I’ve had a really hard time getting into the Fall and Halloween spirit this year. We’re technically halfway through Fall and I’m just now getting into the cozy autumnal spirit. Here are all the items I’ve been loving so far this season.

Hazelnut Extract Baking season is upon us and I have been loving using this hazelnut extract in substitution of vanilla extract in cookies recently. I’m also planning on using it to make Hazelnut ice cream at some point.

Dior Scarf I bought this scarf while we were in NYC back in August. I have already gotten so much use out of it. I mostly like to wrap it around a headband, but I have also used to to tie around a ponytail.

Sezane Sweater This year has been the year I fell in love with Sezane. The quality is always impressive (especially for the price point) and I love the timeless and chic styles. I’ve been incorporating more red into my wardrobe season and this sweater has the perfect color red stripe. It’s also a very flattering sweater.

Dead Romantics This is my favorite book I’ve read this season. I thought the storyline was unique and it was packed with really endearing and wholesome moments. To me, the plot twist was obvious but it was still a page turner and had me really rooting for the characters.

K18 Mask Over the Spring and Summer I got highlights in my hair. While the highlights didn’t cause much noticeable damage, it certainly wasn’t as impeccably healthy as it used to be. I have since gone back to my darker (less damaging) hair color, and this mask helped my hair so much. This is the first hair mask I’ve ever used that I saw a difference with. You don’t use this like most hair masks, so make sure you follow the instructions and trust the process.

Sephora only has a couple of sales a year and they are special because makeup hardly ever goes on sale. The sale is a great time to stock up on your favorite products, try something new, and get some holiday shopping done. Here are the details you need to know before shopping the sale:

You do have to be a Beauty Insider to shop the sale. This is free to do, it is not a credit card, just a rewards program. You can signup here by selecting the “Create Account” under the “Sign in” drop down menu.

Depending on how much you have spent at Sephora over the year, you shop the sale on different days. If you are uncertain what day you can shop, sign in to your account and your Beauty Insider status will be under your name on the top right. You need to use the code TIMMETOSAVE for the discount to be applied. If you shop in store, you have to provide them with your phone number, so they can verify your account. You can use the discount code for almost all items but I don’t believe Shark, Dyson, The Ordinary, MAC, or Proven brand products are included. Below are my picks from the sale.

Dior Foundation This is my current favorite foundation. It has a very natural finish, it’s long lasting, and it has buildable coverage.

Jo Malone Orange Blossom Candle The Orange Blossom scent from Jo Malone is one of my favorites because it smells EXACTLY like orange blossoms. I have the perfume and I love the candle. I think if you know a person well enough to know the scents they like, then a Jo Malone candle makes a beautiful gift.

Brow Pencil This is my favorite brow pencil. I have been using it for about a decade. I won’t try anything else. The sale is a great time to stock up on your favorite essentials like this.

Dior Set This Dior set would make a great gift, especially for someone that loves the Miss Dior scent. It also includes one of my favorite lip glosses.

Hourglass Bronzer This is my favorite bronzer because it’s incredibly easy to blend, natural looking, and it lasts FOREVER.

Patrick Ta Lip Gloss I’ve heard so many good things about this lip gloss. It’s on my wishlist. It looks like the most high shine gloss I’ve ever seen.

Belif Aqua Bomb This is one of my favorite moisturizers. I always go back to it every couple of years. It’s perfect for combination skin or anyone that feels their skin has a hard time actually absorbing moisturizers.

Laura Mercier Translucent Powder This powder has a cult following because it makes the skin look airbrushed. I’ve never heard of anyone trying this and not liking it.

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro (shade 400) This is my all time favorite liquid lipstick. I get compliments every time I wear it. It’s comfortable (for a liquid lipstick) and it lasts through everything including eating oily foods. The shade 400 is the perfect red shade for the holiday season. Make sure you wear a lip liner with it because it can fray.

Laneige Lip Gloss This is my favorite lip treatment. It’s intensely hydrating but also comfortable to wear. This would make a great stocking stuffer.

Makeup Removing Balm I usually don’t buy skincare items from Sephora but I love this makeup removing balm and price per ounce is comparable to drugstore cleansing balms.

Eyeshadow Palette This is one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes. It looks particularly good on anyone with blue eyes. This would make a good stocking stuffer.

Over the last year and a half I’ve really come to appreciate the versatility of cauliflower. One of my favorite things to make with cauliflower is cauliflower mash, which is a great substitute to mashed potatoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love potatoes, but sometimes if I’m having a difficult day managing T1D cauliflower mash makes it easier for me. It’s also less time consuming than making mashed potatoes because there is no peeling involved, and peeling potatoes is one of only a few tasks in cooking I really hate doing.

While this is a great substitute, the texture is slightly different than an ultra smooth mashed potato. I’d say the texture of cauliflower mash is somewhere between mashed potatoes and creamy grits. The flavor and consistency is almost identical to mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1 Medium Head of Cauliflower

2oz Plain Cream Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Start by removing the florets from the stems.

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.

While the water reaches a boil, break the florets into bite size piece.

Place the florets in the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes. Similar to making mashed potatoes, you want the florets to be fork tender but not disintegrate when piercing with the fork.

Strain the cauliflower in a colander.

While the caulilower is still steaming, put it in a food processor along with 2oz of cream cheese.

Pulse until you get the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes like to add cheddar powder or Italian seasoning.

I’ve always loved makeup and when I sit down to do my makeup it feels like a creative outlet and selfcare time. The products below are all my current everyday makeup items.

Dior Foundation (I use shade 0.5 Neutral) I love this foundation because it’s a medium coverage but can be built up to be full coverage. It’s also comfortable to wear and has a natural finish.

