Finding Fall

I live in Arizona, so fall is more of a feeling than an actual season. I'm a northerner at heart and desperately miss those first cool days, especially as the leaves begin to change. So I try to embrace the season through colors, wearing more saturated, rich tones as apposed to bright poppy summer colors. And that includes my nails.

Initially I was afraid to venture beyond the safe realm of pale pinks and french nails, convinced that anything darker/bolder would be too harsh against my pale skin.  But once I did--oh baby, there was no going back!  So in honor of fall, I've found a new shade: OPI's Every Month is Oktoberfest.  The name may have swayed me too. :)  I may be jumping the gun a bit, but as October rolls around, I think this will make the perfect nail color: a dark and moody plum with a hint of gorgeous red sparkle.

OPI's Every Month is Oktoberfest Polish

If you're not quite ready to take the full plunge into a dark shade, another one I've been loving is Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Peridot.  It's a very unique combination of gold and green, which seems perfect as the leaves are changing (elsewhere...lucky ducks!).

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Peridot

I just love how this polish gives a dramatic color change, it's very fun to catch a glimpse of during the day!  I think you'll definitely get compliments. :)

So tell me: what are your favorites shades?  Has one leaped out as the perfect start of fall color?

Exploring Perfume

For whatever reason, my subconscious managed to label perfume as "so adult" or at the very least "special occasion".  So I've never really worn it regularly, despite thinking that it was classy on other people.  Well, with the wedding coming up, I realized that desperately needed to change.  Maybe I want to feel more grown up that day, maybe I'm just worried about hugging everyone I love...I don't know. The point being, the label in my mind suddenly shifted from "eh...not for me" to "must have!". 

And I had a wonderful experience tracking down perfume!  I ventured out to my local beauty store, where they have an area dedicated to perfume.  I spoke with the perfume associate, describing my situation (perfume virgin) and that I was looking for something light and clean to eventually wear to my wedding.  And in the meantime enjoy day-to-day.  She was happy to suggest a number of options and then proceeded to send me home with five sample sprayers for myself and one for my fiancee, I couldn't believe it!  So now I'm able to test-drive these scents on my own time to decide how they react to my body and how they wear over the course of the day.

So onto the scents...I received Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, L'Eau de Chloe, BCBGMAXAZRIA Eau de Parfum, and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. Each strikes me as very light...some more floral while others are more fruity, but there was definitely something special about each one.  I guess now it's on to the test drives to determine which one will be my signature scent.

Do you wear perfume regularly? Do you have a favorite scent?  Or several? :)  I really enjoyed getting to sample the scents... it felt like being pampered.  So if you've got time, I'd definitely suggest stopping at your perfume counter to see what new scents are available.  I definitely wouldn't have been able to make these finds without some expert help!