Vintner’s Daughter’s Active Renewal Cleanser was already a favorite of mine, but their newly evolved formula is even more exceptional. The brand folds a decade of learning into a more concentrated botanical blend, adding invigorating butcher’s broom, cypress, and frankincense to the formula alongside brightening dandelion and Kakadu plum. It still does the standard work of melting away makeup and SPF, but it behaves more like a treatment than a basic wash, leaving skin bouncy and bright, never tight or squeaky. If you’ve been curious about the line but not sure where to start, the cleanser is a great, lower-cost entry point. Buy it.

SIDIA’s The Body Mist in Soaked is proof that a body mist can also be a fine fragrance. It opens with bright juniper, lemon, and rich olibanum, then moves through bracing oregano, cypress, and cedarwood, and dries down to amber, leather, and creamy musk. It’s the kind of cool, resinous, slightly brooding trail I want on a warm evening as we close out summer. SIDIA also builds skincare right into the formula, so hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide help hydrate and smooth skin while the scent does its thing. Buy it.

I’ve been watching Fatty15 for years and finally got my hands on it. The supplement delivers pure C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid), an odd-chain fatty acid researchers have described as the first essential fatty acid discovery since omega-3. C15:0 is thought to help strengthen cell membranes and support metabolic, cognitive, liver, and red blood cell health, with the brand pointing to a growing stack of peer-reviewed research. Think of it as long-term maintenance, a daily habit you don’t feel overnight but can thank yourself for later. As with any supplement recommendation, this isn’t medical advice, and it’s always worth a word with your doctor. Buy it.

My latest YesStyle cart contained more sun protection (see previous roundup HERE) and a serious scalp reset. On the sunscreen front, the new Dr. Reju-All Advanced PDRN Calming Sun Serum SPF50+ PA++++ uses medical-grade PDRN in a water-light essence texture with niacinamide, panthenol, madecassoside, and hyaluronic acid. It protects and soothes in one breathable, no-white-cast step, which is exactly what I want my daily SPF to do. This is immediately top 5 SPF material, which isn’t surprising since I’ve loved literally every launch from Dr. Reju-All. Buy it.

I’m less versed in Korean haircare, so I picked up the full SOME BY MI Cica Peptide Anti Hair Loss Derma Scalp trio, which includes the Shampoo, Tonic, and Treatment. The line is built on soothing cica (aka centella asiatica) and a generous complex of peptides, including copper tripeptide-1, plus biotin, salicylic acid, and green tea to keep the scalp clean and calm. The shampoo is non-stripping. The rinse-out treatment is a flash mask for use on damp scalp and hair strands that leaves your roots feeling genuinely clean. The leave-in tonic is the last step I spray and massage in after showering for a cooling, everyday dose of scalp support. Use my code PMKELLY20 to shop deeper discounts on YesStyle now.

For my 40th birthday, my husband got me the Ricoh GR IV. It’s the newest in Ricoh’s cult GR line, a pocketable APS-C compact camera with a sharp 28mm equivalent f2.8 lens and a 25.7-megapixel sensor. It’s that rare camera that delivers real image quality in something around the size of a deck of cards. This generation finally adds 5-axis IBIS (in-body image stabilization) up to six stops, a new GR Engine 7 processor, a lightning-quick 0.6-second startup, and 53GB of internal storage so you can shoot without a card. What people seem to love most about the GR series is that is disappears in your hand, wakes up instantly for the shots you’d otherwise miss on the go, focuses fast, and produces hyper crisp, contrasty, film-like JPEGs (+RAW files) straight out of camera. I’ll report back once I’ve properly lived with it a bit longer, but my early impressions are, this thing is a joy to use. Buy it.

