It's the end of the first month of Fall and I can't believe how quickly it feels like time is moving. In actuality, I feel like September was very slow -- it feels like Labor Day Weekend was forever and a moon ago.

I am so excited for October I can hardly contain myself! There is so much to look forward too... first being getting the stitches out of my leg. I mentioned this last week but I got stitches on Monday in my leg after having the remnants of a mole removed. I've been in so much pain and discomfort, I just want them out of me!

Other than getting my body back, there's pumpkin picking, and Hocus Pocus and other fun Fall/Halloween activities. It really is my favorite time of the year.

September was good in terms of my favorites. I did well in terms of not shopping too much but I still have some new favorites to talk about.

September Favorites

The first favorites of the year always seem special to me. I love the clean slate that January brings and I think this January I realized a lot about myself. Whether those changes I realized I needed to make were actually made or not, I think making the steps is important.

One of the best things to happen in January; starting The Beaute Report. I took my Royally Pink newsletter and changed it into a beauty newsletter where I break down the beauty news/gossip of the week along with some new products that I think look particularly interesting.

Sign up here and I promise I won't spam your inbox; I only send the newsletter once a week, usually on a Friday

Now, let's get into some favorites!



1. Louis Vuitton MM Agenda: My preloved Louis Vuitton addiction has reared its ugly head again and it all started with my need for an MM agenda. I purchased this in late December off eBay and I have been obsessed. I will do a full post on this later this month but if you're considering a Louis Vuitton agenda, go with the MM. I have 2 PMs and the MM is so much better.

2. Alex and Ani Rings: I talked your ears off about my love of Alex and Ani but I really need to express my love for their rings. I've worn nothing but the Peace ring and my birthstone ring. As I write this, I'm looking at some other rings. They're so comfortable, gorgeous, and very simple-- all you could want in a piece of jewelry.

3. Laura Geller Color Luster Hi-Def Top Coat Lipgloss: I am NOT a lipgloss lover. I've tried so many different formulas, colors, and brands but nothing ever seems to stick with me. I just can't stand the feeling of sticky lips or when my hair sticks to my lips (even if it's not windy, my hair still ends up with lipgloss on the ends). However, these new lippies were released this month and I've been obsessed. The colors Pink Sapphire & Rose Tourmaline sit at my desk and I apply them all day long. They aren't sticky but stays on all day long, and don't add a lot of color, but more shine & shimmer. They're a metallic gloss but are so wearable. I'm OBSESSED!

4. NetGalley: I talked about Netgalley briefly in my review of 'She Regrets Nothing' but this has definitely been a favorite. I've been using it all month to try and read some new, unreleased books to review for you all! If you're a book lover, reviewer, or a blogger, I highly recommend trying Netgalley out! It's a great resource for those looking to share their recommendations!


What did you love this month?

xoxo
B

I first heard of Alex and Ani when I was in college. The company popped up all over campus, mostly amongst my sorority sisters because of the brand's adorable charm bracelets which included sorority letters.

By the end of my Senior Year,  I had a hefty collection of Alex and Ani bracelets and had noticed that the brand was taking a step back from the traditional bangle jewelry that had put them on the map. They started releasing regular jewelry, including rings and necklaces, which mimicked the look of the bangles.

After graduating, I took a step away from Alex and Ani. My bracelets became tarnished, the brand started to bore me, and I didn't like wearing the bracelets to work because they seemed too cumbersome.

It wasn't until a few months ago that I got back into the Alex and Ani game and my entire view of the brand has changed.

I can confidently say that this brand is one of my favorite brands ever... top 5 for sure.

I feel like Alex and Ani have found its voice. One look at their website, brand blog, and social media and you'll see that they are a brand that has spiritual ties. I don't mean religious ties, I mean spirt such as healing, astrology, ancient wisdom, and so much more. The brand is empowering, has a wellness edge and is just simply calming.

I think what I also like about them is that they aren't just selling you their products; there are different aspects of the brand and that can be seen in their app and their blog. They're informative and focused on giving customers something else to believe in. It's a really informative brand and gives you the story behind their products.

Every piece has a story, a few descriptive words to tell you what you're buying. For example, the Compass bangle comes with a card that says "Objective, Direction, Transition"... it makes you feel like you have something other than just a bangle.

Alex and Ani also have a huge charity story where they create collections based on certain charities and even have sales on their items to donate to organizations.

The brand is a good brand; it has good intentions, great products, and a really wonderful story.

Since I've gotten back on the Alex and Ani bandwagon, I've made so many purchases (they also have amazing sales) and I feel so good about my collection.



These are the new items I bought recently:

Cosmic Balance Bangle
Peace Wrap Ring
Birthstone Ring
Let it Snow Bangle (similar)
What Is For You Bangle

I don't think I have a favorite item, but I really love the Peace Wrap Ring. I wear it on my middle finger, it fits perfectly and is so comfortable. I need more wrap rings ASAP because they're just so cool.

I've gotten rid of a few bangles over the years because they were so tarnished, they were seemingly unwearable -- and this was before I discovered the Alex and Ani cleansing cloth that I blogged about last week (LIFE CHANGING, I PROMISE YOU!)



