Can you believe it’s already the end of October?! Seriously, where did the last 10 months go?

October was a busy month for me, and with training demos, applying to a new masters program, and interviewing and hiring new employees, I came across quite a few interesting things to keep me sane.

1. Real Techniques Brushes – I’m not a beauty guru by any means, but I do wear makeup on a regular basis, so decent brushes are a must for me. I honestly didn’t really start getting into makeup until recently. Before that, I wore it but didn’t really pay any attention to how I was applying it. I had acquired a collection of random brushes from cheap sets off Livingsocial, random brushes from Walmart, and a few here and there from other stores, but truthfully, they all sucked with the exception of maybe one really old Kabuki brush from Walmart which has been well worth the $5 I spent on it. Anyway, back to these brushes. I love them because they aren’t that expensive, but they feel like much better quality than the brushes I had. My only downside is their super wide bases do not work so well in my Sigma Dry n’ Shape. My favorite brushes are the Expert Face Brush, Blush Brush, and Base Shadow Brush.
2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch – I really have no idea where this one came from. We had a box in the cabinet, and I decided to have some for dessert one day. I think I’m on my 3rd box this month. It’s bad.
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Frappuccinos – I know I’m late to the game on this one, especially as Gold card holder, but I tried my first Pumpkin Spice Latte and Frappuccino this month. I’ve been back six or so times this month already. Even my dogs are addicted {not that they get Starbucks}. When anyone in the house mentions “Starbucks” or “Wanna go to Starbucks?” they come running {which is super handy when trying to get them inside}, and don’t even try to drink a Frappuccino with them around. You will have an 80lb dog with an extra long tongue in your lap in seconds.
4. 7-Minute Workout (High Intensity Training) app by lolo – Thankfully, I’ve countered all my Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Starbucks runs with some actual exercise. I’ve mentioned a few times I love Tone It Up and Blogilates, but I’d be lying if I said I actually consistently followed either of their schedules. After a long day of work, who actually wants to work out for 40 minutes when you could put on some sweat pants and sit down for once? Not this girl. BUT, I can workout for 7 minutes, and I’ve done so consistently for over 2 weeks now. 7 minutes a day with this little app has gotten me into ridiculous shape considering I’ve been chowing down on fast food and lots of other unhealthy things. I have gotten as much muscle tone if not more from the 7 minutes a day over the past 18 days as I had gotten from the 40 minutes of TIU or Blogilates I was trying to do, and I even lost a couple pounds {not that I was trying to}. Oh, and the best part, it’s free!
5. Hoop Dance –  Last winter, I went on vacation and ended up meeting a girl who hoop danced. I left with the crazy idea that one day I’d be one of those awesome hula-hooping chicks. In July, I finally received my first hoop, and it was incredibly crappy. {Word of advice, do not buy the Hoopnotica Travel Hoops. Unless you want an incredibly loud hoop, there are much better alternatives on Etsy.} I learned the basics of hooping, and earlier this month decided it was time to graduate to some nicer hoops. Three to be exact – one from DanceHoops and two from TreeHuggerHoops. I don’t think I’ve ever really stopped hooping for more than 24 hours this month. I even take it downstairs with me so I can hoop on the deck while making food. I’m far from being an awesome hooping chick, but I have managed to get the basics down including the usual waist hooping, hip hooping, walking around, turns,  and halos. I also recently learned I can hoop on one leg but not both. Leg/knee hooping and chest/shoulder hooping are what I’m currently working on. It’s so much fun, I only stop because I’ve gotten bruises or because I have to do things like go to work…
   

   From left to right, Travel Hoop from Hoopnotica, Collapsible Snow Queen hoop from TreeHuggerHoops, Pink Trekker hoop from DanceHoops, and Across the Universe hoop also from TreeHuggerHoops