Bye Bye To My Fav Month~ | October Recap Pt. 2 |

Is it just me or this month felt suuuuuper duper short? I need more October!!

In a way, this is going to be the second part of the October So Far post I shared before, so hopefully, this one won't be extra long. No promises tho~

The second half of the month didn't slow down, work was busy, especially with new teachers joining and constant meetings. There were days where I was just exhausted at the end of the day and didn't feel like doing many extra things during the week other than watching some shows and movies after work, having seasonal yummies & other small things here and there.

I put some Halloween pressies together to give before actual Halloween.

I was so excited to get some Halloween goodies for my babies too. Maybe way more excited than they were, haha.

I also received other pressies, I'll share everything in a separate post soon.

One fun event I went to was the Saitama Fest, you know I love Japanese culture so, I had to go. I went with my sister and, even tho it was super crowded, we enjoyed it a lot, ate, drank, listened to some live music and, of course, did some shopping. I'm working on a haul post to show you what I got. I believe this is the second year they hold this event here and I'm sure I'll continue going if it becomes an annual thing.

I had the best Sake ice cream ever! ❤

The seasonal eating and drinking continued with a delish pumkin roll I found at Walmart, I love it because this year, they finally came out with more pumpkin & apple pastries. This roll in particular was so good and fresh, I was obsessed. I also found this Rifel pan de muerto muffin, which was pretty good too, really tasted like pan de muerto and, I love pan de muerto. This was a bit of a miss for me but, I'm gonna include it here anyway. I tried one of Tim Hortons' seasonal drinks and, it disappointed me. The one I had was the ube caramel latte, I had no expectation but it was overly sweet, very thick and caramel was the only thing I could taste. I'm gonna be very honest here, when Tim Hortons first opened here, I was so excited and, I really want to love it but, the few things I've tried so far hadn't been my favs~ We'll see what happens in the future.

I also found a Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie at Walmart which was so delish guys, it tasted more like pumpkin pie in a baby version, super spiced, super good! 

A fun find was  the Vualá Switch that had this zombie vibe to it with vibrant Halloween colors and a unique taste. It is a chocolate and orange cake and I loved it so much, I could eat it all year round.

Other yummies: Bloody cookies made by my sister and a pan de muerto hamburger thingy. Both were so good! 

Last thing is not Halloween or seasonal but, it is coffee and, iykyk. I tried Costa Coffee. I've seen it a lot but we don't have it where I live so, it was nice to find it at the supermarket. This one was Chinese for some reason but, it was pretty good! I had the black americano, it wasn't super strong but delish. It had a very sublte sweetness to it and, caffeine was caffeining.

 Well, that was enough food for one post, let's move on to what I watched this month. I'm not gonna include the ones I mentioned in the last post, guess it'll be more about what I watched this past 2 weeks. It's honestly not that much but, I recently shared a post dedicated to some other shows and movies in case you wanna check it out. 

The first show I'm gonna share is It: Welcome to Derry, I liked it, it was fun and well made, I just didn't love it. I wouldn't say It or even Pennywise are my favorites so, yeah. Another show I watched was Cautiva, a drama miniseries from Argentina based on a true story. This was recommended by one of my students and, I loved it. I will watch everything that's religious and dark, is one of my fav combos ever. It's only 6 episodes long and each episode is a little over 30 mins so, you can easily watch it in a couple of days. This next movie wasn't exactly my favorite but I'll include it anyway, Tormented, a British black comedy, teen slasher movie from the early 2000s. And I mean, I enjoy teen slashers but this one was... ok? It's kinda gory but not realistic cuz effects arent exactly the best.

After many years, I watched The Little Vampire again. This is a fun and even cute vampire movie from 2000, where did time go! We used to be so obsessed with it and it was a nice blast from the past for me. I can't believe I still remember some of the dialogues, especially after all these years!

Lastly, this month my beloved Bleach finally came to an end with Bleach TYBW: The Calamity last two episodes. It is kinda bittersweet because I love this anime so so much, I has a very special place in my heart and so many good memories. The whole TYBW Arc was perfection! I could get more into it but, it'd made this post super long. So I'll just say that even tho it was nice and fun to see the characters and their lives 10 years later, something was missing. The ending felt rushed and I feel like many things were left unfinished or unexplained. I know the manga has a lot more but, I haven't read it yet.

