Beauty & Makeup – BRITTANY ABRAHAM

The best season for fashion is amongst us: fall! From the layering to the rich colors, fall is my favorite season to enhance my style and dress to the nines. I love experimenting with different outfit combinations, patterns and colors, but I do have a few staples that I absolutely need to complete my fall wardrobe.

These are my fall fashion must-haves for 2018:

Warm & Cozy Skirts

Photo from my Instagram.

Although it may seem counterproductive during the colder months, skirts are hands down my favorite thing to wear during this season. I love wearing tights and boots with a cozy skirt, particularly those made from wool or corduroy fabrics.

Both Skirts: Forever 21

Over-the-Knee Boots

The days before over-the-knee boots are times I don’t want to remember. Over-the-knee boots have been a staple in my colder weather wardrobe for over two years. I like having a black pair and a brown pair to choose from.

Black boots: Marc Fisher

Brown boots: Carlos by Carlos Santana

Rich Colored Nail Polish

Instead of going to the nail salon, I’ve been doing my own nails for the past few months, and I’ve been loving it. I always look forward to wearing darker, richer nail colors when the season changes, and this year is no different. I’ve recently been loving fall tones from KL Polish, a nail polish brand created by one of my favorite YouTubers, Kathleenlights.

Nail polishes: KL Polish

(Left Column – Mindy, Chloe, Central Park. Right Column – Jane, Brick Sidewalk, 1435.)

Faux Fur Jackets

I definitely jumped on the furry jacket bandwagon this year! These glamorous faux fur jackets have enhance my wardrobe in both the style and the warmth department. I love this trend so much that I have another faux fur jacket on the way to my house right now, and I plan to add more to my collection.

Jacket: WYLDR at Bloomingdales Outlet

Plaid

Plaid certainly isn’t revolutionary for fall, but it’s definitely my favorite pattern for the season. I do enjoy the typical flannel shirt, but my favorite way to wear this classic pattern is as scarfs or skirts. I have a fair share of plaid scarfs that go perfectly with any casual outfit, and I’m happily adding to my plaid skirt collection (see cozy skirt photo above).

Brown plaid scarf: Nordstrom Rack

Grey plaid scarf: Nordstrom Rack

Green plaid scarf: Chelsey II

Confession: I am a makeup and beauty geek. I absolutely love learning about new launches and trying new products. Walking into Ulta or Sephora, seeing all the makeup I have yet to try, excites me.

Although new shiny things ignite my love for trying different products, I have my go-to, die-hard, holy grail beauty products that never let me down. I’ve narrowed my list down to my top 5 products:

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Coverage Foundation

Image from here.

I have been religiously using this foundation for over a year now, and it has never let me down. As a person with normal to dry skin, I need a foundation with lasting power and the ability to keep my skin from looking crusty. This foundation does it for me!

It has medium coverage and a natural finish. This foundation comes in a wide range of colors to choose from, and I love that Make Up For Ever offers warm, cool and neutral tones.

I wear this foundation year round. It holds up in the summer heat and doesn’t dry out my skin in the harsh Chicago winters. Want to know how well it holds up? I wore this foundation for every day of sorority recruitment and for a 12 hour Black Friday shift this year. My skin still looked good. If that isn’t proof of a good foundation, I don’t know what is!

This foundation retails for $43 and can be found at Sephora.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Image from here.

I can’t tell you the number of these sponges I have gone through. I use this sponge for applying both my foundation and my concealer, and I have yet to find another sponge that does it better. I’ve tried the original beautyblender, and in my opinion, it does not compare to the softness and ease of the Real Techniques sponge. Plus, it’s not worth paying $20 for a sponge.

A single Real Techniques sponge retails for $5.99 at Ulta. I prefer to purchase the packs of two for $10.99 or the packs of four for $17.99. In the long run, I save more money buying the value packs. These sponges can also be found at Target and other drugstores.

Lorac Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette

Image from here.

I love rose tones. Anything rose gold or rosy pink is destined to be mine. Because of this and the undeniable quality of Lorac shadows, the Unzipped palette has been my go-to palette for years. I travel with it, and I use it for both everyday looks and nighttime looks.

This palette is composed of three true mattes, five shimmers, a satin/matte highlight shade and a glittery/matte-acting shadow. The shades range from shimmery rosy tones to bronze tones to a maroon matte. The palette also includes a beautiful gold shades and transition shades. All of the Unzipped shadows are super flattering.

This eye shadow palette retails for $42 at Ulta.

NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Soft-Spoken

Image from here.

I have a huge collection of lipsticks. Even so, if you see me wearing a rosy nude lip color, I’m probably wearing this. I have gone through two tubes of this product, and it never fails me. I love how comfortable it feels on my lips and how flattering and wearable the color is!

This lipstick retails for $6.99 at Ulta.

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Perfume

Image from here.

I’m very picky with scents that I like, so it can be hard to find my perfect perfume. A few years ago, I tested Black Opium in the store, and I instantly fell in love. I looked up the notes, and I wasn’t surprised why I loved it so much: coffee beans, white flowers and vanilla.

Coffee notes… No wonder I – a coffee addict – love it!

Black Opium is the perfect combination of spicy, sweet and floral elements. It has been my go-to scent during the colder months. I love the sexy yet sweet smell of it, and I receive a lot of complements when I wear it.

This perfume retails for $69 for a 1 oz bottle.