Fall Trends: White After Labor Day

Antonio Berardi

Celine

Christian Dior

Giambattista Valli

Ralph Lauren

Along with the typical black and jewel tones, white was all over the fall runways. Perhaps once it was a sartorial transgression to wear white after Labor Day, but those days are over. I find white to be a lovely color for autumn, especially in delicate dove grey or creamy shades. It's a clean, fresh, and simple statement that compliments the flurry of intense colors that is autumn.

xoxox liz

photos courtesy of vogue.com

Fall Trends: Plaid

Calvin Klein Collection

Celine

Creatures of the Wind

Louis Vuitton

Mulberry

Plaid is quintessentially autumnal. It carries memories of back-to-school skirts and cozy flannel shirts. There are endless uses for plaid, and all it takes is a bit of whimsy and imagination to fit it into every wardrobe.

xoxox liz

photos courtesy of vogue.com

Fall Trends: Leather

Burberry Prorsum

Christian Dior

J. Mendel

Mulberry

Ralph Lauren

Against a backdrop of lush knits, furs, and velvets, leather is taking center stage this fall. Once reserved for purses and motorcycle jackets, leather is popping up among the likes of skirts and dresses, tunics and trenches. Whether as a full suit of buttery mahogany or as a playful skater skirt paired with a chunky knit turtleneck, leather is a texture that shouldn't be left in the back of the closet in the months to come.

xoxox liz

photos courtesy of vogue.com

Fall Trends: Glitz 'n Glam

L'wren Scott

Louis Vuitton

Dolce & Gabbana

Chanel

Ralph Lauren

Glitter, metallics, gemstones, shine. Such was another trend of fall. I think that glitz 'n glam is a nice compliment to the dry leaves, brown tinted hues, and rather rugged, raw feel of autumn. A little pop of sparkle is all one needs to dress up an otherwise simple outfit.

xoxox liz

all photos courtesy vogue.com

Fall Trends: Fur

Antonio Berardi

Diane von Furstenberg

Christian Dior

J. Mendel

Ralph Lauren

While perusing the slideshows from the fall RTW shows, I noticed a few obvious trends across designers. One trend that seems to be big for autumn is fur, on everything from collars to handbags. The softness and texture of fur is a nice juxtaposition to the rigid tailoring and smooth leathers that also dominated the runways.

xoxox liz

photos courtesy of vogue.com

Favorite Face Moisturizers

Left to Right: Vanicream ($7), L'Oreal Sublime Sun Liquid Silk Lotion ($11), Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer ($10)

It's July, it's summer, it's time to be outside enjoying the lovely weather. It's also that time of year when it's all too easy to end up looking like a lobster after a day of too much sun. Here are my favorite facial lotions that help keep your skin fresh and totally un-lobster-like all summer long!

I'll start with the non-sunscreen one: Vanicream (though I do believe that they make other moisturizers that have SPF).

 Vanicream is a discovery I've made in the past year, and since I've started using it dry patches that used to flare up have been gone. It's marketed as a "moisturizing skin cream" that's non-comedogenic and free of dyes, lanolin, fragrance, parabens, and formaldehyde. Vanicream is one of the simplest products that I've found and also one of the best. It doesn't sting on skin fresh from a good exfoliating and it doesn't break me out. The formula is quite thick - it is a "cream" - and does remain a bit tacky on the skin for a while. I just use this at night and by morning it's all soaked in and my skin is nice and hydrated. It comes in a tube, which is handy for traveling, as well as a big tub, which I keep at home.

Okay, now I'll get onto my sunscreen picks. I'll start with Olay's Complete All Day Moisturizer with Sunscreen.

This was a longtime daytime staple of mine. However, on really sunny days or when I knew I'd be outside a lot, I always had to add on a sunscreen (meaning a thick, white, gritty mess) with a stronger SPF (this lotion is only SPF 15). However, as just a daily moisturizer/makeup base, this is really good. It is a thin, lightweight lotion that absorbs into the skin quickly. It does have a light, faintly sunscreen-y scent, but nothing too overwhelming. I love this lotion, but have been searching desperately for a similarly thin, fast-absorbing, moisturizing version that has with higher SPF!

I FINALLY found what I'd been looking for when I randomly picked up L'Oreal's Sublime Sun Liquid Silk Lotion SPF 50+.

This is the best daytime facial moisturizer I have found. It is lightweight, thinner than the Olay one, but is just as moisturizing. It applies beautifully, dries quickly, and leaves your skin with a velvety matte finish. It comes in a really tiny, skinny bottle, but the formula is so thin that you really do get a lot of product. It doesn't sting and though it starts off with a slight sunscreen smell, the odor dissipates quickly.

Both the Olay and L'Oreal Sunscreens are fantastic, gentle, moisturizing options for summer (and all year round!). But I've got to say that the L'Oreal one is my favorite due to the velvet matte finish as well as the higher SPF.

Here's to keeping summer lobster-skin free! :)

xoxox liz

Eyeliners: L'Oreal vs. CoverGirl

One of the main reasons I ever began to think of starting a blog was my annoyance over an eyeliner purchase. I'd been loving my L'Oreal Lineur Intense Eyeliner, but wanted to try out something a little cheaper. I picked up CoverGirl's LineExact eyeliner, which at around $6 was a lot cheaper than the $9 L'Oreal one. I wanted so much to like the CoverGirl eyeliner - I could live with saving $3 on eyeliner! But in this case, unfortunately, you got what you paid for.

L'Oreal Lineur Intense in Carbon Black

CoverGirl LineExact in Black

So first of all, why I love L'Oreal's Lineur Intense liner: It lasts. As the name suggests, the color is an intense, rich black. The felt tip applicator is easy to use and actually remains full of product, while you're working, unlike the LineExact. In short - it works!

Despite all this, at $8.99 it isn't the cheapest drugstore eyeliner and I was hoping that the LineExact would be every bit as good but at a considerably lower price. Nope.

All the shaking in the world couldn't get enough product into the felt tip. The formula isn't as rich as L'Oreal's. The color goes down sheerer and the tip goes dry before you've got anywhere with your eye-lining. And as far as packaging goes, the LineExact comes in a much smaller tube, which could be handy and easy to carry but ended up just being harder to hold.

Left - L'Oreal Lineur Intense. Right - CoverGirl Line Exact.

 At first glance, these two products seem remarkably similar. They're both black liquid eyeliners with felt tip applicators. But L'Oreal's Lineur Intense is, in my opinion, certainly the better of the two. It's more intense, easier to apply. More expensive, yes, but in this case it is certainly worth it.

xoxox liz

ps - I guess I never got around to saying why this exactly made me want to start this blog. Well, having had this experience, I wanted to share what I learned and maybe make someone else's life easier. :)