October 2025 Month in Review

Grace G.

6 months ago

And just like that, Spooky Season is over! I’ve been reflecting the last couple of days, and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that Halloween is my favorite holiday. I just love putting together costumes, and this year I had so much fun making lots of costume videos from items I already had in my closet. I always used to say my dream job was to become a costume designer. One time my friend asked me point-blank, “Well then why don’t you do that?” I never considered it as a real career path for myself, just as a fun “dream job,” but part of me is starting to wonder what it would actually take…

What’s New?

My mom and I had the best time on our fall New England road trip at the beginning of October. We both agreed that it’s our favorite mother-daughter trip that we’ve done so far (compared to the Northeast in 2023 and the South in 2024). I truly can’t believe our trip was only a month ago… It’s been such a hectic couple of weeks that it already feels like so much more time has passed! I am SO behind on blog work (and really everything) that I still have not gotten up my trip recap posts… shame…
I hit 1,000,000 views on Instagram for the first time!! It was this “I just flipped the switch” trend of my boyfriend’s and my Halloween costumes from last year, which were a reference to the show “How I Met Your Mother.” The funny part is that I had nothing to post that night and just randomly remembered I had this video from last year. Of course the thing that goes viral is the video that took me five minutes to edit instead of the countless posts I have spent hours on… ha. I truly never expected it to pop off as much as it did, with over 29,000 likes and 6,600 shares. It got more than 700,000 views on TikTok, too. So exciting!! (Even if it’s not my usual content.)

Today’s Outfit

Like my September monthly recap, I’m sharing another outfit from the conference I attended in Dillon, Colorado, in September. The citrine tones and jewelry of this look felt perfect to kickstart my birth month! This outfit was inspired by my 2025 goal to photograph as many items as possible that have never been featured on the blog before. This look incorporates three items—the sweater, pants, and metallic flats. I loved putting together an outfit that still looks professional but is extremely comfy at the same time. The pants are actually billed as yoga pants, and while I wouldn’t wear them to work with a shorter top (there is an athletic-looking logo on the waistband in the back), I do think they pass as comfy trousers when paired with a slightly longer shirt. The metallic shoes and ammonite necklace added a little somethin’ somethin’ to an otherwise plain look!

Top Performing Blog Posts this Month

Top Performing Social Media Posts

Slutty Pumpkin and Hanging Chad Costume Transition—1.1 million views!!
Week 42: Percent Worn
Halloween Costumes Already in my Closet: Generic Pirate

What I Watched

Halloween II—My mom and I watched horror movies on cable almost every night while on our trip, which was so much fun. I’m bummed I missed the first Halloween, which I’m sure was better, but this one wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be for a sequel.
Friday the 13^th (2009)—So dumb and cheesy.
Friday the 13^th (1980)—The story of the original made way more sense than the remake, but this one was SO boring! For that reason… I think I liked the remake better. At least it kept me semi-interested.
Jeepers Creepers—For a cheesy, low-budget horror film I didn’t think this one was that bad. Especially since we had been driving down quiet backroads reminiscent of the movie…
It (2017)—I remember being so scared by this movie when I first saw it (well, I didn’t watch much originally because my eyes were closed most of the time). I really liked it on the second watch, especially the heartfelt friendships.
It: Chapter Two—This one, on the other hand, I didn’t like. It was SO long for no good reason, and honestly I just found it really sad.
Pet Sematary (1989)—Ahh so creepy!! I had heard of how scary this movie and book are, so I was very excited when it came on TV the night before our Stephen King tour in Bangor, Maine. It of course wasn’t “scary” by today’s standards, but something about the story stays with you in a really eerie way… Loved it and would watch it again in a heartbeat.
Nightcrawler—Not a horror movie but really dark and twisted, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a nighttime cameraman for the news. Really well acted.
Game Night—My mom and I shared a lot of laughs with this one, plus I just love Jason Bateman!
In the Tall Grass—A more recent Stephen King adaptation but unfortunately it was really bad. Don’t waste your time.
Murder on the Orient Express—I felt similarly about the movie as I did about the book: “meh.”
Arrival—I saw this when it first came out in 2016, but honestly I didn’t really get movies back then. This time on my rewatch I LOVED it. It wrecked me, but it’s such a good movie.
The Thursday Murder Club—I watched this star-studded movie at a girls night and really enjoyed the lightheartedness. It had a bit of an unexpected ending, but generally I liked it.
One Battle After Another—Wow, walking out of the theater I truly didn’t know what to say. This movie was all over the place, but ultimately I think I liked it. I was certainly entertained, and I continue to think about it.

