NEW EDITOR OBSESSIONS
Editor Obsessions for October: The Best Concealer, Chic Nails, and an Actual-Seaweed Mask
Along with new, ultra-moisturizing lip gloss in five delectable shades, we discovered a sexy fall perfume, a famous makeup artist’s absolutely incredible concealer, a moisture-bomb mask made of real, taken-straight-from-the-ocean seaweed, and more.
Georgia May Jagger is one of the more beautiful people on the planet, but her incredible skin was not the reason I tried her sea-kelp mask. I couldn’t wait to try it because it’s not just made with seaweed—it is seaweed.
Smooth it on and after even 5 minutes, your skin is baby-soft and plump with moisture, antioxidants, and minerals. And those 5 (or 10) minutes are especially glorious because the single-serving (brilliant for travel) mask feels and smells totally fresh from the sea. I do it as I’m getting into a salt bath to up the oceanic aspect as far as I can—the combination is just heaven.
In the same way that eating a whole apple instead of an apple-flavored something is inherently more satisfying, the pleasure of an actual plant against your skin has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. As does the post-mask glow (it’s great before a party for that reason).
Could I make a kelp mask myself? This is a question not unlike the “my kid could do that” sentiments leveled at Jackson Pollock canvases. The answer is: were I on a beach that had some face-appropriate kelp, and if then I took the time to infuse the kelp with a botanical serum made with skin-loving extracts of aloe, pear, and peach, yes, I certainly could construct a version of one. But would I? (No.) And even if I did, would it leave my skin so silky?
I have dark circles. In addition, there are pale, puffy circles directly adjacent to the dark ones. Concealer, of course, is the fix, but it is also the trickiest beauty product to get right.
Concealer needs enough pigment in it to conceal. Most liquid concealers, for me, don’t have enough: they’re like foundation in a miniature bottle. A thick, pigment-rich formula, on the other hand, enables you to use less—which looks a billion times more natural.
In a career spent applying every concealer on the planet to a dizzying array of faces both beautiful and unbeautiful, the famous makeup artist Gucci Westman knows what a face needs and what it doesn’t. Whether you like dramatic splashes of color, or you’re adamant about looking like you just woke up like this, nobody needs extra texture on their face. So you want pigment that doesn’t move much, but in a moisturizing enough formula that it can blend seamlessly with your skin.
Westman wanted that moisturizing to go even further: along with intense, exquisite pigments, she loaded her concealer with peptides, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants. “I wanted a super-natural-looking, real skin finish, and I wanted it to improve skin quality over time,” she explains. (There’s firming, dark-circle-diminishing, collagen-supporting, line-softening, and more.)
Dot the tiniest amount right on the dark part. Pat or press—resist the urge to rub—with your finger, until it blends perfectly into your skin (this will take a few seconds longer than you think it should; be patient). Step back and evaluate: it may need a bit more tapping in. You’re done when you look like yourself, but decidedly brighter-eyed and fresh.
I’m obsessed—obsessed—with the new goop gloss. The five shades are sheer enough that you can wear any of them, and each is flattering in its own particular way. Forced to choose, I have to go with Tulip, unfall-like in its bright-pink-red juiceness, perfect for any time of year in the way the intense-but-translucent color flatters your skin. It’s cushy and nourishing and comforting in its softness and sweetness.
I’m not a huge sweets person, but in a lip product, a little goes a long way with me. The ultra-luxe new lip scrub from Furtuna exfoliates with a combination of delicious sugar, ultrafine olive-pit powder (the brand’s based on an organic olive farm in Sicily), and plant-based enzymes. Whipped with organic olive oil, olive leaf water, antioxidants, and wild-harvested botanicals, it’s almost buttery—the moisturizers are sinking in as the exfoliants are smoothing your lips, leaving them supple and pillowy and smooth. Swipe a little from the adorable pot, massage it in for a minute or two, rinse it with cold water (you can just tissue it off, but I feel like the water adds a revivifying cold-plunge moment), and glide on the gloss: you’re ready for anything.
I was having cappuccinos with a new friend. I’d arrived feeling inundated by work and mom duties, but was instantly buoyed by her style. Her energy was as warm and ensconcing as sunshine, and her perfect fall dress—an oversize embroidered tunic—and luminous skin elicited admiring sidelong glances. But what most entranced me was the simple flourish of her sleek nails. Shiny, shell-pink, and supple in a way that seemed more connected to healthy living than nail polish, they were a gorgeous, breezy little detail that (low-key) screamed: “I’m casual but put together.”
I had to ask, of course. And even though I’m the beauty editor, she introduced me to this clean, plant-powered shine polish from the Parisian brand Manucurist. Swirled with nail-loving nourishment like beet extract and hydrating compounds, one coat deposits a healthy-looking gleam that mesmerizes me whenever I glance down. (Two coats actually give a subtle shimmer.) On days when I’m feeling in over my head, crisp, clean, shiny nails make me feel breezy, casually gorgeous, and decidedly put-together.
Should I shave my head? I wondered one morning as I twirled my hair into the same godforsaken hairstyle I’ve been rocking for most of my 30s: four little buns, each secured with a bobby pin. I love them, but I’m sick of them.
So far, though I’m too terrified to take such a cliff jump. I do love my actual hair—a love reinvigorated days later when I found this deluxe set from Crown Affair. A series of chic updos lit up my mind within seconds of opening the box. The two glossy clips are way chicer than my bobbi pins and brilliant for a casual one-minute double chignon updo (I gather my mussed curls into top and low-down knots). I also look much cuter as I air dry my hair (I part my hair down the middle and the clips, which I position on either side of my head, clasp my willful curls into two twisty buns—a riff on pigtails). There’s the sleekest wide-tooth comb I’ve ever seen, and it slices through tangles like a dream (I use it on my tender-headed 3 year old too). And the slender ivory silk scrunchies instantly elevate any look —they transform my nothing ponytail into an effortlessly cool statement. And the adorable, knotted-handle bag it all comes in is sleek enough for dinners out.
It was our 9-year anniversary, and I’d never been so tired. Not of my husband—still adore him (mostly)—but by being constantly jolted from sleep to lead my son to the bathroom, or see about shrieks coming from the baby’s crib. Amid the antics of our terrible, small children, we’d nearly forgotten our big day. But we got it together in time to secure my mom to babysit—and to reserve a table at the delicious, atmospheric Crown Shy, hidden in a towering Art Deco office building in the financial district. I wouldn’t trade the torturous fatigue of being a parent for anything, but that night I wanted to feel free—vibrant, downtown, and sexy.
Before walking out the door, I spritzed myself with this delicate yet sultry Dirty Rose perfume. My fatigue dissolved as I walked down my street toward the subway, and I felt like someone who was meant to be out at night, wearing a backless dress, smelling of a thousand damask roses spiked with pepper, cumin, and heady clove. As we finished our truly epic dinner, I couldn’t help myself and spritzed more Dirty at my wrists—and walked out into the night, not ready to go home quite yet.
