Alyson’s Current Favorites // September 2019

Fall is here you guys… it’s dipped below 90 degrees in Florida, which means all my current favorites for Fall are coming out! I just wore a sweatshirt outside at night, bought all white mini pumpkins at Trader Joe’s, and already impulse purchased candy corn. Get ready… only 90 days until 2020!

So let’s get into my September favorites. There’s lots I’m excited to share that I’m obsessed with for fall… actually used the word “obsessed” purposefully because did you see comedian John Crist’s video about “every Instagram influencer”? I couldn’t stop laughing. #obsessed

By the way, I know blog content has taken a bit of a back seat so I hope you follow on Facebook and Instagram… I’m always sharing there, focusing on providing you more meaningful, motivational, honest and of course fun content. My life has just been a bit hectic, between school starting, trying to do more public speaking, PR work picking up, etc. To combat the stress, I’ve been focusing on self care, often doing some running/light weights or hot yoga; both reduce my stress, and make me feel mentally and physically strong. As we head into a hectic time of year for everyone, encouraging you to find something for you that makes you feel that way. It’s not selfish, it’s important.

Alright, off my soap box. 😉 Let’s get to September favorites…

My Current Favorites for September 2019

WEARING: KORAL ULTRA SHINY LEGGINGS… ON SALE, WITH MORE FALL FAVORITES

One second on these leggings… heads up below about the Shopbop sale!

You know when someone is wearing something you love so much you can’t get it out of your head? That was me with these Koral ultra shiny leggings after seeing my friend Lexi wearing them. I was obsessed, literally stalked them out, and when they were on sale last month pulled the trigger at Bloomies. That ultra shine is amazing, and I’ve gotten an insane amount of compliments the few times I’ve already worn them. They’re black leggings, but way better! I compare these to the wearability and awesomeness of the Spanx faux leather leggings. I’ll be rotating both because they can be worn with sneakers or heels (or boots), dressed up or down, for errands or date night. For sizing, I have Koral’s leggings in an XS (what they had in store) though a S would have been fine, too.

SALE ALERT…. Shopbop (owned by Amazon, popular shopping site, with free shipping & returns!) has up to 25% off all purchases right now, including both the Koral ultra shiny leggings AND the Spanx leggings! The site has everything from Madewell and Sam Edelman, to Golden Goose, Rebecca Minkoff, Stuart Weitzman, Gorjana (love for jewelry) and everything in between.

My current favorites for Fall are on sale through Sunday with code STOCKUP19. You can also go to the homepage here.

WATCHING: FITNESS MARSHALL DANCE VIDEOS

If you love fierce dancing like this girl, you totally will love Fitness Marshall on YouTube! His videos are so high energy, full of sass and I love how he has a diverse range of dancers with him each time.

I mean, his videos aren’t as epic as me dancing and lip syncing on Instagram Stories (ha! Have you caught these yet? They’ve been so funny and loving everyone’s reaction! Saved them on my profile highlights under “Lets Dance”), but they’re still a lot of fun. Dancing totally changes my energy in the best way possible.

USING: CUISINART KNIFE SET IN WHITE (here)

Ok, did I neeeeeed a new knife set?! That’s debatable, however we have a black knife set with sorta dull knives that sits on our counter and…. meh, the black. Enter this gorgeous white set that I somehow saw someone mention on Instagram and instantly put in my Amazon, “save for later.” Well later has come and it’s mine and so, so pretty! Oh, and equally as importantly, the knives are sharp, and great, and I love how there are five more “every day” knives, since we regularly use those and like to have them handy on the countertop. Only time will tell, however for under $60, I can’t say enough good things.

