“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”                      –Coco Chanel

One of the regularly seen blog posts/magazine articles I always eat up are those that feature tastemakers and their can’t-live-without lists.  These “Editors’ Essentials”-type lists never fail to enlighten me on a new miracle product, a carefully curated reading list, or new favorite lipstick.  Plus, I’m completely intrigued by the way stylish people live:  what they eat for breakfast, what fancy sheets they sleep in, what’s on their DVR, etc.  Additionally, I’m currently fascinated with the idea that style is how you live when no one’s looking.

As a result of my study & intrigue, each month I’m going to outline five items I’m counting as my material treasures.  Of course, what I really treasure most in life is my husband, family, faith, and health.  This is just a way to share fun fashion, home decor, beauty products, etc. that I currently fancy.

So, here’s goes for November…

1.  HAPPY FALL!!!  This is my personal ode to autumn, y’all.  I just want to convey my happy welcome of all-things fall:  pumpkin patches, cool fronts, fall fashion, seasonal traditions, the holidays…I love it all!  Plus, this is my husband’s favorite time of year –football season!– and it’s both heartwarming & amusing to see him get so giddy each year it rolls around.  Plus, after a sweltering summer, it’s oh-so-favorable outdoors right about now.  After moving into our new house in June, I relish FINALLY being able to spend quality time in our outdoor living area.

On the flip side, we’ve got to address the pumpkin spice-everything train.  This is an adoration of autumn gone overboard, people!  I mean, I buy a Pumpkin Spice Latte annually to welcome the season, but this year the flavor can be found in candy, cookies, candles, coffee creamer & more.  It’s a bit much, right?  OK ok, it’s not all bad — I brought home some of the pumpkin spice creamer and it’s been a big hit in the mornings at my house!  Here’s me capturing my first Starbucks #PSL of the year on a cable knit/midi skirt kind of day:

2.  Diptyque.  I began noticing Diptyque candles on ‘my favorite things’ lists such as this one in fashion magazines a few years ago.  As best I can recall, it was some model of the moment who said she always traveled with the Paris-based brand’s Baies scented candle.  With her hectic work schedule, the soft scent was the one constant that reminded her of home.  Once I started looking into their products, I was a little surprised by the price point:  the Baies 6.5 oz candle retails for $60!  However, the more I smelled each of their scents, the more I read about them in the press, the more I learned about the quality of their ingredients, I can see why they’re so expensive…they’re THAT good.  I recently treated myself to my first Diptyque fragrance purchase, the Vetyverio eau de toilette.  –This is one unique scent:  woodsy, green, and clean; it changes while I wear it.  With its unisex springtime notes, it’s like the opposite of Angel or Flowerbomb.  I think it’s utterly intoxicating in an unexpected way.  

3.  NARS Orgasm blush.  With a grandmother who passed her ritual of “rouge” down to me, I was always in search of the perfect blush because it’s an integral part of my everyday makeup routine.  Let’s face it, there were some unfortunate years in college where my liberal use of blush was quite obvious and unfortunate.  But, I’m a blush girl, what can I say?  As my cosmetics ‘first love,’ it’s got to be the one makeup product I couldn’t live without.  Then, one day life in the beauty realm changed forever with my discovery of NARS Orgasm blush.  How did I ever apply anything else to my cheeks?  Huge thanks to my Mother-In-Law for buying it for us girls at Christmas!  This is product is award-winning and revered in the cosmetics community as one of the best cheek colors around.  The coral, golden, dimensional shade is divine — it’ll be a staple in my makeup bag forever. 

4.  La Croix.  Aside from champagne, this natural flavored sparkling water is my favorite form of bubbly.  No calories, no artificial sweeteners, and sodium free — it’s my go-to daily alternative to soda pop.  Their flavors are so good, too!  I like them all, but I favor the Peach-Pear and the Coconut varieties.  Years ago when my palate was less sophisticated (read:  overloaded with too much sugar & even worse, the trained taste for fake sweetness from aspartame), I was introduced to La Croix and thought it was gross.  You might love La Croix at first sip, but for me to fully appreciate it, I had to wean myself off artificially sweetened drinks and develop a taste/appreciation for more subtle natural flavors.  Now, I think all the varieties are so delish I find myself constantly in awe that they can pack so much flavor in the can without any calories.  

5.  Fireside candle from Anthropologie.  Bringin’ it full circle, the last love on my list for this month piggybacks on my first:  all-things Fall.  After living in the Midwest for 6 years where there is a distinctive shift between all four seasons, it’s now been a bit difficult for me to truly get in the seasonal spirit.  Austin is awesome and like living on vacation…a friend of ours calls it “life on the island” because of our year-round warmth, acceptance for the most casual of dress and all-around laid-back vibe.  As a result, I found myself seriously jonesing to participate in the autumnal spirit and procured this candle to help foster a festive mood.  In Texas, we no longer have a fireplace in our home (totally unnecessary), so I figured a “fireside” candle would be the best substitute for that familiar wood-burning smell.  The web site calls the scent, “nutmeg, incense and patchouli combined with oakmoss, amber and cedar.”  Yes.  –Bring on the wassail and flannel p.j.s!!!