In order to find out what’s hot in the world of beauty, sometimes a simple scrolling through Instagram will get you the answer. But in a world of squiggle eyebrows and spray-on hair glitter, asking a beauty editor is always the safer bet.
Enter April Franzino, Beauty Director at Good Housekeeping and fellow Hoboken girl. She shared with us the best new beauty releases, what trends you can expect to see this fall, and her product reccs for almost every beauty category. We promise you’ll be informed AF after reading this, but can’t promise your wallet won’t take a hit…
April Franzino, Beauty Director, Good Housekeeping
HG: There have been a lot of exciting new beauty launches this fall. Which are your favorites?
AF: First, Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, which makes highlighting basically foolproof. The creamy luminizer is glowy-but-not-glittery, so it looks like you just naturally happen to have insanely radiant, sculpted cheekbones. Second, Shiseido’s new Paperlight Cream Eye Colors (especially the Usuzumi Beige Gray shade), inspired by delicate Japanese Washi paper, which leave a sheer wash of matte shadow on lids. So unique and beautiful!
HG: As a beauty expert, what trends are you seeing in beauty this time of year?
AF: This fall, hair is all about embracing texture—lots of cascading waves and full, soft curls. For makeup, warm, rosy tones are everywhere—on lips, cheeks, and even eyes, which makes your face look fresh and healthy, and has a pretty, romantic effect, too. If you want more color, there are tons of variations of cherry for lips, from punchy brights to deep black cherries, but applied in a more sheer, diffused way that looks effortless and a bit undone. Several runways showed riffs on black for nails—custom combinations of black with shades like red and purple or green, blue, and gunmetal with black for something unique but less stark and more wearable.
Need some inspo? Check out @hobokendreamnails Instagram account for fall mani ideas and see more about our recent visit here.
April demonstrating the hair texture trend. Slay girl slayyyy.
HG: As we move into cooler weather, many of us tend to switch up our skincare & hair routines. Can you share what your fall beauty rituals are?
AF: I like to add richness to both my makeup color palette and my skincare routine. That means moodier, deeper shades like wines and eggplants on lips, and warm or inky tones, like espresso, black cherry and midnight blue on nails. I tend to use moisturizing products all year because my skin is on the drier side, but I’ll ramp it up even more with thick balms and nourishing treatment and cleansing oils for both face and body.
Now this is how you do a red lip for fall.
HG: As a fellow Hoboken Girl, where do you get your in-town beauty fix?
AF: You can’t go wrong with Bliss Spa at the W Hotel. Their services include indulgent extras like delicious snacks and entertainment, and The Fully Loaded Facial is one of the best I’ve ever experienced. As you might guess by the name, it consists of almost every treatment under the sun, and so leaves your skin feeling and looking like new—bright, plump, and refreshed.
April’s happy place! {Photo: whoboken.com}
HG: It seems like people are paying more attention to “greening up” their beauty routines & using safer, healthier products. What are your favorite natural beauty products?
AF: There are so many! “Natural” used to be associated with lesser-performing formulas and less-than-desirable packaging and textures, but there are so many efficacious and luxurious options launching now.
I love Jurlique — (their Rosewater Balancing Mist is a classic and their Purely Age-Defying Face Oil was a winner of the Good Housekeeping Beauty Lab’s face oils test), True Botanicals, which makes another amazing Nutrient Mist for face that’s based on aromatic neroli water, and Tata Harper, whose facial cleansers are mild and feel like mini aromatic spa treatments. {Note: many of these brands will be available at Sephora’s Hoboken location opening in the spring!}
At the drugstore, I love Burt’s Bees for their lip tints and body products, and Yes To for their hydrating coconut line. For makeup, my go-to is RMS Beauty. The cream formulas are made of a coconut oil base mixed with pigments and feel softening rather than parching on my dry skin. For more natural hair care, I think Aveda is incredible—their botanical scents are like aromatherapy and the products really work—the Thickening Tonic is one of the best volumizers I’ve ever tried and leaves zero weight or residue on hair. {Check out Hair Cult on 11th & Washington for Aveda products.}
Want more beauty reccs from April? Follow her on Twitter & Instagram @aprilfranzino!
