Hey you,

Autumn in NC is different from my Michigan autumns, one never knows what to expect here; will summer end in October or November this year? It’s hot here right now, but even so the quality of the colors has been becoming a bit richer and deeper, and the air more clear in the past week, despite the dusty leaves. My yard hasn’t need much mowing recently, which this late in the year is totally fine with me.

Autumn is the time for me to become more inspired by fashion and style than almost any other season. It’s probably my autumnal hue in skin pigmentation, but the rich, jewel colors bring me so much delight. It’s a good time of year to wear hats, trenches, and shoes, all of which I adore to wear.

I have a few purchases to watch out for in this autumn season and some I’ve already bought. I don’t know if anyone else loves this kind of list, but it’s fun to see what inspires others, so here goes mine.

TWEED OR PLAID BLAZER

From the men’s side at Goodwill. Expected cost $6.

Yeah, I know these babies are trendy right now, but in my defense tweed has been on my mood boards for years. It’s time to scratch the itch, literally.

CRIMSON SWEATER

Sezane has exactly what I want, but she and I are not on friendly terms. She is a star and I am a lowly plebeian who shops at Goodwill, where other plebeians drop their clothes from Old Navy and Macy’s. People who own Sezane pieces sell their clothing secondhand on the internet, apparently at the price point of a one way to France. Nevertheless, a girl can dream and, and at night I see this color of red dancing through my dreams.

I once stepped into a Sezane store in Paris, because it’s fun to pretend to be a high hat who actually shops these places. The crazy thing is, there were things in the store I could afford, but somehow when I fall in love with anything online it’s just way beyond my means. Maybe it’s the cashmere? Probably. At any rate, do check out their glorious knit wear selection right now.

WOOL BERET

Speaking of colors that delight me, I recently picked up this adorable beret. I have a red one, like the one in the above photo, but it doesn’t always go with everything, so I wanted one more, versatile color. It should go nicely with a tawny colored trench I picked up for the autumn.

NEW TRASH CAN

My home has needed a new place to deposit rubbish for about 8 months now. When first out on my own Aldi was running a $15 deal on a white, plastic container that had a spring release catch on the lid - and the price was right. It lasted enough years to justify the cost but as of late the catch doesn’t work anymore so it’s been necessary to set a candle on it for it to stay shut up. Have you ever approached a trash can with your hands full of dripping, recently evicted tea bags, only to remember that it is necessary to remove the candle, tap the lid, and open it without needing to mop the floor afterward? The trash can has laughed at me, mouth wide open, for months. I cannot take its jeering anymore.

I physically felt a tightening in my chest as I pushed “purchase” on a new trash can this week. WHY are they so expensive? It’s for trash, for goodness sake! Oh, it hurt, but finally there will be a way to step on the trash can and have it open without all the handsy stuff going on. Behold.

My roommate did text me after the trash can arrived to tell me she had found the probable love of her life. Guess the old trash can was wearing on us both.

SAFAVIEH VINTAGE HAMADAN RUG

Wood floors are beautiful, I like to dance upon them. However, they’re not so nice to sit upon. One of the things that still needed to be done for the living room was a rug on which my friends could sit, because a few of my friend group feel as I do and prefer a nice, comfy place to sit on the floor.

Because red is my almost-obsession currently, this rug caught my eye and settled itself firmly on the floor of my brain whispering at inappropriate times that it wanted to move in. One can be stalwart and still have trouble resisting beauty of this nature. The rug moved in. Welcome, roomie.

BOOKS

My job involves a lot of customer care, especially in the sticky area of collections and repossessions. I’ve been diving into the unique economic culture in the south to understand the people better, but also want to read “When Helping Hurts” to understand how to serve them better. There’s a bare brush of a line between handouts and helping people get back on their feet. I believe this book will help me draw that line.

The bareness and silence of winter have always been meaningful to me. I’ve experienced some depression and anxiety in my life and have known both the beauty of sitting in that space without conjuring happiness, and the joy of bursting out all over with new life. Sometimes I revisit these spaces to remember that unique loneliness.

BEAUTY

After learning yesterday that Burt’s Bees was sold to Clorox, who is owned by Proctor & Gamble, and that Proctor & Gamble semi-recently faced a claim of asbestos in their talc powders, I’m a bit jumpy about drugstore products. Isolated incidents, unproven, isn’t enough to stop using all such products, but it’s annoying to me that brands that have earned badges of trust are sold out to megawatt companies, who you know have the ability to cover all kinds of crap, and who are taking over health brands and marketing accordingly.

I am not a “clean product” guru, as the 409 in my cupboard and drugstore body wash in my shower will attest to, but at the same time mentally it’s acknowledged that I’m heading slowly toward a revamp. Particularly what goes on my skin to sit there for hours at a time such as beauty products.

In the end, it’s impossible to know what a company, even a “clean” company, isn’t disclosing about their products, so the best you can do is find one that (a) believes in transparency and (b) seem to display a genuine heart and care for their people (Anna runs In Honor of Design but also hosts some clean products conversations, she once sent me a personally written thank you note, which I will never forget). Follow them on social media, read up on their history, follow researchy folks who blow the whistle, and buy from people you know. I always get bar soap from my sister-in-law, and frankly haven’t used anything for shaving purposes in about 6 years.

Look for people who know their product, not just their marketing. There’s a huge difference, every time.

Beauty Counter

Beauty Counter is a company I’ve slowly been testing out. Anna from “In Honor of Design” introduced me to it and I’ve loved almost everything I’ve gotten from them. Particularly this eyeliner and face peel. When I use the overnight face peel my skin simply glows the next morning. It’s expensive, but it lasts a long time. My bottle is still going strong from last January.

Here is the next magic product I want to try for myself. I used it for a bride earlier this year and stared in surprise. It was like her skin became smooth and radiant, with barely a line or pore in sight.

I expect to become a member of this company sometime, because I love enough of their products to make it worthwhile. Also, because I go on and on about how well their products have worked for me. I don’t say that lightly.

And that’s it! A few inspirations for autumn, along with a determination to go sit by a waterfall to picnic, go crunching through the dry leaves in my town, and drink at least one more salted creme latte. Instead of focusing so much on seasonal items, I’ve been trying to write more updates in a journal, sit in my tiny garden more, and try as always (and perhaps in vain) not to plan my life out to every minute detail.

Leaves and kisses,

L.Raine