What I Read

The Crucible by Arthur Miller—I haven’t been reading much lately, but I did reread the play The Crucible in the spirit of visiting Salem. Of course it’s not the most accurate, but after learning about all the witch trial history I did notice quite a few details and nods to real-life aspects of the story. It was a very short and easy read, available for free online.

October Spotify Playlist

October’s playlist has a lot of songs that my mom and I heard on our fall road trip! I also decided it’s finally time for me to listen to all of Taylor Swift’s albums… in order. I’m through Red so far—I’m shocked by the number of songs I’ve never even heard before, and I’ve been enjoying listening to her evolution over the years. As for her new album, I don’t have strong feelings about it one way or the other. I think my favorite songs are “Elizabeth Taylor” and “Eldest Daughter.” I’ll probably be sharing my full T-Swift playlist in next month’s recap!

What I’ve Been Loving Lately

I started using this app called Sleepio, which is one of the benefits I get through work. It gives you tips and tricks to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night. For the first couple of days I used the app, it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know—no screens right before going to sleep, don’t do work in bed, etc. But I started taking that advice seriously and as I progressed through the stages it offered more techniques I hadn’t heard of before. It sounds crazy, but even within a few days of using the app consistently I was sleeping much better and feeling more energized throughout the day. I backslid a bit this past week, but I’m excited to continue through the “coursework” and see how much more of a difference it makes in my sleep patterns and feelings of restfulness. It says it takes most people six weeks to truly start reaping the benefits.
I think I’ve mentioned this a few times, but I’ve been trying really hard to take better care of my hair lately—not sleeping on it wet, putting it in protective hairstyles while I sleep, etc. Part of this new routine is using the Mielle rosemary hair oil to give myself scalp massages on hair wash days. I’m not sure I’ve noticed a difference from my efforts yet, but I really like the smell of the oil and feeling like I’m doing something proactive for my hair.

What I’m Looking Forward to in November

Birthday month!! My birthday is on a Sunday this year so I can’t wait to spend the weekend with my family and my boyfriend. I don’t think we have anything too crazy planned, but after a busy October I’m excited to just hang out around Denver and hopefully play lots of games.
My friend and I always plan extravagant birthday celebrations for each other, so I am very excited to see what she’s cooked up this year! I know very little other than that I am driving to a mystery location instead of visiting her in Grand Junction like usual… I really have no idea what it could be.
Don’t get me wrong—I love Christmas—but I despise that Christmas music is already playing in some stores and people are breaking out their decorations already… What about Thanksgiving and the rest of fall?? I’ll be spending Turkey Day with my boyfriend’s family this year, so I’m looking forward to a little R&R at the end of the month.

This Month on Grace per Wear

What are you looking forward to in November? I can’t believe we only have two months of the year left—I’ve really been kicking my “percent worn” efforts into overdrive these last few weeks as I try to get that final 12%!

Miles of smiles,
Grace

Sweater: Amazon, $30 ($15.00 per wear), gifted for collaboration, buy here | Pants: Amazon, $34 ($17.00 per wear), gifted for collaboration, buy here | Flats: TJ Maxx, $30 ($4.29 per wear) | Sunglasses: Charming Charlie, $7 ($0.16 per wear), last worn here | Purse: Thrifted, $9 ($0.50 per wear), last worn here