Written by:
Diane Anderson-Minshall, Mea Chavez and Lina Swislocki
Photographer:
Kina Williams
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this Issue of Curve:
18#5
Yes, you have less than two weeks to find a gift for the mom in your life, whether it’s your own creator or that woman in your bed you call baby mama in between diaper runs and breast feedings. With so little time you could shop around or you could admit that every mom—butch, femme and too-tired-to-care-about-labels—needs to be pampered and snag something from our handy CURVE beauty gift list.
Dr. Hauschka’s Aromatherapy Bath Kit uses pure essential oils to help you create a holistic and harmonious bath experience. Five types of aromatherapy—lemon, lavender, rosemary, spruce and sage—offer up different experiences from invigoration to relaxation and in between. No need to save them for the bath, either; a few drops in the washbasin makes for a spa worthy facial rinse. $16, drhauschka.com
Philip B White Truffle Shampoo has me doing cartwheels these days. This ultra-rich shampoo combines imported white Italian truffle oil with 23 percent pure plant extracts (nettle, thyme, lavender, comfrey are all included) for a luxuriant spa-like experience. Straight from the hills of Italy, it’s an aphrodisiacal experience. Even better: Philip B White Truffle Nourishing Hair Conditioning Crème. Yum. $54, philipb.com
Zum Bar Goat’s Milk Soap in lemon-sage looks like a confection that’s good enough to eat. Ultra-moisturizing soap made without synthetic colorings or fragrances and without animal tallow, this soap is herbally citrilicious. $3 to $5, Indigowild.com
Want her to feel like a movie star? Send her a care package of SKINN Cosmetics, the no-frills, no filler stuff that makes everyone look years younger. I adore SKINN’s Lip 3X Lip Volumizing Serum (so named because it has three times more collagen stimulating ingredients than anything else), which is responsible for getting more than one woman in Tinsletown off of Reystylane. Even if you don’t want a sexy pout, you’ll want to try Hylighten, an intense treatment that uses chrysin plant flavanoids to treat dark circles and under eye puffiness, and Orchid Gel Tint, a mattefying day primer that replaces powder and prevents blackheads. $25 and up, skinncosmetics.com
Tea Zensation Bath Baubles are bubblicious bath soaks (think salt, rose petals, castor bean oil) with Asian healing therapies. Try the Mandi Susu with milk, lemon, ylang ylang and sandalwood. $22, aspara-aromatics.com
Mom doesn’t have to be a history buff to love Lily Lambert’s Goddess Fragrance Collection. The collection was inspired by the mystical origins of five goddesses from a range of cultural traditions, each meant to celebrate femininity. Sedna, the ancient Inuit goddess of the sea uses green florals, brown sugar and sage. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, smells a lot like fruity musk. And so on for Yemanya (the African and Brazilian goddesss of wish and prayer), Damara (the Celtic goddess of fertility) and Coventina (the Romano-British goddess of springs and wells). $40 each, lilylambert.com
Almost every Benefit product is to die for. I can’t live without Benetint, High Beam and Georgia but the newest award winner is the must-have Rush Hour, a one-tube wonder. You can use it on your lips, cheeks, eyes, anywhere you want a splash of color. One stick, $20, benefitcosmetics.com
Tarte’s fRxtion is a sugar exfoliator and vitamin E lip balm duo that offers up a sugar-based lip scruff to rid you of dry flaky skin and a balm that moisturizes with vanilla and chamomile. Plus it comes in a tiny container complete with mirror. $11, tartecosmetics.com
Moéa Fullness and Volume Condition and Shampoo offer up another must feel shampoo/conditioner set, this time with Tahitian Noni juice and grapefruit for the shampoo and Noni seed oil and rice protein for the deliciously emollient conditioner. $24 each, tahitiannoni.com
Abrioné’s new Brown Sugar Strawberry Gel Scrub comes in both 15-ounce jars and gallon sizes. The latter sounds crazy big but don’t doubt you’ll be wishing you bought it after just trying the sensuously sweet scrub. With green tea and aloe vera extracts this is one scrub that won’t leave you dry and irritated. $40 and up, Vbcosmetics.com
