Of course since I’m still ill, the first outfit is just a toe in to fall fashion. I adore these green pants from H&M, last seen here. And this studded top from Gap is one of my absolute favorites, last seen here. My shoes are also studded loafers, that are the brand Wanted and I got from DSW.

For my bracelet I just wore an H&M black and gold bangle, and on my nails is Lancome’s Noir Caviar which is still going strong as my all time favorite. I actually think I might need to buy a new bottle soon, because I’m seriously running low.

Here’s a better look at the shoes. I absolutely love these, and even though I’ve worn them in all seasons, I think they’re at their best when paired with fall fashions.

On my face: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer in Vanilla, Nars Deep Throat Blush, YSL Babydoll Mascara

Howl is doing much better, which I am very excited about. This is his first fall ever. Since he was born in February. And I am so excited for him to play in leaves and go trick or treating with my son. And honestly? Winter was so weird last year I’m not even sure he saw snow last year.

Fall is definitely off to a very good start.

I’m wearing a Utility Jacket from H&M, Hollister Sweater, Gray Tank from H&M, Gap Legging Jeans, and Pink and Pepper Boots.

Even though it’s from Hollister and I’m not actually a fan of the Abercrombie company and it’s policies, I actually really love this sweater, and would totally buy more sweaters from them. This one is really soft and comfortable and washes well, even though it says dry clean only.
The jacket I bought from H&M last spring, and it’s absolutely awesome. I last wore it here. I adore this jacket, it’s comfortable and it’s perfect to layer with a sweater on extra chilly days.

These boots from Pink and Pepper I bought last year and I adore them. Despite the one inch heel they are incredibly comfortable and are my absolute favorite riding boots I’ve ever owned.

There’s no good close up of it this week, but I’m wearing the Pen Necklace Miss Cannady bought me last year for my birthday. I am obsessed. It’s probably my most worn necklace.

I am completely in love with my makeup from these photos too. I’m wearing Lancome’s Tient Visionaire foundation and concealer, Nars Deep Throat Blush, Lancome Eyeshadows, YSL Baby Doll Mascara, Lancome Rouge In Love Lipstick in Madam Tulip, and Makeup Forever HD Setting Powder.

Of course here’s Howl’s close up. If you’re wondering why his front leg has been shaved, that was from his time in the hospital. He is doing so so so much better, but he’s still on medication and constant surveillance.

How did your Friday the 13th go?

I’m certain that no one here has forgotten how much I adore H&M. They’re priced well and their clothing is great quality. So since they recently began stocking their Fall Clothing, I thought hey even if you can’t shop right now, why not “window” shop anyways. So I of course found everything that I would like to add to my closet for this fall, added into my cart, stared at how much it cost, and then decided to make a wishboard. So here it is:
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

I dunno if I’ve ever mentioned it before, but I love Fall. I can’t help it, I’m pretty sure it’s because I was born in the Fall. Nothing gets me more excited than leaves changing color, the smell of wood smoke in the air, bringing out my boots, and snuggling into sweaters and coats.

Honestly everything above would pretty much complete what I need for Fall. Ever since I did that closet clear out last year, I’ve been slowly rebuilding my clothing. Fall is such a great season for me, because I don’t tend to buy anything overly trendy. Unfortunately in the Spring and Summer I get a bit stupid and buy trendy stuff I won’t wear that often or even the next year. I don’t really know what comes over me. But my Fall purchases are always practical, because I just adore sweaters. I can picture these styled a bazillion different ways. I adore them all. I’d love to buy that 3rd sweater in every color. It looks so cozy. Those pajamas are perfect because they have little bows all over the leggings which I of course adore.

What’s on your Fall must have list?

Since I’ve been sick I thought I’d do another Ins and Outs post. It’s not like I have anything better to be doing, trapped here on my couch. Mostly I’ve just been lying here with Howl wishing I weren’t sick.

Ins:

• Howl, he’s still absolutely adorable. I love his little puppy face off!
• Planning what I’m going to wear for my upcoming birthday. It’s over a month away, but seriously it’s my favorite day of the year.
• Kitchen Nightmares on Netflix. I don’t know why I wasn’t watching this show before, but I’m obsessed right now.
• Catching up on Supernatural, since I have the flu and can’t do anything, I have a lot of time for catching up on T.V.
• Fall scents out in stores, I love the fall and winter candles and air fresheners and stock up to try and have enough to carry me through the year to next fall.
• Bangs. A little while ago I decided to get rid of my bangs, and I’ve regretted it ever since.
• Pajamas. Being sick means I’ve spent a lot of time in my comfy clothing, and has left me craving some new pajamas.

