Beauty Philosophies

FIRST:
I’m so happy to share that our baby boy is here! Introducing Jack Ford Friedman!

THE WEEKLY EDIT:
In fashion/beauty: Phoebe Philo
I’m sure you noticed Phoebe Philo break the internet this week when she launched her new signature brand. Something we’ve all been waiting for since Philo left Celine in 2017 making it the most anticipated collection of 2023, and well, since 2017. Collection aside, what I resonated with was the casting in the campaign which included a comeback from Canadian model Daria Werbowy, a Philo favorite. Werbowy, who is 39, appears makeup-free, sans filler and sans botox and it feels so real, so fresh!

Worth the watch: Dove ”Cost of Beauty”
This moving piece directed by Henry Alex Rubin was nominated for an Emmy for Best Commercial. It highlights the extreme dangers of toxic beauty on social media and how it’s harming 3 in 5 kids - it’s hard to watch but the message is so important.

Subscribe to: Jessica DeFino
Per her site, “I’m a pro-skin/anti-product beauty reporter dismantling beauty standards, debunking marketing myths,  and exploring how beauty culture impacts people — physically, psychologically, and psychospiritually. My work “basically gives the middle finger to the entire beauty industry,” as HuffPost once put it.”

Which is precisely why I follow her. I appreciate the way she pushes me to see and think about beauty differently. It’s wildly refreshing and unlike 99.9% of everyone else I follow in beauty.

Travel with: Keep Your Cadence
These modular, magnetic capsules are an excellent travel solution (and perfect for a hospital bag which was the last place I took mine). They’re great for medicine, cleansers, masks, lotion and anything else you may need, using these efficient little guys helps keep traveling with bulky beauty packaging to a minimum. 

Use: Dark washcloths for face washing 
Forget using your beautiful white towels to dry your face, leaving makeup stains that may never come out. Add a set of plush, dark washcloths to wash your face with like these (I’ve owned this set for years) - you won’t regret it!

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MAKE THIS WEEK:
The ‘Meet me in Provence” Plate
Butternut Squash & Ginger Soup
Beet Salad With Feta & Walnuts
One Pan Crispy Chicken With Tomato Rice, Scorched Lemons and Yogurt
LAUSD Coffee Cake (IYKYK!)

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ALRIGHT, LET’S GET INTO IT:
My Beauty Philosophies at 40

Beauty products bring me great joy. I love the packaging, the branding, the creative. I’m passionate about the innovation, the ingredients, the trends, the newness, the discovery, the results. I appreciate the way a bottle sits elegantly on my bathroom counter and find comfort in the sound of products bouncing off one another as I rummage to find a lipstick in my makeup bag. I thoroughly enjoy the pre-travel ritual of packing my dopp-kit and call rearranging products in my cabinets and drawers a good time. And then, of course, there's the application process itself which I find wildly calming and meditative. I indulge in the censorial experience as each product hits my skin, taking in the textures, fragrances, strokes, and swipes. I love and look forward to my morning and evening routines, with dedicated products for each, it's time carved out to do a little something just for me.

Putting my love and romanticizing of beauty aside, I'm also acutely aware of the downsides of the multi-billion dollar industry. The predatorial marketing tactics preying on our insecurities, false claims, toxic ingredients, massive waste, a gigantic carbon footprint, unrealistic beauty standards, a systemic obsession with youthfulness that pushes us to buy things we don't need with the promise of looking younger, tighter, thinner, clearer, lifted, brighter, more rested, sculpted, glowey, glazed, anything better than ourselves, etc. and a culture that's become face/body altering obsessed to an unhealthy degree. 

All this to say, the lens in which I see beauty, and beauty products, comes with great joy but not without skepticism and a sprinkling of cynicism. Two things can be true: you can love your beauty routines/products and have disdain for parts of the culture. 

So while I dab on my highlighter to appear fresher than I feel, pat in my vitamin-c with the hopes that it will lighten my melasma and enjoy the results of anti-aging laser treatments every now and then, I'm also deeply concerned about how the beauty industry impacts our mental health, am alarmed by face/body dysmorphia and the rise in cosmetic procedures in young women, and eye roll at the fear/age monger marketing.

At 40, my beauty philosophies are pretty simple:

1. Sweat, hydrate, get some sunshine, laugh with your friends, eat nourishing foods, avoid processed food, have sex, stand up straight, and sleep. There's nothing more beautiful than someone who feels good and radiates good energy.

2. Always wash your face at night. Never ever skip. 

3. Don't overdo it with the products, less is more. Use what you need at any given time to address your skin concerns and continue to evolve your routine as your needs change. Same with makeup; I prefer skin to look like skin and makeup to be on the natural side.