I took Pop Beauty’s amazing Teal Eye Cake giant eye shadow (a seriously huge tin with stripes of shadow in al fresco oceanic colors) to a photoshoot and even the butch photographer swooned. Thankfully it ended up in my purse at the end of the night and I haven’t stopped wearing it since. It suits all eye colors and is super easy to use (no wonder it’s a Sephora best-seller). $19, sephora.com
Paul & Joe Eyebrow Pencil is a must-have for perfectly defined brows. It comes in two shades—one to contour the arches and the other to soften and define the brows. $18, Bergdorfgoodman.com
Physicians Formula has come up with the first mineral water-based loose powder eye shadow with Plum Garnet Mineral Fluid Powder Eye Shadow and it’s a groovy minimalist talc-free formula that lasts forever (12 hours!), doesn’t look cakey, and doesn’t irritate your eyes. There’s a mirror on the back of the tube and the shadow is made with vitamins A and B and natural antioxidants. And the company’s Shimmer Strips are all-in-one color kits that offer up nine custom shades in three trios (for natural, playful or dramatic looks) with built in brush, all tailored to your eye color. $7–$10, physiciansformula.com
Linden Leaves cute little gift set of five triple milled vegetable soaps is an adorable mom gift, with little round soaps including ginseng and orange blossom, fig licorice, passion fruit and Echinacea, ginger peach and green tea and lime leaf. $17, lindenleaves.com
Dazzle Dry Quick Dry Nail Polish System is a four-step manicure kit that air-dries thoroughly in 5 to 10 minutes. The best part is it’s all Toluene, Formaldehyde- and Phthalate-free and the top coat dries in 30 seconds. $54, vbcosmetics.com
PerfectSense Paraffin Treatment for Hands offers individual, sanitary doses of physiotherapeutic spa-grade paraffin infused with the finest nourishing and detoxifying skincare ingredients (such as lavender) for a results-focused experience, which translates into some nice-feeling hands. $39, spaequip.com
This Works’ Bath Set offers up three adorable mini bath and shower oils—Deep Calm, Energy Bank and, my fave, In the Zone—in a cute little post-modern compact set. What’s best is what’s not in the set: mineral oils, synthetic fragrances or colors, sulfates, paraffins or genetically modified ingredients. $60, thisworks.com
All Good Goop! is an Organic Healing Balm that works for everything from chapped lips to minor cuts and it’s small enough to fit in a diaper bag. $8 and up, elementalherbs.com
Made from 100 percent pure essential oils, the new Professional Aromatherapy from Mary Cohr Paris includes oil-free essence creams, Body Program and Youth Program. Retain your youthful and vibrant skin naturally with these luxurious treatments. See marycohr.com for salons.
Why send her to the spa when Clarisonic Skin Care System is exfoliating made easy. Clarisonic’s skin care system will brighten your beautiful face without harsh chemicals and grainy scrubbers. The soft bristles brush off dead skin cells that could clog up your pores and cause blackheads and breakouts. Get them off before they do any damage, and say hello to a clear-skinned you. Includes a skincare blush, charger, sensitive and normal brush heads, and a trial size cleanser. $195, clairisonic.com
The Triple Threat Peel products from emerginC features Triple Threat Peel and Triple Threat Cream. The peel helps rapidly renew complexion and improve skin texture. The cream restores skin using alpha and beta hydroxyl acids and retinol. Kill two birds with one stone with this confidence and skin boosting triple threat. $140 for both, emerginc.com
Carrots may be good for your eyes, but they’re definitely good for your hair. Yes to Carrots Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo and Pampering Hair Mud Conditioner are a great combo that moisturizes without the yucky build up. The products are packed with beta carotene, which will revitalize mom’s hair. She’s sure to enjoy the luxurious lather with the organic shampoo and conditioner that doubles as a scalp moisturizer. Including other “orange color” produce group ingredients: pumpkin, sweet potato, melon, orange and honey, $8 each, yestocarrots.com.
If your mom is like me and enjoys sustainable organic products, then she’ll definitely love Juice Beauty Green Apple Mousse Body Cleanser. This stuff is amazing, keeping even my itchy cracked skin at bay for days without lotion and that’s something every mom can love. $29, juicebeauty.com
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