THE BEAUTY EDIT: welcome to the elusive (international) hot girl universe
50ish EIHG-core picks from moda operandi's 20% off beauty sale !!!!!!!
OKKK HELLO!!!!! This all began when I was typing up the Friday shopping letter, and headed to peruse new arrivals on Moda Operandi…. only to discover that they’re doing a BLOWOUT beauty sale wherein EVERYTHING is 20% off. This is huge for a couple reasons: 1) Moda has one of the best curations of beauty on the internet…. not shade to Sephora, but we’re talking iykyk elusive (international) hot girl CORE brands that no one talks about, but every muse lives for (notice how I didn’t say influ3nc3rs ;) ). 2) Because these products are NICHE, they rarely go on sale…. things are selling out quickly, so the time is now!!!!! Also, the code is 20XBEAUTY !!!
There were approx 1300 beauty products up for grabs, and I realized that we needed a true methodology to sort through What’s Good (50ish picks below, BTW):
The first bucket = things that I personally use and LOVE… my justification for getting to assert that I Know What’s Good is that Gucci Westman (of Westman Atelier) recently marveled over my “glowing” skin — she proceeded to come within inches of my cheek before exclaiming, “I mean, you don’t even have visible pores!” (i don’t wear foundation). Annnnd my ego never recovered when into the gloss called my Top Shelf “a masterclass” (hi
) hehe;The second category = products that are BELOVED by the EHG/EIHGs in my life. I’m a virgo and thus a student of discernment and observation, and with that comes the fact that I have zero shame in forcing my chicest friends to ALSO tell me what they’re slathering on their bodies/faces regularly. I’ve built a dossier of brands and things that this cohort of girls cannot shut up about, and am ungatekeeping to share their picks (that are available on Moda) with you ;). OK — time 2 get 2 it!!!!! LFG;
UP CLOSE: The TM edit (aka EIHG approved picks that i am currently using and loving)
I spend thousands of dollars a year on retrouve and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. A reader asked me to give an honest take on their products, and as someone who has basically tried the entire line, these are the things (on moda) I simply refuse to live without:
The body oil — It’s a hybrid between a balm and an oil — it’s thick and lipid rich and makes your skin SO hydrated and glowy and NOURISHED??? Like it truly makes you question if your skin has ever met a moisturizer before, incredibly effective. A great mother’s day gift too!!!!!
The face oil — I had been loyal to another brand’s face oil since 2015…. THEN I started using this one last year, and initially was like, fabulous, but I can live without it. BOY WAS I WRONG. The second I stopped using it, I realized that it was the pinch hitter of my skincare routine. no other facial oil compares. It effectively locks in the hydration from my other products whilst maintaining a healthy GLOW that makes you look like you’ve been kissed by the sun on the altar of holy matrimony. Pristine. It’s always sold out so I actually have 4 in my apt that I’ve hoarded from different places whenever I see it (zitomers on UES and..shopbop?). Avail in a set on Moda with another product I live for… so worth buying as a bundled discount!!!
If we’re talking off-shelf serums, this sh*t is god-tier. It’s creamy and hydrating but also makes your skin glow. Realizing that the keyword for retrouve is NOURISHING. If that’s what you feel your skin needs, you’ll love this.
I don’t exfoliate much because I’m getting facials every ~10 days rn, but I LOOOOVE these lil pads. I have super sensitive skin and find that over-exfoliation effs me up QUICKLY (bye bye to p50 I fear), but these are just so gentle and make your skin feel rebalanced and provide a restorative GLOW.
This is the unifying handsoap of EHGs and Goop Adjacent Moms!!!!!! As introduced to me by… MY goop-adjacent mom LOL. It is ALSO the hand soap used at NYC’s newest and most exclusive members club (not naming names but it’s an easy guess). I’m a garden of earthly delights purist, but actually believe this is the best scent of their hand soaps. It smells luxurious and intoxicating and is fragranced enough to hit without being too perfumey to annoy (garden OED smells much more subtle in hand soap form!!!). Also NOT rose forward at all, more nuanced and kinda sexy — Cleopatra core!!!!
also these sangre de fruta bath salts are heavenly in fragrance and make for a very chic mother’s day gift under $30!!!
