Autumn 2019 beauty edit - my unconventional essentials for this season!

Fall has fallen among us, and with it, our beauty routines must change a bit to incorporate the weather changes. Here are some products I've been using and would whole-heartedly recommend, so you can keep your summer glow, your summer tan, and your supple, moisturized skin that is characteristic of warmer weather, right into the coming cold.

1. Retinol, but in a way that doesn't dry you out

The Ordinary - Retinol 1% in Squalane Oil

Since I have dry skin, I've always tended to be a fan of oils. Retinol is very popular now, and rightfully so, for its long-term anti-aging benefits. Whatever your age, I recommend you incorporate retinol into your beauty routine. Unfortunately, retinol can dry you out. The fix? Use it with a hydrating oil. This is perfect because even if you do have oily skin, the balance of dry weather plus retinol's drying effects ensure you don't look greasy. I've been using  The Ordinary's retinol with squalane oil for over a year now. I can't say I've noticed a big difference because someone in their very early 20s like me doesn't typically have wrinkles or fine lines to get rid of, but I am confident that long-term use of retinol should slow down aging. Those of us with dry skin may wrinkle faster, so it's an added bonus for me that this retinol product comes dispersed in oil. I use the Retinol 1% as I've been using The Ordinary's retinol products for a while - keep in mind they recommend to start off with a lower retinol percentage to build up your tolerance!

2. Shimmering body tints to keep your glowy tan as you head into warmer weather

Tom Ford Shimmering Body Oil in Rose Gold

I'm a big fan of body glow products - they just make you look so much more put together, supple, and healthy. In the autumn, I wouldn't use Tom Ford's Shimmering Body Oil like I normally would in the spring and summer, as it's pretty intense. These days, I've fallen in absolute love with Lush's shimmer bar. I have one in a deep rose gold shade - it's a solid body tint that you can rub on your arms and legs for such a gorgeous, gorgeous tan glow, and the slightest hint of shimmer. Unfortunately, the rose gold shade is not available online at the time - I would be devastated if they discontinued it. They do, however, have a lighter shade on their website - check it out here.  Check out your local Lush to see if they carry the rose gold tint bar to keep your glowy tan as you get into the warmer autumn months, but if it's not available, try the Tom Ford Shimmering Body Oil in Rose Gold. Just make sure to use a generous amount so it's not so intense.

3. A good lip scrub and lip balm

You're definitely going to have to deal with chapped lips more as you get into the cooler months. If you notice your lips flaking and looking and feeling unpleasant, get into the habit of exfoliating the top layer of your lips as this is what's responsible for the flakiness. Any decent lip scrub should do the job - I use this one from Too Faced, along with the matching balm. A more affordable option is Lush's lip scrubs, though I can't personally vouch for those as I have not tried them. Some of my friends swear by Laneige's Lip Sleeping Mask, but could you believe it, this product actually dried out my lips more! A beauty advisor at Sephora told me that may be because this product is supposed to exfoliate the top layer of your lips (was not expecting that), so if your top layer isn't super dry or flaky to start with, it may just be scrubbing excessively, thus making you dry, as it did to me. Perhaps this is a better product for those with super dry lips, and for those like me, maybe not suitable for regular use. Make sure to sample this product before buying it to see if it works for you, but definitely don't pass it up, as it did win multiple awards and amassed a cult following, so it clearly works for many. For those of you whose lips aren't super dry and flaky, I recommend using it only when you feel your lips getting that way, and perhaps reserve it for use in dryer weather. If you have a holy grail lip scrub or lip balm, please do recommend it in the comments, as I've yet to find a life-changing product in this arena for me.

4. Moisturizing lip makeup

It's time to shift to less mattes, and more creams. A good nude lip is a must for this season to complement the darker brown and plum eye looks you're probably pulling off for fall. I picked up the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick in Caramelized one random day at Sephora because it was on sale, and I am so devastated to say I can't link it for you guys because it seems it's been discontinued! This totally sucks because this product was perfection. The colour was the best nude for my lightly tanned South-Asian skin - it was the best nude shade I have ever tried. The formula was absolute perfection - so creamy and slightly glossy, but with amazing lasting power. If you love cream lip products like me, you'd know that it's very difficult to find a lip cream that actually stays on while staying glossy. This product hit every check for me. I really do hope they start making it again. Until then, if you find it on the black market somewhere, do let me know...

Another favourite creamy lip product of mine is Yves Saint Laurent's cream lipstick, as you could probably tell from the first photo in this article... They have lots of toned down rouge and peach shades which are the colours I wear most often, and their formula looks beautiful on the lips - creamy and not too glossy. Unfortunately, like most cream lip products, the staying power isn't great.

5. A texturizing hair spray

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

Does your hair get weird and dry in transitional weather? I've noticed my hair acting weird in transitional autumn weather from time to time, so I try to keep some hair products to combat that when it happens. Firstly, make sure to deep condition - I use 100% coconut oil as a hair mask. Read my article on maintaining optimal hair health here. Secondly, I have been in absolute awe of the Oribe Texturizing Spray   - it's one of the summer products I'm taking into my autumn, and probably also winter. I've tried a lot of dry shampoos in the past for volumizing, but this one works noticeably better. It's not advertised as a dry shampoo, but it can also double as one for a lower level of oil cleansing. The point of this spray is to pack volume, and boy does it do so. This texturizing spray keeps my hair voluminous even days after a hair wash when the natural oils would otherwise be pulling my hair down. This is extremely useful for me, as I have very long hair which naturally gets pulled down by the natural build-up of oils throughout the week, greatly affecting volume. You know that bounciness you notice in first and second day hair? This product retains that.

6. Eye mask before going to sleep

If you're back to school this fall, you're probably also back to getting less sleep. Wake up with refreshed eyes so you can skip concealer in the morning! This is actually a bit of a cheat because I don't use an eye mask. I do use eye creams, but I haven't yet found one that's game changing. So I was hoping you guys could help me out by suggesting eye creams, especially masks. This would totally complete my arsenal.

There you have it - 5 products that I've used and swear by, and... one that I'm requesting you guys to recommend to me!


Sincerely,

Annesa