Our Can’t Live Without Fall Essentials

As the temps start to drop and the leaves start to fall, we embrace the short window we have to enjoy the season of fall (autumn if you’re fancy.) Grab a cup of something pumpkin spiced and a cozy blanket and take a gander at the things we cannot be without in the season between summer and winter.

Jess:

Moisturizer! With the air getting more crisp and less humid, my skin is like WHAT. My allergies are also in full force during the autumn months, which makes my skin itchy and raw and sensitive. It’s super fun, let me tell you. Last year, thanks to a recommendation from my doctor, I discovered the best moisturizer. Wait now… you’re going to laugh. It’s Cetaphil cream. I know! It’s so dumb! But it really is the best- it’s thick and creamy without being heavy or greasy. It’s unscented- seriously, why are face products even scented?? I bought a night cream specifically for sensitive/eczema prone skin last year and it smells like a damn cucumber wearing perfume. So gross. Anyway, while initially I was just using the Cetaphil on my body, I realized it’s actually an amazing night cream- seriously, I wake up looking like I at least got most of a good night’s sleep. It’s cheap enough to really slather it on, but you really don’t need much.

Legwarmers! You can take the girl out of the 80’s, but….. I love legwarmers! Fall is the perfect time to bust out your knit accessories- scarves, hats- legwarmers are the first thing I reach for. See, I’ve created a life for myself that includes a career that allows me to wear stretchy pants and sneakers on the daily. When the air starts to become cool and crisp, legwarmers keep you snuggly without weighing you down. I love the line they create on a legging or skinny jeans. Trust me- this is a look you can rock!

Spooky stuff!! Despite my cheery disposition, I love the spooky vibe of autumn. Halloween is my favorite! I love going into any store and poking around the decorative skulls and black cats. I love that makeup gets vampier and color palettes go toward black and grey. I crave moodier music this time of year (going back to my semi-goth youth), and I love that the odds of something spooky or scary being on TV increase by 150% this time of year- what are you watching? I am cautiously optimistic about this season of American Horror Story (I gave up on it last year), Scream Queens is funny enough, and I’m looking forward to checking out The Exorcist (the show) and season 2 of Ash vs Evil Dead. (NOW: what should I be for Halloween???)

Lyn:

Dark lipstick: My red is my signature–but in a recent lipstick declutter–I found that I have more purple/wine lipsticks than any other color. And fall is the perfect time to bust them out. I’m especially excited to revisit my Nars Audacious in Charlotte and Maybelline® Color Sensational® Creamy Mattes Lip Color in Divine Wine. I can also stop feeling guilty about rocking my Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Unicorn Blood which I’ve loved so much since got it this summer, I’ve worn it even when the temps called for something brighter. This one sells out constantly–and seems to be available now…

Fall boots: I try to keep my pedicure tight in the summer so I wear open-toed shoes as much as possible. But when temperatures drop, I bring out the cute boots. These are boots that I can’t wear in the winter because I don’t want them to get slopped up with salt and grossness. So my window to wear them is small. Styling in my fashion boots is one of the few things that make me excited–or at least–tolerant of fall. Here are a new pair I’m excited to step in:

Fall concerts: My friend Angie Z coined the term Rocktember because of all the bands that hit the road in the fall. Sadly–all my travel in September really cut into my concert game. But I am hitting the rest of the year with a vengeance! Some shows I’m most excited for: Kanye West’s Saint Pablo tour at United Center, Real Estate at the Majestic, I Love the 90s at Target Center in Minneapolis, and Tegan and Sara at the Riverside in Milwaukee.

Pamela:

Scarves:  I love summer, but I pretty much hate summer fashion due to the inability to wear much of anything at all that I have in my closet. When the temperatures finally drop to the degree when it is no longer comfortable to have all of your skin exposed, I reach first for my scarves. I love throwing a vintage bandanna on with a casual outfit, or a big plaid blanket scarf on with a tee shirt and light jacket. In my opinion fall is the perfect time of year to be a little more fashion forward with accessories and layers of clothing in general, because we all know what’s coming…. and in a couple of short months we will be covered in winter coats, hats and gloves and who cares what you’re wearing because you just need to be warm!

Red wine:  Let’s all take a moment to mourn the passing of rosé season. *sheds a tear*  Moving forward I will be drinking reds. In the cooler, colder months I do love red wine the most. Medium to full bodied reds that compliment the heartier fall harvest foods….. but seriously… who am I kidding….  I drink wine from a box in the fall and winter. While in the summer I can easily polish of a bottle of rosé in one afternoon, I have a harder time in the fall drinking a whole bottle of a red in one night. Summer is for day drinking because, it’s summer and it’s exciting and HOT (thanks btw, summer, for those extra 8 pounds) fall is for drinking a little on a cold, dark evening to warm up and relax. Am I right? Which is why a box of wine is the best, of course, because it lasts so much longer than a bottle after opening. My go to box wine is Bota box Redvolution. People may judge, saying box wine is trashy. I say, haters gonna hate.

Hankies: My nose gets super drippy when it gets colder.  I know, that’s super attractive. If I use kleenex I wind up with a dry, red, flaky nose. Not cute or comfortable. So in the past few years, I’ve taken to carrying hankies with me at all times. I’ll have multiples on me any given moment. One in my bag, one in my coat pocket, one tucked in my bra. I have a bunch of them and they are all vintage, some that were my grandmas and some that I have picked up at thrift stores and antique malls here and there. They are softer on my nose than tissues or TP and I can wash them, which allows me to create less waste and save the money that I would be spending on twenty or thirty boxes of kleenex. I think they are really pretty as well

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