Abib’s Copper Peptide Serum (cutely called the “Bouncing Drop”) is my next test for copper peptide serums, which are having a real moment, and for good reason. It pairs GHK-Cu, the famed copper tripeptide known to support skin renewal and resilience, with Argireline (think instant Botox-like effect) and proven Matrixyl peptides for a smoothing, firming, plumping effect over time. The texture lives up to its Bouncing Drop name. It’s a cushiony, fast-absorbing fluid that layers smoothly under everything else you use and never pills. My only gripe is it’s less concentrated on the copper peptide front since they packed so many peptides in here, but if you want a does-it-all smoothing, firming, anti-aging peptide serum that’s less focused specifically on hero GHK-Cu, this is a reasonable price point and a lovely user experience you should consider. Buy it.

Dr. Reju-All’s Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Lip Serum is becoming a new favorite lip product. The soft, bouncy applicator tip is a ton of fun to use and unlike any other comparably priced, non-colored lip treatment product on the market. This plush cushion lets you press and massage the formula into lips like a mini massage treatment. It feels tactile, squishy, and a little addictive. Formula-wise, a Lipozip PDRN complex (yes, salmon DNA again) brings lips deep moisture, hibiscus soothes, and a touch of lactic acid gently smooths away any stubborn, flaky texture. Cue plumped, dewy, genuinely softer lips. Buy it.

Lately I’ve been rounding out my nightly routine with magnesium glycinate. Glycinate is a chelated, gentle form of magnesium, bound to the amino acid glycine so it absorbs well and doesn’t upset your stomach the way some magnesium can (ahem, looking at you, magnesium citrate). I prefer it before bed for its calming, muscle-relaxing reputation and its role in supporting deeper, more restful sleep. As with any supplement recommendation, always check with your doctor before adding it to your routine. Buy it.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Dieux’s Firm Revival HydroRetinal Firming Serum is the beloved brand’s first foray into retinoids, and it’s a smart one. Retinal (retinaldehyde) sits just one conversion step away from the retinoic acid your skin actually can use, which makes it more potent than everyday OTC retinol yet far gentler than a prescription tret. Dieux stabilizes their formula and cushions it inside a 16% hydro-calming blend of glycerin, snow mushroom, allantoin, and panthenol, so you get all the firming and line-smoothing payoff without the flaking and sting that scares people off retinoids. The texture is a lovely silky, gel-like fluid that sinks in. It’s also fragrance-free. Buy it.

Sakuraé’s Double Action Serum was developed by a century-old Japanese pharmaceutical company, and it carries the quiet confidence of something that spent twenty-plus years in active development. The “double action” in the name comes from two brighteners that work in tandem: AMP to support healthy skin renewal and a vitamin C derivative that helps to even out skin tone over time. This is not an instant-gratification product, and I appreciate the honesty of the brand about that. While it builds up to its brightening benefits, it does bring a refreshed, more hydrated look and feel to skin within the first couple of weeks. If you like a thoughtful, clinical Japanese approach to fading dark spots and discoloration, this brand belongs on your radar. Buy it.

DAMDAM’s Citrus Glow Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Serum is another repeat purchase from a friend-founded, favorite minimalist Japanese brand. It pairs two stabilized vitamin C derivatives, so you get potent brightening and antioxidant defense without the typical sting that comes from pure ascorbic acid. The serum layers in sodium hyaluronate for hydration, all in a fast-absorbing, milky-fluid texture with a soft, naturally-derived, sunlit citrus scent. It leaves skin looking smoother and lit from within. The brand’s perception study showed brighter, more refined skin after a single week of usage, which tracks with what I’ve noticed on my own face. Buy it.

Exiles by Mason Coile drops a small human crew off at a half-destroyed Mars outpost where two service robots have started behaving very oddly, forming alliances, naming themselves, and adopting beliefs they were never programmed to hold, while a third robot has gone missing entirely. It’s a short, tight, dread-soaked locked-room mystery with a dash of speculative sci-fi horror. 3.5/5 Stars. Buy it.

