Fall Mini Series: How to Look and Feel Your Best In Fall
At Venus ET Fleur, we’re all about self care—just as Venus was. We all want to look and feel our very best, every single day. It’s always essential that we take care of our precious selves, and with the change of seasons, there are small tweaks that we can make to our self care regiments in order to make the very most of the season and care for ourselves impeccably.
Here are a few things to keep in mind, try, and do as we enter the new season. Here’s to a season filled with beauty, inside and out.
Sweetest of Dreams
Make a sleep routine, and stick to it. It’s said that the way that you spend the first twenty minutes of your day will determine how your entire day will unfold—and the truth is, your wind-down routine is just as important as your morning routine.
Try to pick a specific time to start preparing for sleep, and begin your pre-bed ritual at the same time every evening—even on weekends, if possible.
We’re major fans of using herbals and supplements such as Ashwaganda, magnesium, CBD, and lavender to help us to relax in the evenings, and to make sure that we sleep deeply and well.
Glow in the Autumn
The sun-soaked days of summer may be long gone, but we still love the look of a glowing, sun-kissed complexion. We may not be spending as much time outdoors as it gets colder, but we still try to get a good dose of Vitamin D from the sun. For our complexions, we’re all for using a bit of bronzer to achieve that summertime glow, even in the colder weather. For a natural, glowy look, apply a powder bronzer to your cheeks with a fluffy brush, moving outwards towards your ears. Apply a bit to your nose and forehead and a tiny but to your chin for a totally naturalistic, Zoom-ready look.
Eat with the Seasons
Eating seasonally is an amazing way to nourish yourself beautifully, and is the way that nature intends for us to eat. Whether you’re doing most of your shopping at the local farmer’s market or prefer to do your groceries at the store, there are tons of gorgeous, seasonal options available that are versatile, delicious, and nourishing. Acorn squash, butter lettuce, cauliflower, endive, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cranberries, delicata squash, garlic, ginger, hearts of palm, mushrooms, jalapenos, Jerusalem artichokes, passion fruits, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, butternut squash, shishito peppers, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and turnips are just some of the amazing vegetables and fruits that are native to the fall season. Pick up a few of these, and integrate them into your usual favorite recipes. Each of the vegetables can be roasted and placed in a huge lunch salad for a simple, delicious mid-day meal, can be paired with a simple protein such as salmon for dinner, or can be used in a soup or stir fry. Play around with different combinations of these to explore their flavor profiles.
Moisturize and Hydrate
As the air gets cooler and dry, it’s essential that you stay hydrated, inside and out. Make sure that you’re applying a thick, creamy, replenishing moisturizer to your skin every morning and every evening. You may also want to use a face oil to protect your skin from colder temperatures and wind. Invest in a great new balm that will keep your lips from getting chapped in the cold wind, and consider keeping a great hand moisturizer on your desk so that your hands stay soft.
It’s also essential to stay hydrated during the colder months (and always). Keep a glass of infused water (try mint leaves, lemon, edible flowers, or ginger) on your desk and by your bed, or if you like a bit of flavor, sip on flavored sparkling water, herbal tea, or stevia-sweetened soda throughout the day.
Mindful Movement
Movement is essential—and this autumn, we recommend that you take the focus away from “needing to move” for various reasons to moving as a means of celebrating your body, strength, and energy. Movement is essential for mental health—but pushing yourself is damaging, mentally and physically. Consider switching to low impact exercise such as walking (which is especially amazing to do outdoors), pilates, yoga, stretching, and so forth. Listen to your body. Some days you’ll feel like moving a lot, and on other days you may feel like just walking or stretching a bit. All of these are totally amazing ways to celebrate your body.
Breath is Everything
We breathe 24/7, but most of us rarely really breathe. This autumn, take time to mindfully breathe in and exhale, deeply. This will allow for you to get more in touch with your body, calm your adrenals, and fill your lungs with clean oxygen. Deep breathing is one of the best things that you can do for your mental and physical health. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, breathe. When you’re feeling grateful, breathe. Before you eat mindfully, breathe—this will allow you to enjoy your food more slowly and mindfully. When you’re about to go to sleep and when you first wake up, take your eyes away from your phone and focus on your breath.
