Candy Corn Nails ☺

---

Red: Forever 21 Love & Beauty / Gold: Chanel in 607 Delight / Orange: Love my Nails in Orange Blosson

Even though Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, I still love the excuse to be all festive and love decorating my home and outfits to match the holidays! For my nails this week, I went with the subtly Halloween inspired theme of candy corn :) 

I took a very simple red and orange stripe down each nail but decided to mix it up with a little sparkly gold at the end - instead of yellow. While it's harder to tell that it's candy corn-inspired with the gold, I think the color brings in a little bit of the golden-y colors of fall! As you might have already noticed, my more complicated design is on my left hand because - hey! I'm right-handed! Over the years, I've learned that it's futile to try to do fancy designs with my weaker hand, so I always do an easier variation instead. This has not only saved me tons of frustration but also gives my nails a little bit of variety between the two sides - which I think makes it even cooler :) 

Shop Similar:

Why I Chose the Day Designer (Again)

I have been a planner addict for as long as I've had homework to do, so I've tried my share of different planners, calendars, and agendas! To date, I don't think I've ever re-bought a single brand of planner because I always prefer to try a new planner style or set-up! While I love pretty much all planners, there's been nothing so far that has fit my lifestyle quite as well as the Day Designer has. I swear this post isn't sponsored - I'm just a planner loving girl with a particularly strong love of the Day Designer, so I thought I'd share a bit on why I've chosen the Day Designer again for year 2017!

Just a Planner vs a Life Planner

For me, my planner is much more than just a to-do list - it's what I live and breathe out of! Everything from to-do lists to wish lists to random daydreaming to writing down my events for the day. Without it, I'm utterly lost! The Day Designer is perfect for people who live out of their planners. It has a spot for everything you can imagine - your to-do list, your daily calendar, what you're grateful for etc. It's truly designed as not just a planner, but a fully comprehensive guide for living life in a well-organized, purposeful manner.

Daily Schedule

One of my biggest issues with past planners was running out of space! I write down nearly everything, because if I don't write it down, it simply won't get done! The Day Designer solves this issue for me because I have an entire page dedicated to each day and can write down each to-do without running out of space. It also includes a daily 5 am to 9 pm schedule, which is pretty in line with the hours I'm awake! So if you're an early bird, Type A, plan-every-single-thing-you-do type of person like me, you might like the Day Designer, too. :P

Gratitude + Inspiration

I love reading about positive psychology research and one finding shows that if you keep a gratitude journal by writing down one thing you are grateful for each night, it increases your happiness! The Day Designer has a gratitude box for each day that gives you enough space to jot down one small thing each day. I've been wanting to maintain a gratitude practice for quite some time and this daily reminder has helped me kick start that habit.  On top of each page, there's also a little motivational quote, which I find comforting to read if I'm having a particularly difficult day or just need a little motivation for the day.

Realistic Goal Setting

When it comes to setting goals for myself, I always have too many things to do and not enough time! The Day Designer tries to be more than just a planner and includes goal setting worksheets that help you create and set realistic goals for yourself. For me, this has been a huge help because it forces me to break down my goals into smaller, achievable mini-goals.

Beautiful Design

The most obvious - the Day Designer has a collection of very beautiful designs to choose from. There are so many different colors and patterns, it's almost like choosing an outfit or piece of jewelry! I love that it adds a little bit of color and fun to my desk. 

The Cons

Of course, no planner can be absolutely perfect - although this planner does come preeetty close. The main con I have experienced with the day designer is that it's heavy! Luckily, since I am currently out of school, I don't have to haul around too many random books or devices, however, it can still be a little bit of a hassle to lug a big book around. If you're like me and you commute to work, lay your planner on your desk, and then commute home to lay your planner on a kitchen table, then the standard Day Designer weight isn't too much of a problem, however, if you are a student or constantly up and about during the day, it may be worth considering a lighter planner option. The weight of the standard Day Designer is actually what made me consider the mini Day Designer for 2017. The mini Day Designer is a tad smaller but otherwise, has almost all the same page setups as the standard Day Designer.

Another con is that the Day Designer is a little bit on the pricier side when it comes to planners. The standard size Day Designer will set you back $59 and the mini will set you back $49. Since you can pick up any old planner at Target for closer to $20, a $50-$60 planner is definitely a much tougher decision! That being said, for me, the Day Designer is well worth the price I paid. It brings more order and enjoyment to my life and is a planner that complements my lifestyle much better than standard planners have in the past. 

As for 2018 - I still love to try new things, especially when it comes to planners, so maybe I'll be trying a different planner when this time rolls around next year - who knows! But even then, I know that the Day Designer will still be a solid choice no matter what the situation! It's a planner that fits all of my early bird, type A, write-down-everything needs and I know that it's a product that will continue to develop and improve. I am always looking to improve as a person and I love the idea of a planner that continuously improves as well.

