The best part about October are the horror films and Halloween classics being on TV every day. I live for horror films so what better way to share my favorites with you than to create a Halloween movie marathon list for you all?

Let’s get started.

1.      Halloween

That’s a given, you pretty much need this in your Halloween marathon. Classic horror movie villain, Michael Myers, returns to his hometown to continue his killing spree after he slaughtered his family on Halloween night when he was a kid.

2.      A Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy Kruger is my bae. Child murderer, Freddy Kruger starts stalking a group of teens in their dreams to get revenge on the parents that burned him alive. Sweet dreams.

3.      Trick or Treat

This film is perfect for Halloween. It’s a horror anthology featuring four tales that all connect to one another. It follows the rules of Halloween like, “always check your candy,” “Never blow out your pumpkin before midnight,” “always give out candy on Halloween night,” and more. It’s a clever horror film that embodies Halloween.

4.      Jeepers Creepers

The creeper definitely creeped me out when I first saw this film. Two siblings going home for break are being stalked by this grotesque being that enjoys eating his victims and he picks them based on their fear.

5.      Thirteen Ghosts

This has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. It focuses on a family that inherits a house from their uncle. Only there’s one minor detail, there’s 12 trapped spirits in the basement. In the special features you can see short videos on how each ghost died. 

6.      House of 1000 Corpses

This Rob Zombie film is just amazing. It’s about a group of friends travelling cross country and they get caught in the rain and they run into a family of crazies after trying to find a local legend, Doctor Satan. The events that follow are nothing short of insanity. It’s a must-see. If you finish this you HAVE to watch the sequel “The Devil’s Rejects”.

7.      Child’s Play

Charles Lee Ray, a serial killer, transfers his soul into a Good Guy Doll and that doll ends up in the hands of little Andy. Poor thing had no idea Chucky was a little terror that literally just wanted to murder everyone and transfer his soul into his body. Fun fact: my sorority sister and I went as Chucky and Tiffany to a Halloween party once.

8.      Hocus Pocus

Of course, this film is on my Halloween movie list. It’s a Halloween classic. The Sanderson sisters return on Halloween night after a virgin lit the black flame candle. After the horror films listed above, you’ll want something fun to balance it out.

9.      Casper

This film was my everything as a kid. It’s such a cute film.

10.  Halloweentown

What kind of a person would I be if I didn’t include Halloweentown? Exactly.

11.  Friday the 13^th.

I am so obsessed with these films. Camp Crystal Lake is open and camp counselors and dying left and right. Fun fact: I was a Camp Crystal Lake camp counselor for Halloween one year. Complete with machete wounds to the face.

12.  The Amityville Horror

Every movie list needs a good haunting. The film focuses on the Lutz family after they movie into the Amityville house, which was the scene of gristly murders years ago when the DeFeo family was slaughtered by Ronnie DeFeo. They only made it 28 days until they left, leaving all of their belongings behind. (The 2005 film is my favorite, I don't care).

13.  Scream

A fun slasher film is the best way to end a movie marathon. This film follows Sydney, a girl being stalked by a killer called “Ghostface”. This film is clever and it took the slasher genre and revived it. Craven was truly a genius. It’s a bloody good time.

There you have it, 13 films for the perfect Halloween night marathon. Let me know some of your Halloween favorites!

I recently had the opportunity to work with the amazing Yves Saint Laurent on their amazing lipstick collection thanks to Influenster. The YSL Rouge Pur Couture is a collection featuring a “Love and Kiss Collector Edition and Rouge Pur Couture lip shades” which come in both satin and matte finishes.

The lipsticks come in many beautiful shades, from nudes, pinks, reds and purples. The Love and Kiss Collector’s Edition has a shade from each family plus the Sephora VIB Rouge exclusive in 71 Black Red- it’s stunning. I’m definitely getting my hands on that one next.

L-R: 19 Fuchsia, 9 Rose Stiletto

The ones I have are 19 Fuchsia, a bright pink and 9 Rose Stiletto, a rich berry rose. Both are Satin finishes, which I don’t normally gravitate towards (mattes own my heart), but the Satin finishes have an amazing formula. They go on smooth and keep your lips hydrated while providing amazing shine.

 They’re super opaque and have antioxidants so they help you lips feel good, while looking good. I love a good pink and nude and these are my two favorites from the collection.

Overall, these lipsticks are stunning and you need them in your life. Available at Sephora!