THIS IS THE BEST LIPSTICK EVER. A true EIHG OG. In shade Betisse!!!!!!!! Stays on forever + looks gorgeous and blotted during the day, and with a good lip liner, looks sexy af (like you’ve just made out w/ someone). Couldn’t recommend more. The balmy bisou jelly is also amazing!!!!
I have lost track of the number of times I have raved about this lip treatment/serum/mask/balm. It’s the most luxurious lip product I’ve ever used and owned AND it was my hero product of this winter. I couldn’t leave the house without it. It’s thick and lasts forever (on your lips but also I’ve yet to run out of the tube in over a year?)!!!!
You can tell a lot about a person by simply asking if they have an opinion on magnesium. Amongst the EIHG-Goop Adjacency intersection, it’s a much discussed, much lauded miracle mineral that most of us are severely deficient in. As cited from the holiday szn gift guide:
sorry I’m convinced that you weren’t raised by a goop adjacent mom if you don’t care.. a LOT about magnesium. I dare you to bait a goop-adjacent EHG into a convo about magnesium….. good luck getting out of that chat for at LEAST 15 minutes. My mom happens to be a holistic physician (and tbh an integrative health futurist? she’s currently into meditation technology… who knew) and says that most people are deeessppyyyy for magnesium in their life. This bath soak is a stealth EIHG pick — my friends have been raving about this for a while, made with papaya enzymes and French green clay, and leaves you feeling rebalanced and more relaxed than ever….. Under $40, THANK ME L8R
Anyway…. DELIGHTED this is on sale, such a find, def buying 4 everyone I know LOL
If you are a bare nail girl in an LSD way (hehe — tbt 2 what your manicure says ab U), then odds are you are also into this mascara. It’s the equivalent in vibe/aura, and this brand is very cool and UP amongst our favorite EIHG cohort!!!!
I’m more of a skin girl than a makeup girl so whenever I find makeup that I love… I REALLY love it. Westman Atelier changed the way I view and interact with my face, and also dissolved 80% of my makeup bag with 3 products (highlighter, blush, contour.. at first). However, my bag has expanded as they’ve expanded the line, so I’m linking all of my favorites:
This mascara — doesn’t flake, very natural, I use when I wanna be chic and demure LOL
This is my favorite blush of all time….. poppet is the perfect bright pink that looks good on everyone??? The cream texture blends so beautifully and makes it look natural and glowy, but if you prefer powder, this duo is also FAB
I love this lip gloss… it’s a little thick and feels nourishing like it’s a lip oil, and this color (ma puce) is so juicy + makes my lips look KISSABLE
If you like the nars radiant concealer but wish it felt more hydrating, this one is for you!!! I use this concealer every time I wear makeup and it expertly masks any dark circles or hyperpigmentation but also leaves SUCH a natural, skin finish.
THE best contour, blends seamlessly, and feels like butter… no harsh lines, I could go on forever!!!!! It’s never done anyone in my life dirty, which is huge bc contouring can get scary… fast…….
Not a brag but i’ve never considered what it would mean for my skin to glow mORE…. until I tried this highlight stick that I actually cannot live without (makes my skin look like GLASS), and this liquid highlighter??? Just a couple drops will make you look like you’ve spent time communing on a Higher Plane before dropping back down to exist with us mortals. Ugh, thank you GUCCI x
FOR TRAVEL: 1)sometimes you simply need a facial wipe when your skin feels crusty and you’re on hour 7 of a long flight…. like pls do not use plane sink water and pls do not put on a fresh sheet/eye mask on UR crusty skin LOL. These wipes are perfect — hydrating and leaves your skin feeling fresh & clean (and great for sensitive skin!!!!). 2)111skin undereye masks are my travel go-to because of this Jetset wallet!!! it’s only $35 for 3 undereye masks (which is perf, two for the flight there/back and one for use during the trip!!). +++++ they actually work and don’t fall off your face, which is HUGE. 10/10
BIRDS EYE: The EIHG edit (aka products that unite the elusive (international) hot girl universe)
OK i’ve yet to encounter an EHG who doesn’t lose their mind over these products. The Dr. Diamond team actually sent the line to me a couple of weeks ago, but I haven’t properly used yet because my facialist is currently analyzing all of my products to determine how I should best integrate this lineup within my routine… I DID sneak in a use one night (instafacial infusion, plasma, then emulsion) and was astonished by how luxurious and gorgeous everything felt. I woke up with very plump and hydrated skin, but too soon to tell long-term effects!!! I take my recs SERIOUSLY!!!!
