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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Chicago chapter.

This week I have rounded up 5 of my favorites for you, these are all things that I have been reaching for again and again over the last few months. This article includes fall fashion essentials, a beauty must-have, and a couple of my best-kept secrets that I am willing to share with you. Keep reading if you want to know what items I can’t live without!

1. Black Boots for Fall

Photo Courtesy of ASOS

I just got these beauties in the mail from ASOS, and they are PERFECT. I always need a new black boot for the fall and winter season and this year these RAID Poppy black western ankle boots are the perfect fit (was that a shoe joke?). I love shopping on ASOS because they have such a huge selection, a little overwhelming at times, and they keep me and my wallet happy. These boots were only $60! That may be expensive for some, put to me, for a good black boot, I will happily pay that. So far, I have gotten so many compliments on these shoes, with many people thinking they are way more expensive than they actually were (that’s a win).

2. Warm Coat, But Make it Fashion

Photo Courtesy of Topshop

This is my absolute favorite coat I have ever owned. I already have a winter jacket, but it is more for the snow/sleet/rain days, so I wanted a cute but equally warm coat that I could switch between. This coat is the perfect amount of oversized, roomy enough for me to layer thick sweaters under, but tailored enough so that I don’t look like I’m drowning in fabric. I got this checked coat from Topshop, after searching everywhere for something like it, and I couldn’t be happier. While it was on the pricier side ($150, if you were curious), the classic pattern, the high quality, and the neutral colors make me confident that I will have this coat forever. 

3. Glossier’s the Name, Lip Balm’s the Game

Photo Courtesy of Glossier

I know, that you know, that I know, that you know what Glossier is. I will save you my brand evangelist speech on Glossier and their fabulous CEO, Emily Weiss, BUT you will listen to me about Glossier’s Balm dotcom. I will try and put this product into words, I think I have one- MAGIC. This is a real product review by a real and loyal customer, if you buy one thing from Glossier, it better be this. This is the best lip balm I have ever had and the fact that it smells like I have icing on my lips is just the icing on the cake (see what I did there?). 

4. What is Curology?

Photo Courtesy of AngelList

Having continuously struggled with acne for most of my years, I am always on the hunt for something new, and more importantly, for something that WORKS. I had gotten into a pretty good routine of face-washing, moisturizing, masking, and spot treating but my acne still wasn’t going away and my acne scars were seriously not going anywhere. I was frustrated, but I was also on my phone when a Curology paid ad popped up on my feed. I saw “free trial” and “custom superbottle” and decided that I had tried less for more $$ so why not? I ended up paying $5 in shipping for my “free” bottle and I just renewed my subscription yesterday for a 2-month bottle. GUYS. This. Stuff. WORKS. After the first week, YES, I said WEEK! I was SHOOK. My redness from pimples and irritation had faded, pimples that usually would have gotten bigger got smaller, and I had just started my period (not a good time for my acne) and I had dramatically fewer pimples pop up during that ruthless week. Curology is a GAMECHANGER. All you have to do is take a quiz and detail your problems to where a professional creates a custom cream for you based on your answers, and you apply it once a night! I have been telling so many people about this that I wish I was getting paid for this free advertising. If you’re like me, having dealt with acne for too long, I highly suggest you try it- and if you don’t like it- you’ve only wasted $5. Look out for an upcoming article where I detail my experience with Curology more in-depth!

5. Massage Everything- Even Your Scalp

Photo Courtesy of Amazon

So this last favorite is a weird one, I know, but I literally use it every time I’m in the shower. This is a scalp massager. Why do I have this, you may ask? Well, your girl was having some dry hair issues – dandruff if we want to get technical- and I was really disgusted. Dandruff is not cute and unfortunately, I had thin hair and living in Chicago betting against me. Not exactly the ideal situation. I had tried using different shampoos, taking extra time to scrub the heck out of my scalp, but nothing worked. Until this. I ordered this off Amazon for only $7. This handy scrubbing tool is so effective and has left not a single trace of dandruff since I started using it. While I originally bought it for my dryness situation, a tool like this has a lot of other benefits as well. In addition to its scrubbing powers, it also stimulates the scalp which helps make your hair grow faster, and it helps prevent product buildup in your scalp that can cause an oily scalp. I highly recommend if you have a similar problem, to spend close to nothing on this tool to fix it! 

Briana Kennedy

Columbia Chicago '19

I am a Columbia College Chicago student majoring in Advertising and double minoring in Marketing and Social Media & Digital Strategy. I am currently a strategy intern for Fusion92. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, watching Netflix, exploring Chicago, and finding the cutest coffee shops.