I am not a very timely person. I will be the first to admit that. I am late to parties, doctor appointments, lunch dates with friends, and I tend to sleep in late on important days. But that’s just me. Maybe someday I’ll walk into a business meeting with my hair blowing behind me and my head held high…but that day is not today. I also have a problem with being late to trends. I see tweets about some cool new TV show but don’t change the channel. I double tap those make-up tutorials on Instagram but never actually buy the products. I see the newest drink on the menu at Starbucks but no thank you, I’ll stick to my vanilla latte please. But I have to give myself some credit, because in the last six months I have checked my watch and caught up on all that I had been missing. Now I am not claiming to be the first girl to discover these ah-mazing trends that everyone else is talking about…I am just telling you from my own personal experience, if you aren’t already on board, stop wasting time and join the party!
Dark lips. Okay now for some of my girls out there I know this one is a no brainer. Fall is the perfect time to rock a chocolatey brown lip, however, I know there are some ladies thinking oh no, not for me. You might be scared to try something so bold and eye grabbing, or maybe you just don’t want to stray from your usual soft matte pink. But, I am telling you, dark lips are no joke. This is a trend that has been popping up in recent years, with the revolution of matte lipstick and Kylie’s Lipkits, dark, vampy colors have been stealing the spotlight at Ulta lately. I was super shy of this trend for months, thinking that I was nowhere near dark and mysterious enough for such a sexy make-up move. But now I am the proud owner of liquid and matte lipsticks in shades of purple, brown, and of course, burgundy. So if your make-up bag has room for a few of these sultry shades, I suggest adding them in immediately! Fall is the perfect time to debut a new plum color with your favorite sweater!
Okay now let’s step away from make-up for a moment and talk musicals. Wait what, musicals? Uh, yes musicals! Give your Wicked soundtrack a much needed break and give Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton a chance. I spent months skimming past tweets and articles regarding the hip-hop musical. It wasn’t until a trip to NYC that I decided to actually give the much buzzed about show a chance. I looked the soundtrack up on my Spotify and I have been addicted ever since. The show tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, America’s first Secretary or Treasury. This is the part where you roll your eyes and completely ignore my suggestion. No one wants to go back to tenth grade history, I know. But I promise you, you will be hooked after the first song. The soundtrack is both catchy and powerful. With an incredibly ethnic cast and rap battles to make your mind explode, you will find yourself completely engaged in this history lesson. The story will capture your mind and your heart, and when Burr shoot’s (spoiler alert, but really, you should already know this!) you will cry. Then, when you realize you may never be able to score tickets to the Tony award winning show, you will cry some more. But, set your DVR’s because PBS will be airing a documentary about the Broadway hit entitled Hamilton’s America on October 21st as part of their Great Performances program. Grab your girl squad, the popcorn, and be ready to swoon over Miranda and his co-stars.
Okay so now that you are wearing your new lipstick and blasting Hamilton through your Beats I propose that you should treat yourself to a coffee. Who’s in? Okay but here is the catch, you can’t order your usual. I spent the summer months avoiding cold brew coffee, assuming that I wouldn’t like it unless it was swirled with caramel and topped with whipped cream. But upon recommendation from a trusted friend. I tried the widely advertised cold brew option. It was amazing! A completely different experience from regular iced coffee. It was so rich and smooth; I was sold immediately. Now I know October is the month of Pumpkin Spice, but I encourage you to take a step away from your fall beverage of choice to suck this summer trend up before the winter months set it. You will not be disappointed. Don’t be afraid to add a little bit of cream and sugar too.
Winter is coming. And along with it, hours of leisure time to curl up in your bed and watch all those TV shows you missed out on during the semester. But I encourage you to take a break from Netflix and start streaming Game of Thrones as soon as you turn in your last final. For the longest time, Sunday night tweets about Jon Snow clogged my twitter feed. I didn’t understand all the fuss until I saw how downright sexy Kit Harington is. I decided to watch the show on a whim, feeling bored with my typical Netflix binges. The only problem was I became obsessed with the Stark family and all the horrible tragedies that are thrown at them. I never thought GOT was anything more than a show for the bros, but I am happy to admit that I was wrong. There is drama, love, blood (a lot), plot twists, and beautiful locations. Though we have to wait till this summer for season seven, I suggest you get caught up now. Just be sure to steer clear of spoilers! Sorry, that’s what you get when you’re late to the party.
All right, now we’ve covered everything from lipstick to coffee, but I think we have time left to squeeze in a little bit of fashion. Break out the band and let’s welcome back the denim skirt! Man, have we missed you. This classic piece was a staple in your early 2000’s wardrobe, but I am happy to say that it is back and better than before. The game changer? Buttons and flare. Look for an A-line shape that hits mid-thigh. A button up skirt is sure to get you a ton of compliments from your peers. I was skeptical of this comeback for the longest time. I did not see how a denim skirt could possibly belong in 2016. But here I am, with just a few short weeks left till the weather turns cold, and I am squeezing in some denim skirt days. Grab one now and rock it until Thanksgiving!
Now I hope that you can learn some time management skills from my mistakes. The moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to try new things. I suggest you take advice from your favorite people on twitter and see just what it is they are gushing about. Who knows, you might stumble upon your new favorite TV show or find the look that flatters you best. Sometimes it is okay to jump on the bandwagon. Just do it sooner, rather than later. Time is fleeting!