I’ve been testing a small army of Korean sunscreens this month. I’ll say it plainly. The filters coming out of Korea are simply far superior to what we have in the US. Every one of these products lands at an SPF 50+ PA++++ with a lightweight, skincare-like texture that never leaves a white cast or heavy film. The products feel breathable layered over any moisturizer. Four of them have already earned a permanent status in my rotation. In no significant order, here they are. numbuzin No. 1 Clear Filter Sun Essence is a watery, calming essence that practically vanishes in skin, instantly. I love the needle nose applicator for precise dosing across two fingers. mixsoon Bean Sun Serum is serum-light (just like the name implies), built around the brand’s signature fermented soybean. SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum leans into soothing properties, with centella and hyaluronic acid for skin that runs sensitive. This one feels more like a cream moisturizer, less serum-like. So great if you need extra moisture at the end of your AM routine. And finally, Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh (the Rice + B5 version) is the fresh, hydrating formula I keep reaching for on these warm, end-of-summer days. These are all the Korean formulas, purchased from YesStyle. Use my code PMKELLY20 to shop deeper discounts on YesStyle now.

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk follows a nameless female vampire who flees nineteenth-century Europe for Buenos Aires. Generations later, she crosses paths with a modern woman unraveling as her mother nears the end of a terminal illness. It’s a lush, split-narrative, literary Argentine gothic about desire, grief, and female agency that trades the typical cape-and-castle vampire cliché for something moodier, existential, and more tender. I’m obsessed! 4.75/5 Stars. Buy it.

I just can’t stop with the YesStyle hauls. Oops! I fell down a milky toner rabbit hole, and these two are my favorites. TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner is your glass-skin go-to. It’s a rice-based, fragrance-free hydrator with niacinamide, ceramides, and rice bran extract to leave a soft, cushioned finish. And the haruharu wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence takes the brand’s signature black rice base and folds in probiotics for a milky, barrier-strengthening step that makes everything after it work just a little better. Use my code PMKELLY20 to shop deeper discounts on YesStyle now.

The lovely people at Liis sent full-size bottles of my two new favorites from their collection, and they’ve taken over my fragrance shelf. Of True Minds is deep yet cozy, opening with sweet amaretto and warm nutmeg before settling into creamy suede, golden patchouli, and a smoky, labdanum-and-benzoin base. It takes its name from Shakespeare’s sonnet on steadfast love. Appropriate, methinks. In This World is a lush, ripe fig enveloped in heady lilac, aromatic, steamy eucalyptus and fresh lavender. Juicy blood orange lightens everything up while sumptuous tonka adds romance. It’s simply fantastic. Shop Liis.

DIME’s Gentle Jelly Cleanser is a zero-drama cleansing step. This low-foaming jelly-gel wash has vitamin E and coconut extract to melt away the day. Their Dewy Recovery Mask is a creamy leave-on treatment powered by NAD+, vitamin C, and hydrating snow mushroom extract. Fifteen minutes gives you an instant hydration boost, and worn overnight it does some deeper, plumping, barrier-loving heavy lifting. Shop DIME.

Cured Flow Gummies are dubbed the Energy & Focus formula. This pineapple and peach flavored little treat is THC- and CBD-free, leaning instead on a nootropic and adaptogenic lineup of organic lion’s mane, ginkgo biloba, green coffee beans, huperzia serrata, and methylated B12 for clarity and steady energy. Designed for focus without the jittery spike and hard crash of a second coffee. It’s a calm, clear-headed little lift. Buy it.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Enter the Eight Sleep Pod mattress cover. When this product arrived, I approached it the way I approach any new wellness technology. Curious, if a little skeptical. Four weeks later I can tell you with confidence that every shred of doubt I had about this transformative tech has been thoroughly and completely squashed.

The Unboxing

The Pod arrives in two innocuous, black boxes. One holds the smart cover, which is basically a fitted sheet designed with a grid of built-in, soft, nearly invisible tubing that stretches across the top of your existing mattress. The other box holds the Hub, a discreet black tower of a thing evoking a miniature version of the monolith from A Space Odyssey, but marked discreetly with the brand’s eponymous 8. The Hub lives on the floor beside your bed and does all the heating, cooling, and AI-powered thinking.

Other than that, there’s a simple welcome card with a QR code. You scan it, download the app, and are guided through setup in a breeze.

The Setup

Set aside an hour, put on a record, and you’ll be done with time to spare.