Hello boils and ghouls, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! October is my favorite month, the weather gets colder, the leaves change, and everything gets scarier. In honor of my favorite time of the year, we’re going to spook things up here. To kick it off, we’re going to discuss my favorite creepy kids in films. There’s nothing like taking something cute and turning it into a little monster.

Let’s get started.

1.      Children of the Corn

This is one of my favorite films, and one of my favorite short stories from Stephen King. In the film, these kids slaughtered the adults and began to run the town themselves. The most vicious of the children is their leader Isaac, who vows to keep them in line while preaching the things he learns from “He Who Walks Behind the Rows”. His right-hand man, Malachi, who’s the muscle, helps him keep things running smooth. My favorite scene is the one where he has Linda by the face, dragging her through the streets yelling "Outlander"- classic. These brainwashed, little murders are the reason I would never want to get lost in a corn field. Fun fact: my first imaginary friends were Isaac and Malachi.

2.      Samara Morgan (The Ring)

The Ring was a film that genuinely freaked me out when I first saw it. Mainly because of the decrepit little girl that crawls out of the freaking TV to murder you. Samara seemed like this tortured soul that just wanted to be loved, too bad she literally just wanted to hurt people for funsies. If her name pops up on my phone, better believe she’s getting blocked.

3.      Gage Creed (Pet Semetary)

Another favorite from Stephen King. Poor little Gage didn’t ask to become a soulless demon hell-bent on killing, it just kinda happened. Death does strange things to people, and when Gage was killed it destroyed his father, so he buried him in the "pet semetary" but the thing that returned, wasn’t his bundle of joy. Going around and slicing tendons, trying to kill his parents, that’s at least an hour in the time out chair.

4.      Ester (Orphan)

At first, you’re thinking this is just a kid with some anger issues. Maybe it’s from her mysterious past, or maybe she’s just a 30 year old passing off as a kid. Either way, she was a terror on the playground, although, that kid totally had it coming.  Trying to kill her new brother, manipulating her deaf sister, and killing nuns weren’t even the creepiest things she did. It wasn’t until she tried seducing the husband that it got weird.

5.      Damien (The Omen)

The name Damien was forever changed for me thanks to this film. Having a creepy kid is one thing, having the literal Antichrist is another. His nanny commits suicide for him, a priest tries to warn the family of what he truly is and gets impaled by a lightning rod, and of course- trying to kill his mom still wasn’t enough for the dad to believe little Damien was the spawn of Satan.

6.      The white-haired children (Village of the Damned)

The fact that nobody really questioned why there was a mass pregnancy or the fact that all of the children born that day all looked similar- is beyond me. They each have light blonde hair, pale skin and glowing eyes, totally normal. They’re all telepathically linked with one another and have the power to control the actions of others, allowing them to cause the deaths of anyone that gets in their way. #SquadGoals

7.      Henry (The Good Son)

Not a horror film, but I still wouldn’t want Henry as a son. Now we know why he got left home alone all of the time. This kid is a master manipulator and has all of the qualities of a serial killer in the making. Killing small animals, causing huge car crashes, hurting his little sister, being a pathological liar, and it brings him such joy.

8.      Alice (Alice Sweet Alice)

What do you do when your annoyingly cute little sister gets everything? Kill her of course! Alice was tired of always being second to little Karen, so on the day of her communion, she offs her and goes through the ceremony herself. More people begin to die and all fingers point to Alice. Her mask that she’s so fond of is what makes it even creepier, ugh.

9.      The Children

It’s Christmas but these kids have much more than presents on their minds. They develop the desire to just slaughter all of the adults in gruesome ways. Just for…being adults? The kids go from sweet and innocent to little killing machines, making them even creepier. They’re definitely getting coal in their stockings.

10.  The Grady Twins (The Shinning)

Like…all I’m saying is that I’m not trying to run into them in any hallway. Ever.

11.  The Brood

Deformed, demon-like children, hell-bent on killing, aka mommy’s little helpers. The “children” are created when Nova, a deranged woman undergoes psychoplasmics. They are an extension of her anger and misfortune and they kill anyone that’s ever wronged her. Her grandmother, her ex husband, a former teacher all end up dead. Basically, if you’ve ever wronged their mother, it might be time to make amends.

