It’s a Summer of Sea Minerals for Skin, Flickering Candles, and a New French Brush

I’m intensely pregnant, 38 years old, and a soon-to-be mom of two—and I’ve never felt better in my body. I credit steady, yearslong Pilates and yoga practices, but I also love some entirely new aspects of myself, like the stretch marks that playfully squiggle across my inner thighs, almost resembling the Nile (a bird’s-eye view). Another reason: I’ve been taking two minutes every morning and night to massage myself with this melting, luminizing body cream infused with skin-boosting, firming peptides. It’s refreshingly scentless, rich enough to gleam up my limbs instantly, and loaded with potent organic botanicals like olive leaf, lemon balm, and pomegranate, which top New York dermatologist–skin wizard Macrene Alexiades tells me are some of the most powerful for beautiful skin. My skin is now noticeably more supple, plumped, and practically as silky as my two-year-old’s. Just as magical? How grounded the ritual of smoothing it on makes me feel.

Had her mute button for some Zoom-y reason gone berserk and I not been able to hear a single word about MARA skin-care founder Allison McNamara’s new algae and enzyme cleansing oil, I still would have darted to my sink that very night to try it. Her skin: omg. Poreless and somehow dew-drenched smack in the middle of a workday. It almost didn’t even look real. But then I heard that the blend of exfoliating papaya and pineapple enzymes mixed with fatty acids and omega-rich chia in a base of nourishing moringa oil is as effective for blemish-prone skin like mine as it is for dry, normal, and even sensitive types. Hydrating yet pore-clearing with the most gorgeous silky texture, it left my skin noticeably brighter, smoother, and really soothed after one wash. And for all its delicate texture, it’s just kickass at dissolving makeup, sunscreen, and oil, not to mention the day.

The jig is up; by now we all know the secret is multitiered: Eat real, nourishing food; foster real, nourishing relationships; move your body; and give your skin a real, nourishing boost with retinol. Brilliant for practically any skin type, retinol is the gold standard ingredient for firmer, smoother, brighter, clearer, healthier-looking skin. This one is my favorite—massage on a velvety dab before bed and you wake up with skin that looks lifted, plumped, and luminized. It’s the handiwork of acupuncturist–aromatherapist–magical person Annee de Mamiel; everything she makes has a celestial quality. Made with retinal (a form of vitamin A that gets converted into retinoic acid in skin; think of it as a cousin of retinol), the serum is swirled with vitamin C–rich white truffle, collagen-supporting glycoin, and loads more firming, tone-evening ingredients that leave me looking like the glowiest, most rested version of myself, my skin faintly scented with fresh herbs and blooms.

Here’s my trick for looking wide-awake no matter what (including days like today, when the pollen swirls through the air with a vengeance and I wake up looking exhausted): light-colored eyeliner and hot-pink blush. I line my waterline with this soft champagne-pearl eye pencil—it’s creamy, so it glides effortlessly and immediately brightens my eyes (I also put a little at the inner corners for extra brightening). Then I dab this poppy-pink blush at the apples of my cheeks and blend it upward. The color melts in easily and somehow distracts from any dullness under my eyes—magic.

I like to give my hair a break from heat styling in summer. But I can’t give up this blow-dryer—and technically it’s not cheating, because it actually minimizes heat damage. It delivers a fresh-from-the-salon blowout without the strawlike split ends and breakage I typically experience. The dryer uses infrared light and air (not intense heat) to dry the surface of the hair and lock in moisture at the inner cuticle, so my hair feels softer, smoother, stronger, and healthier. It dries fast (I timed it—only five minutes!), with four different modes to choose from: I use Care when I want my hair to look naturally air-dried (but with the best-ever texture), and Fast when I’m in a rush to look pulled-together and sleek. I use Soft to blow-dry my goldendoodle, and Style is brilliant for straightening, shaping curls, and creating volume (I use the concentrated styling nozzle for extra shine and frizz control—essential after the sun-and-salt-water-soaking I put my hair through all season).

Clémence von Mueffling, author of Ageless Beauty the French Way and the online newsletter Beauty and Well-Being, is as chic and as French as it gets. She shares her (often French) discoveries at once-yearly pop-ups on the Upper East Side. “Zees!” she exclaimed, waving a gorgeously shiny pink-lilac-lacquered hairbrush at me. “It’s replaced all my other brushes. You’re going to love it.”

Clémence was right: I now can’t live without it. I brush my hair with it every morning and night—the mix of boar and nylon bristles gently detangles and smooths, bringing the natural oils from my scalp down through my hair and giving it a spun-like-silk feel and impossible shine. It feels like I’m getting a scalp massage every time I use it, and every detail—from the ergonomic twisted handle and perfectly placed bristle tufts to the signature gold signet on the end of the handle—is just right.