EATING: TRADER JOE’S BANH MI INSPIRED NOODLE BOWL

I’m always looking at Trader Joe’s quick meal options, and for as much as I love Trader Joe’s, I’m never loving the salads and sandwiches (and definitely not the sushi). I tried this on a whim, and it’s so good! The dressing makes it so even if you’re someone not willing to have dressing, pass on this. However, with the dressing — and you don’t need all — it packs a strong flavor punch. Banh Mi means bread in Vietnamese so you’re obviously forgoing that part… hence inspired I suppose. I’ve been buying one or two on each visit, and Adam has been into eating them as well.

BEAUTY LOVING: BEST PRODUCTS FOR MEGA LONG, THICK LASHES

I love, love mega lashes, however I’m equally not game for the false lashes… the time and money commitment is too much of a deterrent. I’ve mentioned a few of my favorite products here and there so I wanted to put it into one section.

To grow longer lashes, use Grande Lash growing serum. I have super sensitive eyes and haven’t had an issue and my lashes are noticeably longer with nightly use (just before bed; you just swipe it on with the built-in brush).

Daily, I ALWAYS use a lash primer and if you’re skipping this step get ready for this five second addition to your beauty routine to make all the difference. It’s a white primer that coats your lashes, ultimately making your mascara look more plump, longer and full when it goes on. It’s $26 at Nordstrom or Sephora, or you can get a full-size one plus a few others in this set for $35.

Mascara: for a drugstore option, I LOVE this one by Neutrogena. They sent it to me a while back and I love the impact so much I’ve purchased it at least once or twice since. For more mega lashes, It Cosmetics Superhero mascara is incredible. I’ll often use it at night.

LISTENING: BE THERE IN FIVE PODCAST

I’ve been really into podcasts lately, with AirPods in my ears during trips to Trader Joe’s, the mall, etc where I’m either listening to a random assortment of booty shaking or country music (truth!), or a podcast. While I listen a really random assortment, from leadership/business/motivation to more personal/relationship-y, one of my newest favorites is called Be There in Five, by Kate Kennedy, who by the way I had followed on Instagram for a while not even realizing she had an awesome pop culture-type podcast. She’s super entertaining and while her episodes skew a little long for me (though intentional by design), they’re super interested.

I first got roped in by her deep dive into the Mormon blogger life, which is actually a big thing and something I’ve always been curious about. There are a substantial number of ultra successful, affluent bloggers who are under 30, always look perfect, are married with children, live in epic homes, and are Mormon. So anyway, she dug into it and I loved it! I kept listening and I highly suggest if you’re looking to discuss alllllll the random things in pop culture…. Taylor Swift, influencers, VSCO girls (if you know, you know!), the Royal family and more. She also recently interviewed one of my first blogger friends, Grace Atwood of The Stripe and it was an awesome, super insightful and honest episode. Highly suggest! And, any podcasts you love??

WEARING: OVER THE KNEE BOOTS (40% off, 3 colors, here)

Must confess I’m super obsessed with over the knee boots. Yup, I get I’m in Florida but they’re just seriously so chic, great for warmth (at least when I travel) and have that subtly (or very, depending on how you style!) sexy vibe. While I’ll likely wear mine more often with skinny jeans or leggings (I’d wear the Koral or Spanx leggings with them), I’m working on a fun round-up of five ways to wear these awesome $20 Amazon skirt and loved the idea of styling it for fall with my new over-the-knee boots from Goodnight Macaroon, which also come in black and grey. I saw a gazillion bloggers — literally, a gazillion — share these last season and I never pulled the trigger. The entire web site is currently 40% off so I recently got them and I can’t believe now I waited this long. It has a lower heel, which makes them incredibly comfortable, and a small zipper in the back lower part so they’re easy to slide on and off. Plus, for travel, they barely take up any room in your suitcase!

I haven’t ordered from Goodnight Macaroon before however I was super happy with this purchase and have heard good things about their clothing. I don’t really need any sweaters, etc right now however if you’re looking, I’m loving so much on their site… you can check it out here. SO much looks SO cozy!!!

Thanks for reading!! What are your current favorites for Fall? Or anything you want me to cover here or on social media? Comment below or send me an email or message… I’d love to hear from you.