Fall Favorites 2017

Hello friends!
Today marks the very first day of actual Winter. So with that, I think it's only fair to finally compile some of my favorite things of this past fall.

   Fall is genuinely my favorite season of the year. The air always smells so amazing from all the fallen leaves, and I have the excuse to whip out some of my favorite sweaters! However, where in the heck did Autumn go? I've been at school and work the whole time and it seems like it's flown by this year! In that time, though, I've still managed to compile some of my favorite things.

   So for this post, my favorites are in a different range of categories. Some are beauty-related items, some fashion-related. Some are just completely miscellaneous. So allow me to guide you through these eight magical categories. Yes, there are eight items, all different.

Category 1: Clothing

   For this first category, it's not just this shirt that is my favorite. It's this style, rather! I've been loving modest blouses this season. This specific blouse it from Who What Wear. I loved the white trim detailing all around that collar. I've been stocking up on these tops all season long.

Category 2: Hair Care

   I can't get enough of this OGX Lavender luminescent Platinum shampoo and conditioner. Ever since my boyfriend's sister Chelsea balayaged my hair in the summer time, I've been trying to maintain not only the ashy color of the blonde sections, but also the health of my hair as a whole. Back when my hair was ombred, my ends were always breaking and would get fried so easily by straighteners and curling irons.
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   I didn't consider using these shampoos until I went on vacation this summer and Chelsea brought a purple shampoo with her that she wanted me to test out and then give to her mom. So, since I went swimming at the beach every morning, I washed my hair every day that week. And I used the shampoo in a few of those washes. I genuinely saw a difference after a few washes and knew that when I got back to Ohio, I wanted to find myself some similar shampoo and conditioner to the one Chelsea brought. And I found these puppies! Not only do they prevent my hair from looking too yellow, but the conditioner makes my hair feel so incredibly soft. Also, since these products include lavender, they smell absolutely fantastic.

Category 3: Makeup

   If you've been keeping up with the blog this fall, you probably would've been able to guess this product would be included in my favorites. I use it every time I do makeup! This here is the Jaclyn Hill x Morphe eye shadow palette. It ranges in so many colors and consistencies and it's just perfect for any time of the year, honestly. Probably the best Morphe palette I've purchased since the Morphe 35O Palette. You can see my review and swatches of the Jaclyn Hill palette here.

Category 4: Shoes

   Now, I didn't photograph these again since taking pictures for my previous post, The Art of Being Good Enough. So I'm using the same photo of my boots because I love them so much and wear them constantly. These Mossimo boots from Target are perfect for rain and snow (and just for being dang stylish). I've always seen boots like these on Pinterest but this is the first time I've found the perfect--and affordable--pair. They're easy to clean and super easy to just slip on and go!

Category 5: Insomnia/Anxiety/Stress Relief

   So, a couple of weeks ago, as finals were approaching, I was stressing out at work and in school and just all over the place. I was constantly getting tension headaches and it was making everything even harder, because instead of staying up and working on things after work, I'd have to go straight to bed with all the lights out. It was hard to get anything done. So after experiencing plenty of headaches, I had enough. I asked my (almost) sister-in-law Angie about how to relieve these headaches, and she offered to let me have her oil diffuser! I was so excited to put it to the test, and surely enough, it was already calming my headaches that night. So I've actually been using this diffuser every night since then with some Art Naturals lavender essential oil. It really calms the nerves and combats any stress headaches I may feel coming on. Also, fancy enough, it helps me sleep!

Category 6: Skincare

   This is a product I've actually grown up using. Mary Kay Night Cream is an essential skin care product this winter, for me. My lips get super chapped super easily, and my hands tend to get dry and flaky pretty quick. This product works all over, honestly. Lips, hands, feet--anywhere! I've used it a lot to heal any cuts and sores throughout the year. It's super soothing and I'm confident this product could work for even the most sensitive of skin. I'm actually considering showing you folks the essential skincare products I use through the colder months in a blog post soon. So if you want to see that, be sure to leave a comment down below!

Category 7: Jewelry (+ piercing care)

   Guys...I got my nose pierced! Angie took me to a tattoo shop in Dayton and we just took care of business. I've been wanting a nose ring since my birthday last January, but I was always holding off. I'm not sure why. But it's already healing quite nicely. I've had it for just a couple of weeks now.

   These are the products I use to clean my nose for a swift healing process. It was pretty sore the first day I got it pierced, especially since it was cold and windy upon exiting the tattoo shop. So using First Aid Antiseptic Spray has helped soothe it within the first two days of getting it pierced. What I've been doing is I've been spraying the antiseptic spray into a cup, just enough for it to puddle, and then dipping a Q-Tip in the puddled product to swap the outside of my nose, around where it's pierced. With another clean Q-Tip, I apply the antiseptic spray to the inside of that nostril (again, just where it's pierced) to ensure everything stays clean. I've been doing this upon waking up and also after washing my face before bedtime.

Category 8: Hobbies

   I first used Prismacolor markers in my Design Drawing class, and let me tell you, that class stressed me out. I felt so intimidated and had a hard time finishing things around the time they were actually due. But since then, I've learned a lot about blending with these markers and I've come to love using them lately! They've helped me calm down on anxious nights, and I just have so much fun blending them into little gradient clumps.

​And those are some of my beauty, fashion, and miscellaneous favorites from Autumn! What kinds of products have you come to love?

Keep on grinning!

Lydia