A few weekends ago, John and I holed up in a cabin in Big South Fork. To pass the time (4 days without internet), I took a big stack of magazines and books. Luckily, our trip coincided with the release of the September issues.

Fall is my favorite time of year to refresh my clothes and makeup. It's the only season where I'm excited to buy new things, or veer in a different fashion direction. I like to pour over the magazines and then make a

fall inspiration board

. My new fall Pinterest board is still under construction, but here is what piqued my interest.

First up, the mecca of September issues, Vogue. Oh hey, Beyonce. How YOU doin'?

I dog-eared this J. Crew ad because I have a thrifted blazer similar to this and I'm always looking for ways to wear it. A wool red blazer is harder to pull off than you'd imagine. I have two Equipment tops (blouses?) and I have so much trouble styling them. A) these shirts are meant to be over-sized, but B) I bought them when I was bigger, and I paid too much for them to let them go. So I persevere. Maybe if I just wear them braless and half unbuttoned, no one will notice they're too big.

I love a new fall bag! Here is my take away from the September issues:  if you don't have a new, cross-body satchel, you may as well stay at home, loser. I'm real into the Altuzarra one in the bottom picture with the fringe. It's $3,000, so I'm sure I'll get one.

I love a black and white manicure! My last attempt looked like 10 little Hitler mustaches, so I need to practice. But I'm inspired! In the bottom picture, I'm into that black Rachel Zoe ring. It's on Amazon for 

$67

. Maybe?

Not pictured, but there's a scent strip for the

first fragrance by MIU MIU

and it smells AMAZING. I'm kind of obsessed with it.

Miley, Miley, Miley. I was annoyed to see Miley Cyrus on the cover of Marie Claire's September issue, but then I read her cover story, and now I like Miley Cyrus. Sorry, not sorry?

Can we all take a minute to appreciate Michelle Williams? I saw her pushing a stroller in Park Slope right after Heath Ledger died and I've always had a weird affinity for her. She's beautiful, obviously, and I love her baby blonde hair in this Louis Vuitton ad. Hair goals.

I dog-eared this Calvin Klein ad because I'm still working through how to style my

clyde work pants

from Elizabeth Suzann and I like the idea of a high-heeled boot, but not in red.

There are some great articles in this issue of Marie Claire:

This 

Sophia Amoruso article

 is really more of a column, but it's worth reading. I read #GIRLBOSS and liked it a lot. I like Amoruso's perspective and I like that she fails big and talks about it. I feel like there are a lot of millennials who are becoming a new type of female role model, and Amoruso is definitely one of them. 

See also:

Tavi Gevinson

.

This article

on the female entrepreneurs coming out of Harvard Business School and how the school has had to re-work it's class and teaching system to be less male-driven is a must-read. It's an interesting look at the women who have come out of this school, the businesses they started and the challenges they've faced, like getting venture capitalists to invest in female-owned, fashion and makeup based companies.

This last article

is on PTSD and how in some severe cases, women are being treated with the hallucinogen MDMA. The street name for MDMA is ecstasy. This article is rough and talks about real-life combat and sexual trauma. As someone who has experienced PTSD, I found this article heart-breaking and fascinating.

The last magazine I read on my horsey, country vacation was Elle. I didn't find a lot here, probably because I had already seen it all in the first two magazines.

Okay, this is important. All of the drugstore makeup brands have knockoffs of the Naked eyeshadow palette. I went to Walgreens to check them out and they look legit. Loreal and Maybelline both have two different palettes, one in classic nude and one in blush/pink tones. They're like $14. DONE.

I haven't had luck using Maybelline eyeshadows. I like their cream shadow pots, but their powder shadows don't have enough pigment for me. Loreal, on the other hand, is fantastic! I've used their eyeshadows for years and they're legit.

That top pictures is a neat

list in Elle

of the top 30 books from the last 30 years. It starts in 1986. It's a great reminder of all the books I meant to read and never got around to.

And last, but not least, another black and white manicure! I'm determined to perfect the two-toned nail this fall.

Stay tuned for an update on my Fall 2015 Pinterest board!