12.  Carol Anne (Poltergiest)

Carol Anne didn’t ask for any of this. She didn’t tell her parents to move on top of an old Indian cemetery or to get captured by the spirits in their house, it just happened. Carol Anne casually talking to the things in their house and announcing their arrival with the simple phrase “they’re here,” is what makes her perfect for this list. The rest of the events, make the film just creepy in general.

13.  Reagan (The Exorcist)

Saving my favorite for last. Reagan was an innocent child, who ended up being one of the creepiest kids ever because she was possessed by a demon. Defiling her body with crucifixes, vomiting on priests, saying charming phrases like “your mother sucks c*cks in hell”, so cute. It’s all fun and games until your head spins around.

Alright guys, there’s my top favorite creepy kids in films! What are some of your favorites? 

BlessTheFall is back with their newest album To Those Left Behind, which was released on September 18^th. To Those Left Behind features 12 new songs, and has been generating buzz all over social media; with fans flooding social media with excitement over their pre-orders, the singles, and all things BTF.

Party posse! Keep on spreading the word and go get #ToThoseLeftBehind in stores!

A photo posted by blessthefall (@blessthefall) on Sep 19, 2015 at 10:04am PDT

You guys keep sending us these, we've been trending all day on Twitter! We are so happy that you guys are so stoked on the new album! Keep spreading the word! Let's make #ToThoseLeftBehind a worldwide phenomenon and dominate the charts! PS: see us in 5 weeks on the To Those Left Behind US Tour!

A photo posted by blessthefall (@blessthefall) on Sep 18, 2015 at 8:50pm PDT

The album has already spawned three singles that are continuing to make waves. “Up In Flames,” “Walk on Water,” and “Dead Air” was released in anticipation of the album to keep fans excited and wanting more.

To Those Left Behind tracklist includes:

1.      Decayer

2.      Walk on Water

3.      Dead Air

4.      Up In Flames

5.      Against the Waves

6.      Looking Down from the Edge

7.      Keep What We Love & Burn the Rest

8.      Condition // Comatose

9.      Oathbreaker

10.  To Those Left Behind

11.  Departures

For those that have been seriously left behind and haven’t purchased the album yet, you can still listen to the album stream now on http://blessthefallmusic.com/.

BlessTheFall has also announced their upcoming headlining tour. To find dates near you, you can go here. (I’ll be at the NC dates!)

To Those Left Behind available on iTunes and in stores now!

Thanks to social media and recent “trends”, it’s become a thing to glamorize mental illness. Let’s start off by saying, mental health is not a trend. It’s not a fashion statement that you can parade around.

Now, for those that are not familiar with mental health glamorization, it’s when people perpetrate the belief that mental health is a trend. Something “cute” that some girls on Tumblr made up. For example, when you see those dramatic, black and white photos on Tumblr of some sad girl saying they wish they had some cute guy there to kiss their cuts. Yeah.

That’s just one example of how mental health has been glamorized. Other examples include “sassy” statuses or Pinterest posts saying “stressed, depressed, but well dressed,” clothing companies like Urban Outfitters selling shirts that have “Depression” and “Eat Less” written on it, finding novelty items like shot glasses that look like pill bottles, koozies that say “I want to have a psychiatric disorder named after me,” shirts that say “I thought I was Bipolar but it turns out I’m just an asshole”. Unfortunately, the list could go on.

This all stems from the obvious stigma related to mental health. The belief that mental health isn’t important, that it’s something to be overlooked because there’s “bigger issues to worry about,” despite the fact that mental health difficulties plague many in our society- especially in adolescents and young adults.

Instead of young adults turning to social media as a way to express themselves in a healthy way, connecting with others that also suffer from the mental illness, researching methods on maintain wellbeing and ways to find recovery; they’re met with glamorized images of mental illness. They’re met with popular images of girls crying with bloody wrists and some guy coming to their rescue, black and white photos of skeletal bodies, and floral nooses. You get statuses like “Ugh, super stressed out! #Anxiety,” “I just like having a clean room. I’m so OCD!”

This all adds to the stigma that mental health isn’t to be taken serious. It leads to those in need of help being ignored because mental health is seen as a “trend” or “they’re just being moody”. This leads to individuals being afraid to speak out because they fear being met with criticism instead of receiving the help they need.

Mental health isn’t cute. It’s not a trend and it shouldn’t be treated as such. Mental health is important, just because you can’t see the illness taking effect doesn’t mean it’s not there. You wouldn’t turn to someone with a broken arm, and tell them to “get over it”.

