Autumn Refresh: Wardrobe & Makeup!

I love all four seasons, but for many reasons autumn has always been one of my favorites! I look forward to a change in the weather, the colorful fall leaves and Halloween. A bit of crispness in the air is the signal to pull my boots from the back of the closet, and I do love my boots!  Of course living in SoCal, autumn doesn’t present itself in quite the same way as it does in other parts of the country. Our first year here, knowing I missed the changing of the leaves, Tim brought me some autumn-ish leaves and it was like he’d given me a dozen roses!

Fall Fashion Refresh 2016

Now that I’ve lived in California for the past 15+ years, I’m used to lighter seasons and have even learned to appreciate them! Poor me, right?! In SoCal, we basically get an extended summer with a little bit of autumn, sans the changing of the leaves…

SO, even though I don’t feel like autumn is almost upon us (next week already) as I am still wearing summer attire and slathering on the sunscreen (and will be for some time), autumn is definitely in the stores and has been for a while. Good thing for me I’m seeing a lot of black, white, and denim, because that means I’m all set, however I have noticed a few things that I might need to give my fall wardrobe a refresh. Generally I steer away from styles of the moment, but in the interest of mixing things up a bit I’ve chosen a few pieces with interesting texture to compliment what is already in my closet and give it new life.

I’ve hit up the fall lines of a few of my favorites*, to add a bit of leather, smooth, fake and textured, frayed hems, fleece, cords, fresh white graphic Ts and of course a pop of color!

If you can believe it, you probably can, I took all these fashion pics using a tripod and the timer on my camera!That’s it for clothing this season… on to makeup!

Fall Makeup!

I love makeup! Just like fashion, makeup changes with the seasons and styles come and go. This summer I tried something new and stuck with just a few neutral shades while I was busy traveling, beaching and moving all summer long.

Now that things are settling down, I’m ready for a change. Bye bye neutrals! I need a pop of color! I love color and glitter, in fact the more sparkle, color and glitter the better! If I’m feeling down a bit of makeup retail therapy goes a long way!

#macstartrek50

I always love MAC’s theme lines, but I especially geeked out on the new Star Trek line (I’ve been a fan my entire life), I picked up some shadow and two liners in back and silver, as well as two new x9 palettes burgundy and purple… the burgundy is new for me… Another new for me is the MAC brightening line. I’m trying out the Lightful C Vibrancy Eye Cream because, honestly, who can’t use a little brightening!

What do you think do my eyes look brighter? We shall see!

Happy Fall!

*Rag and Bone, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Fiorentini & Baker, Current Elliott, Sundry & Free City!

 

 

Closet Essentials for Autumn! The Basics!

#fallisintheairAutumn has always been my favorite season. I love the feel of a slight chill in the air, a rainy day, the changing of the leaves and the smell of a nearby fire. Of course with the arrival of these things also come fall fashions and just in time! By now I’ve grown tired of my summer attire and I am more than ready to get back to my “uniform”, jeans, Ts and boots!

I’ve been thinking about this post for a while now, but until this past week it hasn’t really felt much like fall in the Bay Area making it hard to think about wearing cool weather clothing. However, stores have been in fall mode for a number of months now and I must admit I’ve been tempted to pick up few new items here and there…

Of course before you go crazy purchasing the latest greatest, its helpful to have some basics to build on. With just a few items you can create a multitude of outfits all of which go together and then have fun adding in a bit of this and that to dress them up or down depending on the occasion! Lately I’ve been pairing dressier items with ultra casual pieces!

The Essentials

Three pair of pants: denim, green and black.

#closetessentials

I’ve chosen a dark wash denim as it’s easier to dress up, a pair of dark green cords and a pair of black “jean” style pants with some leather detailing. All of these can be worn, with flats or boots.

Two Jackets, Two Over shirts and Two Ts

Living in California means that even when the calendar says fall we still have pretty warm days, so layering is a good idea. Basic t-shirts in black and white go with everything, but its fun to add a little interest with a graphic of some sort, that way if you do peel off some layers it won’t be boring!  I also like choices so I’ve got a jean jacket which goes with everything and for those days when it’s nice to have something a little heavier I recently picked up a utility style jacket in a camo print. The latter is turning out to be just the right weight, especially when paired with a cardigan or an open front shirt. I tend to gravitate toward black, white, and grey because everything matches, but I like a pop of color too!

A Dress!

One can’t always wear jeans and you can’t go wrong with basic black dress! I’m choosing to pair it with an open front shirt to give it a more casual look, but adding a bit of jewelry and a cardigan would dress it up!

The possibilities Are Endless

Here I’ve mixed and matched to create a few examples, but throw in some jewelry, shoes, and other accessories and the sky is the limit!