Top Fall 2018 Beauty Trends

Yesterday, I shared my take on the most wearable trends for fall 2018 and today, I want to continue that chat with beauty. I LOVE seasonal beauty updates and I think they're one of the easiest ways to change up your look without breaking the bank. Below I've rounded up some of the top beauty trends for fall along with some inexpensive beauty buys to achieve these looks for less. 

RED ROMANCE

Cushnie et Ochs

Oscar de la Renta

Brandon Maxwell

Cushnie et Ochs

Tadashi Shoji

Colovos

Red is everywhere for fall and it's a trend that I couldn't be happier about because it's a color that truly suits everyone.

While a true red is universally flattering, warm toned reds and cool toned reds are also going to be everywhere this season from lips to nails to shadow and it's one that I think is endlessly chic. 

SKIN IS IN

Another look that was everywhere on the FW runways was clean, healthy skin.

This year I've been spending more time and energy on my skin and have really been focusing more on making my skin look as good as possible instead of turning to cosmetics. I couldn't be happier that the look of fresh, well cared for skin is in full force this fall and it's a trend I will definitely be getting on board with. What's even better is the subtle glow can be easily enhanced with natural looking highlighter and facial mist - two products I love. 

Lanvin

TAUPE SMOKY EYE

Brock Collection

Armani Prive

Brock Collection

Roland Mouret

Jakubowski

Costelloe

I love the way eyeshadow looks but find most looks too complicated to do on my own so I couldn't be happier that easy taupe eyes are in for fall. The subtle, easy to wear taupe smoky eye is endlessly chic and will look beautiful paired with clean skin and rich fall fabrics. I'll likely wear this look with one swipe of taupe shadow across my lids and a smoked out black liner.

DEEP SIDE PART

One of the easiest ways to change up your look is to switch your part which is why I love this last beauty trend so much.

A deep side part secured with bobby pins or just tucked behind your ear is endlessly classic and chic and the perfect update for fall. 

Cushnie et Ochs

Cushnie et Ochs

Erdem

Tadashi Shoji

Pucci

Fendi

Top Fall Trends | 2018

Fall is almost here and if you're anything like me, you've already started to plan your fall wardrobe and to think about the pieces you may want to add. While I think establishing a base of classics that you can wear for years is essential to a well-rounded wardrobe, I also love adding trendy pieces from time to time to keep things feeling fresh. For me, these additions help me stay content with my classic base and not grow tired of essentially wearing the same thing over and over again. So, in light of fall fashion, today I want to share some of the top wearable trends for fall 2018. 

NEW MONOCHROME

First up is what I'm dubbing "New Monochrome" and it's hands down my favorite trend this season. Even though monochromatic dressing isn't new, this season we're seeing it pop up in two new colors - red and brown. From cherry red to rich wine, every shade of red was seen on the runways in cohesive looks that popped, and I love this! If red is your color, this is your time to shine and you can wear varying shades of this glorious color and be perfectly on trend. I also love how this looks topped off with a red lip. If you're not completely on board with head-to-toe red, subtle pops here and there are an easy way to incorporate this fiery shade into your existing wardrobe as well. For brown, these colors range from rich chocolate, caramel and camel and every shade in between. What makes it feel particularly relevant for the new season though, is brown done with a 70's flare. 

SLEEK, BLACK LEATHER - ESPECIALLY DRESSES

Next up is a close second for my favorite - sleek black leather, especially in dresses. I LOVE this trend and couldn't be happier to see sleek leather or pleather coming back. If you're petite like I am, a lot of leather items can be overpowering with all of the embellishments and buckles but this sleeker leather is perfect for everyone. I especially love the collarless, sleek leather jackets that we'll be seeing more of because they're so versatile. The neckline goes with anything and the sleeker silhouette can be dressed up or down effortlessly - which is what I love. 

PLAID & CHECKS

Plaid for fall is not new but this season it's out in full force and in every form from traditional to modern. From classic cuts, colors and styles to modern variations in bold colors, plaid was all over the runways in coats, pants, skirts, suits and more. It was also often paired with leather or patent leather which demonstrated how sleek leather and plaid can be paired together this season for a great look. What I love about this trend is that you can find a variation of plaid to suit you and can easily find plaid pieces in vintage, second hand and thrift stores everywhere. Plus, you can go as bold or as a bland as you like. 

ANIMAL PRINT

It's all about animal print this season and this is such a fun trend to take part in - especially if you like to keep your wardrobe super simple and want to add interest without adding color. Every variation of animal print was out in full force on the runways and there was even special attention paid to faux crocodile shoes and accessories which is such an easy thing to find second hand. 