Self harm isn’t cute. It’s feeling worthless as you cry on the bathroom floor holding a razor to your wrist and wincing as you slice into your skin. It’s trying to hide your cuts from everyone so you don’t have to answer questions. It’s a stinging feeling as you try to shower. It’s holding back tears as the guys behind you make “cutting” motions to their arm.

Depression isn’t cute. It’s locking yourself in your room because you physically don’t have the strength to get out of bed. It’s feeling tired and sore all of the time because depression not only hurts mentally, but physically too. It’s wanting to get up and do something but you continue to lie in bed because you also feel like dying. It’s wanting to speak to your friends and family but you’re too exhausted to move.

Anxiety is more than just stressing over a test. It’s getting so anxious about leaving your room that you breakdown on the floor instead of going to class. It’s having panic attacks in the middle of campus and trying to call someone to help talk you down. It’s practicing conversations in your head before you go out so that nothing goes wrong. It’s trying to find your words and then tripping over them and then dying inside when someone points it out.

Mental health is a serious issue that many deal with on a daily basis. Understanding that and educating others, will help lessen the stigma and hopefully end glamorization.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with mental health difficulties, please seek help. You’re not alone, you’re not crazy, and you deserve to be taken seriously.

Recently a friend of mine, Cassie Whitt, did the Band Tag on her YouTube channel. She has amazing taste and she’s an all-around incredible person- you can find her here:

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Music has been such a huge part of my life so this tag was perfect! I encourage anyone reading this to do this tag and send me a link to it so I can read your answers!

Let’s get started

1. Top three favorite bands? 

Number 1 is a no brainer- My Chemical Romance. They’ve been a favorite of mine since I was about 12 and no band has ever taken their place and no band ever will. 2. The Used. Other than MCR The Used has been one of the most influential bands in my life. 3. Panic! At The Disco. As soon as I heard But It’s Better If You Do when I was 12 everything changed. My life revolved around them and I've been in love ever since.

2. Favorite Genre?

I listen to just about every genre of music but the one that I always go back to is pop punk. I have a playlist on the Spotify with nothing but pop punk favorites. Everything from All Time Low, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and so many more. It puts me in the best mood.

3. Favorite Old/Classic Band?

 I guess you could categorize these as classic because they’ve been around for a while but, I would have to say The Misfits, The Runaways, and Black Flag. The Misfits being my No. 1.

4. Favorite Boy Band?

N*Sync, One Direction, and the Jonas Brothers. I am such a sucker for boy bands and their catchy songs. They got me slippin’ into the lava.

 5. Favorite Drummer, Guitarist, etc.?

Oh boy, here we go.

Drummer- Andy Hurley-Fall Out Boy

Guitarist-Ray Toro-My Chemical Romance (C’mon, you saw this coming)

Bassist- Jepha Howard-The Used

Singer- Gerard Way- My Chemical Romance (I’m so not sorry for this)

6. Favorite Cover by a Band?

 Astro Zombies- My Chemical Romance, Bohemian Rhapsody- Panic! At The Disco, Umbrella-All Time Low, Under Pressure-The Used and My Chemical Romance. I’m a sucker for covers. Its the same reason I love the Punk Goes series. I love when a band recreates a song, creating a different sound and giving it a brand new feel. 

7. Most Extreme Thing You Would Do for a Band?

So far the most “extreme” things I’ve done was live off of Ramen for weeks to afford tickets and then my friends and I drove in a severe thunderstorm for Fall Out Boy (which worked out amazingly because as soon as we got to the venue everything cleared up and it ended up being perfect weather for the show). But I’m willing to do a lot for a band. A lot.

8. Bands You Most Want to Meet? 

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE. Sweet baby Jesus, I would give my left arm to meet these guys. I’m meeting Gerard Way in November and I’m still crying about it. Aside from that I would love to meet The Used, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Mindless Self Indulgence…let me stop myself before this goes too long.

9. Top 3 Band Member Crushes?

Oh boy. No one made my heart melt more than Brendon Urie, Gerard Way, and Frank Iero. My heart will always beat for them. Honorable Mention: Bert McCracken *heart eyes emoji*

10. Song That Makes You Feel Sad?

The Kids From Yesterday-My Chemical Romance. This song makes me so nostalgic of how the band has influenced me and how they’ve impacted my life over the years and it gets me all emotional. Honorable Mention: Cancer-My Chemical Romance. I lost my aunt a couple years back to cancer so this song really resonates with me and how devastating cancer can be to all that’s affected.

