Just faux laughing my little heart out in that pic! Another edition of Favorites is here, and while October was a good one, I’m even more excited for November. Enjoy the roundup and let me know in the comments what made your highlight reel this month.
Favorite Products/Services
Steve Madden Sneaker Boots
I’ve been wearing these non-stop all month! They’re a mix between a sneaker and a boot and I always get comments on how trendy they look when I wear them. Side note: I never know if “trendy” is just someone’s polite way of saying “weird” but either way, I’ll take it. They’re on sale at Zappos for $89.85 and ignore the 1-star review—I love ’em!
Link In Profile
This is a handy one for all you fellow bloggers/’grammers. Link in Profile basically allows you to attach different links to each of your instagram photos. So instead of constantly updating the link in your profile as you publish new pictures promoting blog posts, you have just one link that then brings up a clickable field.
I put it on the grid default so that when users click the link, they’re shown my grid feed and can easily pick which photo to which they want the associated link. It’s free for a 30-day trial and then it’s $9.99/month or $99/year.
BBB Bike Shorts
I know the weather is getting colder, but I bought a pair of the BBB Bike Shorts and love them. Comfortable, high waist—just a solid addition to the wardrobe all around.
Poshmark
I started using the Poshmark app to sell some of my stuff. Joe and I are rapidly outgrowing our one-bedroom apartment and before we upgrade, I’m trying to purge as much of my belongings as possible. I will say though, Poshmark is like a part-time job—photographing, editing and drafting all the listings then making trips to the post office—but hopefully it’ll be worth it. You can shop my closet HERE (lots of workout clothes and regular clothes!). I’ll be continually adding to it.
If you haven’t used Poshmark before, you can sign up with the code NICOLEPERRY to get $5 in credit. Use this link or download the app on your phone and enter the code from there.
Adidas Tear-Away Pants
I bought these as part of my Sporty Spice Halloween costume, but I’m totally going to wear them outside the holiday. Just goes to show that the 90’s are back in style! They’re sold out in red on the adidas site but weirdly in stock in every size in the adidas Amazon store.
Credo Products (All 20% Off)
Credo is having their annual Friends & Family sale and everything online is 20% off with the code CLEAN20. Thought I’d highlight some of my favorite products they carry in case you want to take advantage of the sale. Most of these I’ve already mentioned on the blog over the years. They are face and body products but Credo carries a ton of clean makeup and hair brands as well—definitely check out their selection!
- Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash – I think I mentioned this face wash last month. Should have waited a month so you could get it discounted—my bad!
- Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes – Individually packaged so they’re great for travel if you just want to slip one in your purse.
- Ursa Major Fortifying Face Balm – Typically I just use a facial oil and not a moisturizer. The exception to that is if I’m going to be applying makeup in the immediate vicinity. Then I use this moisturizer—it’s so lightweight you’re not left with any sort of oily feeling.
- Coola Sunless Tan Dry Oil Mist – Not a fan of spray tans, but when the need arrives for a healthy glow, this is the self-tanner I apply at home.
- Coola Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum – Goes along with the previous one and is good for a gradual facial tan. Lately I’ve been using the dry oil mist on my face and not using this.
- Davids Natural Toothpaste – This is the only brand of natural toothpaste I’ve found that Joe will actually use. Comes with a fun tool to roll the tube up as you go.
Favorite Workouts
MyStryde
I’ve been adding more running into my week (outdoors and indoors) and am excited to be a MyStryde Ambassador. It’s a running studio in the North End and all the classes I’ve done have flown by—that’s saying something from the girl who usually lasts about 5 seconds on a treadmill! So far I’ve only done the Stryde 45 and Stryde 35 classes, which are a good mix of speed, hills and endurance. If you’re in Boston and haven’t tried a class, they have an intro special that’s $39 for 3 classes.
YogaWorks
I’m also honored to be a YogaWorks ambassador and honestly it couldn’t be a better pairing with MyStryde. If I don’t really stay on top of recovery and mobility while running regularly, my body feels like it’s that of an 80-year-old. Slow Flow classes are typically my favorite at YogaWorks.
ClassPass
I did a whole post on the pros & cons of ClassPass and explained why I was cancelling my membership and joining Equinox instead and guess who came crawling back? This bitch. Equinox is not a fit for me and you have no idea the lengths I had to go to to get out of my year membership early (in all fairness, I knowingly signed the contract so I can’t complain).
