Well, it finally happened, the moment everyone’s been waiting for: I got an iPhone. After years of people hounding me about still owning a Blackberry, I made the switch last week. And so far, I haven’t been disappointed! The best thing about the iPhone 5S is its speed, which is truly impressive. I’m also amazed by the camera’s quality and, of course, the fingerprint ID. The gold color, which is closer to champagne than the hue shown above, is stunning in its subtlety and worth the longer wait. If you’re eligible for an upgrade, I’d recommend the 5S over any other phone, including the iPhone 5C, the Samsung Galaxy, and, obviously, any Blackberry.

When I studied abroad in France, I ate out for basically every meal, so I never really needed to go to a grocery store. Still, my friends and I would always find ourselves at the nearest Carrefour, in order to grab yet another jar of the most wonderful spread in the world. Speculoos is a type of European spice cookie, which you’ve probably had before as a complimentary airline snack. And speculoos spread, also known as cookie butter or, as I like to call it, Christmas in a jar, is literally made up of crushed cookies. This magical substance goes on anything, but I think it’s best to dip pretzels straight into the jar. Apparently, I didn’t get the memo when speculoos began making an appearance in the U.S., but Trader Joe’s seems to have started a following for it. Their version isn’t the best I’ve had, but it certainly gets the job done and blows boring peanut butter out of the water.
I generally avoid Forever 21 because it’s the most stressful place on earth (except maybe the trenches of Afghanistan or a tightrope strung across two skyscrapers). But when I saw through a store window my favorite wild animals parading around, I had no choice but to go in. These pants are incredibly comfortable and surprisingly flattering. However, when I wore a coat that hid their cut, I did get asked if I was wearing pajamas in public…

I think the last time I’d had a POM Wonderful drink was in high school. Fortunately, a friend recently recommended POM Coconut, and now I’m so glad that POM has returned to my life. I was already the biggest fan of coconut water, but this is a great alternative for those who want its benefits, but can’t stand the taste.

Even though I haven’t been to a haunted house since high school, I remember how much fun they were. Something about being scared to the point of crying is actually hilarious. So this video of Ellen DeGeneres sending her staff members to a haunted house is simply hysterical. (Note: If you’ve ever been to the Haunted Hoochie [whose website I won’t link because it’s fairly graphic] near Columbus, you’ll probably find the “haunted house” in this video to be tame.)