Moving on to favs of the month, I think I only have a fav lip combo to share: The Beauty Creations Plump & Pout Plumping Lip Liner with the Essence What the Fake! Plumping Lip Filler. Yeah, plumping product with pumping product haha. Sometimes I like to fill my lips with the liner and top it with the gloss and, other times I just outline them and apply the gloss. They are very similar in shade so, it works! It's been my go-to combo.💋 

And, as if this post wasn't already super long, I decided to add a little something: beauty empties. Just because I recently ran out of two products I really liked. I'll be brief, I promise. Haha.

The first product is the COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream, I tried the miniature from the COSRX All About Snail Kit 4 In One, I want to get the full size product cuz it did a great job hydrating my eye area and my fine lines felt a little softer somehow.

The other one is the Hoygi Ultimate Moisturizing Cream, I used it for about 5 months and really liked it. It is good for mature skin, reduces wrinkles and fine lines, hydrates and tightens the skin. I have a new one to try so I guess I won't be repurchasing it for now but, that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it in the future.

Before we end this post, we have to talk about Halloween because, it was the holiday this month. Honestly, I had a very quiet one because I wanted it to be like that. Like I mentioned before, it was a busy month and all I wanted was some time to relax. I realised that as much as I love to dress up and do something fun on actual Halloween, I also enjoy doing and trying all these other things throughout the month and not just focus on something big on the 31st. I dressed up and went to a party last year, this year I didn't even plan a costume. Who knows what next year will be like, hehe.

I ate Halloween sushi, I believe it was called Dracu Roll, had a pumpkin capuccino and ended my day watching Japanese horror movies with snacks and beer. 

With that, we are going to finish this October recap part 2. I really hope you all had an amazing October and a fun Halloween. Feel free to let me know what you did or if you dressed up. Remember that, it's still Fall and we have plenty of time to enjoy more cozy activities.

See you next time~!💋

Halloweeny / Spooky Shows & Movies I've Watched Lately 🕷

I'm someone who likes to watch horror and spooky stuff all year round but, since it's Halloweek, I thought I could share some of the things I've watched lately in case you want some ideas of things to watch.

This time I have a bit of everything, not just horror. Somehow this year I wanted to watch some seasonal things too, not just scary stuff. So, let's get into it!

Starting with some of the fun shows, cuz I know not everyone wants to be scared~

 🕷 Is it cake? Halloween

"Skilled bakers whip up hyperrealistic Halloween cakes in this seasonal edition of the hit competition series."

There's not too much to say about this show, it's a baking competiton with a Halloween twist. It's so fun and the things they make are just amazing... and delish! I've been enjoying these Halloween baking competitions shows for a few years now. This one in particular is super short with only 3 episodes. You can easily watch it in one day. 

🕷 Haunted Hotel

"After inheriting a hotel from her late brother, a single mum moves in with his good-natured ghost and high-maintenance guest who never checks out."

OMG I am obsessed with this show. I started watching it last year and fell in love with season 1 so, I was SO excited when I found out there was a second season. It is a little shorter than the previous one with only 8 episodes but, they're still super fun, heartwarming and, not gonna lie, the last episode got me all emotional. 

This show is the perfect way to add Halloween vibes to your month without being scary. Ah~ I already miss Abaddon, love that little demon, haha.

Moving on to some Asian horror, cuz you know we have to include some in here:

🕷Scary True Stories: Ten Haunting Tales from the Japanese Underground

"Ten Haunting Tales from the Japanese Underground: Directed by Norio Tsuruta. It contains multiple tales of paranormal experiences,"

I'm not sure if this is a short series or movies cuz I watched 3 different parts, telling different stories. It is from 1991, so do expect some funny special effects and questionable fashion choices, haha. I wouldn't say it's scary but I enjoyed watching it so much cuz it reminded me of the shows and movies I used to watch when I first started watching Asian horror. Plus, you get many short stories so, it doesn't feel slow or boring. 

And, if you want something a little bit darker, I also watched:

🕷 Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story

"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is the fourth season of the American crime drama television series Monster, created by Ian Brennan for Netflix. The season centers on murder suspect Lizzie Borden who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts."

