Hey y’all-this fall has flown by. Seems like it was just Labor Day, and now here we are at Thanksgiving weekend. I’m later than I hoped with sharing my October 2021 Favorites. But I’ve been so late with my monthly round-up posts the past several months that publishing the previous month’s round-up before the end of the month seems early!
This post contains affiliate links and Beautycounter consultant links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support of Palmettos & Pineapples.)
Walt Disney World Turns 50!
October 1, 2021 officially marked the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World’s opening. ABC had a really great commemorative Disney World 50th Anniversary special that you can watch on Hulu. If you search for “Disney World,” it should pop up. In honor of 50 years of Disney World, I am working on a blog post highlighting some of my favorite Disney World memories. For the time being, here’s a throwback photo from my first-ever trip to Disney World!
More Disney World 50th Anniversary Happy Meal Toys
McDonalds continued their Disney World 50th Anniversary Happy Meal toy promotion through the first few weeks of October. I was excited to add more to my collection. Highlights included getting Olaf, Thumper, Simba, Jiminy, and Gus! I ended up getting around 25 of the 50 toys in the collection. Since I wasn’t even tried to get all 50, I’m really happy with my collection. I got almost all of the characters I really wanted. All of the McDonald’s locations near me would let me buy the toy without getting any food. Thus, I definitely didn’t eat 25 Happy Meals in a month’s time, haha! (Check out my September 2021 Favorites post for more about the Disney World 50th anniversary McDonald’s Happy Meal toys!
Mickey’s Runaway Railway Happy Meal Toy Set Complete
When McDonald’s released their Mickey’s Runaway Railway Happy Meal Toys last November, that got me started with collecting Happy Meal Toys as an adult. Between Happy Meals I purchased, my cousin and an Instagram follower sending me extras, and a couple eBay purchases, I was able to acquire 8 of the 10 toys in this collection. Little did I know that McDonalds would actually send leftover toys from the Mickey’s Runaway Railway promo to locations this fall when they were running low on 50th anniversary toys. Due to this nice surprise during October, I added the two Mickey’s Runaway Railway toys that I was missing: Donald on the Mad Tea Party, and Mickey & Minnie in the vintage car! I was so excited about completing my Mickey’s Runaway Railway set that I didn’t even mind McDonald’s being out of 50th Anniversary toys on these visits.
Plus, the fact that I got the exact two toys that I had been missing was a sweet reminder that God cares about even the smallest details of our lives. I know a Happy Meal toy is such a minor thing, and God doesn’t always give us what we want when we want. Nevertheless, this simple joy reminded me that God loves to give good gifts, both big and small, to His children.
Sarah Flint Sacchetto Flats
In October I earned another pair of free shoes as a Sarah Flint Brand Ambassador reward. I chose the Sacchetto Flat in Sand Nappa. This Sarah Flint style made its debut back in Spring 2021, and it had been on my wish list for awhile. I’m glad I finally got my hands on a pair. The Sand color goes with everything, and I love the contrasting patent color at the toe cap and covered button. Actual ballet pointe shoes inspired Sarah Flint as she designed the Sacchetto Flat. I never did ballet growing up, but sometimes wish I had! Wearing my Sarah Flint Sacchetto Flats lets me live out my ballerina dreams vicariously.
The Sacchetto Flat also comes in black leather (with contrasting black patent at toecap and button). It’s available in a few limited edition colors right now as well, including a gorgeous espresso suede with contrasting tortoiseshell toe cap! As much as I adore my Sarah Flint Natalie Flats, I like mixing things up with the Sacchetto. I definitely want more colors in the future!
You can save $50 on your first pair of Sarah Flint shoes with code SARAHFLINT-BALIZS.
Beautycounter Holiday Sets Launch
Getting to promote Beautycounter’s limited edition holiday sets is one of my favorite things about being a Beautycounter consultant! This is my third holiday season with Beautycounter, and I think this year’s holiday sets are my favorite. They are great to gift to others, but also fun to treat yourself. I like that Beautycounter holiday sets include mini sizes of popular Beautycounter products, limited edition products, and limited edition shades/scents of Beautycounter favorites. I bought a bundle of holiday sets when Beautycounter had a pre-sale for consultants several weeks before the launch. In addition, I snagged a couple more sets after the launch.
I will do another post soon with a Clean Beauty Gift Guide. In the meantime, you can check out Beautycounter holiday sets here. Bonus-save 15% through November 28 (and if you’re a brand-new Beautycounter customer, you can save 20% with code CLEANFORALL20). This Clean Hero Minis is a great holiday set for someone who is interested in Beautycounter but not ready to invest in full-size products yet. It includes minis of five Beautycounter best-sellers: lip gloss, All Bright C Serum, Overnight Resurfacing Peel, Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum, and Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion.
Mother’s Circus Animal Halloween Cookies
Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies (covered in pink & white coating with sprinkles) are one of my favorite snacks! Thus, I was excited when they came out with a Halloween edition of this beloved treat this year. The Mother’s Circus Animal Halloween Cookies are a bit smaller than the regular animal cookies. They are festively shaped like cats, ghosts, and bats, and covered with orange and white frosting. This was the first year I’ve seen this seasonal treat, and I hope they return in 2022!
