Tori's Pretty Life - October 2016 Recap

Palisades Parkway, NY - October 2016

I am an extremely private person.  

(As I sit here writing about my hobbies and life, putting it out there on the world wide interweb...) 

It's true, though. 

I'm usually not one to offer up information about myself unless asked. When I am, more often than not, I'll give you a quick, "All is good!" and turn the conversation back to you. 

It's nothing personal and usually - everything is good! I'm just a true, solid introvert and keep my life, heart, and opinions to a very select and close few. (If you're part of that select few, you know exactly who you are :).) 

That said, it's really important that we build a home here at TPT. A cozy little nook where you can rely on constant creative content that feels organized, inspirational and achievable in your world :). 

So I want to turn this house into a home and add in a few personal touches. 

Introducing Tori's Monthly Recap. On a mostly monthly basis (give or take a few weeks), you can expect a post like this. You'll find a photo recap of this month's past posts plus the other in's and out's of my daily life. 

I promise you. some months will probably be incredibly boring! But then we have months like October where, I didn't realize until putting this together, how many great opportunities I had a chance take part in :). 

So, without further ado, here's what happened in my life this past October... 

Philadelphia - City Hall Building

Philadelphia - Love Park sign on display

October began with a long-weekend trip to Philly, where B and I were so happy to celebrate the wedding of our two friends :).

We did a little bit of exploring, a little bit of brunching with another great friend, and a lot of celebrating! It was such a beautiful wedding and lovely time :).

Fall Wedding - Makeup Look

Fall Wedding - Outfit

I'm a really big fan of walking. Exercise is so much easier to stick to when it does feel like a chore! I took many long walks in October and saw a bunch of pretty, fall things along the way :).

New York Pumpkin Patch

Manhattan Sunset

Manhattan in the Fall

 As the month progressed, B and I took a lovely stroll together through Central Park before sunset. That night, I enjoyed my first Yom Kippur breaking of the fast with B and his family :).

Central Park Reservoir

Central Park

Then, the baking urge struck! I whipped up a batch of Pumpkin Spice donuts and ate them for a week straight :).

Pumpkin Spice Donuts 

I also tried Colour Pop Lip products for the first time to satisfy the need for some bright, new fall lip colors. See the full post here!

Colour Pop Lippies - First Impressions

B and I ate a few delicious brunches, like the one in this post, and enjoyed more NYC foliage :).

Fall foliage during a fall brunch

Then my two very best friends made the day-trip into Manhattan and we adventured to the top of the Empire State Building.

Empire State Building

Of course, October wouldn't be complete without a few Halloween nail art designs! First, I went with a spooky calico cat .

Halloween Cat Nail Art

The last week of October was a whirlwind. First, B's company gave us tickets to the Jazz Foundation of America's annual Jazz gala. I am a HUGE fan of Jazz and really believe in this foundation so this event is just everything to me!

There were about a dozen extremely talented performers. The four big-billed acts were Bruce Willis (yes, THAT Bruce Willis...), Dr. John, McCoy Tyner, and the John Mayer Trio. I can only say one word about this event - Phenomenal!

Bruce Willis - A Great Night in Harlem

Dr. John - A Great Night in Harlem

McCoy Tyner - A Great Night in Harlem

John Mayer Trio - A Great Night in Harlem

Then, the next day, we hopped in our Zipcar and drove to West Point, NY. We celebrated a long weekend of fall foliage and another great friend's wedding!

If you haven't experienced Upstate New York's foliage and you're a fall lover like me - then you need to start planning your trip! Those mountains.. those hues.. that crisp air...ah, just perfection :).

West Point, NY (and my B!)

The next night was the wedding itself. It was such beautiful occasion, so full of happiness and love :). We had a great time! Here's the full post on the makeup look I wore to the festivities.

Fall wedding makeup look

The coolest centerpiece!

 We headed back to the city that Sunday and breezed down the Palisades Parkway. (Can I get an internet high-five for no traffic?!)

On the way back, we made a quick pit stop at the Hudson River lookout to take one last look at those gorgeous views.

The Hudson River

I can't leave Jersey out ;)

Driving on the Palisades parkway

Halloween fell on a Monday this year. With the fun wedding festivities, I decided to forego the costume this year and instead stick with festive nail art! Here were my final Halloween nails for the season :).

Halloween Graveyard Nail Art

Phew! Turns out, October was a super busy and super fun month :). 

Now tell me - How was your October?