SPARKLE

Sparkle in the form of sequins and crystals is everywhere for fall 2018 and while the runways were full of head-to-toe sparkly looks, I think this a very wearable trend that you can incorporate in the form of blazers, skirts, tops or accessories to suit your preferences and personal style. I personally am all about the bold crystal earrings that we're seeing everywhere because they're perfectly 80's (which is another major trend this season) and can be found second hand for pennies. 

FAUX FUR

Few things add luxurious interest to an outfit faster than faux fur and this season faux fur is on display. From shearling to faux mink, faux fur is in everything this season from coats, skirts bags and even shoes. Beyond looking incredibly luxe and being so cozy, I love this trend because there are so many gorgeous vintage coats on the market that need to be worn, and now is the perfect excuse! What I also love about this trend is that you can commit as much or as little as you like with small touches in a faux fur stole or collar or a full length coat and matching hat. 

7. THE NEW FLORALS

Moody florals are a recurring trend every fall but this season they've been updated in romantic silhouettes and deep, red based color schemes. I think this is another wearable trend that's also perfect for romantic fall looks complete with riding boots and a hat. If that's a little much for you though, you can just as easily adopt this trend in your accessories like scarves, or in a smaller way in a shirt or skirt paired with a sleek leather jacket and jeans or classic blazer. 

80's REVIVAL

The 80's are back (for better or for worse) and this is another trend that's super wearable and easy to find everywhere from thrift stores to department stores. Just like the other trends I've mentioned, you can commit as little or as much as you like to this trend and I think an easy way to incorporate it into your existing wardrobe is to find pieces in colors that you already wear and love but with an 80's cut or detailing, like ruching.    

SUITING

For SS 2018 short suits were huge and the suit trend is continuing into fall with full suiting in rich fall shades, patterns and materials. I absolutely love this trend and I couldn't be happier to see a resurgence in this often overlooked wardrobe staple. Not only are suits a wonderful addition to your wardrobe, but they serve as a great base for countless outfits. You can wear the pieces together for a polished look or separate for a more relaxed approach. Best of all, a great suit can stick around in your wardrobe for years to come. 

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Watch my corresponding video here

Fall Hair Update: The Classic Barrette

As someone with thick, wavy and often difficult to manage hair, I couldn't be happier that barrettes seem to be here to stay! I've always love these classic hair accessories but this season, they've gotten a bit of an upgrade and I can't get enough of the pale whites, classic gold and updated tortoise shell options that are popping up everywhere. After scouring the internet and weeding through countless saved Instagram posts, I've narrowed things down to 3 options that I've linked below. I love each of these for slightly different reasons and the only thing I have to do now is decide which one to add to my collection for the perfect fall hair update. Also, you can find tons of great barrettes at vintage and second-hand shops as well and I've been keeping my eyes open for some there as well. 

Hair Update | 6 Months Of (Almost) No Heat

Today I'm excited to share an update on my 6 month (almost) no heat hair journey. One of my goals this year was to embrace my natural hair texture and truly understand my hair from the inside out, in order to have the healthiest hair possible.

Much like makeup, I wanted to view hair styling (straightening, curling etc) as  fun and optional and something that can be used to compliment my personal style - not something that I needed to do to feel confident or like I was "allowed" to wear certain things.

If the hair you see in advertisements and the media isn't what your hair naturally looks like, it can feel alienating and I didn't like feeling that I HAD to straighten or smooth my hair in order to wear certain things. Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted hair styling to be a fun and optional choice that I can make to suit my mood and not something that felt like it had been decided for me.

So just like I worked through my makeup dependency by going makeup-free a few years ago, I have been embracing my natural texture for the last 6 months and with a few exceptions, in an effort to make it healthier, I haven't heat styled it either. In this post and the corresponding video below, I want to share everything I've learned. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT MY HAIR

• My hair is wavy (based on hair texture charts, it's firmly a 2a but I can fake 2b texture with certain products and techniques that I'll touch on in a bit.
• My hair is also getting slightly straighter the last few months which I've read can happen with hormonal shifts as we age. This happened to me before when I was in my teens and my relatively straight/wavy hair turned slightly curlier. It also looks straighter the longer it gets. I recently got a hair cut and it's looking wavier again.
• I have very low porosity hair (no exaggerating, it takes my hair over 12 hours to air dry and will stay perpetually wet if I tie it up or in a braid while it's still wet). I tried this recently and my hair was still wet a full 48 hours after taking out my braid.
• To help my hair grow quickly and stay healthy (all while stretching the time between washes without dry shampoo) I've been brushing with my boar bristle brush at night before pulling my hair back in a bun or securing it on top of my head in a pineapple with a scrunchie. If you have really curly hair you may only want to do this before you shower and you'll definitely want to detangle your hair first.
• Also, a healthy diet is key and when I eat well, my hair looks good - I've also been taking MSM for about a year now for muscle fatigue and over all health, but one of the main side effects for me has been that it's helped my hair and nails grow VERY quickly.