Simply stretch the Pod cover over your mattress like any fitted sheet. Connect it to the Hub. Fill a built-in canister with distilled water and the Hub takes care of the rest, delivering water into the Pod and priming everything.

From there, the app walks you through the rest of setup in plain language. It calibrates the built-in sensors for you. These will track your heart rate, breathing, and sleep stages, all without a single device connected to your body. (Time to hang up the ol’ Oura ring.) It asks which side of the bed you sleep on, then hands control of the other side over to your partner as their own privately-managed, climate-controlled zone.

The Pod has a seam down the middle that the two of you will never have to negotiate. He gets his side. I get mine. The technology holds each zone completely separate, all night long, and neither of us has to lose or compromise for comfort ever again.

The Temperature Scale

Eight Sleep speaks in a temperature language of its own. It uses a scale from -10, which is very cold, to +10, or very warm. You don’t set a number of degrees. You set a desired feeling, and the bed translates the rest for you.

Funny story on this. I went into using Eight Sleep fairly certain I wanted it cold. Like, super cold. Frigid level temperature, all night. The colder the better. I set myself somewhere near the bottom of the scale at -8 or -9 to start and waited to feel the calm.

Then Autopilot went to work. The results were surprising.

Hello, Autopilot

Autopilot is the intelligence behind Eight Sleep. As you rest, it reads your heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), breathing, and the stage of sleep you’re in, adjusting the temperature of (your side of) the bed in real time. Eight Sleep says it can make these micro-adjustments up to thousands of times per night. You don’t feel it happening. You only feel the results the next morning. More rested, less time tossing and turning. Just quality sleep.

It also takes into account external factors like the fluctuating temperature of your bedroom, so a warm night and a cool night receive their own special treatment. And it works in phases. It cools you down as you fall asleep and warms you gently back up toward morning, all mapped to the architecture of your personal sleep cycle, rather than a static setting you pick once and forget.

Over about two weeks, I found my actual sweet spot. The one Autopilot arrived at by watching my unique rhythms. My special sleep recipe is netting out at around -5 for wind down, -2 through the middle of the night, and +1 as I wake up.

The Week I Got Sick

The real test came in week three with Eight Sleep, when I caught a cold that turned into a fever.

As is the case for so many of us, illness usually brings horrific, disrupted, uneven sleep. Too hot and clammy, then fits of shivering, then uncomfortably hot again. It’s a vicious, miserable cycle on repeat. But the Pod seemed to track my fever in real time. As my body temperature climbed and my resting heart rate rose, the Pod read all of this and course corrected, pulling heat away when I spiked and easing off when I settled into rest. Eight Sleep actually builds around these shifting lifestyle factors. The Pod watches for the elevated heart rate, lowered HRV, and faster breathing that tend to show up a day or two before you feel sick, and it flags them in a comprehensive morning health report.

I won’t oversell it. The Pod didn’t cure my cold. But the bed met me where I was while I was sick, hour by hour, so I didn’t feel quite as horrible each morning.

Waking Up

The Pod wakes you up with a customizable, gentle, built-in vibration and a slow warming sensation rather than a harsh alarm that feels like an assault on the senses. You can snooze or dismiss the whole thing with a double tap of the 8 button on the side of the Hub. No cell phone required. Which means my first act of the day is no longer reaching for a screen.

Then your morning brief arrives. It’s a plain-language summary of the past night. Time asleep, sleep stages, snoring, HRV, resting heart rate, and a consistency score that has turned my recurring bedtime into something I actually keep up with (and look forward to). You can tag in variables too. Too much caffeine, alcohol, a late meal, stress, a workout, illness. Over several weeks these tags become a mirror. You start to see, in the robust data automatically collected for you, exactly what that extra glass of wine or the 9pm espresso does to your deep sleep. It’s actionable insights that adapt with you. Unlike other smart or wearable tech, the Eight Sleep turns your behavior and biorhythms into meaningful change you can feel.