I honestly have mixed feelings when it comes to this one. Well, with pretty much all the Monster series really. I was really excited when I saw this one was coming and, don't get me wrong, it's an entertaining show to watch if you forget this is supposed to be the Lizzie Borden story. It's interesting, fun and even beautiful to watch. Loved the secret romance between Lizzie & Maggie, outfits were gorgeous but, they changed so many things that, it just feels like someone else's story. 

Everytime the Monster series mix other stories or jump in time makes me so confused and I just don't see the need to do that. This time they included Elizabeth Bathory (a story I love) and Aileen Wuornos. I think, in a way, they made Elizabeth's story work but, Aileen's felt forced and... I just didn't like it. 

Plus idk why these series always try to glorify (I'm not sure if that's the word I'm looking for) the murderers and try to make you feel sorry for them. Oh well, all in all, it's a short show and it has some entertaining side to it.

🕷 It: Welcome to Derry

"Following the events in the 1960s, the time leading up to the events of the first film in the Stephen King "It" series."

This show came out last year, I started watching it with my sister earlier this year and, finished it until now. Yup, it took me forever.

I know many people love It, I've watched the movies and it's not like I dislike them, I just don't love them. Pennywise is creepy, yes, but there's something about the whole coming from space thing that just kills it for me, which is weird considering I hate aliens. But, whenever the kids start floating and he shows his mouth with a million fangsies, feels funny to me. It happened since I first watched the movies.

Kinda similar to Monster, it is a fun watch and it's also a short season with 8 episodes. The vibe it has is great, effects are good and sountrack is brilliant!

Even tho I didn't love the last episode, parts of it were sweet and made me feel very emotional. I think if they decide to release a second season, I'd watch it, just for fun.  

I was planning to watch more Fall, cozy movies but, in the end, I didn't watch too many of them~~

🕷 It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

"As Halloween approaches, Linus heads to the pumpkin patch to await the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, hoping it will finally make its big appearance."

This year was actually my first time watching it, I know it's a classic and, Idk what took me this longs but, I loved it. I watched it in October 1st and it felt like the perfect way to start the month. Since it's pretty short, I think it'll become a tradition for me to watch it every year.

🕷 Practical Magic 2

"Two witches must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all."

As most of you may know, this movie came out this year and is a sequel. It is a fantasy romance and has all the magical, Fall, cozy vibes. Dunno what other people think about it but, to me, it felt so nostalgic and perfect considering I love the first movie. And, to no one's surprise, it made me cry. Defo worth watching if you liked the first one.

And lastly, two horror movies that are completely different from each other...

🕷 Gretel and Hansel

"Hansel and Gretel, who are trapped in the deceptively decorated house of the witch Holda, must find a way to escape before they become prey to her evil intentions."

This dark fantasy horror movie is from 2020, we all know the Hansel & Gretel story but, this time the main focus is on Gretel. 

I heard great things about this movie and, it's not like it's a bad one, It just wasnt what I expected. Scenery is beautiful and I guess there's some mystery to it but I couldn't love it. 

It was still a good watch tho.

🕷 Obsession

"After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic gets exactly what he asked for. However, he soon discovers that some desires come at a dark and sinister price."

This has to be one of the most popular movies of the year and, I can see why. I definitely enjoyed this one. It was gross, and tense in the best way possible. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend you do it.

And, that'll be it for now. I'm currently watching other shows and have some pending movies before Halloweek ends but, still hope you find something that catches your attention in this posts. Let me know what do you like to watch this season, I'm always open to recommendations!

See you next time~!💋

Beauty Creations | Plump & Pout Plumping Lip Liner 💋

Love me a lip plumping product! Plumping glosses have been a part of my everyday makeup for a while now and, I always have fun trying new ones. This is my first time trying a plumping lip liner tho.

Earlier this month, my mom gave me this Beauty Creations Plump & Pout Plumping Lip Liner in the shade So Flirty 02 (love the name), which is a dusty rose,"my lips but better" kinda shade.

I don't really own too many lip liners but, I've been loving this one cuz it's very long lasting, smudge-proof and super easy to work with. It's true that lip liners last longer than lipsticks. I like to use it to fill my lips instead of just outlining them and I sometimes I apply some lip gloss on top to keep my lips hydrated.