OBSTACLES

• Because of it's low porosity, my hair takes forever to air dry and as you can imagine, this has been one of my biggest obstacles in all of this because who has the patience to sit with wet hair for half a day? Also, it makes it very difficult to stick to my shower before bedtime routine that I love because then I have to go to bed with wet hair etc. Finally, I find the slow air drying time to dictate a lot of my schedule now because I have to work around my air dry time. Which for my lifestyle and preferences, isn't ideal.
• Also, studies have shown that it's actually more damaging on your hair to leave it wet than it is to blow dry it on medium heat. I've experimented with diffusing my hair on medium heat but my hair isn't curly enough for diffusing because every time I've tried, I've been left looking like a poodle and the upward motion of the diffuser leaves me with a TON of frizz. What has worked pretty well is lightly scrunching my hair in hand as I blow dry down on medium heat.
• Less is still definitely more for me - less washing, fewer products.
• Also, moisture is key to keeping my hair looking and feeling really good but because I have wavy, low porosity hair, the right kind of moisture is key. Heavy oils like coconut oil just don't work and instead of absorbing into my hair, they just sit on top it making it look limp and greasy. Instead, I love lighter oils like argan oil.
• Co-washing is great when broken up by regular shampooing (again because my hair is wavy and lo po, it can get weighed down easily by product build-up so a good clarifying shampoo is necessary every few washes - especially in the summer). If I don't remove product build-up it causes frizz for me.
• I have yet to find a way to refresh my waves that works for me because many of the methods I've tried require rewetting the hair and because of my low porosity that's exhausting. Please let me know if you have any tips!
• Beyond that, humidity and frizz are still my number 1 problem. I've tried countless products and tricks this summer and not even my old trusted products didn't work. In fact, nothing has worked as well as a keratin mask and conditioner (I let it sit in my hair under a cap while I work out so that the heat from my head can help open my hair's cuticle since I do have low porosity hair). This has sparked my interest in a Keratin treatment and after doing tons of research on the pros and cons and the safety concerns, I've decided to try it. Let me know if you've done one and what you thought.

FAVORITE PRODUCTS & ROUTINES

• For smooth, loose waves I like to pull my hair back when it's damp (NOT WET because then it will never dry). Once I do that I secure it in sections with scrunchies that don't damage the hair or cause unnatural kinks One section at the nape of my neck and then a new section every 1-2 inches. Once it's all dried I shake it out and apply a little serum or cream if necessary.
• If I want more volume in the front, I'll apply a keratin mask while I work out and then shampoo and condition. When I get out of the shower, I wrap my hair up in the turbi twist and let it dry for a bit. when I take it out, I apply the Oribe Matte Waves with a drop of the Ouai Hair Oil or this new oil that I was gifted recently (it's super light and smells like roses) and I let it air dry until it's almost completely dry - this usually takes over night for me but for you it might be faster. Once it's about 85-90% dry I secure the front bits in large velcro rollers and tie the rest back into a very loose bun. When it's dry I let it all out, shake, apply serum or cream as necessary and I'm good to go. Applying products to dripping wet hair doesn't work for me and I try not to touch it too much while it's drying to help reduce frizz. I've also found it really helpful to secure my front sections with clips to keep them where I want and keep me from touching them.
• For tighter more defined waves, I do the same but when my hair is damp I'll spray a wave spray in it (I like the Ouai Wave Spray and the Hairstory one). I'll scrunch that in and let my hair air dry. Doing this makes it artificially curly and the effect rarely lasts longer than a few hours and certainly never past day 1 which sadly usually results in me giving up and pulling my hair back. For the front, I'll twist small to medium sections around my finger or a bendy foam roller for a bit until my hair is 100% dry. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

• I think this experiment was a success in that I feel confident in my wavy hair! 
• It feels like a key part of my personal style puzzle and I love that I have the option to wear it this way - when it cooperates
• Curly and wavy hair (especially when it's low porosity and prone to frizz) takes a LOT of work to look it's best and I don't think I have the patience to stick with it full time
• Everyone has an opinion and if you let it, those opinions can easily impact how you feel about yourself so what's most important is that you do whatever it takes to feel good in your skin. You're beautiful and you deserve to feel that way!