3 Outfits Perfect for the Pumpkin Patch

3 Outfits Perfect for the Pumpkin Patch | Writing Between Pauses

I love going to the pumpkin patch every year. There is a small window of time in Oregon where the leaves are changing and the patches are open--before the rain starts and turns all the pumpkin patches to absolute rivers of mud. Some people don't mind going when it's muddy--but I do! 

Pumpkin Patch Outfits | Writing Between Pauses

However, I made the unfortunate choice when we went the weekend before last of wearing a white sweater. With a toddler. Oops. even though it wasn't muddy, Forrest did end up an absolute mess! And so did I at the end. 

So I put together 3 perfect pumpkin patch outfits that are easy to clean, not white, and great for leisurely finding the perfect pumpkin OR chasing a pumpkin-obsessed toddler around. 

1. Casual Pumpkin Patch

No other responsibilities? Wanting to keep it as comfy as possible? This is the outfit for you. Your favorite skinny jeans, some comfortable brown booties, and a cute graphic t-shirt under a pretty cardigan. (I also love this cardigan from Maurices for this outfit.)  

2. For Running More Errands

If you're going more places than just the pumpkin patch, this is a perfect outfit. Lunch? A winery? Shopping? Playdate? This is the perfect mix of comfortable and fashionable, without being fussy. Knee-high brown boots and a cute, slightly oversized sweater to keep you warm, topped with a scarf and some cute accessories (I love this apple bracelet!). 

3. Family Photos

You're taking this opportunity at the pumpkin patch to get some cute photos. (Genius.) This dress from the GAP is so cute; I love the little bell sleeves and the relaxed fit is perfect for Fall. Add some tights, classic black riding boots, and a scarf to keep things optimally cozy! 

3 Easy Autumn Make Up Routines

3 Easy Autumn Make Up Routines | Writing Between Pauses

I love make up, but I tend to wear the same looks every day. Either a brown-toned or rusty-pink toned eye look, the same blush every day, and really similar lipstick every day. (I'll cop to admitting way too many lipsticks, but really only wearing 4-5 colors.) 

For that reason, I've been looking for new looks to try. I wanted to share some lovely bloggers and YouTubers in this post and avoid the "big beauty gurus" (you know who I'm talking about). I think you'll love these three looks--I can't wait to emulate them with my make up collection! 

1. Grungy/Matte Autumn Look from Rachel Leary 

GRUNGY/MATTE AUTUMN MAKE UP LOOK! Another Fall make up look! This time I wanted it to be all matte & focus more on deep red tones - my fav! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been so ill & still not feeling 100% myself, forgive me! Hope you enjoy!

Personally, I've been on the hunt for the perfect oxblood lipstick for ages; I think I finally found one recently. Paired with a cranberry eye look, it's lovely for a late Autumn glam look (like on Thanksgiving)! 

2. Everyday Autumn Makeup Look from Emily at Under the Scottish Rain 

I love this lovely, bright look from Emily at Under the Scottish Rain. An understated eye look with a bright lip is so lovely, especially when the weather outside is getting cold and rainy (or snowy!) Check out Emily's post here

3. Fall Make Up Tutorial from Chezza Bee

This make up tutorial from Chezza Bee is so lovely and such a traditional, pretty Autumn look. A copper-y eye with a mauve-y nude lip? So in right now and really, really pretty. 

My Four Favorite Autumn Teas

My Four Favorite Teas for Autumn | Writing Between Pauses

I go through phases with tea. Sometimes, it's all I want to drink. But usually in the summertime, I stop drinking tea. Once the rain starts around mid-October though, I start to replace my afternoon coffee with an afternoon tea. 

And gosh, tea is refreshing after a break! I usually end up buying a bunch of tea to last me the entire Fall and Winter. I have my favorites, definitely, and these are the ones I make sure to get every single year. 

1. Pumpkin Spice Black Tea from the Republic of Tea

I love black tea; it's my favorite type (probably because of the caffeine content). This Pumpkin Spice Black Tea from the Republic of Tea is my absolute favorite Fall-themed tea. I'm normally not big on pumpkin spiced things, because they can be quite strong... however, I love the blend on this one. It has finely ground black tea, plus ginger, cinnamon, sweet blackberry leaves, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice alongside natural pumpkin flavor. So it's a nice blend of sweet and spicy. 

2. Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Black Tea from Celestial Seasonings

This tea is very similar to my top pick, but being from a drugstore brand, it's more affordable and more readily available for when I run out. It definitely doesn't have the same depth as the Republic of Tea variety, but still has the same spicy-sweetness to it. My husband prefers this tea too! 