It is defo smudge proof and long lasting, two things I really appreciate in a lip product.

It has shea butter and jojoba oil so it glides smoothly, the tip is very thin so it's easy to outline the lips and, like every plumping product, it gives you a slight tingling sensation that lasts for like a minute, hehe. It has a creamy texture and it doesn't feel thick or heavy on the lips.

I don't really know how much plumping it really does but, I really like the color. It has become one of my go-to, everyday lippies.

My lips with and without the lip liner.

I think that's it for this short makeup post. Not Halloweeny, I know but, It's a product I've been loving lately so, I had to share.

Let me know if you know any good plumping lip products, I'd love to try! Hehe.

See you next time~!💋

| Spookifying The Month | October So Far~ 🧙

Half of the month has already gone and I feel like it has flown by so fast! Since it's my favorite month, I wanted to have a short midmonth recap just to catch up and share a bit of what I've doing so far. 

Honestly, the month has been busy with work so I haven't been out a lot but, I'm still incorporating seasonal things to my everyday to make it more whimsy.

Starting with my decor. As you might already know, I love to decorate for Halloween. Sometimes I do it weeks before October starts. I have to have everything ready by Oct. 01st. This year wasn't the exception, but, I didn't go all the way out with it, dunno why. And, I have to say I haven't bought many new things, I'm using what I already had from other years. 

There's something cozy about having Halloween decor in the apartment. I also did some decoration at work but, I don't have pics of that.

Now, I'm someone who watches horror all year round so, this year I wanted to focus on watching more Helloweeny, fun things throughout the month. And yeah, I've watched some horror (especially Japanese horror) but, I'll share just the cutesy seasonal stuff for now.

First, I finally watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown I wanted to watch it last year but, for whatever reason, I never did. It was my choice to welcome the month and, it was soooo worth it! It was cute, fun and perfect to add a little Fall/Halloween something to my day. It was also my first time paying attention to a Charlie Brown cartoon, I really enjoyed it.

Moving on, my sister and I started this tradition of going to the movies as soon as Fall or October stars, and get seasonal Krispy Kremes on that same day. This year instead of horror, we went with my mom and watched Practical Magic 2. I was really looking forward to it and, it took us a while to go watch it. Idk what others think of it, really. I haven't paid much attention to the reviews but, I love the 1st movie and I really enjoyed this one too. It made me so emotional I even cried.

In my head, I was going to watch so many shows and movies but, sometimes I am super tired at the end of the day and I don't wanna focus on anything so, my list of shows isn't long at all. I was SO excited when I found out Haunted Hotel released a second season. I loved season 1 last year and this year was not the exception. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it, it's so fun and cozy to watch.

Lastly, we have Is it cake? Halloween 2026. I watch this shows every year, only the Halloween specials, haha. It's just so entertaining, not scary at all but, still keeping the seasonal magic.

And, I think that's it for shows & movies. There are still shows I want to finish watching this month so, we'll see how that goes. Let's move on to what I've been reading so far...

I'm going to mention 2 books even tho maybe it's officially just one, haha. But, at the beginning of the month, I read Baby Monsters Dracula as a fun, little way to start the month on a working day. My mom gave me the book as part of my Halloween gifts last year because I love vamps and, I never really read it. It was honestly really cute.

The other one is Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, a vampire book I really wanted to read after listening to so many people recommending it, especially if you liked Dracula. It was a short read, but I really liked it. I'm hoping to read another book before the month is over, I just haven't decided on one yet.

When it comes to going out, I've been in the hunt for seasonal drinks and food and, even tho I've been out & about, not everything has been completely seasonal. Of course part of that has been buying Halloween gifts, lots of window shopping and visiting a few places that are or have seasonal stuff. Not too many tho~

Seeing things like these even at the supermarket makes me SO happy! 

Every year I go to the Alfeñique Fair, which starts earlier each year, OMG. This was supposed to start at the end of the month cuz it is to celebrate the Day of the Dead, I mean, I don't mind going earlier but, yeah. I've gone twice so far, the first time was with my sister. We went there early cuz we didn't want it to be super crowded as it usually is, we did find some people but, we were able to walk around, check the stalls and decoration. Surprisingly, we didn't buy anything but, it was a nice Alfeñique date. Hehe.

