I have been satisfying a serious shoe craving lately.  When colder weather rolls in I crave boots.  Knee boots, mid-calf boots, ankle boots, and… any boot really.  I’ve bought three pairs recently to add to and fill out my collection.

The first pair I bought was a pair of knee high cognac colored riding boots.  My favorite thing about these boots is the braided detail down the side.  They are also super comfy and a perfect everyday boot.

Pair number two was a pair of black suede ankle boots.  These are super cute with their pleating detail on the upper.  They were also very wallet friendly since I found them at Payless.  Score one for team frugal!  Even though these shoes aren’t the highest quality, they are actually very comfy.

The third pair is my favorite pair.  They are a gorgeous pair of chestnut colored ankle boots with a studded detail and a pretty tall heel.  G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!  Unlike the previous pair, they were not as wallet friendly.  I couldn’t help it though.  Sometimes it is necessary to splurge!  And since I bought them with birthday money they weren’t really that bad. They are actually pretty comfy, despite the really tall heel.

Boots are definitely my go-to shoe for fall and winter.  Fancy and warm.  Double the awesome!  Hopefully, I can continue to find places to keep them all.

Once the cold weather hits and the heaters come on the air dries up very quickly. With that comes dry skin, chapped lips, and cracked heels and cuticles. I have a few favorite remedies I want to share.

For dry skin there is nothing better than a super thick body butter.  It’s best to put on straight out of the shower.  That way you lock in all the moisture that you can.  If you get those skin bumpies on your upper arms use a moisturizer with Glycolic Acid.

For chapped lips you just have to treat them like the rest of your face. Exfoliate and then moisturize. You can make an at home sugar scrub with a little bit of olive oil and brown sugar.   Then moisturize with chapstick, vasseline, or a thick moisturizing lip balm.

For your face just moisturize!  Do not wash your face a lot.  If you break out chances are it’s dry skin, not excessive oil.  Exfoliate, gently, and moisturize.  I like to use anti-aging moisturizers.  Their thick non greasy formula is great for combination skin and they’re not too heavy.

Painful cracked heels are number one on my list of most despised ailments. Easy fix though. Slather your feet in good ole vasseline and shove ‘em into a pair of thick socks. Come morning your tootsies will be as soft as a babies backside. This works on your hands too. Vasseline works just as well as the creams and special gloves and socks you can buy at a bath and body store. Much more wallet friendly too.

Just a few helpful tips to keep from flaking to pieces during this fall and winter season.

One of the hot trends this fall is a jade green mani.  It’s all over the place.  Chanel built their entire jade collection around it.  Seeing the color all over the place, I started to wonder how wearable it really was for an average Jane.  While I was eager to give it a try, I was not eager to pay nearly $30 for a bottle of it.

Thank goodness for a cheapie drug store version.

So I snagged me a bottle of $2 shiny jade green nail polish and went to work.  I believe the key to pulling this off is keeping your nails short and filed to a naturally round shape.

At first I was afraid that it might come off looking like moss colored fungus was taking over my nails and that I wouldn’t dare wear it out of the house.  But surprisingly, the color looks pretty good.  The real test was wearing to work and hanging out.  I kept my outfit pretty simple.  Wide leg jeans and a gray cardigan.  It worked, sort of.

While it was certainly a fun color to wear for a day, I felt like I was 13 again and painting my nails a different wild color every few days.  Maybe I’m just not adventurous enough to pull off a green manicure.  I would wear it again though, I think.

Well, not just yet, but I love fall for many many reasons.  The color of the leaves, all things pumpkin and spice, football, my anniversary, my birthday, Halloween and Thanksgiving.  And with all of these exciting things right around the corner I am jonesin’ to do some serious shoping.  I have quite a few things on my list of needs wants for this fall.

Theses boots are super cute and I think would look great with skinny jeans or tights and a dress.

All I want to buy lately are long cardigans especially in rich colors.  They go with everything.

A cute plaid top would be an updated version of what I wore back in the day.  Dad’s plaid shirts and purple lipstick will no longer do.

Real or faux, a leather jacket is at the top of my list.  I love the assymetrical zipper on the front of this animal friendly one.

I like colored tights for fall, in theory.  And I might even try to go there this fall, might.  We’ll just have to see how I feel about my legs that could rival a redwood when there’s actually a chill in the air.

I’ve compiled this list a little early, because it is going to be way too hot for any of these things in Alabama for a couple more months.  But, fall is by far my favorite season, and I just can’t wait.  (I’ve had pumpkin spice candles in my house for the past month.)