3. Spiced Chai Tea from Bigelow 

This is my classic favorite Chai tea: straightforward and simple, a classic Chai mix. I usually drink this the most (sometimes I'll buy the Stash brand instead if it's on sale), with a packet of Truvia and a tablespoon of almond milk. It's so good on a cold afternoon!

4. Hot Cinnamon Sunset from Harney & Sons 

This is my new favorite; I bought it on a whim at Target mainly because the tin it comes in is very cute. But once I tried it, I knew it was meant to be! This is a simple black tea with cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel; it has a nice citrusy taste to cut the cinnamon a little bit. It's a bit more Christmas-y than the other teas on this list, but very, very cozy. 

3 Beauty Products for Halloween

3 Beauty Products for Halloween | Writing Between Pauses

Can I just say something about Blogtober? I am exhausted. I brought this on myself though. I’ve massively neglected my Instagram in favor of writing so many blog posts. The page in my bullet journal dedicated to my writing goal is dominated by writing blog posts in advance every single day… and I haven’t even started thinking about NaNoWriMo. (Gosh, am I going to take on NaNoWriMo after this!?) 

But I’ve also been loving Blogtober—having the chance to write all these posts that I’ve always wanted to write… like putting together my favorite outfits, finding new beauty products, sharing the best tutorials I’ve pinned on Pinterest… it’s been a lot of fun! 

I decided to take it easy on myself with this post. I love Halloween make up; it’s my favorite time of the year because, duh, Autumn, but also, Halloween and spooky-themed everything is so much fun. Here’s a round up of some of the cutest, most fun, and most spooky beauty products. 

1. Pumpkin Bath-o-Lantern Bath Bomb

Lush Pumpkin Bath Bomb

Before every busy Halloween, we all need a little self-care. This pumpkin-shaped bath bomb is scented with “exotic pimento, sweet vanilla and cozy, warming cinnamon,” and promises to turn your bath water a pretty, pumpkin orange. What could be better? 

 

 

 

 

 

2. imPRESS Matte Halloween Nails with Glitter Accents

imPRESS Halloween Nails

Press on nails are not something I ever thought I would recommend… or wear. But I really love imPRESS nails—I went through a phase of wearing them every week a few years ago (post-baby it’s much more difficult to rock a long nail) and they always last 7+ days. Seriously. 7+ days! These ones feature a gray-and-white matte color scheme with a spooky church yard and several glitter accent nails. Perfect for a subdued Halloween look. 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Make Up Revolution Vampire Night Lip Kid

Make Up Revolution Vampire Kit

This is such a fun lip kit! It features 1 matte liquid lipstick and a matching liner so you can contour your lips (or just prevent feathering—hello aging!) in the color Vampire Night, a rich, bloody burgundy color. Perfect for a vampire costume or just for fun. 

Beauty Review: The Luxe Vox Box*

Beauty Review: Luxe Vox Box | Writing BetweenPauses

*Disclaimer: As always, the asterisk (*) in the post title denotes a sponsored post or a post where I received product for free. All opinions remain my own. For more information about my disclosure policy, please see here

I love getting Vox Boxes from Influenster. I get so excited every single time. Needless to say, when I found out I was getting the Luxe Vox Box, I was beyond excited. I really love this style of Vox Box too because I love getting a variety of products instead of just one. Who doesn’t love trying a bunch of goodies instead of just one? 

For the sake of saving time, I’m going to do mini reviews of each product. Here’s everything I received—and what I thought! 

Dr. Brandt No More Baggage Depuffing Eye Gel

This is one of those products that I was excited to try, but isn’t something I would normally buy on my own. Even though I struggle with fatigue (especially at certain points in my cycle), I don’t necessarily get puffy undereyes or even dark circles. (Ok, that sounds like a humblebrag—but trust me when I say I have other skin issues!) The first time I used this, I didn’t notice a huge difference. 

The second time, however, I used it under make up and I felt like it made a huge difference. I usually color correct under my eyes (just to brighten my skin a little bit) and then use foundation as normal. I used this instead of my usual color correcting and I felt like it made my undereyes look smoother and brighter. I really enjoyed using it, but for $42 for a tube, it’s not something I would repurchase. But if you have undereyes that you struggle with, it’s definitely a great product! 

Amika Un.Done Texture Spray

I received two Amika products and I was most excited about this one, the texture spray. My hair tends to be quite flat and dull, especially on the days when I watch it. This is an aerosol spray, not unlike a dry shampoo, that is supposed provide “instead volume and perfect-imperfect texture.” It “utilizes an invisible, salt-free formulation to deliver effortless, tousled beachy hair.” 