I love how colorful everything is.

Another annual tradition for me is going with my friends to Macadamia Gourmet and have their seasonal menu. So, we had a witchy date, caught up and enjoyed some seasonal drinks. We had to take a pic with the skelly they always have, he's our friend now, haha. After delish drinks, we decided to walk around the fair, this time at night to see everything illuminated. It was SUPER crowded as expected but it was defo a different vibe. Plus, we saw a lot of great costumes, people taking pics and eating street food. 

I have to share some of the other seasonal yummsies I've had so far...

From left to right: Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Cheesecake Donut, that was soooo good, I liked it more than last year's pumpkin spice donut, Pumpkin Spice from The Coffee, you know I had to. Plus, they gave us some stickers with our drinks. And, the Chicken Frankie sub, Subway's Halloween special. It may not look that good but, it's delicious.

Since not everything in my life can be going out and all that fun stuff, I've also tried to keep the whimsy in my everyday activities at home, a super easy and free way to spookify my normal and not so exciting adult days.

One thing I love to do is to use my Halloween mugs, glasses, plates, napkins. Everything that can turn a normal meal into a fun one.

Other simple things are adding witchy touches like, magical looking eye patches, putting a fun outfit together (this one was Gillian Owens inspired), paying attention to those small messages that can make my day better. I don't have pics of this but, I also changed my bag charm to a bat one, I'm taking a bats tote to work and we can't forget about my Halloween tees and accesories. 

I can't finish this post without including some Halloween pressies I have recieved so far. To me, Halloween season is like my Christmas and I love it when people think of me during the season. So, I really appreciate and love these things. I recieved some of these at the end of September but, yeah, I'm still including them here.

I'll share a bit more about the pressies in another post later in the month. ❤ 

And, that's it for now, I didn't think this midmonth recap will be this long! It's been fun so far even tho I still don't know what I'm going to do on actual Halloween, I'm just enyojing whatever comes. 

Hope you're having an amazing and magical month. 

See you next time~!💋

🔖 Recent Reads: Carmilla 🧛🏻‍♀️

I wanted to read this book for a while now. You know I love vamps and, I’ve seen people recommending it if you liked Dracula since it was written 25 years earlier and inspired the vampire archetype we know.

Carmilla is a gothic horror novella by Joseph Thomas Le Franu, it was published in 1872. The story is about a 19 year old young woman named Laura who becomes the target of a female vampire, Carmilla. It is set in the 19th century in Austria. 

                                          

It is a very short story, you can easily read it in a day if you dedicate the time to it. Even tho the story is not the same, it did feel pretty similar to Dracula. I loved the way it was narrated and the complex relationship between Laura and Carmilla; it was dangerous and intense, sometimes romantic and others friendly. Kind of addictive in a way. You know, vampires~

I have to say tho, I didn't like the edition I bought. Cuz look, I don't really know much about publishing houses, editions and all that fun stuff, I'm still learning a lot about books and the reading journey so, I chose the cover I thought was the prettiest. And I don't mind the fact that it is a paperback book and it was independently published but, the way it was printed was just ugly. The text is not properly laid out on the pages and that's annoying but, that's my fault for not reading the reviews when I bought it. Oh well~ But, all in all, I think this is a perfect story if you want something dark and mysterious but, beautiful at the same time.

SO annoyed with this~

And well, connected to Dracula, I decided to read this kids book my mom put in my Halloween gift last year, it's really cute. It was a very quick read (took me like less than 10 minutes) but a fun way to start the month. And, since I was not going to make a full post dedicated to it, I'm including it here, hehe.

It is called Baby Monsters Dracula and it's basically Dracula's story in a cute version. Instead of killing him, they throw garlic into his mouth and he becomes human again. Sweet.

It only has 24 pages and comes with some activities at the end of the story, some stcikers and a paper mask. I didn't do the activities but, they look fun. 

And, that's it for this short book post, I want to read more vampire stories but, I also feel like reading something darker and scarier next. We'll see. If you have any recommendation, please feel free to tell me!

See you next time~!💋