1
WASH DAY
“My parents were always big on leaving places better than you found them, which must be where my eco-consciousness started. In an effort to leave the planet better than I found it, I work to lower my own energy use, make my things last longer, and replace products I buy often (like laundry detergent) with versions that have a lower impact on the environment. For detergents, I choose Dropps: Its pods come in compostable packaging and are free of phosphates, phthalates, parabens, dyes, and optical brighteners. Its sensitive-skin detergent is made without fragrance or enzymes. Both really work, and–most important to me–the detergents are gentle on delicate fabrics and natural fibers, so my clothes get a longer life.” –Kelly Martin, associate editor
2
HOLIDAY-
TRAVEL HACK
“As someone with dad-level anxiety about getting to the airport on time, I have discovered the dream that is Uber Reserve. You can schedule a ride up to thirty days in advance, so you don’t have to worry about securing one the day of your trip, and you get an additional fifteen minutes of waiting time–great if, like me, you’re prone to remembering all the things you forgot to pack right as the driver pulls up. Reserve is even more clutch on the return trip: When you schedule an airport pickup, the app tracks your flight and adjusts your reservation in the event that you’re early or delayed (technology, man).” –Amanda Chung, senior editor
3
BEST VIBES
“Trying out different vibrators is a pastime of mine. Doing what our senior director of science and research, Gerda Endemann, says is kind of a religion. So imagine my joy when I read this Ask Gerda column on supporting our libido as we age, featuring Tabu’s vibrator and lube kit. One thing that makes Tabu’s vibrator special is the heating function, which you can use to enhance blood circulation–and pleasure. I also appreciate how well and simply designed the controls are–there are three vibration speeds, which may be particularly appealing for anyone who finds a hundred different possible settings to be intimidating. The accompanying water-based lubricant contains moisturizing hyaluronic acid with aloe leaf, passionflower, and peony root. Gerda wrote, ‘Use regularly.’ If you say so, G.” –Kiki Koroshetz, senior editorial wellness director
4
THE ULTIMATE HAIR TIES
“Anyone with long hair knows: Not all hair ties are created equal. This is especially true of silk scrunchies–many don’t do much in the way of actually holding your hair back, despite protecting your hair from breaking and snagging and everything else I’ve become more precious about as I’ve aged. These Slip ones are the amazing exception. They really do hold your hair in place. I also love that they’re kind of like starter scrunchies in terms of the way they look–I don’t have to wonder whether Carrie Bradshaw would make fun of me.” –Jessie Geoffray, senior editor
SLIP SILK SRUNCHIES – SMALL, goop, $39
5
THE (DIGITAL) MUST-READ
“My sister Kailea Frederick is a climate justice organizer with NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led and -staffed organization. She and her team just put out this amazing new book, Required Reading. To quote the blurb, it’s a ‘road map that homes in on why Indigenous peoples must lead through the heart of the climate crisis.’ When the group attended COP26, they met with White House national climate advisor Gina McCarthy, who then read from the book at the White House Tribal Nations Summit. They sold out of physical copies immediately, but luckily for us, they also created a digital version.”
–Viva Wittman, junior creative copywriter
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Photo courtesy of Alexadra Martin, Pompette
THE GOOD
HARD WATER
“Pompette is a hard sparkling water–a new alternative to wine or beer–that’s become my go-to drink to enjoy with friends. It’s crisp and refreshing and quenches my thirst in the most satisfying way. The ingredients are all-natural, low in sugar, and preservative free, and the flavors are fantastic: Cucumber Lime, Ros? Hibiscus, Lemon Mint, Clementine Berry, and the new Grapefruit Bergamot, which is citrusy with a bit of sweetness.”
–Jacqueline Weitzen, senior director, communications
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THE COOLEST COLORING BOOK
“Between the Lines, a coloring book featuring works by contemporary artists (plus great blank interstitial pages that say ‘YOU BE THE ARTIST’), is just one of the amazing gifts you can get at RxART, a nonprofit that transforms children’s hospitals and health care facilities by commissioning artists to create healing environments especially for kids. The individually wrapped Dan Colen Artist Capsule COVID masks and the limited-edition prints are pretty awesome, too, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to creating engaging and inspiring spaces for kids at no cost to the hospitals involved. (So far RxART has completed fifty-three projects with sixty-two artists in thirty-six hospitals across the country.)” –Camila Michaels, assistant beauty editor
BETWEEN THE LINES: AN RXART COLORING BOOK BY CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS — VOLUME 8, RxART, $25; RXART X FIGS ARTIST MASK: DAN COLEN, RxART, $25
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EASY FIX FOR HOLIDAY LIGHTS
“Throwing away coils of plastic and metal holiday lights simply because one light has gone bad is grim. Depending on what kind of lights you have (incandescent or LED), get the LightKeeper Pro or the LED Keeper from the brilliantly named Ulta-Lit Tree Company for $30 and $35, respectively. The tools make it easy to swap the burned-out for the brilliant and keep your existing strings of light. Every little bit of even vaguely sustainable behavior is a step in the right direction.” –Erica Ndlovu, junior associate beauty editor