Did I like it? No. Like dry shampoo, it gave my hair a texture that I would describe as straw-like and almost waxy. I love the feeling of smooth, soft hair. If a product can keep my naturally very soft, smooth hair feeling that way, but also give it volume, I love it—but that seems like asking for a lot. I used this two days in a row and both days, the volume it provided barely lasted two hours… but the waxy, gross feeling in my hair did last. Hard pass. 

Amika Nourishing Mask

I love a good hair mask—even though “hair mask” is a nice way of saying “deep conditioner.” I don’t use conditioner daily, because again, my hair texture is pretty lank and flat naturally and my hair is pretty healthy at the moment. It’s not something I really need to worry about. However, my hair does have a lot of breakage because I wear it in tight ponytails and buns a lot, so I was hoping this mask would help with that. 

I have been using this in the shower twice a week and I really love using it. I almost feel like it gives my hair a little bit more body than usual and definitely makes it feel very soft and look very shiny. This mask promises to "restore hair to its natural vibrancy and health from the inside out," which is quite a hefty promise; but it also says it "hydrates for long-lasting softness, shine, elasticity, and manageability." That last one is definitely true. At $28 for 250mL, it's not a terrible price for something you use at most 1-2 times a week! (The mini size which I've linked is only $10--great for sampling!) 

GrandeLips Hydrating Lip Plumper

This is the item I was dreading reviewing. Firstly, a lip plumper is not something I would ever, ever purchase or want to use. But I couldn't very well just not use it and fluff a review. I felt between a rock and a hard place. So I put aside my reservations and I put it on one morning early last week. 

Cue my rapidly scrubbing my lips and nearly screaming. Within seconds to applying, my lips were burning. Not just feeling warm or fuzzy. But burning. I had light chemical burn all around my mouth for several days. Don't buy this product. Don't use this product. I wish I had trusted my gut!

AQUIS Hair Towel

Ok, that last mini review was a bummer, right? Chemical burns are no good. But I love this hair towel. It is made from "Aquitex," a hair drying technology that is "ultra light." It is supposed to rapidly dry hair to "damp stage" without heat. I personally do not use heat on my hair, so this was something I was very excited about. With the change in seasons, my scalp has been very dry and itchy, so I've been having to wash everyday to avoid flakes and nourish my scalp with soothing ingredients. (If you're wondering, I've been using YesTo Coconut Tea Tree Shampoo.) 

I love the shape and thinness of this towel; it makes tying up my hair after my shower to do my make up very easy. It does seem to dry my hair very quickly, which is also very nice. However, at $30-45 for a single towel, it's quite expensive. I have some not-as-fancy hair towels from Target that were $5 a piece at the most that do almost the exact same thing. But if you have a lot of hair and want to cut how much heat you use on your hair, it would definitely be a good splurge. 

Things I Love: October 14

Things I Love: October 14 | Writing Between Pauses

Another week, another TiLT! I've been really enjoying keeping notes for these posts, because it gives me something to really look forward to writing. 

How is everyone feeling about Blogtober? As I've posted on Twitter, I've been feeling exhausted from so much writing and planning. Basically, trying to stay ahead of writing 7 blog posts a week (usually in advance) is really difficult for me--but I'm glad I'm making it work and hopefully you are all enjoying these posts! 

Anyway, without further ado, let's get to the things I love this week, shall we? 

1. #WizardTeam: A Harry Potter Podcast

I swear, I don't mean to include a new podcast every week... but I really, really love this one. #SorryNotSorry. I love the podcast Potterotica, but sometimes I just wanna hear my fellow nerds talk Harry Potter. #WizardTeam is run by the women behind Black Girls Create and I've been binging the past episodes of the podcast to catch up. I have 110 episodes to catch up on. I'll be done in... two weeks. That's my prediction. 

Pumpkin Patch 1 | Writing Between Pauses
Pumpkin Patch 2 | Writing Between Pauses

2. Pumpkin Patches

Listen. Guys. I really love October. I really love Autumn. Need you question why pumpkin patches is on this list!? We made it out to our favorite farm and pumpkin patch on Sunday and it was so much fun. Forrest is so obsessed that I think we abandoned him in a pumpkin patch, he'd be fine. He would have spent all day there. We came home with 7 (yes, 7!!) large pumpkins and 5 (yes, 5!!!) small pumpkins. You read those numbers right. I would almost be embarrassed, but our porch is looking adorable. 

