Autumnal Accoutrements

Finally, finally, finally! Fall weather has arrived! I was delighted by the cool, crisp temperature and the gentle, refreshing breezes that accompanied my backyard Zumba session earlier today. :)

With the arrival of fall comes the opportunity to break out my near 20 scarves and the cozy sweaters that have lain dormant through the last 2 seasons. It also means that different color options are now available as each season carries it's own palette.

Pantone, "the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries," presented this list of the top ten colors for women during fall 2011 and winter 2012 (fashiontrendsetter.com).

For men, emberglow is replaced by burnt sienna, honeysuckle by raspberry wine, and orchid hush by cadet.


The appeal to these colors is that they allow you to create varying fashion forward statements; it simply depends on how you pair them. To create a standout look, pair the "louder" colors with similarly bright hues. For a more classic, complimentary approach, team up the more vibrant hues with more neutral ones.You can go bold by mixing deep shades together, or create a softer look just using the pastels. The ball is in your court!

My favorites of this lineup are as follows:
1. Phlox - As I have stated before, purples are my go-to's. I look fabulous in them. I can wear this color effortlessly.
2. Emberglow - I just recently got into this shade; although, my true preference lies with one that swings more towards coral. Paired with coffee liquer, it's a match made in Heaven.

3. Bamboo - Bamboo is beautiful, but sometimes difficult to be worn. Accessorizing with it, however, is easy and allows you to take advantage of its appeal without being drowned in it. In fact, this belt on the right was a recent purchase of mine, and I'm on the prowl for a cross body bag in this color as well. (Forever21 to the rescue!)
4. Deep Teal - I have a sweater in this color that I can't wait to wear again. It is simple and therefore perfect to wear with a brooch or a scarf. =D



5. Burnt Sienna - While Pantone allocated this color to men's fashion, it works really well with my natural color palette. My first fall clothing purchase this season was in such a shade. Pining for colored denim and after much searching, I finally found a flare pant in this alluring red hue that is perfect for autumn.








Concerning fall fashion, corduroy is back now, of course, and GAP has a love-at-first-sight pair for women in 4 fall friendly colors - dried berry (as seen on the right), milk chocolate, hematite, and camel.

Another on-trend look you'll likely see - mixing materials. Predominantly seen in over/outerwear, designers have taken us back to the 70's, pairing tweeds with leather or leather with cable knits, and brandishing faux fur aplenty. Doing so creates a luxe look that can go just about anywhere. (Both of these items can be found at H&M - Men's Blazer, Ladies' Jacket).

Riding boots and capes are coming in strong, making an equestrian look easy.








And these are just a few of the "must-haves" for this season. So if you haven't already, unbox those sweaters and cords, air out those scarves and tweed jackets. I have a strong feeling that this autumn is going to be a good one, so why not look great the whole season through!

Finally, A Manicure With Staying Power!

About two weeks ago, my mother-in-law and I treated ourselves to a manicure and pedicure. Us hard working gals wanted to do something nice for ourselves, so we scheduled our appointment at Galaxy Nails in Woodbridge. This was our second venture there as we were quite pleased with the quality of the service we received the first time, and being all of maybe a mile from home you can't beat the commute!

Before going, I had remarked to my mother-in-law that I would just like to get a pedicure as I cannot keep manicures nice for even 24 hours after leaving the salon. (Once, I hadn't even taken two steps out the door before I had horribly smudged a nail, causing me to have to sheepishly return to ask for a touch up). Nevertheless, she insisted.

Upon arriving, she saw a sign for Color Gel Nail Polish aligned with the phrases, "Tired of having your nails chip? Tired of waiting for them to dry? Try our no chip, no dry Color Gel Nail Polish!" So, she asked the owner of the shop what it was exactly and how valid were these claims. The owner assured us that it would not chip and last 2 weeks. We figured, why not give it a go. If it works, we will be able to enjoy our "treat" that much longer! Skeptical but willing to try, I picked out my color - a vibrant red/orange.

The process is a little more involved than a regular manicure but less obtrusive to your actual nails as the color gel just sits atop your natural nail - no dremmel-like tool needed to shave down your ridges and cuticles as in an acrylic manicure. Catherine Saint Louis of the New York Times provides the rest of the procedure in a nutshell:

A manicurist paints on a base coat, two color coats and top coat, as she would with regular nail lacquer. But after each coat, the soak-off gel is cured briefly under ultraviolet light, so the client leaves with impeccably dry nails.

Truly, there was very little wait time, and my salonist gave me a nice back rub while we waited the last few minutes for the final setting to occur. Both my mother-in-law and I were quite impressed with the quality of the polish's look; it was quite shiny, smooth, and gave the feel of stronger nails. We left happy and hopeful that this new product just might work for us.

The next day, I was quite impressed that I went through a whole day of work with no chipping or breakage. As was true the next day and the day after that. The true test came on Friday, our big clean and move-all-our-equipment day, and still, my nails looked as full of luster as they did when I got them done. Needless to say, I was impressed. I am very hard on my hands, and I was not getting this polish to budge.

Michelle Mismas, author of alllacqueredup.com, had a similar experience when she "test drove" the color gel polish: “When I was wearing it, I beat my hands up, and I couldn’t get a scratch...I was banging into things on purpose to see if I could trash it.” 2 weeks later, hers were still holding strong.

By the end of week 1, I, however, had lost one. It lifted and came off entirely. However, unlike acrylic nails that require plastic tips to be super glued to your real nail and, when removed, essentially leave them "torn up" and in need of another rotor rooter treament, the color gel caused little to no damage - nothing a little normal filing couldn't smooth out.

In the days that followed, a few more of my nails lifted at the corners, which of course caused me to play with them until they too fell off. But being that the color and look of the polish remained constant throughout and their removal caused far less damage than other experiences I have had, I remain a happy customer. My mother-in-law and I joked that for me to keep them nice for 1 day would be a remarkable accomplishment, and this manicure lasted 1 full week.

I would certainly get the color gel nail polish again. It is more expensive than a traditional manicure but not much different than acrylic tips - about $45 for the inital treatment, $25 to "fill," but it is worth to me it if it actually lasts. You can find more costly ones, but that generally means they are using the more high end gels. Also, a good idea to combat the growth that occurs after two weeks is to do a french manicure look with a colored tip but a more natural tone towards the cuticle.

I think for my next nail venture, I will investigate Sally Hansen's Salon Effects stick on manicure. At $8.54 + no additional tip at Target, it is worth a try in between salon visits. Plus, they have such neat colors and patterns. Looks like fun! But, I highly recommend the color gel treatment. It really does have staying power.