Is it just me, or are the final days of summer slipping by faster than usual? As a beauty editor, my spidey senses start tingling at the onset of any seasonal shift because it signals the need to purge my vanity of any products that no longer serve my makeup, skincare, and bodycare needs in exchange for ones that will ride with me in the months to come. But the transition from summer to fall is probably the most drastic course correction I make all year since environmental conditions make the most dramatic leap from hot and balmy to cold and dry.
With fall on the horizon, there's more to consider than which cozy layers we'll add to our wardrobes. We have to start thinking about which swaps we'll be making in our beauty wardrobes, too. Cooler temperatures mean the oil-sopping ingredients we held close all summer will take a back seat to ultra-hydrating formulas that will support us through snowstorms (I've heard from my colleagues in New York that those are a thing), hot showers, and an overall dip in moisture in the air. This time can bring on some major dry-skin woes, but with the right fall beauty products in tow, we can get through it looking and feeling moisturized and unbothered.
Ahead, check out the eight beauty products I'll be packing away with my swimsuits and sandals and the eight fall-ready picks I'm boosting to the top of my routine.
Makeup
Adding: Luminous Foundations
Booting: BB Creams
F is for fall… and full coverage. Summertime always feels like the perfect season to let our skin shine through sheer formulas, but as the weather cools, I tend to start leaning into more-corrective makeup to help smooth out my complexion. Since we're moving out of vacation season, luminous foundations that offer that lit-from-within glow are just perfect for looking glowy, not greasy.
There's a reason this foundation has a cult following all over the world. When it comes to glowy foundations that have a soft, natural finish but still cover up blemishes and imperfections, this one is a winner. It offers medium coverage, but it can certainly be built upon if you need a bit more.
This drugstore foundation is one of my favorites across all price points. The name tells you everything you need to know about what to expect: glowy, natural-looking, and radiant skin. I love that my face feels comfortable and hydrated under this formula and that it doesn't break down into a greasy mess, even when I've loaded up on my favorite fall moisturizers underneath.
Adding: Shiny Lip Glosses
Booting: Diffused Lip Colors
I'm a lip-gloss lover year round, but once fall hits I'm always ready to amp it up in the color department. A muted, diffused finish is cute for summer, but it's all about vinylic shine and high-impact color once we hit the -ber months.
The time has come to officially crown this as my favorite prestige gloss of all time. Yeah, I said it! It is so good. It covers the lips completely in an opaque varnish but doesn't feel overly sticky or oppressively thick. This shade, in particular, is such a beautiful nude for those with darker skin tones.
This silky lip gloss is a dream to wear. It's deceptively soft, and based on how it feels, you really wouldn't think it would deliver the level of pigment that it does. This might be the one and only scenario where being fooled is totally fine with me.
Adding: Lip Liners
Booting: Colorful Eyeliners
Don't get me wrong, I love colorful eyeliner. It's so fun and really adds a lot to a look. That said, fall is the time when richer lip colors come out to play, so eyeliner needs to stay a little more neutral so it doesn't compete. Lip liner can help to create a more polished and precise lip, especially when working with a bold color.
I never loved a lip liner until I met this one. It glides on so beautifully and makes a huge difference when carrying out beauty adventures like overlining.
It's officially time to dust off our red lippies, and I already know this new liner from Patrick Ta is going to be a fall staple. Ta says you can layer this soft, matte liner on a bit thicker and cover more surface area than you normally would to give your look more staying power.
Adding: Shimmery Eye Shadows
Booting: Beaming Highlighters
There isn't anything I love more than a popping highlight. During the summer, I go all out with it since a near-florescent jolt across my cheekbones gels super well with dewy, glossy makeup. But as the leaves change, I like to turn down the dial on my highlighter from a 10 to a nice little five. To compensate, I start adding way more shimmer onto my eyelids. It can create such a nice contrast with matte lips, or even glossy ones.