The Verdict

The Eight Sleep Pod is not cheap, and I would be doing you a disservice to pretend otherwise. It’s a substantial one-time investment, and it also runs on a subscription service for the Autopilot features that make it worth having. That’s my honest asterisk on all of this.

But four weeks in, I can confidently attest to its impact on my sleep quality, as well as my waking feeling of alertness and restfulness. This is that rare piece of technology that has made my life substantively better, more balanced.

It ended a thermostat war. It gave my husband and me a bed we no longer have to negotiate over. It nursed me through a fever. And it taught me, gently if not a little smugly, that I never really knew how I liked to sleep.

If you run on extreme temperatures while asleep, if you share a bed with someone who does, or if you have simply accepted bad sleep as a toxic personality trait, this is the one thing I would tell you to absolutely try. It’s guaranteed to change your relationship with sleep.

Shop the Eight Sleep Pod with a special reader-only discount. Use the code PATRICK at checkout for up to $350 off the Pod. ($250 off if you buy the Pod alone, or take an additional $100 off if you add on the Base.)

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Eight Sleep is a genuinely groundbreaking piece of sleep fitness tech. The Pod is a smart cover that slips over your existing mattress like a fitted sheet, but is threaded with a grid of water-filled tubes that actively heat and cool each side of the bed across a 55-degree range, so my side can run (extra) cool while my warmer-sleeping hubby stays toasty. Medical-grade sensors are woven into the cover to quietly track your heart rate, movement, and even snoring while you rest. In the morning, the app serves it all back to you as a sleep score with actionable insights and day-to-day programming changes that improve your sleep automatically over time. You basically hand your night over to the Eight Sleep system’s AI, which smartly course-corrects based on your previous sleep cycles, ambient room temperature changes, any relevant previous day’s activities, and realtime nightly biofeedback. Lately I’ve been waking up feeling more rested, and with real data to prove the product is most definitely worth the price tag. I’m only one week in, but I can see how this incredible innovation is already reshaping my nightly routine, giving me a wildly more rested feeling each morning. I’m planning to do a full write-up after a few more weeks of use, but for now suffice to say I am very impressed. Now, who’s ready to call in the electric sheep?
Buy the Pod Cover with a special reader-only discount. Use the code PATRICK at checkout for up to $350 off the Pod. ($250 off if you buy the Pod alone, or take an additional $100 off if you add on the Base.)

Uni has reimagined its bestselling body serum in a new scent called Rain, featuring peony, oakmoss, and the scent of (you guessed it) fresh rain. The 24-Hour Body Serum is a lightweight, fast-absorbing treatment that borrows its ingredient deck from results-driven facial skincare. A marine complex gives lasting hydration while naturally exfoliating Australian lime caviar and vitamin-C-rich Kakadu plum help support collagen. Skin feels smoother, plumper, and never greasy. I pair it with the Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash (also available in Rain, their incredible new petrichor-themed scent), for a non-stripping cleanse that buffs away dullness with upcycled olive pit, fruit acids, and marine actives. In other news, Kaia Gerber is the new face of Uni, as envisioned and realized by the fabulous Helen Steed. What a gorgeous campaign!
Buy the Rain Body Serum.
Buy the Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash.

Scuttler’s Cove by David Barnett is like the film Wicker Man meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, by way of heavy Lovecraft mythos. It’s a pulpy, sometimes cheesy, always fun summer read. Merrin Moon returns to her Cornish harbor village in her thirties after her mother’s sudden death, where she finds the area’s quaint cottages hollowed out by second-homers. Something terrible is stirring beneath the town’s hallowed ground, topped by an always-fruiting, mystical apple tree. You can taste the salt air, even if the dialogue is sometimes stilted and cliche.
4/5 Stars. Buy Scuttler’s Cove.

