Fall In Love With Autumn With These Beauty and Fashion Essentials

While pumpkin patches, hayrides, and corn mazes have been popping up since early September, it truly never feels quite like autumn here in Austin until mid-to-late October (and sometimes November!), when the scorching temperatures finally give way to cooler days and nights and the leaves finally begin to turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. Now that we’re officially in the thick of sweater weather season, I (virtually) stopped by CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin” to share some of my beauty and style must-haves for this glorious time of year. Click here to view the segment on CBSAustin.com and keep on reading for the scoop on everything seen on air!

OLAY REGENERIST VITAMIN C + PEPTIDE 24 HYDRATING MOISTURIZER

Not ready to say goodbye to your summer glow? Well, you don’t have to! To keep skin looking lit-from-within all through autumn and beyond, check out the new Olay Regenerist Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Hydrating Moisturizer.  This daily moisturizer is formulated with Olay’s proprietary technology to brighten dull skin instantly, resulting in skin that’s two times brighter. It also helps to even skin tone and minimize dark spots – all while delivering 24-hour hydration.

The formula includes dermatologist-approved ingredients like vitamin C to boost collagen production and bolster skin’s radiance, vitamin B3 to even skin tone and strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier, and lactic acid to exfoliate the skin, removing dead surface skin cells and revealing a more luminous and supple countenance.

This glow-boosting cream is under $30 at Olay.com or you can contact your local retailer for curbside pick-up.

DR. DENNIS GROSS ADVANCED RETINOL + FERULIC OVERNIGHT TEXTURE RENEWAL PEEL

Leaves are turning fiery shades of yellow and red, the sun is setting earlier and making room for longer nights, and a crisp breeze is filling the air. Autumn, then, is the season of change. So why not apply this line of thinking to your skincare regimen and take the time to transform your skin? Enter the Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Overnight Texture Renewal Peel ($78 at Sephora.com). This one-step peel works overnight to improve your complexion’s health on a number of fronts: resurfacing and smoothing skin, visibly diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, balancing oiliness and clarifying skin, and boosting skin’s luminosity.

Each peel pad is imbued with a powerful formula featuring a new and improved Phyto-Retinol blend that combines two types of retinol with bakuchiol, a plant extract that delivers retinol-like results without irritation and helps to reinforce the skin’s moisture barrier; rambutan leaf extract, which stimulates collagen production and helps to increase skin density; and ferulic acid, which protects skin from free radicals and environmental aggressors. Not only do these ingredients work together to renew skin, but they’re married with soothing cucumber extract, hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid, and squalane to reinforce the skin’s moisture barrier and lock in hydration. As a result, then, this peel will transform your skin without causing any inflammation or irritation.

And while you’ll see more marked results within 2-4 weeks of use, you’ll be able to notice a difference in your skin’s health instantly!

IT COSMETICS BYE BYE SERUMS

Autumn teaches us about the beauty of letting go, so it’s the perfect time to bid farewell to some of our most irksome skincare woes. You can send your skincare gripes packing with the help of the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Serums, ($29 each at ITCosmetics.com and ULTA.com). Developed with dermatologists and plastic surgeons, each serum addresses a specific skin concern and delivers visible results within two weeks. There are four serums in the collection: Bye Bye Lines, Bye Bye Pores, Bye Bye Dullness, and Bye Bye Dark Spots.

Formulated with 1.5 % hyaluronic acid and infused with peptides and Vitamin B5, the Bye Bye Lines Serum delivers lasting hydration and helps to plump and smooth fine lines. To use, dispense two to three drops onto your fingertips, then apply to clean skin, smoothing the serum on evenly and gently pressing onto skin. To support supple-looking skin, it’s recommended that you use the serum morning and night.

Next, the Bye Bye Pores serum contains 10% glycolic acid to decongest pores, thereby helping them appear smaller, and gently exfoliate skin to yield a smoother texture. The serum is also infused with hyaluronic acid to keep skin hydrated and soft. To apply, dispense 4-5 drops onto fingertips and smooth onto skin, making sure to avoid the eye area. This serum is designed for use once daily — morning or night.

For skin that glows and glows, check out the radiance-boosting Bye Bye Dullness serum, which is formulated with 15% vitamin C to brighten skin and infused with vitamin E to defend skin from free radicals. To use, dispense 2 pumps onto your fingertips and smooth onto skin once daily.

Lastly, the Bye Bye Dark Spots Serum contains 4% niacinamide and 1% ethyl vitamin C to visibly reduce dark spots and even skin tone. Use this one morning and night, dispensing 4-5 pumps onto fingertips and gently pressing onto skin.

18.21 MAN MADE SWEET TOBACCO GROOMING PRODUCTS

There’s a velvety, warm, cozy quality to the scent of tobacco that makes it perfect for autumn. This trio of premium grooming goods from 18.21 Man Made — all featuring a charismatic Sweet Tobacco scent — will allow fellas to look and feel dapper all through fall and winter. The scent is evocative of boozy nights at old-fashioned speakeasy lounge, marrying saffron and dried fruit notes with deeper vanilla, honey, and tobacco leaf notes.

