Do’s and Don’ts: Fall Beauty

Happy Wednesday, dear readers! You know what this means…it’s time for our weekly dose of  Do’s and Don’ts! The last few weeks we’ve covered how to wear blazers and leather this fall, as well as fall fashion trends, but it’s time to move from our wardrobes onto our vanities. The 2011 fall runways brought us lots of ideas for inspiration, so let’s talk about the beauty trends we should (or shouldn’t) be trying this season…

DO: Bold Brows. I was a little worried for a moment that we’d be going seemingly brow-less (a.k.a. bleached brows a la Rick Owens ), but luckily there was another brow alternative for fall: full brows. The best way to get this look is by letting your brows grow naturally, only grooming between the brows. If your eyebrows are fine and somewhat sparse, fill them in with a brow pencil that’s a shade or two lighter than your actual color.

DON’T: Sideburns. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a big fan of the “boyfriend” look, but the thought of rocking sideburns like Arizona Muse did at Dolce & Gabbana is not my idea of a pretty ‘do. To me this seems like a look that is meant to stay on the runway. Or so I hope. At any rate, leave the sideburn look to Jo Calderone, a.k.a. Lady Gaga.

DO: Neutral Nails. After a long season of neon nails and elaborate designs, we can look forward to a simplistic look for nails, mainly nude and soft pink. Avoid a washed out look by choosing a nude nail color that’s within two shades of your natural skin tone.

DON’T: Go without red. While we may also be steering away from the bright corals and candy pinks from spring and summer in the lip department, we’re definitely not throwing in the towel on a bold pout. For fall, it’s all about red lip color. For cool skin tones, blue and pink-based reds are best, and for warm skin tones, orange-based reds are ideal.

DO: Arachno-lashes. At first, I was skeptical about the thought of wearing my lashes the way we’ve always striven not to wear them, but the spider lash trend has grown on me. I think this could be a fun look to pull off on a night out with the girls, accompanied by a bold lip. For daytime, it could also work, but the effect should be less dramatic and be the main focus, so keep other eye makeup and lips subtle.

DON’T: Miss out on Smoky Metallics. One of the coolest eye makeup trends was the metallic smoky eye. Rather than going for your usual matte, charcoal-ey shades, get a runway-worthy smoky eye with a shimmery dark gray shade or silvery hue.