Translucent Powder This is a necessity for making makeup last throughout the day and it makes the skin look airbrushed.

Bronzer (shade Radiant Bronze Light) This bronzer is so natural looking and easy to blend. I look a bit dead without it.

Blush (shade 55 In Love) The color of this blush is so beautiful and it’s easy to blend.

Eyeshadow (shade Intense) The colors of this palette could work for any eye color but they look particularly good with blue eyes. I typically only use one or two of the lighter shades in the day and use the darker shades in the evening.

Brow Pencil (shade Dark Brown) I’ve been using this brow pencil for at least a decade. The tip of it makes it easy to create natural looking brows. Or if you are in a rush it still looks good when you use it to quickly fill in your brows.

Highlighting Palette I use this primarily as a highlighter for my brow bone but it also looks beautiful on the cheek bones.

Brow Gel A necessity for keeping brow hairs in place all day.

Mascara This is my favorite everyday mascara because it doesn’t irritate my eyes even when I’m wearing contacts. It’s great for anyone with sensitive eyes, dry eyes, or anyone that wears contacts.

Thermal Water Spray I like to spray this over my makeup when I’m done because it blends everything and gives a more natural look to the powder products.

Setting Spray This is a must for making my makeup last all day.

Amazon is currently having one of the biggest sales of the year and it ends today. Below are all of my picks from the sale. These are all things that I have previously bought, bought as a gift, or just ordered.

Household

iRobot Vacuum Storage Shelving Bose Speaker Frame Set Upholstery Cleaner Weighted Blanket Cat Drinking Fountain Echo Show

Kitchen

Mandoline Rolling Pin Kaizen Rice Drawer Organizer

Books

The Dead Romantics Aspen Style River Sing Me Home Mediterranean Cookbook Kindle Where The Crawdads Sing

Beauty

Tinted Sunscreen T3 Interchangeable Set Laneige Lip Mask COSRX Sheet Mask Set Brow Pencil

Other

Sports Bra Universal Adapter Witch Hat Set Top

If you’ve seen my home then you know I’m the queen of blankets. I love to keep baskets of blankets throughout the house and have them thrown over furniture. I think it creates a welcoming and cozy home. I also like to keep my home on the chilly side so having blankets everywhere is also practical. Below are the coziest blankets for fall and winter.

1. Best Blanket for One Person
2. Best King Size Blanket
3. Best Aesthetic
4. Best Weighted

Over the years I’ve developed a strategy for choosing accommodation that is particularly useful for city destinations. When I start planning a trip I use Google Maps to create a map with destinations (activities, sightseeing, and shopping) pinned along with restaurants. This gives me a general idea of the areas we will be spending most of our time.

I have destinations pinned in a magenta color and restaurants in purple. When it comes to choosing accommodation, if I have to choose between the two, I always opt to be closer to the restaurants rather than activities. At the end of a long day walking around the city I’d rather be near the restaurants we want to go to, so after we finish eating we can get back to the hotel and rest. This doesn’t mean we won’t go to restaurants further from our hotel. We might go to restaurants further from our hotel for lunch but I’d like to be closer to the hotel for dinner. As you can see on the map, it made the most sense for us to stay in the Midtown area. We opted for the Intercontinental Barclay in Midtown for our hotel. There was a subway entrance just down the street from us and Grand Central was only a couple of blocks away which meant getting around was very easy (although getting around the city is easy regardless of where your stay). I was really happy with the area we stayed in. It felt safe, central to everything but also not too crowded. When we inevitably go back to New York City we will either stay in Midtown again or in the SOHO area. The reason we would consider staying in SOHO is because the area is nice and most of the restaurants left on our NYC restaurant bucket list are in SOHO.

Tips for Choosing Accomodation

Determine the type of accommodation first. I tend to opt for hotels because they have more amenities and are often the same price as Airbnb.

Next choose the area. I suggest trying to stay near the restaurants you want to try.

Lastly make sure the area is ideal as far as safety, access to public transportation, or parking if you have a car.

The only holidays I really decorate my home for are Halloween and Christmas so when I decorate I usually go big. This year I really toned it down though. Here is how I decorated my home for Halloween this year.

Living Room

Target had some great Halloween decoration finds in the Bullseye section this year including the light up jack-o-lantern on the left. I have a love/hate relationship with faux spider webs because they are a pain to put up but I feel like it packs a punch on the cabinet. The cauldron is probably my favorite Halloween decoration.

Items Shown

Spider Lights

Spider Web

Cauldron

Dining Room

I spend most of my time decorating for Halloween in my dining room because I find it’s the easiest place to decorate. I love using real pumpkins as a centerpiece with faux spiders on them. I have my skeleton (we named him David Bowie) wearing a witch hat ready to down some champagne.

Items Shown

Skeleton

Faux Spiders

Similar Napkins

Cat Table Runner

Witch Hat

Bathroom

I don’t do much decorating in the powder room but I love the things I have in there. The Redrum stickers are very easy to get off and don’t damage the mirror. The mini pumpkins that are open are unfortunately vintage and it’s impossible to find anything similar. It’s something my mom gave to me that I remember her decorating with when I was a child so I really cherish them.

Item Shown

Redrum Sticker

Kitchen

I hardly do any decorating in the kitchen because I need it to be as functional as possible. I always love to have holiday themed dish towels. This year I added some faux spiders to roses. I love the spiders because I feel like you can add them to anything for spooky season.

Items Shown

The spider dish towel is from the Bullseye section at Target so unfortunately I cannot link it. I get most of my holiday dish towels from the Target bullseye section.

Faux Spiders