ULTA-LIT LIGHTKEEPER PRO AND UNIVERSAL BATTERY TESTER, $30; ULTA-LIT LED KEEPER, $35
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CHICEST (AND MOST ADORABLE) MOMMY AND ME BRACELETS
“Most things designed for mom to match baby or for baby to match mom are cute. Chic or sleek or elegant, however? That’s rare, and that’s where Starling excels. Kitt and I received our bracelets as a gift a while ago and haven’t taken them off since. Mommy-and-me jewelry is but a fraction of Starling’s beautiful, almost-wholesale-priced, mostly sustainable fine jewelry collection: nameplate necklaces, birthstone and birth flower pieces, crystal pendants, and more–it’s all here.” –Kate Wolfson, VP of content
STARLING STAPLE CHAIN BRACELET SET, Starling Jewelry, $360
10
COZY NYC RESTAURANT
“Golden-fried crispy potatoes (crunchiest fried crust encasing molten starchy deliciousness). Tahini chickpeas. Salt-and-pepper shrimp so juicy you’ve got to straight-up slurp them down. And omg the polenta bread! Gently charred over leaping flames in the woodfire oven, fluffy as a cloud, and perfect to soak up brothy shrimp drippings. Everything on the menu at Rolo’s sends me rocketing to another dimension, and everyone I bring leaves raving and plotting their return. The place itself, from Gramercy Tavern alumni, is the perfect vibe: cozy, neighborhood-y, and sleek enough that you want to throw on something date-night-y to wear. Go if you need a new place, if you crave a celebration of life, or if you simply want to be blown away by amazing food. Go, go, go to Rolo’s! (And save room for the homemade ice cream and Sammy Paradise passionfruit cocktail.)” –Megan O’Neill, senior beauty editor
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Photo courtesy of Bliss Braoudakis
PRETTIEST ROS?
OF ALL TIME
“In my fantasy life, I’m a chic female winemaker dressed permanently in patterned cotton dresses, so I was thrilled to discover new wine brand el VINO, which makess a delectable ros?. The company was founded by four female fashion-industry veterans, and the ros? hails from Bruma, a small resort in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, featuring a working winery helmed by winemaker Lulu Martinez Ojeda. Each bottle (red and white varietals are coming soon) is paired with artistic collaborations. For the ros?, the women chose Marrakech-based artist and ceramicist LRNCE, who designed the wine label as well as a tableware collection of jugs, pitchers, cups, vases, and bowls.” –Noora Raj Brown, SVP, communications and brand marketing
12
NEW BEACHFRONT SPA
“What’s better than a midwinter escape to a gorgeous spa overlooking the ocean? Especially when you can get a Tammy Fender facial at said spa: The skin-care guru has just opened a new outpost of her incredibly popular (and often booked up) Palm Beach spa, this time in Delray Beach at the new Opal Grand hotel. It’s huge–there are two floors, a gigantic airy indoor-outdoor lounge, and a wide range of transformative services that aim to replenish, refresh, and reenergize. (Get the seventy-five-minute signature facial, which mixes oxygen therapy, custom-blended botanicals, and reflexology for a head-to-toe reset.) If you can’t get to the beachy, palm-fringed spa, try Fender’s rich, velvety Celestial rose cream or rose-water-and-pink-clay Radiance mask at home and pretend you’re there.” –Brianna Peters, associate beauty editor
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Wild New podcast
“We lived for writer Lili Anolik‘s beyond-fascinating podcast, Once Upon a Time…in the Valley, about Traci Lords and the porn industry in the ’80s. Now, with her new Once Upon a Time…at Bennington College, Anolik has turned her eye toward the history of The Secret History, Less than Zero, and Motherless Brooklyn. Improbably, Donna Tartt, Bret Easton Ellis, and Jonathan Lethem all attended the small Vermont liberal arts college at the same time, and their intersecting stories, woven into a smart, sexy tapestry by Anolik, are wildly entertaining. You feel like you’re at a cozy corner table at the Waverly Inn (Anolik writes for Vanity Fair, among others), getting the download whispered in your ear.” –Jean Godfrey-June, executive beauty director
ONCE UPON A TIME… AT BENNINGTON COLLEGE, Apple Podcasts
14
BIOLUMINESCENCE ON TOMALES BAY
“Picture a kayak in the middle of Tomales Bay, California, on a dark, moonless night. The Milky Way is obvious overhead. Every stroke of your paddle sets off hundreds of little flashes of light in the water. You scoop a little water onto your bib and move your hand in the puddle to see the sparks up close. This magic is bioluminescence coming from microscopic dinoflagellates. Blue Waters Kayaking’s scheduled tours take into account the moon, wind, tides, and dinoflagellate numbers. (Conditions are good now–don’t wait.) Happily, the marina is next door to Nick’s Cove, which serves pristine local oysters. Point Reyes National Seashore is a nearby gem.” –Gerda Endemann, senior director, science and research
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GORGEOUS
LOCKETS
“I wear my Devon Woodhill locket every day–inside, I’ve got pictures of my boyfriend and my mom. Designer Melissa Levy founded her jewelry company–the earrings and bracelets are gorgeous, too–to reimagine and reinvigorate the locket as a symbol of love, and she loves the practice of designing modern ‘talismans.’ Each piece is imbued with exceptional craftsmanship and layered symbolism that will stand the test of time.” –Olivia Lev, social media coordinator
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