Take Five
Whether you’re going to the salon or doing an at-home manicure, give yourself a fresh set of painted nails for fall. A few key trends for autumn 2020 that you may want to try? Metallics, plaid (do the colors layer by layer, using tape to create sharp lines), an elevated french manicure (think nude with gold or bronze tips), deep fall tones of maroon, gold, and auburn, forest green, matte nails, nude, and activism nail art (i.e. painting the word VOTE or LOVE, letter by letter, on your nails).
Fireside Eyes
We love the look of a smokey eye, and this is a more subtle, natural, and seasonal rendition of the classic bombshell look. For autumn, create sultry smokey eyes using shades of chestnut, brown, bronze, gold. There are lots of great eyeshadow palettes that you can use, in tandem with a small eyeshadow brush. To achieve a natural, gorgeous look, line your upper lashes with a brown eye pencil and smear it gently. Next, apply a dark brown matte shade to the crease of your eyelids, swipe some gold or brown on your eyelid, apply a bronze or slightly lighter brown above the crease, and apply a bit of a shimmering ivory or beige under your eyebrows. Play with different shades of brown and gold until you master the natural smokey eye for yourself, depending on your skin tone and the shape of your eyes.
Pair this look with filled in, brushed brows, nude or natural lips, and a touch of bronzer for a fall-ready, smoldering look that works for day or night.
Self Love Gifts
The most important relationships that we have in life are our relationships with ourselves. There are so many ways to express your love for yourself on a moment to moment basis, every single day. And while most of these will involve gentle movement, loving thoughts and words, and eating delicious, clean meals, self love gifts are always appreciated. This autumn, buy yourself a gorgeous, luxurious gift such as our stunning new Nue Tuberose candle or a stunning arrangement of fall-toned flowers, such as our Fleura with gold roses to represent your golden and eternal love for yourself.
Disconnect
We all spend an immense amount of time on screens—especially these days, as much of our work and social life is happening online. A wonderful thing to do for your mental health and happiness is to take social media breaks. Determine a time to do—say once per day for three hours in the morning, or once per week for a day or two. You’ll be amazed by how much more time you have for work and doing other things that you enjoy, and will also probably find that you’re feeling much more blissful and calm.
Not quite ready to disconnect? We totally understand—most of us are spending a lot of time alone these days, and it can feel difficult to not be on social media. If this is the case, consider at least unfollowing anyone and everyone who doesn’t spark your joy. Unfollow every account that makes you feel discouraged, bored, angry, or less than thrilled with your perfect-as-you are self. Your scrolling—and life—will both improve. If there’s something that you love seeing on your Instagram feed, such as intention design and travel shots, follow more accounts like that post such images.
The Natural World
Nature is incredibly healing, nourishing, gratifying, and life-giving. This is perhaps especially true this time of year, so try to spend some time outside every single day. Consider going for walks, having meals and/or warm drinks outside, making leaf piles, picking apples, and so forth. Take time to notice the changing colors, the plants, gorgeous autumn skies, the weather, the dirt—everything. Soak it in and see all that we have to be grateful for in our stunning natural world.
We also recommend that you bring small elements of nature, such as branches, apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, leaves, pinecones, and flowers inside to enjoy. It’s an Ayurvedic tradition and a way of honoring nature and the seasons. Each will bring some vibrant color and incredible energy into your home. You can use these natural elements to decorate your home, or even create a small altar space to honor nature and that which you love.
Rest Time
Yes, it’s important to work hard, move your body, and do your best—but it’s also beyond essential to allow yourself to rest. Make sure to take time each day to simply be, and allow yourself a day (or as many as you need) per week to simply relax, sans guilt. Make sure to make these days nourishing by spending time in nature, meditating, eating clean and beautiful food, and perhaps replacing your usual workout or long walks with some stretching and shorter walks. Get into bed early, and ease into a deep, restful, and peaceful sleep. During the fall, nature takes a bit of a rest. Follow nature’s guidance and do the same.
Here’s to a joy-filled, abundant, and gorgeous fall—and life.