Outs:

• The Flu. Seriously it’s 2013, why haven’t we cured this yet?
• The Cost of high end cosmetics. I have sensitive skin and have to be careful about what I use. I am absolutely hating how much I have to pay for them though.
• Howl chewing my moccasins. Seriously, does anyone know where you can get Minnetonka Moccasins repaired? I left them out one night and he chewed the insides. Now if I leave my closet open he goes and gets them.
• Painting my nails, what? I can’t be bothered with them right now. I dunno why but I’m just not into it.
• Shopping. Oh I’ve still got things I want to buy, but no money for it. Thanks to things like student loans, and being sick, I’m broke. So right after my birthday it’s a spending ban til Christmas. Only thing I’ll be buying extra are presents.

Thankfully it looks like I have more ins than outs, so I guess I should cheer up. What are your Ins and Outs?

I was recently contacted by Tess from House Of Fraser, and she wanted to do a guest post about an important must have for Fall, the Trench Coat. Since I firmly agree that a Trench Coat is an absolute must have, I immediately agreed. Check out her post below and let us know what you think in the comments.

————————————————————————————————————–

Sadly it is time to accept that summer is fading away. I’ve chucked my sun cream, packed away mu sunglasses, and am fighting the urge to hibernate in a barrel of cotton wool. What I’ve noticed is that my key summer buys are so quickly left wilting somewhere at the bottom of my closet that I may’ve well not bought them!

But not this year! I’m determined to keep my distance from my tent-sized jumpers and jogging pants and keep my key summer dresses  in use. My thought, is that with the right statement coat, you can stay warm without sacrificing style. I’ve set out to create three ways the one-coat wonder can work for a casual day, in the office and on a date or cocktail night with the special ones. When it comes to picking a good coat, I’d always advise a neutral classic style. I opted for the elegant Mint Velvet Trench from House of Fraser. Here’s how it went:

When it comes to work, the easiest blunder is the safe trap. Just because you’re expected to be smart, that doesn’t mean dull! Take these gorgeous Ted Baker floral trousers. This print’s been seen on the likes of MTV’s Holland Roden and is the perfect combination of summer brights and sophistication. With the coat on and a pair of courts, this look will still have a feminine edge, and lovely shape. I’ve also added a  Michael Kors watch for a work-ready touch.

For a relaxed weekend, the trench works just as well. I’ve teamed it with a peplum blouse to add some femininity, and a metallic satchel for added excitement. With some comfy pumps and skinny jeans, this outfit is stylish without sacrificing comfort.

Upgrading to more glamour in autumn can seem difficult. I see far too many women shivering and uncomfortable, as they resist a jacket that they fear will dampen their look. However with a classic trench coat, if anything it complements the outfit. A tie at the waist makes such a beautiful silhouette, and teamed with this playsuit, you’re carrying on the season’s monochrome trend perfectly. I’ve added Kurt Geiger’s ever-popular Isabella sandals to the look, as this trend has been huge. Nonetheless, when colder weather sets in, a pair of suede courts or Chelsea boots could look equally swish without the chill.

I am determined this year, to keep my wardrobe exciting and on-trend. With the right structured coat, you won’t be limited by low temperatures and can freely revisit your summer buys!

Tell Fashion & Happy Things what you will be teaming together to keep hold of your summer buys for longer?

I can’t even tell you how excited I am for what I’m about to say. I have been waiting years for this, ever since I discovered European countries had this option and we didn’t here in the States, I’ve been waiting. I’ve signed petitions, I’ve emailed the company. And I’ve waited. But now that day is finally here and I’m so happy.

H&M now has online shopping in the U.S.  Seriously! You guys know how much I adore H&M. And since I had to drive to the store, I was finally starting to branch out to other stores again, like Gap and Gilly Hicks, so I wouldn’t have to drive there. Since in case you guys haven’t guessed by all the wilderness in my photos, I live in a town small enough that our park is bordered by woods. I went to a town a bit away to take my barbie photos. My H&M was about an hr or so away, and that’s a lot of gas used to get there. But now that gas money can become shopping money and I’m so so so happy!

I put together an outfit that if I could I’d buy right now. It’s so cute! I didn’t include shoes or accessories because I just couldn’t decide. There will probably be a whole post dedicated to them another day.

I love trench coats. I have one already so I don’t need this one, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting it. I kinda really love hats, and since my Fedora got ruined then I might need to get this Felt Hat to replace it for winter. This Cardigan is sort of my perfect dream cardigan. I love big slouchy long cozy sweaters to snuggle in for the winter. This Oversized tee is perfect and I love that I actually know what it says is (Translation Hello Darling, How’s It Going?). And then these Slim Regular Jeans are absolutely perfect for me.

Then while I was looking I of course found some other things that I feel should come home with me.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Obviously I’m not going to be buying all of this right now, because that would be insanely expensive, but there will probably be an H&M haul coming within the next few weeks, because I am just far to excited about this! So excited in fact that I had a post already written for today and decided to save it for tomorrow so I could blog about this today.