Winery | Writing Between Pauses

3. Visiting Wineries

Danny and I aren't the kind of people that usually go to wineries. I'm not entirely sure why not, because we always have a lot of fun. And now, Danny works just down the road from a really nice, fun winery that we visited last week. We had so much fun! We sampled wines, watched Forrest point out every flower, and spent time chatting with our friends. It was warm, it was Autumnal, it was fun. I loved every minute. 

5 Non-Scary Halloween Movies for Kids

5 Non-Scary Halloween Movies for Kids | Writing Between Pauses

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I love all the movies related to Halloween. I think I've written so many lists of my favorite Halloween movies that it would be impossible to round them all up. But trust me when I say: if a Halloween movie exists, I've probably watched it. 

Now that I have a toddler, I've had to adjust my favorite Halloween movies. Some are just too scary for Forrest to watch, especially if they have dark scenes or any really suspenseful parts. For my fellow moms out there, I've put together a list of our favorite non-scary (or not too scary movies) for kids. You'll notice one of my favorite movies ever is not on this list; I find Hocus Pocus to be just a little too scary for Forrest yet. But maybe next year! Here are our favorites right now. 

1. Halloweentown 

I love Halloweentown and thankfully, Forrest does too. This is one of those movies that has some slightly scary parts, but not scary enough to really scare a toddler. I have great nostalgia about this movie because it was one of my absolute favorites when I was little. We recently bought the double feature of it from Amazon. 

2. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! 

This is such a classic; everyone loves this movie! I've been searching for this movie relentlessly for months and finally, it popped up on Amazon for $10. Thankfully, though, it starts being played on TV as Halloween gets closer so we've watched it several times already. 

3. Trick or Treat on Sesame Street 

Forrest's number one obsession is Elmo and Sesame Street. He loves this DVD. It's basically a collection of Elmo trick-or-treat episodes and scenes. There are also some great special features on it about dressing up in costumes that aren't along the gender binary, which is my favorite part. As with any Sesame Street DVD, there is lots of subtle teaching: counting, learning how to talk to others, being creative, and how to deal with jealousy are the biggest themes. 

4. Spookly the Square Pumpkin

This is a TV movie (that you can buy on Amazon) that came out when my oldest nephew was a toddler. It's about a square pumpkin named Spookly who is different from the other pumpkins. It's a really cute, slightly spooky (but not scary) movie with lots of cute Fall imagery and a really great message about how being different makes you special. It's one of Forrest's favorites. 

5. Hotel Transylvania 

This is one of those movies that... really starts to grate on me after a while. But as a parent, I have to put up with it a little bit! It's definitely not on my list of favorite movies, but Forrest really enjoys it, it's not scary, and it doesn't have anything that I particularly object to (unlike other movies). 

4 Ideas for Fun Fall Dates

4 Ideas for Fun Fall Dates | Writing Between Pauses

For me, Fall always reminds me of cozy days spent indoors, usually alone, or just watching movies. But it's also a good time to get a few last fun dates in before the weather gets too atrocious. Danny and I like to plan fun family activities together, but sometimes, it's nice to get out of the house just the two of us. He helped me put together a list of 4 fun date ideas, perfect for Autumn. 

1. Bake cookies together. 

This is a fun indoor activity for when it's a little rainy or cold outside. Who doesn't love baking cookies? And if you have a toddler or baby (like we do), it's something they can have fun with too. Baking, or cooking a dinner, together can be really fun, especially if it's not something you usually do as a pair. I am the primary cook in my house, but sometimes, Danny likes to help out and we have so much fun every time. I highly recommend these maple cookies or these chocolate shortbread cookies

2. Have a cozy picnic. 

This was Danny's suggestion: load up the car with blankets and your favorite snacks, stop at Starbucks to get some hot cocoa or coffee, and drink to a lake or mountain. Open the back of your car, create a nest, and cuddle up. We drive a hatchback, so this is something we used to do pretty often, but haven't in a while. Might be time to bring it back! 

3. Go apple picking. 

Is this the standard Fall date idea? Yes. Is it still fun? Oh yes it is! Apple picking is one of my favorite things to do, because at the end you have a ton of apples. You can use them to plan another date where you bake apple pies, make applesauce, or preserve them in your favorite way. How fun is that? 

4. Go wine tasting. 

This is Danny & I's favorite thing to do together. We love visiting wineries, trying new wines, and listening to live music at our favorite places. Most metro areas have at least one winery close by or a restaurant that offers wine sampling. We love trying new wines together and finding new favorites. It's affordable and adventurous, and if you visit an actual winery, you can actually see the grapes on the vine--which is always really novel to me!