Living in Belgium, it’s next to impossible to ignore that we have a long stretch of bad weather ahead of us. But there is a lot to look forward to as well. Lots of indoor coziness, hot and bubbling stews straight from the oven, colorful walks in the forest and hot coco with marshmallows or Maltezers. We can learn a bit from what the Danes call “Hygge”, they are after all the happiest people in the world. So to make the transition a little easier, here are 5 of my favorite things to change from summer to fall.
1. Get Your Candles Out 
Because the days are going to get shorter and shorter, I like to get my favorite candles back out of the cupboards. For me, this instantly signalizes cosiness when it gets colder outside. I love the scent of the Under A Fig Three scented candles of Rituals. Because I try not to combine to many scents in my living room, I have lots of odorless candles of all heights and shapes.
2. Take extra good care of your skin
Even though temperatures haven’t lowered that much, my skin is already noticing the change. My cheeks are getting drying and they are craving a little bit more moisture. Therefore I made a full on hydrating mask in my kitchen this weekend. A lot of ingredients that are delicious are also perfect to put on your skin, so why not put them on.
I’ve always loved to put yoghurt on my skin whenever it needs hydration or to calm it when I’m having acne. I’ve recently learned that opting for greek yoghurt gives your skin that extra nourishment. Using raw honey adds anti-oxidants and anti-microbial elements to the mask. It sooths, moisturizes and clears acne. I felt like I wanted to add something to the mask and I found a great mask. In this mask, the final ingredient is turmeric, a powerful anti-oxident, anti-septic and anti-inflammatory. This combined created a moisterizing mask that is perfect for the changing times and also clears acne and brightens the skin.
It’s best to clean your skin before putting the mask one. Splash some warm water on your face to open your pores. Dry your face, put on the mask and let it rest for 30 minutes. After cleaning it off, I like sealing in some extra moisture by putting on pure coconut oil.
3. Introduce Oatmeal Into Your Breakfast
I can guarantee that you will forget all about the wet, cold weather outside when you have a full bowl of steaming oatmeal in front of you. Oatmeal doesn’t only provide you with a great deal of comfort, it’s also one of the healthiest (and fastest) breakfast options out there. It is known for lowering cholesterol, contains lots of fiber so it keeps you full until lunch and won’t cause any peeks in your blood sugar.
I prefer to make mine with almond milk (which you can just buy in the grocery store) and by adding in cinnamon, chia seeds, flaxseed and sunflower seeds. In the mornings I do like something sweet, so I like to sweeten my bowl of goodness with agave sirup or honey.
4. Transition make-up from summer to fall
When fall arrives, it’s the perfect time to play with the beautiful colors that the new season brings. I’m still in love with a dark fall lip and matching nail polish. This is also the time to switch from your lighter BB cremes to a heavier fond de teint which is better suited for your slowly paler skin color. Remember that it’s best not to use the same color of fond de teint in winter as you have done for your bronzed skin in summer.
5. That Perfect Autumn Coat
I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of coats that have to be really warm. I usually opt for a thinner coat and then add on layers of sweaters and a huge scarf. But when I saw this winter time parka of 55DSL, I couldn’t not have it. And what better comfort than the excitement of having a new coat in your closet?
55DSL AW13 Short Film ‘Once Upon a Time in Italy’ from 55DSL on Vimeo.
// Photos / Original photo from Central Park / Autumn Enchanted / My Scandinavian Home / A Girl, A Style / The Kitchn / Jessica Hagy on Make-Up / 55DSL //
// Sources / Health Benefits of Oatmeal: Livestrong / Flat Belly Foods: Lauren Conrad //
