty liners, tampons, or pads. I wanted to be comfortable and didn't feel like dealing with disposable solutions. Menstrual cups are not something I want to try so that was definitely out. I had tried period underwear (both disposable and Thinx brand) before but wasn't impressed with the fit so I was at a loss.

 What a week! This felt incredibly long yet so fast that I can't even tell you what I did. I find that when I'm busier at work the weeks go by very fast because I almost don't have time to think about anything else. 

This week in New York it finally felt like fall and I wore a cardigan for the first time. It felt incredible and I was over the moon. Thursday was one of the most beautiful weather days we've had in a long time and it was the best feeling. 

Last weekend kicked off a busy few months and I'm excited! I had my cousin's wedding which was so fun, this weekend I'm just hanging out with friends, and next weekend is a winery tour and my cousin's baptism. Then, I'm throwing a Halloween party for my friends, going to see Funny Girl, going to see a live podcast, another wedding, and then DISNEY WORLD!

I don't know if I mentioned that here but I am going to Disney World with my best friend to celebrate our 30th birthday, happening at the end of November. We were born a few days apart and figured this would be a great way to celebrate a special birthday. I honestly can't believe it's happening, I'm so excited.

There are so many good things happening and I'm just really feeling great about all of them. 

Let's get into the roundup...

 There hasn't been a Riley Sager book yet that I didn't like and this was not the exception. I was waiting with bated breath for the release of "The House Across the Lake" and since I got denied for an ARC from Netgalley, I had to wait until June 21st to read it. 

Well, I ate it up in a few days and while the book has been met with controversial, mixed opinions, I enjoyed it... even if it was a little out there. The thing that people didn't like about this book was that they felt it was too similar to another book and that it kind of jumped the shark a bit in terms of a twisty ending.

I was fine with both aspects so let's get right into the review.

If you haven't heard, fall is my favorite season and as soon as the weather drops below 70 degrees I am in fall mode. I've already decorated (though I held off an extra week) and brought out a few fall themed graphic tees and sweatshirts, and I put away my bathing suits and shorts. Once it gets a little cooler I'll break out the sweaters and leather pants. 

With the change of seasons comes a new bout of trends, from fashion to decor to food to beauty. I love a good fall beauty trend report and I think that this year, the trends are all over the place, in a good way. There are trends for the very bold, like face gems and bleached brows and trends that are more wearable, like what I'm going to talk about today.

This summer was really the summer of glazed donut skin and Rare Beauty blush... I don't see those going anywhere any time soon but perhaps with just a cool weather twist. 

I scoured the internet and used my beauty industry insider brain to come up with the trends I'm most excited to see and wear this fall season.

 The Queen is dead, long live The King.

When I woke up this morning to give my first company wide presentation to 400 people, I was not expecting to also see the news that Queen Elizabeth II was in declining health. Once I heard that, I knew the other shoe would drop within the day and when I heard the news, I felt incredibly sad.

Monarchy issues/faults aside, I believe she was a strong woman who was incredibly dedicated to her role. She was the longest reigning monarch and the last Queen a lot of us will see in our lifetime. She took the throne at 25 years old and had truly dedicated her life to ruling. She took her job incredibly seriously and has been a steadfast figurehead for really the entire world. 

The UK now has a new monarch... King Charles III and Queen Consort. Prince William and Kate are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall... everyone moves up in the line of succession. This is a huge deal not just for the United Kingdom but for the entire world. I am really interested to see how the world reacts to King Charles and what happens next.

This is a big deal and even though we knew it was going to happen, it still feels like a big shock.

If you didn't know, I am NOT from the UK but I have always had a fascination with the Royal Family, from Princess Diana to William & Kate's wedding... I started this blog a year after the Royal Wedding which is why it is named Royally Pink. 

We'll now get into regularly scheduled programming...

There have been multiple Peter Pan retellings published recently which I find odd but also fascinating. Peter Pan is one of my favorite Disney movies and I love reading what are essentially sequels to the story of the boy who never grew up.

Last year I read Wendy Darling last year and it was really good so when I got a ARC of 'Darling Girl' by Liz Michalski I was excited to read another novel based around this classic children's story. 

A children's story this was not... this book deserves all the trigger warnings but my goodness it was incredible. A lot of people do not like this book but I really loved it. It was dark, twisted, exciting and so interesting. Of course it is about Peter Pan so it's not realistic but this was a really out of the box story and I loved it. It was so incredibly far fetched I couldn't help but get swept up in it. 

 Starting a new job is really scary. I've started 4 jobs in my lifetime and each time, I was incredibly anxious and unsure of what I was getting myself into. It is a major life change and it takes a lot of guts to start over. Whenever you start a new job you are taking a risk, on your new employer but also on yourself. 

In my opinion, I think it takes at least a year to be fully adjusted to a new job. I don't think it matters what age you are or what level you're at in your career, getting comfortable and understanding all the ins and outs of a new place of work can take a long time. 

I do think that it gets easier as you have more experience because when I started my new job in June, I wasn't as nervous as I've been in the past. I'm not sure if that's because I started virtually so I was in my own home and a familiar environment or because I have almost a decade of experience and I'm confident that I'm the right person for the job. 

Confidence is key and you got the job for a reason so take a deep breath.

When you're starting a new job there are a few things to expect and prepare for.

Happy Friday! Happy September! Happy Fall! This week dragged on and while it was really difficult at times I found some bright spots, like morning walks to Starbucks to get the first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. 

I ordered my Nespresso Pumpkin Spice Cake pods, am headed to Target and Trader Joe's this weekend for all the fall items and will be decorating my room on Labor Day. It is my season and I am ready. 

I'm really looking forward to the long weekend as I need to get my life together and do some soul searching. With a new job position comes new responsibilities and I need to learn a better work life balance. 

Does anyone else feel like they are stuck in a cycle of negativity? I simply cannot break the bad habits and stick to something that makes me feel good. I need to just be a better version of myself - if anyone has any tips, please let me know.

For now,  I will try my best to be better and have a nice, long end of summer weekend! Let's get into the post.