11. Favorite Song Lyric?

“And you never would have thought in the end how amazing it feels just to live again,” from Blue and Yellow-The Used. The Used is such an important band in my life and alongside MCR, they had a huge part in my recovery from self-harm. Blue and Yellow is one of my favorite songs from The Used, it never fails to lift my spirits and that line in particular just really stuck with me. 

12. Least Favorite Band?

Nickelback. I am so not sorry about that.

13. What Bands Have You Seen Live?

Hey Monday, The Friday Night Boys, Stereo Skylines, This Providence, Mayday Parade, Vega Under Fire, The Fear of Falling, The Bigger Lights, There For Tomorrow, Panic! At The Disco, Walk the Moon, Youngblood Hawke, Fall Out Boy

14. What Band is Your Dream to See Live?

My. Chemical. Romance. *Moment of silence*

That’s it for this tag! Do this and make sure to send me a link so I can read your answers!

Another month down, another favorites post full of the things I’ve been loving all month.

This month I have a few more body and skincare favorites than I do beauty. Along with that, I have my favorite movies, TV and music. I’ve been incredibly busy this month, between my sorority sister’s wedding, where I had the pleasure of being one of her bridesmaids, planning bachelorette parties, and the Fall Out Boy concert, I haven’t had much time to try new things but hopefully I’ll have even more favorites lined up for back to school time! (Moment of silence for those that start classes soon).

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Beauty:

EOS Shave cream inPomegranate Raspberry- This is by far my favorite shaving cream that I’ve ever tried. It has a creamy, lotion-like consistency that goes on smooth and moisturizes your legs while you shave. Leaving your legs incredibly smooth and soft. It also smells amazing.

The Body Shop SheaBody Scrub- I love a good body scrub, especially in the summer. This one from The Body Shop smells incredible and has tiny sugar grains that exfoliate your legs to perfection. I apply this on my legs after I shave and it’s the best feeling in the world. Pair this with the Shea Body Butter from The Body Shop and you’ll feel like a pampered goddess.

Dove Pampering BodyWash in Almond Cream with Hibiscus- Speaking of pampering, this new body wash is amazing. I love Dove body wash because I have incredibly sensitive skin and it doesn’t irritate my skin. This is creamy, smells like heaven and leaves your body feeling clean and soft.

Dove Refreshing DryShampoo- Dry shampoo is a must in the summer. It’s a quick way to refresh your hair, leaving it smelling amazing and it absorbs any oil that can build up due to the heat. The Dove dry shampoo smells fresh and revives your hair. Spray it on and then massage it into the roots, giving your hair even more volume and evenly distributing the product.

Wet n Wild MegalastNail Polish in Private Viewing- The Wet n Wild Megalast polishes are great- they go on smooth and opaque, giving it a gel like finish. This color is perfect for the summer, it’s a light peachy nude that looks classic and goes with everything.

Movies/Tv:

Secret Life of the American Teenager- I almost forgot how much I enjoyed this show when it was on air. I recently re-started the show on Netflix and I’ve become obsessed again. It’s so interesting to see how far Shailene Woodley has come.

Magic Mike XXL- It was a lot better than the first. Better dances, better music, and funnier moments (that Backstreet Boys scene!).

Books:

“The Girl Next Door” by Jack Ketchum- I had watched the film of the same name years ago and was extremely affected by it. It follows a young boy that meets a girl, Meg, that has moved into her aunt’s house with her younger sister after the death of their parents. The events that followed are truly horrific and it was inspired by true events. It was interesting, heart wrenching and depressing. It truly captured the horror that was unfolding for the young sisters. If you’re a fan of crime novels you’ll love this.

Music:

Joe, Patrick and Pete were so close, I nearly died.

FALL OUT BOY- Y’all, I finally saw Fall Out Boy in concert while they were in Raleigh, NC for their Boys of Zummer tour and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. To see a band that you’ve loved for so many years and to see that they’re just as amazing and inspiring as you imagined- it’s a feeling I can’t even describe. Hoodie Allen and Wiz Khalifa went on first and they were awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever danced that hard at a concert before. If I had the chance I would see them again, and again, and again...

Alright, those were my July favorites! Let me know what you’ve been loving this month!