The Fab Five
By Gigi Anders
As a beauty journalist, I see a lot of new products every day. I mean, a lot. Lately, it’s been a goldmine of goodness. Is there anything better than discovering tons of fabulous new beauty products and telling your friends?
No.
Which is why I’ve selected the following five as my faves of the week. I know they’ll become your faves too, and well past Labor Day.
1. Scent of a Dream
Scent of a Dream ($100-$130)
Renowned British makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s first foray into fragrance ($100 - $130) . Her layered European vision is a jet set woman (real or imagined, kind of a Samantha Jones type) who smells edgy, sexy, and plush, with a discreet yet present powdery-fruity aftermath. Watch the Kate Moss video* for inspiration and you’ll immediately get the vibe.
2. DevaCurl Products
We curly girls all know about the greatness of DevaCurl products. For those of us who are actually more thin-messy-wavy than thick-crazy- curly, Deva’s latest trio – Delight Low-Poo ($22 - $44) and One Condition ($22 - $44), and Wave Maker ($26) -- now that’s what we’re talking about. What blew me away, as I happily air-dried, was that after I’d low-poo’d and conditioned, all my hair needed to look wave-a-licious was a single styling product. One. That’s, like, unheard of. Weightless definition, nice fresh fragrance (lotus flower with a touch of citrus), and healthy, frizz-free waves for days. Sold!
3. Assorted Foaming Fizzy Bath Truffles
I love sweet truffles – who doesn’t? -- but my waistline, well, that’s a different story. How best to indulge? Have – don’t eat -- a box of Assorted Foaming Fizzy Bath Truffles ($20). Nine adorable artisan bath balls in Lemon Yellow Frosting, Rainbow Pink Frosting, White Coconut Cream, Birthday Cake Sprinkles, Confetti Sprinkles Buttercream, Pink Sprinkles Raspberry, Purple Sprinkles Lavender Fields, Blue Sprinkles Hawaiian Lei, and Green Sprinkles Cucumber. Not just for juvees, these are fun and free of parabens, animal ingredients, animal testing, sulfates, and unnecessary chemicals. And each eco-friendly truffle is made with biodegradable ingredients. Can anyone please say STOCKING STUFFER? Am I the only person here who plans in advance?
4. Karuna Hydrating Hand Mask
Speaking of STOCKING STUFFERS – yes, I love them so much, they’re in all- CAPS -- my hardworking hands and I are ready to marry Karuna Hydrating Hand Mask ($32.00 for a four-pack) and give a pack to everyone I love. So you better be really nice to me. Backstory: Karuna founder Linda Wang had childhood eczema. Her physician instructed her to enfold her rash with plastic wrap (just like poor John Stone’s feet!) to help push the prescribed ointment into the affected skin. It worked. Sheet masks are a thing in Asia, and once Wang saw how similarly they performed, she launched Karuna. (In other words, the most successful things in life come from your personal experience.) Karuna has tons and tons of great masks. But start with this one as summer winds down – you know you’ve totally neglected your hands; no judgment -- and get back to where you once belonged. You know. To, like, perfect, pre-puberty hands.
5. Kopari Products
Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t. With Kopari, you’ll always be in the mood. Their collection of 100% pure organic Philippines-sourced coconut oil-based products – are just completely to die for.
I was initially skeptical because:
- The whole coconut fad in beauty and health is eh;
- My face is normal-to- oily;
- I’m not into “multitasking” products;
- The overpowering smell of coconut in products can gag me out.
But! Kopari won me over because:
- They’re the real deal;
- The Sheer Oil is light as a breeze;
- The products really do work anywhere from hair to heels;
- The natural smell of Real Coconut is heaven.
Buy everything. I am so serious. Want me to pick two more to get you extra-foreplayed? Okay. Go with the Coconut Balm ($32), which turned my always-dry and -chapped lips into rose petal velvetiness overnight; and the Orgasmic Coconut Melt ($36), which – oh, wait. It’s called Organic, not Orgasmic. But you know what? My name is better. Because that’s what this is. It feels kind of hard and granular at first but then you dip your finger in and the warmth of your skin starts melting it all and, well, I can’t even really talk about it anymore. I just can’t. It’s …poetry. And that’s private.
*Video soundtrack sound familiar? It’s “You’ve Got The Love,” which the soulful Candi Staton sang Carrie out to at the end of Sex and the City.