Here are the bangles (and one ring) that I had in my collection from years ago; some of them are no longer available or have been revamped.



Evil Eye (I have the older version, here is the new one)
New Beginnings Bangle
Path of Life Spoon Ring
November Birth Stone Bangle
Stellar Love Bangle
Niece Bangle (no longer available)
Graudation Cap Bangle (2014 verison)
Phi Sigma Sigma Bangle (no longer available)

I'm forever lusting over new Alex and Ani pieces so below is my wishlist for the time being!

I've always been someone who takes care of my things very carefully. Everything I have is always in perfect condition and I'm very serious about making sure they stay that way.

That being said, I'm not perfect and something that falls on the waist side is the fact that my jewelry is always dirty.

I've always loved jewelry but I occasionally do have periods of time where I hardly wear anything aside from rings.

Right now, however, I'm having an 'I love jewelry' moment and after deep diving into my collection, I needed to get everything cleaned and bright again.

Most of my Kate Spade jewelry as well as some costume jewelry doesn't ever really get dirty or tarnished so I don't have to worry about that but others are not as lucky.

The pieces that get the dirtiest are my Tiffany jewelry and my Alex and Ani items. It was so bad that I couldn't even wear most of my stuff because it was filthy and looked very tarnished. The problem was that you can't use jewelry cleaner on Alex and Ani pieces so I wanted to find something that could clean everything I have and do it in a safe way.

I'll be damned because the item I'm talking about is pure magic.

How the cloth looks after it's been used

Alex and Ani have their own cleaning cloth that is made for their jewelry and you can use it on other brands as well. I figured it would work but I truly had no idea how good.

All you have to do is rub the jewelry between the two pieces of cloth and it is magically good as new.

Before

Before2

After

It was weird because whenever I rubbed the cloth on the jewelry, there was some sort of smoke (or some airy substance) coming off of the cloth. It was wild and weird but I was so pleased because I cleaned every piece of dirty, tarnished jewelry I had and everything is gorgeous and good as new.

Before

After  *it's a little more difficult to see the difference*

I cannot recommend this cleaning cloth enough. It's inexpensive, reusable, and you don't have to wait for your jewelry to dry. You can literally keep one of these in your purse, car, or on your desk and you can clean your jewels whenever you want!

How do you clean your jewelry?
xoxo
B

For the better half of 2017 I was super focused on wellness.

I love the idea of being mindful, peaceful, and really just taking care of every part of your mind, body, and soul. I've been obsessively reading Well + Good which is a website that I've read little of in the past but the past month have really enjoyed.

I guess you can also say that I went off the hippie, dippy deep end and have also been into spiritual and healing trends. I owe this to the Alex and Ani app & blog which offer a lot of quotes, motivation, and insight into spiritual ideals.

When I was planning content in my new Content Planner (post/review coming soon) and thinking about content for the month of January, wellness was something that kept sticking out to me.

To me, wellness is all about being the best person you can be, for yourself. It can mean staying home and watching a calming movie or organizing your closet so your mind is more at peace. It can be having lemon water in the morning or buying a new sports bra to wear to your new gym.

There has been a lot of talk about wellness and self care in 2017 and something more and more people were researching and focusing on. That is going to continue into the new year and I for one am super excited about it.



I wanted one of my first wellness posts of the year to be about the trends you're going to see this year, in all areas of wellness. These are the trends that I think are attainable, relatable, and ones that I will for sure be focusing on.

1. Hygge Activewear: We won't see the disappearance of the activewear trend any time soon but we will see it get a little cozier and take on some hygge aspects. I am obsessed with Hygge and just finished this book on it. 

2. Beauty That Protects: I'm not talking about SPF here, we've got that down pat. I'm talking about beauty and skincare that protects you from enviornmental dangers and pollution. We talked about this at my company in late 2016 and it's so weird to see that it actually was right on target. Urban Decay already released their pollution protecting setting spray and I'm sure we'll see more as the year ticks on.

3. Even More Self Care: Self care was a huge thing in 2017; more people stayed home, took baths with bath bombs, and drank tea (I'm guessing?) but this isn't going anywhere either! It's a huge thing right now to be really into your self and being a bit selfish when it comes to taking care of YOU so I'm happy with this trend staying put.

4. Lunar Everything: I've always been into horoscopes and astrology but this year, the shift is moving to Lunar; focusing on moonscopes, supermoons, and all that jazz. The moon is said to effect us even more than other planets so it'll be interesting to see this take center stage.

5. Women Working Spaces: Have you heard of WeWork? What about The Wing? While WeWork isn't a women's only working space, The Wing is and I'm super into it. There are a few all over New York and they're going to be opening up in more cities this year. I wish I had a remote job just so I could join The Wing. The reason this is a wellness trend is because it's bringing women together to empower and care for each other. I'm all for it!

What wellness trends are you excited about?
xoxo
B

Alex and Ani Bangle  C.Wonder Scented Candle ban.do Back Me Up iPhone Charger Throw Pillow Macaroons Glass Ornaments  Natural Life Initial Mug