The anticipation of cooler weather always excites me. Fall reminds me of jewel tones, new pencils, and that extra fat, overly indulgent September issue of VOGUE! And yes, it's kind of irritating when fall clothing starts hitting windows in the midst of a heat wave. However, feel differently about makeup. HA! I love knowing what the coming colors and trends are for the season ahead. What I gather this coming fall is that greys, inky blues and dark lips are back. I love the blue/almost violet eye Jason Wu did for his fall collection; it's that blue that looks amazing on all skin tones and on the model to the left, it leans violet which is super flattering on brown skin and brown eyes. I tried to replicate this look using my own products. I used a (now discontinued) MAC Paint in a periwinkle shade and layered the top with Urban Decay's Delux Eyeshadow in Frigid (now on sale for $4 through their website!). I got a very similar finish and with great staying power. Tons of companies make eye paints now that provide the same staying power and there's the old trick of just shading your eye with an eye pencil before applying the eyeshadow. You just might be able to find an eye paint in that perfect shade of blue/violet. I hope you try it!

  






















I finally did something I always wanted to do. I visited the NARS Boutique on Bleecker Street here in NYC. It was one of the best experiences in a makeup boutique I've had. My sister told the head artist there what a NARS fanatic I am and we quickly become best friends and proceeded to play with color. That artist introduced himself as Joey and after learning of my love of NARS, he showed me the up and coming (it's out now) Fall 2013 collection, which I admit I'm not as excited as I want to be about it. There's one lip color I have my eye on, and maybe a nail polish. However, he also showed me a new product that NARS will be bringing out soon which is great for women on the go. It's a compact with an insert that clicks in and out for ease, and the application of the panned makeup is velvety smooth and leaves you flawless for hours. I do wear NARS Foundation so I will more than likely try it out eventually. W Magazine had a piece on a new statement eye which was done with eye paints, another product NARS will be introducing this year.  And another reason for me to go back to the boutique. I recommend taking a trip downtown because not only was Joey amazing to talk to and so much fun to hang out with and make-up play with, but you will see colors there that you just don't see at department store counters and you can try it all on. One of these colors is the 413BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil exclusive to that boutique and their online site. It's a gorgeous matte Fuchsia that leans blue and it's a color I'd personally rock all year round -it's just that lovely. So if you ever desire a personalized makeup look using some great products with one on one attention head down there for some much needed playtime!

The Fresh Umbrian Clay Purifying Treatment Bar is something I wish I found years ago.
And maybe, just maybe this is a more expensive version Queen Helene's Mud Pack Masque but it's my new favorite skincare treatment. Plus it's much better packaging since there's no tube to fight with since it's simply a bar of clay. I was pretty bad at exfoliating, which should be done at least once a week to remove dead skin cells and to generally help resurface the skin and give it a good glow.

This bar sits on the edge of my tub, and once a week I'll apply it directly to my face after a hot shower, let it dry while I towel off, and once it's hardened and dried remove it with a wet cloth. While it dries it picks up impurities, and when you remove it, you're essentially buffing the skin and increasing circulation. And from my current use of it, I can tell you it will last a while. It doesn't dry my skin, or leave it tight. I just feel like I've had a good gentle scrub and cleansing.