I’d also be really grateful if everyone could go check out the H&M 50 States Of Fashion contest and vote for me, just search ManaSmith86

Which brings me to a company that actually is doing better. I tweeted a few weeks ago that I was mad my Sephora never had samples of the Ren Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask, because since I have sensitive skin I wanted to try it before I bought it. Last week Ren’s Twitter contacted me and said if I emailed them my address they’d be more than happy to send me a sample. I can’t tell you how happy that made me. I’ve seen them mention sending people samples before, for those that legitimately ask about a product. But still I was surprised when not only did they reply to me a week later, they replied with an apology for taking so long, and an offer to send me a sample.

I mean really that’s just good business right there. So many companies would have ignored my complaint or if they replied they would have told me to go ahead and buy it because they’re sure I’d love it. But instead Ren took the time to send my a sample at their cost, with no guarantee that I would either purchase it full size, or that I would review it on my blog. I doubt they even knew I had I blog. Plus they gave it cute packaging.

And the best bit? I will be buying the mask because I absolutely adore it. I used it the night I got it, and it was lovely. It looked and felt a bit like marmalade out of the packaging, but it smoothed on the skin very nicely. It felt lovely for the 10 minutes I had it on my skin, and only tingled a little bit in a pleasant way. It washed off easy and it left my skin glowing, and feeling amazing. Since I’ve only used it once and that was last night I can’t tell how it’s going to affect my acne, but so far so good. Bonus, it smelled amazing, like pumpkin butter, which being completely in love with fall, I am also in love with all things pumpkin.

With one simple sample, Ren has earned themselves a loyal customer. I’ve already ordered their Hudra Calm Gentle Cleansing Milk to use after my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, because I double cleanse and I finally completely ran out of my Caudalie Gentle Cleanser.

To me this showed that Ren knows they have a quality product and their willing to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. I couldn’t be more happy with this company and my sample. I can’t wait to add this mask to my skincare routine.

In

• Gap Tee Shirts, they really do have the perfect fit for me,as you’ll see very soon.
• Reading, I haven’t been reading much lately, but I just finished the book Easy by Tamara Webber and I want to read more and I might start doing book reviews here, inspired of course by my next in…
• Booktubers, specifically Chaperstackss. She has the most similar reading taste to me of the booktubers I’ve watched, and I always adore any of the books she recommends.
• Bare Nails, I know my nail challenge isn’t going well, because I keep buying polishes. But I’m really loving nothing on my nails right now. They’re finally not peeling anymore.
• Fresh’s Umbrian Clay Mask, gentle enough to use every night, and effective at the same time, review on this very soon, but just a warning it will be a rave.
• Howl, he’ll always be in, because I love him with all of my heart and he’s so cute and cuddly, but sometimes his behavior isn’t (see below)
• Ren Skincare as a company, you already know why if you follow me on twitter, but there will be an upcoming post explaining why.
• My new blog design, I adore it, and it makes me so happy, and feel very loved, because my husband spent 2 very frustrating days designing it for me. It may be among the top 5 gifts he’s ever given me, right up there with my Valentines Red Hunters, my Surprise Asos Anniversary Present, Howl and my engagement ring.
• Homemade Tazo Passion fruit Tea, better than Starbucks and only 50 cents a glass, I’ll have a post up about it soon.

Out

• Howl not sleeping, he looks so sweet in that image up there, but that was taken the day he came home, right now it’s 2:33 am and he’s running around like a nutcase and growling at everything. He’s so naughty, but so adorable.
• My bank Balance, seriously I have so many things I want to buy, but my bank says I’m broke. I keep shouting, THE SHOES, at my balance, but it like Roy and Moss, just don’t get it.
• Not sleeping, I know I just covered this, but really not sleeping sucks.
• This Heat, it’s insufferable, I can’t take anymore of it. I am a fall girl, or early to mid spring, but not summer at all.
• Folding Laundry, I’ve always hated it, but now that it’s hot I hate it even more.
• Acne, I just want it to go away, if I found a genie I would wish for acne and scar free skin, with enough freckles for them to be noticeable and pretty, but not so many that I’m covered or look like one giant freckle with no hidden cost, and at the harm of no one else. Don’t you read? Genies always trick you, and make you end up regretting your wish, and then you spend several chapters trying to get back what you had. Blah Blah Blah appreciate what you have and all that good stuff.

I guess I’m lucky this week? month? Not yet sure how frequent these will be. But I’m lucky because right now I have more things that I’m happy with than those that I’m unhappy with, and that’s a wonderful thing to realize. I just went from being grumpy to really happy. Now I’m off to bed and I’ll be posting this first thing in the morning, or afternoon, I’m actually really awful about that, yesterdays post didn’t go up til nearly 6pm, whoops.

First up is my Summer Clothes Wishlist. As much as I’m not a fan of how hot it is outside, I do really like Summer clothes, and there was definitely some super cute stuff on SheInside.com.

Then we have my Fall wishlist. As you guys should know I’m completely obsessed with Fall and Sweaters and Leggings. Looking at this list makes me crazy happy.