New Tips And Triks For You

Looks from Fall/Winter 2013 New York Fashion Week. (Getty Images)

Oh, how I love fall. I love the cooler, crisper weather in much of the country. I love it when bare legs are replaced by tights and boots. Most of all, as a former celebrity makeup artist, I really love fall makeup. And after months of melted mascara and slippery eyeliner-I am so ready for fall beauty.

While autumn tends to bring heavy makeup and smokey eyes, this year things feel slightly different. Beauty trends are more relaxed and embrace elements from different decades-from relaxed hair and braids reminiscent of the '70s, to intricate nail art that brings to mind the '80s, to natural makeup that reminds me of the '90s, there are lots of options and beauty trends to try. My favorite five in no particular order are:

1. Nearly Nude: Since you've probably picked up some sun over the past few months, you've still got time to flaunt your (rapidly fading) glow. This is a very good thing, especially during those mornings when you may have overslept and need a quick beauty routine. Prep skin by dabbing cover up on any blemishes or uneven skin tone. If you're feeling very brazen, you can skip makeup entirely and use a tinted moisturizer or CC cream (color control cream, the next generation of BB creams or beauty balms). One of the more fun entries into this popular field is Kamou Pigment Matching Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, which corrects skin tone and refracts light away from damaged areas. The brand has an interesting pedigree in having been developed to mimic the techniques that soldiers in combat use to camouflage themselves. ($48 on kallinibeauty.com). For the drugstore equivalent, try Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Tone-Correcting UV Moisturizer, which is about $21.99 at drugstores nationwide.

2. Eyes on You: Oh joy! The best fall beauty isn't only focusing on the intense smokey eyed look so popular in years past. For the best eye looks for autumn, you can either go all out and layer on colored and highly pigmented tones like purples or electric blue, add an edgy look with eyeliner, or opt for softer more natural and neutral looks. Michelle Phan, who's known for her wildly popular YouTube beauty tutorials offers this tip for achieving the perfect cat's eye look:

A cat's eye is fairly easy to master. You just need to understand your eye shape. When you draw on your liner, extend the wing out just beyond the edge of your eye. For a more dramatic look, try flicking the line slightly upward.

If the thought of liquid eyeliner gives you a case of the jitters, you can achieve a similar effect with Clarins Long-Lasting Eye Pencil in Intense Black ($25 at department stores). Phan has a new line of beauty products out, Em Cosmetics; the Shade Play eye color palette in Sahara Nudes contains six highly pigmented shades that can be combined for mostly bare to neutral with impact ($38, emcosmetics.com)

3. Ruby Lips: I've always been a huge fan of retro-inspired glamor. In fact my first book, Hello Gorgeous! Beauty Products in America '40s-'60s (which will be reissued in the coming months) was all about the allure of vintage beauty advertising. If you embrace only one trend this fall, you might want to try a deep red lip. Bear in mind though, that if you have sun damage, smoke (don't!), or have lines around your lips, the color might bleed. It's always a great idea to prep lips first, so keep them in prime shape with regular lip balm use. Lypsyl Intense Protection is made with Swedish beeswax, costs less than $3 at drugstores nationwide and provides long lasting softening. One of my all time favorite products is Guerlain Kiss Kiss Liplift. I wish I had words enough to describe the near magical quality of this product which plumps up lips without that minty sting and keeps lipstick exactly where you've applied it. ($33 at sephora.com).

4. Graffiti Nails: I must confess a shameful secret. When I was in high school I would spend hours each night figuring out my outfit for the next day and then painting and polishing my nails to match. Sometimes, I still do. Nail art is still wildly popular for fall and instead of spending hours trying to figure out a design, you can use a contrasting nail color to paint on a squiggle or line on just one nail for a bit of impact and lots of fun. One of my favorite colors this season is Essie's The Lace is On, a pearlized magenta shade. ($8 at department and drugstores). Protect your artistic endeavors with Londontown Kur Protective Top Coat. At $25 ( londontownusa.com) it isn't a steal, but it protected my nails perfectly after a week of intense keyboard activity.

5. Braided Hair: If there's one trend this season that truly saddens me, it's braided hair. As someone with a pixie haircut, I'm pained to be missing out on one of the more versatile hair trends. Braids are everywhere this season and work in a multitude of styles: You can wear a long plait to work, weave loads of tiny braids into your usual hairstyle, or try braided chignons and up-dos. Or you might opt for French, mermaid, or herringbone braids. And even cornrows work. There is no wrong way to wear braids this season.

A final thought, plus a bonus tip: Just because a beauty tip or trend sounds thrilling, does not mean it will work well for you. For instance darker complexions will be able to be more playful with intensely pigmented tones, while lighter skins will have to be more vigilant about blending. And as mentioned, those of us with really short hair can't play with braids at all. If you like the idea of a trend, try not to mix and match all at once, but rather introduce one new look or product at a time and see the reactions that you get from others and the way that you feel in your slightly updated face. Then again, if you're so excited by all the fall beauty tips that you can't wait to try each individually, Bobbi Brown's new Rich Chocolate Collection ( bobbibrowncosmetics.com) covers nearly all the seasons beauty trends. There's a seven color eye palette that takes you from base to lid to liner ($52) and new limited edition lip color in Berry and sheer lipgloss in Chocolate Raspberry ($25 and $24 respectively).

Have burning beauty or style questions you'd like to ask me? Or do you want to let me know about your favorite product ever? Write to me at psstrachel@gmail.com or tweet me @rachelcw and I might address them in upcoming columns.