October is a time for change - we pack up our sandals and step into our stiletto boots, we go for the soup instead of the salad, we give up our futile diets and bikini-body dreams and convince ourselves that the extra kilogram or five is actually a good thing to have as winter beckons.
Most importantly, October is the time when we must say a tearful goodbye to the pretty pastels and light moisturisers from the spring/summer cosmetic lines and stock up on the strong hues and rich creams that the autumn/winter lines usually bring.
With this issue of GLOW we look at the influence of the 1980s in our Trends story, which features the bold, eye-popping recommendations of four top make-up artists.
In our lead story we address the increasing popularity of fair trade in the beauty industry, finding out what steps must be taken for a product to be traded fairly, and which brands are leading the way in ethical practices.
Dr Olivier Courtin-Clarins recovers from a long night of partying to talk to us about the growing demand for customised products, a theme that we found kept popping up in our stories - from spa treatments, tailored to suit our varying daily needs (F for Fusion), to treatments that are selected for us according to the moon phase and its effect on our bodies (L for Lunar).
We at the South China Morning Post have also stepped way out of our comfort zones in the name of beauty.