If you haven't tried Rituel de Fille yet, I need you to do so right away. This witchy clean-beauty brand makes such cool products, and my favorite one is this Eye Soot. It's a tightly packed, impossibly versatile cream-powder hybrid that can be worn as a soft shimmer or built all the way up to an ultra-pigmented, almost iridescent pop.
This bouncy eye shadow is perfect in every way. It might look over-the-top in the pan, but it really is one of those shadows I could tap into my lids with varying intensity on any day and for any occasion.
Skincare
Adding: Sleeping Masks
Booting: Foaming Cleansers
Hydration is the name of the game this season. In addition to skipping harsh cleansers that strip too many natural oils out of my skin, I'll be slathering on more overnight hydrating masks to cocoon my skin in nourishing and reparative ingredients while I sleep.
This luxe mask comes with a high price tag, but its combination of saffron flowers, shea butter, and thyme honey infuses so much moisture into the skin.
I'm still a huge fan of this OG Summer Fridays mask. I used it the other night and was instantly reminded of how lovely it is. If you want to feed your face the skincare equivalent of a gourmet meal, then heed these instructions: Spritz your face with your favorite nourishing essence, pat in three or four drops of your favorite face oil, and top the whole mixture off with the Jet Lag Mask. Thank me later.
Adding: Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients
Booting: Anti-Aging Ingredients
Okay so, I'm not doing away with all my skincare picks tailored to achieving my baby-smooth skin goals. But as the season turns and moisture in the air begins to drop, I'm hyper-focused on keeping inflammation caused by severe dryness at bay. After all, inflammation on the face (and body) can cause a whole host of problems such as itching, swelling, breakouts, and more.
Astringents have no place in my routine these days. Instead, I'm reaching for this moisturizing toner from Renée Rouleau that contains hydration-boosting ingredients like omega-3, 6, and 9 and niacinamide to improve skin-barrier function and hold moisture inside.
This gadget isn't an ingredient, but I have to mention it because it's one of the best skincare purchases I've made in the last few years. I know that fall brings on a desire to warm up, but this soothing facial massager brings on an epic big chill that helps to calm the skin immediately.
Adding: Full-Body Exfoliators
Booting: Stripping Bodywashes
Over-exfoliation is certainly a concern once dry-skin season creeps in, but that doesn't mean I'll be shying away from the full-body exfoliators that keep my skin smooth, glowy, and primed to absorb all my favorite moisturizers.
This tingly scrub brings in both physical and chemical exfoliation with pumice scrubbers and glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids. It's pH optimized, meaning it won't disrupt the skin's delicate microbiome. It also infuses marula oil into the skin for lasting moisture.
Super hard isn't a term I'm typically drawn to when it comes to skincare, but in this case, it works. This no-frills nylon towel allows you to carry out spa-level skin exfoliation using just your favorite oil or hydrating bodywash and a bit of elbow grease. When I tell you my skin feels like a straight-up seal after every use, I mean that.
Adding: Spicy Scents
Booting: Fruity Scents
Capturing the aroma of spooky season always involves a dismissal of the light, fruity notes of summer and the embrace of sensual, spicy smells that mingle so beautifully with the crisp fall air. Fragrance inhabits a top spot on my beauty checklist these days, so I'm putting a lot of emphasis on transitioning my scent wardrobe to meet the mood of the new season.
This scent is just perfect. It smells nostalgic and familiar but also super chic and unique. I love how the spicy black pepper in the top notes mixes with the warm, creamy base. It's sultry and complex and earns me tons of compliments.
I'll be switching up the fragrance story throughout my entire home this season, too. Everyone talks about pumpkin- or cinnamon-scented candles as soon as fall hits, but can I tempt you with this heavenly offering from Diptyque that smells just like a crackling fireplace, instead? It's woody and not spicy, but it totally evokes the moody, cozy theme of the chillier days ahead.
Up next, 7 Fall Nail Colors We're Already Obsessing Over Because Time Isn't Real
