A New York Girl: Warm, Soft, and Sweet All Over

I had a fantastic weekend in Charleston, complete with a wild Halloween at the Market Street Saloon and a positively gorgeous wedding at Middleton Place. But one thing I noticed, besides the abundance of tea (sweet, of course), McCain billboards, street signs like Shrimpboat Lane and clean-cut, charming boys with cozy Carolina accents, was the temperature. As in, not warm. Like, maybe 10 degrees warmer than New England.

And it struck me: Indian summer is gone, the leaves are and have been changing, Halloween has passed, and we're in that cold but not snowy period of late fall that comes before the holidays but after apple-picking season.

I personally love the late fall, and not just because I'm a scorpio. And not because we gained an extra hour of sleep last night (or in my case, an extra hour of drinking before last call). When the leaves fall completely and the temperatures drop, there is nothing like a cashmere sweater or a cute guy wearing one to make you love the cold. And what better way to draw one in (a guy that is), than by making yourself smooth as butter and sweet as sugar?

Here are my favorite picks for fall and winter beauty products. You have an easy four months to enjoy these, and considering the risk of winter-dry skin and lips, I recommend stocking up. There's no better antidote to wool and layers than body butter that smells like spiced vanilla.