First, to cleanse and moisturize from head to toe, there’s the Man Made Wash ($26 at 1821ManMade.com),  a sulfate-free, 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The lather-rich multi-purpose wash is formulated with macadamia glycerides, hydrolyzed quinoa, and hydrolyzed jojoba esters to soften skin and hair.  a

Next, to keep their complexions looking their very best, guys can pick up  the Octane 100 Face Lotion ($36 at 1821ManMade.com), a lightweight, non-greasy, age-defying moisturizer that protects, energizes, hydrates, and balances skin. The face lotion contains amino acids to restore skin’s moisture balance, ginger root extract to protect collagen and enhance elasticity, and coffee seed oil to boost circulation and brighten the complexion.

Lastly, fellas can complete their grooming routines with Sweet Tobacco Spirits ($80 at 1821ManMade.com), a complex, masculine, parfum-grade fragrance that blends almost 30 oils – among them California lemon, clove bud, clary sage, saffron, Manuka honey, tonka bean, cedarwood, and tobacco leaves.

BELOVED BY LOVE BEAUTY AND PLANET PUMPKIN & TONKA COLLECTION

It’s the season of pumpkin spice and everything nice so, for all the cozy fall feels, check out the BELOVED by Love Beauty and Planet Pumpkin & Tonka Collection, which is comprised of bath and body products that feature the irresistible scent of pumpkin and tonka bean.

BELOVED by Love Beauty and Planet is a line of pampering bath and body products that transform bath time into a small act of love for the mind, body, and planet. Each BELOVED product is formulated with plant-based ingredients, produced and packaged in an eco-friendly manner, and designed to be gentle and kind to your skin.

All BELOVED products are plant-based, vegan, and paraben-free, and they feature formulas comprised of at least 92% naturally-derived ingredients. They’re also cruelty-free and PETA approved, meaning that they never test on animals — ever! Moreover, all BELOVED bottles and jars are recyclable and made with 100% recycled plastic.

The Pumpkin & Tonka collection includes a shower gel, body cream, foaming hand wash, hand lotion, lip balm, and scented candle. Prices range from $3.99 to $14.99 at Target and Target.com

The scented candle will leave your home smelling like a heavenly bakery, making everyone feel snug and cozy. As for the shower gel and body cream? They’ll leave your skin soft, supple, smooth, and smelling good enough to eat!

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ MUSC NOIR EAU DE PARFUM

When we prepare our fall wardrobes, we tend to eschew dusty pastel shades and fun-loving neons, instead favoring deep, robust, dramatic colors like plum, pine green, mulberry, and crimson red. So why not adopt a similar approach when choosing a signature fall scent and opt for a fragrance that’s rife with mystery and elegance? One such scent is the sublime Narciso Rodriguez For Her Musc Noir Eau de Parfum (for 50 ml and $129 for 100 ml in-store and online at Macy’s and Nordstrom), an olfactory nod to the powerful mystique of a woman’s inner beauty and her innate sensuality.

Inspired by the original Narciso Rodriguez For Her scent, Musc Noir heightens the addictive nature of the iconic fragrance by exploring its more intense and darkest facets. At its heart, you’ll find a more intense, rare musc oil that provies rich olfactory depth and which is married with a sensual leathery suede accord. Notes of cedar, rose, heliotrope and luscious plum complete the fragrance, resulting in a scent that’s confident, sensual, and endlessly enigmatic.

ISSEY MIYAKE A DROP D’ISSEY EAU DE PARFUM

Emily Bronte once wrote, “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”  Poems, stories, and songs are full of similar lines that marvel over the gloriousness of the season. It’s a time of year when we’re all reminded of nature’s incomparable power and beauty.

Nature, of course, has always informed Issey Miyake’s work — including the brand’s fragrances. Now, nearly 30 years after Issey Miyake Parfums released L’Eau d’Issey, the brand is opening a new chapter in its story with the launch of A Drop d’Issey, a wildly feminine scent that invites us to discover the magic, beauty, and poetry in nature.

A Drop D’Issey is musky, cozy and reassuring scent, designed to feel like a cocoon of comfort, with top notes of almond milk complemented by damask rose and orange blossom, a gorgeous sunny lilac heart surrounded by star anise and jasmine notes, and a base of musk, biovanillin, and ambrox notes.

The fragrance’s round transparent bottle, meanwhile, is an expression of water in its most fundamental form: a drop.

Beyond the inspiration behind the fragrance composition and its packaging, A Drop d’Issey is an ode to nature in a more practical and tangible sense: the perfumer behind the scent, Ane Ayo, was tasked with making the fragrance as eco-friendly as possible — a task she accomplished brilliantly.

The Issey Miyake Drop d’Issey EDP retails for the $91 for the 1 oz. bottle and $111 for the 3 oz. size at Macy’s and Macys.com.

DONNA LEAH DESIGNS APPAREL

Between fall weddings and holiday events, you’ll have plenty of reasons to dress up this season. Donna Leah Designs is an evening wear brand known for its stunning gowns and special occasion pieces. And recently, Donna Leah designed some amazingly versatile, casual chic pieces that transition beautifully from day to night.

Her “Rockin’ in Red” top is a prime example of this versatility. It’s a white, long-sleeved, jewel neck top with embellished red sequined appliqués. The statement-making piece can be dressed up or down depending on where the day takes you, but it will always make heads turn!

To jazz up your wardrobe for an upcoming event, make sure to visit DonnaLeahDesigns.com