What are your favorite planners? Do you love the Day Designer or have another planner that you think I should try? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

PopSugar Must Have: Sept & Oct

---

I decided to combine my reviews of the September and October PopSugar boxes because I completely forgot to change my shipment address when I moved! I guess this just means that I got double the PopSugar boxes in October! After hauling my lazy butt back to my old apartment to gather my small mountain of packages, I now bring to you double the PopSugar boxes :)

Flint: Lint Roller - Retail $9.99

I absolutely love the idea behind this lint roller! It pretty much solves all of my lint rolling problems. I have a cat at home, cat sit on the regular, and recently started fostering cats as well, so lint rolling everything I own has become my life! This little lint roller is absolutely amazing because it's the perfect size to throw in a bag, is too cute to even look like a lint roller, and retracts into itself so you do not have to worry about it sticking to everything else in your bag. It literally solves all my lint rolling problems. I'm sold :) 

Smith & Cult Lip Lacquer (Retail $22), Briogeo: Deep Conditioning Hair Mask (Retail $36)

I have to say I wasn't too thrilled with either of these products - but mostly because they're simply not products I use regularly. The lip gloss is a little too sparkly for my taste but the packaging is absolutely beautiful, so it'll definitely make a nice gift for the holidays! As for the hair mask, my hair didn't feel any differently after using it so I probably won't be using this one much at all :( 

Jack & Lucy Bicoastal Wide Brim Hat - Retail $58

This was the sneak peek spoiler item for this month's PopSugar and I was so excited to receive it because I've really wanted to branch out in my hat choices!

MANI-ER Tool Kit - Retail $16

I love when I get useful things in my subscription boxes! While this might not be the sexiest thing to receive in a subscription box, I can already imagine bringing this along with me on vacation or throwing it in my purse to go to work. You never know when an emergency nail situation might occur!

The Gluten Free Bites: Dark Chocolate Cocunut Bites - Retail $4.99

The first time I tried these, I almost spit them out they were so bad! A couple days later, however, I gave them another go and they tasted amazing! I think the reason these two experiences were so different was because I'd eaten junk food before the first experience and healthier food before the second experience! So, pro tip - these are delicious - as long as you don't inhale a bag of barbecue potato chips beforehand :) 

Henri Bendel: Packable Umbrella - Retail $58

I love it when I receive useful things in my subscription boxes and to me, umbrellas are incredibly useful - not necessarily because it rains a lot where I live, but because I am perpetually losing my umbrellas! I love how cute and girly this one - hopefully it won't join the hoards of lost umbrellas I've contributed to the universe!

Power Your Happy by Lisa Sugar - Retail $25

Receiving books makes me irrationally excited. I think it might be leftover from my days as a kiddo bookworm? Who knows! Even though I don’t read as much as I wish I did, books are still some of my favorite gifts to receive because they often hold so much more meaning than another bag or another palette of make-up. I'm super excited to read this and learn more about the creator of PopSugar!

Morning Culture: Rise and Shine Mug (Retail $16) + My Cup of Cocoa: Dark Drinking Chocolate (Retail $4.99)

I love this combination of mug and hot cocoa - it's such a perfect little addition to my giant collection of cozy-at-home things. Even if it's not the best for my physical health, a mug of cocoa is definitely best for my mental health :)

Lalicious: Shower Oil & Bubble Bath - Retail $28

This shower oil smells absolutely amazing and is perfect for the holidays - Yummm vanilla :) I tested it out as a bubble bath and it creates the perfect balance between bubbles and good smells. I'm a fan! 

Makeup Eraser Mini - Retail $12

I've wanted to try a makeup eraser for quite some time so I was super excited that one of them was included in this month's box! So far, this little guy has done an amazing job of removing all of my makeup at the end of the day - with just water! The downside is that all of my eyeliner tends to stay on the makeup eraser even after I try to rinse it out to re-use for the next day. So far, this hasn't affected how effective the makeup eraser is, but I'm not sure how long this will last!

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eyeliner Pen - Retail $8.99

Definitely didn't need this one - but it was a nice bonus! You can never have enough eyeliner, right? :P

What I've noticed in my subscription box experience is that I absolutely love the cozy, comfy, homey themed boxes that come out in the fall and winter months - but I usually don't like the summer "fun in the sun" themed boxes that come out in the warmer months. Maybe it's because I live in a colder climate so I don't have as much use for beach bags? I'm not quite sure what the reason is! I'm trying to be better about budgeting, so my subscription box addiction might be on a hold for the next couple of months - but more on this soon! Stay tuned!