Lately I’ve been all-in on PDRN. For the uninitiated, PDRN is short for polydeoxyribonucleotide, which is most commonly sourced from fragments of salmon DNA (although other plant-based sources are increasingly common). It’s prized in Korean skincare for its plumping, barrier-repairing, glass-skin payoff. Anua’s PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum is a great gateway to PDRN with a reasonably low price point. It’s a dewy, cushiony fluid that layers beautifully with other skincare and leaves skin looking rested and feeling bouncy. When I want that same plumping effect with an added firming boost, I’ve been layering with Dr. Reju-All’s Advanced PDRN Copper Peptide Serum, which pairs 1200ppm PDRN with buzzy, well-studied GHK-Cu copper peptides for firmness, as well as hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed collagen, and other skin-soothing, barrier-supporting ingredients. It’s a surprisingly lightweight, fast-absorbing gel-fluid texture that leaves skin looking firmer and more elastic over time. Even better, copper peptides are notoriously stinky (metallic), but these are encapsulated and do not smell.
Buy the Anua PDRN Serum.
Buy the Dr. Reju-All’s Advanced PDRN Copper Peptide Serum.

Liis is a California-founded perfume house creating clean, gender-neutral, mood-driven eau de parfums. I’ve been rotating through their entire collection over the last few weeks to find new favorites. Lucienne is my most loved: a breezy, warm-weather pick with pomelo and lemon zest lifting up its magnolia, water lily, and dragonfruit notes, and finishing with a soft wash of sea notes and ambergris. In This World is greener and more herbaceous. A lush tangle of blood orange and eucalyptus give way to fig, violet, and lavender. Ethereal Wave is a more quiet, cerebral option, with black and white teas laced with bergamot, cardamom, and blonde woods. Of True Minds is a romantic, devotional scent inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 that wears close and tender. It features nutmeg, suede, orris, and patchouli. Each fragrance is hypoallergenic and built on an organic sugar-cane alcohol base. They offer trial size discovery sets that are a great way to experience the full collection. Please let me know which Liis fragrances become your new most-reached-for.
Buy EDPs from Liis.

My latest YesStyle cart landed, and I am happily loving and testing a fresh horde of K-beauty staples. On rotation: AXIS-Y’s Dark-Spot Correcting Glow Serum, APLB’s treatment body washes (available in Glutathione-Niacinamide, Retinol-Vitamin C-E, Collagen-EGF Peptide, and Tranexamic Acid-Niacinamide), Celimax’s Cica Cool-Calming Gel Mask, APLB’s Tranexamic Acid Brightening Sheet Mask, iUNIK’s Beta-Glucan Moisture Serum (hello, fifth bottle!), Round Lab’s 1025 Dokdo Water Gel Mask, and Round Lab’s Birch Juice Cleanser (I’ve bought more tubes of this cleanser than I can count). Right now they have up to 60% off across the site on select brands.
Shop YesStyle with my code PMKELLY20 to save even more.

Baina makes a beach towel that elevates your whole shoreline setup. This Australia- and New Zealand-founded brand designs its towelling with a fine-art sensibility, using muted naturals, terracotta, and soft blues thoughtfully arranged with a nod to sculpture and architecture. These look as good thrown over a chaise as they do spread across the sand. Each one is woven from 100% GOTS-certified 600gsm organic cotton by one of Europe’s most established mills, with a fiber that only grows stronger once wet. Refreshingly, Baina publishes and celebrates many of the supply-chain details other brands would rather keep for themselves.
Buy the Baina Beach Towels.

For the ones who obsess over supplement labels and ingredient lists, Naked Nutrition’s Naked Pea is a breath of fresh air. The unflavored version has exactly one ingredient, pea protein isolate from yellow split peas grown on North American farms, while the vanilla and chocolate versions stop at three, adding nothing artificial to the mix. Plant-based, easy to digest, and it mixes cleanly into a morning smoothie without the familiar chalky aftertaste many others bring.
Buy Naked Pea in Vanilla.

If you’ve been meaning to try Reverie’s cult-favorite Milk, the XL size is a great value and a good excuse to jump on board. This weightless leave-in treatment does the work of about six products at once, detangling, softening, taming frizz, and shielding strands from heat, color fading, and pollution. It’s powered by a blend of 16 essential oils designed to leave hair with a fresh, herbal scent and lasting nourishment from coconut, olive, and almond. I smooth a little through wet hair straight after a shower, then add buildable dabs on day-two and day-three between washing. Reverie’s founder had a recent medical emergency, so to top it off your purchase supports a beautiful, family-run small business while its founder bounces back.
Buy Reverie Milk.
Buy Reverie Milk XL.

