Beauty Favorites: Fall 2013

Those closest to me know that I love to give beauty advice...whether it is solicited or not!  This blog post is dedicated to my favorite Fall beauty & hair products.  My skin and hair are my top priorities especially as the weather changes.  Throughout the years, I've learned what the best products are for my skin type and I am constantly educating myself on the current products.  These are *my* personal favorite products that I've been currently using and loving. Hope you enjoy it & become motivating to beautify & care for your best features! 








(Mally Beauty's Perfect Prep Primer on the right)

SKIN: For the fall my skin is a little more dryer than it is during the summer.  During winter my skin gets extremely dry and that is when I go for a heavier moisturizer.  But for the fall, I am sticking with my rose hydrating gel from Fresh. This gel feels super light, yet gives my skin the necessary amount of moisture and it smells like rose water.  Moisturizing is a girl's best friend (next to diamonds) and I tend to it both in the morning and at night. When I forget to moisturize, my skin feels "thirsty" and rough.  Ladies, another very important thing is to moisturize your under eye area. My rule of thumb has always been that starting in my 20's, I would begin to moisturize under my eye; this helps with wrinkles later on in life.  My fall under eye treatment is by Elizabeth Arden & it is "good morning eye treatment."  It is an extremely moisturizing eye treatment, so due to its richness I only use it in the morning.  Finally, if you are applying any type of foundation, please remember to use a primer!  My fall & winter favorite is from Mally Beauty; it is Mally's "perfect prep primer."  Primer is so important to not only help your make-up look flawless, but it also helps with allowing your foundation to stay "intact" all day long.  Mally's primer is also a moisturizer and it is like having a "cloud in a jar."  The primer I use when I am going out and am wearing a heavier foundation is from Smashbox & it's their "photo finish foundation primer."  Both of these primers are oil-free, so if you have oily skin they both work great.

For foundation I am using Mally's BB cream Face Defender because it light, easy to apply, and it is moisturizing. It feels like you are putting a light lotion on your face. I use my imitation "beauty blender" in purple to help me apply the foundation evenly.  My favorite concealer is from Nars and my shade is in "ginger."  I use concealer under my eyes, especially in the morning when I want to look awake!

To finish up my skin, I use blush & highlighter to bring out my features a little more.  My favorite blush right now is from MAC "pinch o' peach" and it is a bright pink.  As a highlighter, I am loving Benefit's "soft focus highlighter," because it has a golden undertone & it gives such a natural looking glow. (see picture on the right)


LIPS: My lips start to chap when fall begins, so I moisturize throughout the day. My all-time favorite lip treatment is from Fresh and it is the "sugar lip treatment." It smells like candy and glides on so smoothly. I apply this treatment when I start my make-up routine & it leaves my lips ready for lipstick or gloss.











Fall lipsticks are a must! My two favorite ones are: "taupe" from MAC and the "maroone" lipstick you see in the picture. I have no idea what the brand of the maroone one is, but it is a beautiful color for fall & it has a small amount of shimmer.

FALL NAIL COLOR: My current favorites (as seen in the picture) are: "beauty junkie" from Sephora by O.P.I and that beautiful blue/green polish from Avon.  I love darker colors in the fall and these two are so pretty. I am letting my nails grow this fall, so I am not wearing my usual colors.


Nail tip: use oil, water & salt to help your nails grow. 







HAIR: In the fall I tend to change up my routine by washing my hair every 2-3 days, instead of every other day; this helps to conserve some of your natural oils which are great for your hair. I also try my best to brush my hair three times a day and I moisturize my hair like a crazy person.  I switch up my shampoo every 2 weeks, as it helps my hair not to get use to one thing & my hair feels cleaner.  Also, I use an extremely moisturizing conditioner AND (very important) once every 4-5 months, I apply a hair treatment.  Normally I purchase the olive-oil based hair treatments & use half the packet to moisturize.  Leave the treatment in for 20-30 mins & then rinse with "cold" water.  My hair reacts very differently when I use warm/hot water to rinse.  After washing my hair I dry first with a towel & then apply my Milania "argan oil infusion serum."  This serum is amazing & I use it every time I wash my hair!  (the serum is also great to apply to dry skin)  I have tried an imitation "argan oil" and it just does not work.  Moroccan oil is also a great alternative.  If you have oily hair, make sure to moisturize your hair often & try not to apply hair sprays or serums that are too oily. My rule of thumb is that if it works great on my skin, then my hair will love it. My favorite hair spray is "elnett satin" by Loreal; it is light weight and does not clump your hair. In fact, I've curled my hair & used this hair spray and the next day my hair is super smooth. Also, remember to use a heat protector, especially during the "cooler" weather season when we tend to straighten our hair more. My favorite heat protector is from Herbal Essences.  Finally, just as we trim our nails, we must trim our hair. I trim mine every 3-4 months & this helps my hair grow, and it keeps my layers looking fab.

I hope this is helpful to someone & feel free to leave me comments on this blog or my IG (gdean0409)! XO!