Creepy Cocoa Crispy M&M’s
The Creepy Cocoa Crispy M&M’s are another limited edition Halloween candy I loved in October 2021. I may have actually had these in the past, but I don’t recall sharing them on the blog before. So they deserve a mention here. These remind me of the Crispy M&M’s from back in the 90’s! But as their name suggests, the crispy inside is chocolate. These are fall colors of orange, red, and brown.
Lilly Pulitzer Purrposefully Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Pajama Pants
I love how Lilly Pulitzer does a Breast Cancer Awareness print each October. Breast Cancer Awareness is a cause very close to my heart (read this post for details). So for the past several years, I’ve bought a piece in Lilly’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness print. The 2021 Lilly Breast Cancer Awareness print, Purrposefully Pink, might be one of my favorites. It features tigers and elephants, two of my favorite animals. There are also citrus fruits in the print, and the pink is especially vibrant. Since I love Lilly Pulitzer pajama pants, it was easy for me to select this as my Purrposefully Pink item to purchase! I’m a firm believer that there’s no such thing as too many Lilly pajama pants. These pajama pants are in my 2021 Cozy Gift Guide, which you can check out here.
Pura Vida Mickey Hoop Earrings
Back in August, I bought a few pieces of jewelry from the Pura Vida Disney collection. I loved it so much that in October I added another piece to my collection, the Mickey Hoop earrings. These earrings are dainty as far as hoop earrings go, and are very high quality. The silver color goes with everything, and they are the perfect way to add a subtle touch of Disney to your everyday outfits. Although the Pura Vida Mickey Hoop earrings are out of stock at the moment, I recommend checking their website periodically.
I wore my Pura Vida Mickey Hoop earrings with my Pura Vida Minnie Pendant Necklace and Minnie Charm Bracelet as part of my subtle Minnie Mouse costume to work the Friday before Halloween. (Minnie ears are Vera Bradley, which you can find here.)
Pura Vida Disney Stickers
When I ordered my Mickey Hoop Earrings, I also added some fun Pura Vida Disney stickers to my order. I got one Disney sticker back when I placed my initial Pura Vida Disney order in August, but they had several more in stock in October. There’s currently still multiple Pura Vida Disney stickers on their website. They are only $3.50 a piece, and would make a great small gift for any Disney lover! Pictured below are: “Beach Babes,” “Good Days Only,” Day Dreamer,” and “Vacay Vibes.”
Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blusher
Beautycounter launched their new cream blush in October, which is replacing their powder blush. Although I’ve primarily used powder blush over the years, I’m really loving the Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blusher. It comes in a gorgeous compact with a mirror. This blush compact is actually refillable as well, making it sustainable. The refills are also less expensive than the full compact. I got the “Cider” shade, which is a nice neutral peach shade. There are eight shades total. To apply the Cheeky Clean Cream Blusher, you simply swirl your fingers in the compact and then swipe on your cheeks. I’ve gotten used to the application and really like it. As a bonus, you can save 15% on the Beautycounter Cream Blusher through November 28.
UNC vs Miami Game
I went to the UNC vs. Miami game with my family in mid-October. Highlights were getting a super cute picture with Rameses Jr before the game, and getting to sit in the Blue Zone premium seats during the game. How cute is this cake pop in Carolina colors that I got to have from the Blue Zone snack spread?! UNC also held off Miami to win in a thriller of a game!
Fall Beach Weekend
As much as I love spending time at the beach in the summer, I have to say that fall beach trips are very underrated! Due to a lot of the usual fall activities being cancelled in 2020, last fall I took my first fall beach trip in six years. After last year’s trip reminded me of how gorgeous the beach is during the fall, I wanted to go for a fall weekend again this year, even though more of the typical fall activities resumed. So, I enjoyed a fall beach weekend with my parents in late October. The weather was in the mid to upper 70s during the day, so it was super comfortable to sit on the beach and read. And of course, I loved enjoying College GameDay with Dunkin’ Munchkins on that Saturday morning.
Disney World 50th Anniversary Pin
Although I haven’t been able to make it to any of the Disney World 50th Anniversary festivities in person yet, I did order this adorable commemorative 50th Anniversary pin from shopDisney. It’s not available online at the moment, but shopDisney periodically adds new Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary merchandise online. Check out their current selection here.
Corn Maze
As much as I love Halloween, I didn’t have any big plans for Halloween this year. The only Halloween party going on in my circle was a 20s themed party with the young adults group at my church, and Roaring 20’s parties aren’t really my thing. (I know I’m in the minority with this.) However, I did get to go to a corn maze with some girls from my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) group the Saturday night of Halloween weekend. It was my first time doing a corn maze, and it was a fun and festive fall activity to do with some sweet friends. The place where we went also had a hayride and fire pits to make s’mores.
Hope you enjoyed my October 2021 Favorites-thanks so much for reading! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
-xoxo Liz