Here’s what EIHGs are going to be smelling like this summer (i’ve collected actual insights from the COHORT, BTW):
This scent is apparently heady and earthy. It’s what you smell like if you frequent sensei lanai for a detox….. if you get it you get it, i fear
Is it gaudy to say that this is what being RICH smells like???? The orange blossom and neroli are grounded by vanilla bean and Indonesian patchouli… like it’s insane.
This smells like the purity of being a newly born nepo baby swaddled in regenerative cotton that also has the knowledge that Elizabeth Taylor’s cocktail ring is sitting in your mother’s vault. Lavender forward — it’s light and sophisticated…. rich.
Hard to bump into an EHG that doesn’t rock with regime des fleurs. These are their three picks: 1) green vanille, which is the most mesmerizing vanilla ever….. blue chamomile and hazelnut and vanilla and almond milk and coriander….. SEXY. 2) this one is like a sweet orange cardamom olive oil cake — sweet and gourmand-forward and what I’d imagine Rihanna to smell like if we didn’t know it was Killian’s Love Don’t Be Shy. 3)LASTLY, this is for the SOF girls — it’s a cool girl aquatic fragrance with like cucumber and shiso leaf and black tea and mate and Italian bergamot…… sooo special, sooo RICH.
Finally, we have this scent that is spicy and intoxicating. There’s like ginger and cashmeran and overall smells like the girl who KNOWS things because she’s SEEN things and we love that for her, a hot and wise princess
A MAJOR EIHG brand, very stealth and very coveted…. this body oil is top of their list. It smells like myrrh and frankincense (my personal favorites), and makes you feel enveloped in this sense of earthy luxury — fab pick if that’s the aura you’d like to integrate into your daily rituals <3
They also can’t stop talking about this LAVENDER SCENTED, PLANT BASED NAIL POLISH REMOVER??? Like how insane of a find, I get it!!!! I wish I was a regular nail polish girl so badly… I fear using this stuff would also become core to my personality??? A GREAT gift.
This stuff is so beloved by EHGs that I am frankly sick and TIRED of hearing about it — like neeeeeeed to get my hands on it (in my cart rn)…. appears to be the final boss of body exfoliants???
May Lindstrom is soooo core to goop-adjacency it is a MUST to include. I’ve only sampled from friends who are appalled that I don’t use her products and shove three pumps of body oil into my hands from their medicine cabinets, but I must say it is all very luxurious and very fabulous. Strong IYKYK, and I have pinpointed the mUST haves as this body oil (incredible), this facial balm, and this facial mist that contains colloidal silver and “cellular waters” that I can attest — makes you feel like you’re entering a faraway paradise.
This is the body wash EHGs haven’t been able to shut up about lately…. not really for like skin nourishment, but from what I gather, it smells amazing.
I haven’t used these westman bronzing drops, but a lot of you LOVE THEM (hi
) !!!!!Hair is a blindspot because I’ve always worn protective styles, but I HAVE noticed many many many EHGs are fawning over these la bonne brosse brushes lately, specifically: the detangling + OG brush
STEALTH, EIHG core brand. They have a knockout lip balm (prune KERNEL oil and vitamin E!!!) and our favorite cohort also lives for their blotting paper!!!!
They’re also subbing this stuff for foundation. Apparently it makes your skin feel super hydrated and JUICY and BOUNCY and RADIANT. Also this one from westman!!!!
Another face exfoliant that EHGs (and their celebrity friends) love!!!!! I hear this stuff is diabolically good…. I haven’t tried, but felt remiss to not include!!!
This is the product that gets stocked up for the beach house. It’s a spray on body serum that makes your skin feel hydrated (if you have dry skin pls also lock this in with a moisturizer), and the application is fun!!!!
Annnnd the only accessory you’ll need with your row flip flops this summer is this heel balm (I LOVE this EIHG brand and I LOVE their other foot balm, as someone w/ very dry feet LOL!!)!!!!!
This is the cool girl red lip BTW!!!!!!
WHEW — ALRIGHT THAT’S ALL, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!! How fun!!!! Let me know what beauty you’ve been loving lately, and if there’s an EIHG/EHG core pick that I’ve missed ;).
Thanks for reading & TALK SOON <3 <3 <3
TM x
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As usual THE best- goop adjacent mom
Ugh ur mind!!!!