ClassPass just works for me. Because of my job, I can workout at several studios for free so I’m really just looking for a supplement to that. Using ClassPass to go to Barry’s and EBF in addition to the studios I can attend for free is perfect. Right now I’m doing the 45 credits/month plan and if that’s not enough I’ll go up to the bigger one next month. If you’re interested in trying ClassPass, you can take $40 off your first month with my referral link.
Favorite Things I …
Read
Typically the hour before bed is spent on my couch, scrolling around on my phone while Joe watches some tv show I’m uninterested in. I’m trying (emphasis on trying) to replace that screen time with reading a book and did a pretty good job of it this month. Two novels in one month is a lot for me! Which is actually a little sad considering I used to read at least two novels a week when I was a kid. Hopefully this is the start of me rekindling my love of reading?
- [BOOK] The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn | I couldn’t put this book down! If you’re looking for a quick page-turner with lots of twists and turns, this is a good one. I did NOT see that last twist at the end coming.
- [BOOK] Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris | This one isn’t as good as The Woman in the Window (in my opinion), but still was a page-turner for sure. I was weirdly attracted to Jack Angel which is concerning … (lol).
Watched
- [NETFLIX] The Haunting of Hill House | I’m only on the fourth episode so don’t you dare spoil anything for me in the comments! Usually I don’t like scary movies/shows but I am HOOKED on this one. Yes there are scary, jumpy moments, but not the whole thing, and the story line is so interesting that I can’t stop watching.
Listened To
- [SONG] Ariana x Britney Mashup Step On Up and Gimme More | Love this fun mashup I found on YouTube!
- [SONG] Ring The Alarm – Migtight Remix | Good Beyonce remix, especially if you teach fitness to a steady beat.
Favorite Moments
Weekend in Brooklyn for WELL Summit
I already talked about my favorite parts of WELL Summit in a previous post, but I still wanted to highlight how much I loved spending the weekend in Brooklyn. I stayed in Williamsburg and thought it was the cutest area! All the staples you’d get in Manhattan—within a five-minute walk from my hotel was a Whole Foods, by Chloe, Juice Generation, Butcher’s Daughter, Urban Outfitters, SoulCycle, FlyWheel, etc—but more chilled out. It kinda gave me Boston vibes. Living in Manhattan would wear on me, but I could see myself living in Brooklyn. Ya know, if I was being forced at gunpoint to live outside of Massachusetts. 😉
The hotel I stayed at was Pod Hotel Brooklyn which had micro rooms. Tiny spaces, but modern and really cool. Awesome location and more affordable than other options (but still not cheap). I got my room on the Hotels Tonight app which I use every time I come to New York. If you use the code NPERRY94 you can take $25 off your first booking.
Shooting Workouts for Studio Pumps
HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH. I’m so excited to share this project with you all! I know I’m being annoying by just vaguely mentioning it every week, but I promise it’ll be ready soon. Shooting is complete so now I just need to lock myself in an office and edit until my eyes start bleeding.
Having other trainers and fitness aficionados in to help me demonstrate the exercises and the modifications was a game changer. I love working out and I love teaching, but I do not love doing both at the same time. This way I was able to demonstrate the exercises and then focus more on explaining form and teaching.
And the space! I shot at Warehouse XI in Somerville and having a white brick wall and open space instead of my cramped living room was magical. Like I did with that project for Hyatt, I brought on Nick Cosky to handle the videography and photography. All in all, I felt very legit.
I can’t confirm an exact date, but I should be ready to share these workouts and all the details with you before Thanksgiving.
Hitting a Million Views on a YouTube Video
Halloween
I taught all day yesterday for Halloween. For my morning classes, I went as my girl Sporty Spice. That’s the first and last time I’ll ever do my hair and make-up for a 6AM class! For my afternoon classes, I really ramped up my commitment to costume and dressed as Post Malone (if he shaved his face). Probably should have taken a cigarette/Bud light break halfway through the class to fully be in character, but ya know, didn’t want to get fired. 😉
And for anyone else struggling to remove temporary tattoos today: Rosehip seed oil has taken all the sticky residue right off my face!
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I get lots of positive feedback about these posts. If you love these sort of roundups, just wanted to let you guys know that Julie, Gina and Tina all do similar “favorites” posts (even more frequently than I do!). I know I always look forward to them so thought I’d share!
xo Nicole
My monthly favorites posts are never sponsored. They do contain affiliate links. I’m never being paid to mention any of the products listed throughout the post and genuinely just think you’ll like ’em! 🙂
Hey there! I'm Nicole, a group fitness instructor, healthy lifestyle blogger (you probably figured that one out by now) and Certified Personal Trainer living in Boston, MA.
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