cabinet members

1. Aloe Vera. Well, truth be told, I have a clipping stored in a glass of water in the fridge that I squeeze in the am. Aloe Vera works on all kinds of cuts, burns, scrapes and slashes. I burned my hand this past weekend in a major pickling incident. Not to worry. The pickles turned out delicious and my hand? Scar free and completely healed in less than 48 hours. Score.

2. Buried Treasure by MAC. I have a love / hate relationship with makeup. Or a love / indifference relationship. I love watching those doll faces take the runway, but on the streets, meh. Besides, a face full of incorrectly applied makiage can result in face that looks aged instead of fresh. So, my makeup routine is a simple as it gets.

Step One: smudged eyeliner.

Step Two: mascara.

Smoky Eye: Check.

 I went on assignment to a MAC extravaganza at The Grove and chatted it up with a Senior Make-Up Artist for North America, Christopher del Castillo, who turned me onto this lovely liner. A muted charcoal soft black with gold flecks, the pencil is just the right texture to make application and smudging dummy-proof (speaking from experience).

3. Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser. My dermatologist once, kindly but highly, suggested I use Cetaphil if I wanted my skin to clear up. Tired of telling myself that adult acne only made me look young, I picked up a bottle of this cleanser. I'm not quite sure what genie lives inside this guy, but my skin's been clean and clear ever since I started using it.

4. Declèor Bain Relaxant. I indulge on Decléor bath and body products. The aromatherapy blends leave a herbaceous earthy scent lingering on your skin and in your bathroom, not to mention detox your body and relax your mind. Looking good and feeling good. Leave it up to . . . the French. Hmm.

5. Epsom Salts. Learning to surf? Mountain bike? Hike? I melt muscle knots with Epsom Salts. Sometimes, I even mix these guys with a cup or so of grapeseed oil and a few drops of essential oils (eucalyptus or vetiver or geranium) for a DIY salt scrub, my favorite body product. The good news? A carton of epsom salts can usually be found at your local drugstore or 99cent emporium. Lesson learned? Do NOT use when skin is sunburned and stay away from the mint family when using oils that go in the bath. Just trust.

6. Hermès Poivre Samarcande. I can't stand scents that smell sugary. I do not wish to smell like a baked good of any kind. So I tend to favor scents that sport clean / herbal / earthy / smoky / wood odors such as amber, bergamot, cedar, incense, patchouli, black pepper, sandalwood, olibnanum, and vetiver. I tend to rotate through fragrances at the rate of a tasmanian devil and think it's sexy to wear scents which are pour les garcons. Currently, I'm schpritzing Poivre Samarcande from Hermès' Hermessence collection. Light, rich, and smoky with the smallest hint of spice, this smells like sunset through the trees on the side of PCH if a fire's going somewhere in the distance.

7. Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo & Conditioner. My guy uses this shampoo and I'm a die-hard convert, so much so that I picked up a bottle of the conditioner as well. Laced with coconut, Kiehl's Amino Acid shampoo / conditioner combo leaves locks shiny and managable and smelling like the beach, not a Mounds bar.

7. Lemons. So, I used to soak my hair in lemon juice during junior high and other than brittle, slightly sticky strands, I'm not sure that it had any effect. Now I like squeeze lemon in my drinking water. I'm convinced it assists digestion and lightly detoxes from head to toe, clearing up skin and giving you a lil' boost on your glow. But, I have no scientific evidence to back up these claims. It's a feeling. A feeling of total refreshment. And that can't be bad.

8. Lorèal Double Extend Mascara. I wound up with this mascara in a goody bag I took home from a People Style Watch party. Always glad for free schwag, I was super-psyched to pull this double-duty wand from the beauty booty. It's a delicious dimestore drugstore addition to my pretty pared-down beauty routine. I get a little thrill every time I use both sides and the specially shaped wands really do lift and separate. My lashes.

9. Rosebud Salve. I've been a fan of Rosebud Salve forever. It's the magic wonder of beauty products and the packing (retro-painted tin) can't be beat. I use it as lip balm / gloss, but it also works on everything, say, as a cuticle cream or a base for creating your own eyeshadows, blushes, and glosses (just add pigmented powder shadows, blush etc.). The list goes on and on. I have had a couple tins melt in the summer sun, which tends not to be a gift for the inside of your handbag so I was pleased to learn that Rosebud now comes in a handy tube for travel. Leave the tins at home.

10. Tweezerman Go Green Tweezers. My mom got me a pair of green Tweezerman tweezers and my brows have thanked me by maintaining their shape and not complaining come plucking time. And, I just like the color. Makes me happy. Thanks, Mom! (I'm not sure if Tweezerman still makes the Go Green model, but a recent scroll through the site unearthed a chic navy version that's just as eye-catching.)



11. Weleda Rosemary Hair Lotion. I've been using Weleda Rosemary Hair Lotion (it's an oil so go easy) for about 11 years. I'm not wild about hair products, but this oil conditions and softens strands as well as somehow making them stay mussed on my noggin. Which is exactly what you want when you're a girl sporting a razor-short cut. Which I am.