September 4, 2020
Because everyone needs a sparkly maple syrup, affordable (and effective) K-beauty, beach-inspired skincare and a budget-friendly way to indulge in their favorite Tom Ford scents.
A fun Friday find!
Glitter may be verboten in my house (this includes the giving and receiving of shimmery greeting cards) but this doesn’t mean I don’t like a little sparkle in my life—although I generally prefer it on my fingers, wrists, neck or ears.
I couldn’t help but share Runamok Maple’s Sparkle Syrup, and when I first saw it I instantly imagined ALL of my friend’s kids’ faces lighting up when getting this with their breakfast. (My child, not so much, since he doesn’t like maple syrup—weirdo.) Yet pancakes and waffles are just the beginning… Anything you use maple syrup on or in is fair game, and I might get a bottle for the next time I do the Master Cleanse since it’s hard to find anything to smile about during those seven to 10 days.
Get yourself on the list for when it’s officially released on Tuesday, and hopefully this will make it a little easier to start your day with a smile!
Amorepacific just launched an affordable line—and you can have it in your hands tomorrow
I am a huge fan of Amorepacific, as it’s basically the Le Mer of Korean beauty. (If you’ve never tried the Color Control Cushion Compact Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, you’re really missing out.) While I’ve been fortunate to receive products from them for review purposes over the years, a vast majority of Amorepacific’s products are well outside of my skincare-spending comfort zone, which is why I was really excited to hear about the debut of Enough Project on Amazon.
Coming straight to us from Amorepacific’s South Korean labs, this streamlined collection of skincare basics is vegan, gender-neutral, and free of unnecessary preservatives and synthetic colors—and with Prime, you can have it all tomorrow! Including the Mint Chocolate Cleansing Oil, Cleansing Foam, Essential Skin Toner, Essential Lotion (which doesn’t seem to be live just yet) and Moisture Cream, the products feature Beta-Hyaluronic Acid (which has been found to deliver 1.5 times the hydration as traditional hyaluronic acid)—and the Moisture Cream is fueled by the natural retinol alternative bakuchiol.
If you’ve ever perused Amorepacific’s offerings, you know there are so many options that it can be a bit difficult to choose the best products for you. Enough Project eliminates the guesswork, and with the most expensive products ringing in at $19, you’ll have extra money to spend on other things!
My 2020 summer vacation came in jar and bottle form
There are few words as intrinsically tied as “summer” and “vacation,” and the hubs and I have always made it our business to go somewhere fun (even before our son started going away to camp). We were supposed to go up north for Visiting Day (obvi) and Nashville earlier this month for two Phish shows, but you know, cancelled. Our past summer adventures have included St. Barth’s and Jamaica since we have a thing for the islands, but this year I got my tropical wanderlust fix courtesy of Aethera Beauty’s new Caribbean Botanicals collection.
When I cleared out my bathroom a few weeks ago, I unearthed a rather fancy body scrub that I brought into my shower immediately. It was definitely a lovely experience during, but afterwards was a different story. Beyond my shower floor being beyond slippery, it dawned on me that I was going to have to be the one who cleaned it—and all of the pleasantries went down the drain.
The very next day, I received Aethera’s new Brightening Coconut Body Scrub, and my faith in in-shower exfoliation was restored. Intentionally formulated to feel like soft, tropical sand, this scrub features sea salt, coffee, coconut seed powder and coconut shell powder with just enough coconut and sunflower oils to smooth and hydrate the skin without creating a big mess. And the smell!!! It’s truly a vacation in a jar—and one I can take every day if I want to.
When I sat down to write this, I spritzed my face with the new Caribbean Botanical Soothing Spray for inspiration—and it worked. With soothing hemp seed extract, oil-balancing hibiscus flower extract and antimicrobial peppermint, this antioxidant-rich mist is the perfect mid-afternoon skin and mood pick-me-up. (And the one-ounce bottle will be perfect for tossing in my bag when I finally start leaving the house again.)
And then there’s the Brightening Water… This exfoliating toner is amazing—and it gets the job done gently and naturally thanks to natural acids derived from papaya and pineapple—along with skin-brightening vitamin C and extra antioxidants (because you can never have too many) courtesy of a berry blend.
Beyond the new Caribbean Botanical collection, Aethera just introduced the Everyday Botanical Facial Cleansing Gel and Sunset Botanical Cleansing Oil (which can be used on dry skin and tissued off, or rinsed with water)—which have been wonderfully refreshing and rejuvenating as well.
If you’re not familiar with Aethera, the line became known for “Sunrise,” “Everyday” and “Sunset” serums. There’s one range that features hemp seed oil, and one that features CBD. I learned quite a few useful bits of information on last week’s press Zoom, especially from Aethera’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Manisha Singal, who shared her personal experience with CBD (and how it basically saved her and her husband’s lives), as well as her professional insights when it comes to using CBD for skincare and overall wellness. (Check out her book, The CBD Skincare Solution: The Power of Cannabidiol for Healthy Skin.)
The biggest takeaway: CBD skincare is everywhere, but it can be hard to know if you’re getting the real thing, or if these products contain enough of the ingredient to make a meaningful difference in your skin. To be sure, look for products that state the quantity of CBD in milligrams right on the package. (Aethera’s offerings feature 200 and 500mg.) If you don’t see this in writing, move on—and consider Aethera’s serum because they’re pretty amazing (and the prices are right).
A less expensive way to enjoy my favorite fragrance
As we ramp up for the start of (virtual) school next week and the summer-of-nothing comes to a close—I realized that I haven’t worn my favorite seasonal scent—Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino—once. I still wear perfume every day to make sure my sense of smell is intact, but I just can’t bring myself to wear the “good stuff” to hang out at home.
But, of course, I found a hack… Tom Ford offers many of his most popular fragrances in “All Over Body Spray” form—and most cost $75 instead of $250+ for a small bottle of eau de toilette. The body spray obviously doesn’t pack as powerful a punch, but it’s definitely an olfactory “snack” that makes me and my nose happy. It also comes in handy when I need a refresh after walking the dog or cooking something that leaves me smelling like onions or spices—and it serves up a lovely cooling sensation.
In case you’re curious, here’s the full list of available body sprays and their prices (because I love you).
Oud Wood ($75)
Fucking Fabulous ($95)
Tobacco Vanille ($75)
Tuscan Leather ($75)
Soleil Blanc ($75) *I highly recommend this one
Ombre Leather ($49)
Noir de Noir ($75) *This is one of my Tom Ford faves for winter
White Suede ($70)
Fleur de Portofino ($75)
Sole di Positano ($75)
P.S. I was going to say that these make a great Father’s Day gift for the guy in your life who isn’t into heavy cologne, but I momentarily forgot what month it was (again). Oops!