Longtime readers know my love for all things tomato, including a good-ol-fashioned tomato leaf-scented candle. Voluspa’s latest, Tomato Trellis, scratches that itch and then some. The fragrance starts bright and verdant, with sunlit bergamot and garden mint floating over green rosemary sprigs and the unmistakable crispness of Roma tomato leaf. This smells like standing in a kitchen garden at the height of summer. The clever part is the odor-neutralizing technology they’ve built into their wax, which captures and neutralizes lingering kitchen smells rather than simply masking them. Green, fresh, and functional.
Buy the Tomato Trellis Candle.

Pixi’s antioxidant line is abundant in berries. The Antioxidant SuperBerry Cleansing Whip starts as a plush cream and lathers into a creamy foam on contact with water, lifting the day away while blueberry, raspberry, and green tea do the antioxidant heavy lifting, all without ever stripping skin. Then there are the AntioxifEYE Eye Mask Goggles, hydrogel patches cut into a clever goggle shape that hug the whole orbital eye and brow area with zero slipping. These press glycerin, caffeine, and hyaluronic acid into the skin while blueberry, strawberry, and broccoli fend off oxidative stress. Chill them first for a de-puffing payoff. These novel, cute, yet effective skin products are an affordable way to fold some free radical defense into your routine.
Buy the SuperBerry Cleansing Whip.
Buy the AntioxifEYE Eye Mask Goggles.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Thank you for reading Ratio & Ritual. Please share your favorite part of this article to help grow our community.

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I’ve tried enough gritty-textured, sickly-sweet fiber powders to be skeptical of any new ingestible wellness, so discovering Loam was a genuine revelation. It’s a flavorless, textureless (once dissolved) prebiotic fiber you stir into water. And then truly forget that it’s there. The formula packs 10 grams of six different prebiotic fibers into each serving. Pulled from upcycled plants (like carrot pomace and partially hydrolyzed guar gum), each fiber type feeds a different strain of beneficial bacteria. The brand’s pitch is they help create a more diverse, resilient microbiome that supports digestion, immunity, metabolism, and even mood, with a 30-day study to back it up. I stir a scoop into my morning water or hojicha and go about my day. No chalky texture, no aftertaste, no fuss.

Bath & Body Works just launched Fruit Fusion, a four-scent bodycare line with a recognizable backing face in Hilary Duff. I’m impressed, in spite of myself. My favorite picks are the Banana Blend and Tangerine Twirl All Day Moisture Body Washes. The formula is so rich and creamy. When I first pumped it into my hand, I thought I’d grabbed a body lotion by mistake. It lathers up cushiony and highly sensory, which is not something I expected from a mall mainstay. The scents lean sweet without tipping into cloying territory. Banana Blend smells like a warm slice of banana bread or a cold glass of banana milk. Tangerine Twirl is a dead ringer for a tangerine-tinged creamsicle, in the most pleasant way. Color me surprised, B&BW.

OneSkin has been a heavy-rotation skin staple for me for years, so I was stoked to add their new OS-01 Scalp Serum to the lineup. It runs on the same OS-01 Peptide as the rest of the line. This peptide was engineered to target cellular senescence, here aimed at the age- and stress-related hair thinning that starts at the scalp. The brand claims 81% of users saw a 40% jump in visible density at six months. I’m only a few weeks in, so I’m eager to see where it takes me. Meanwhile, the OS-01 Face and OS-01 Eye treatments remain non-negotiables in my daily routine. Both carry that same peptide in lightweight, cushiony formulas that never pill or feel heavy. I’ll report back on the scalp and hair growth status once I hit a few months of consistent use.

FROM:CELLA’s Red Ginseng Collagen Tension Serum is a new K-beauty deep cut. “Tension” is the Korean shorthand for a firm, lifted, bouncy skin feel. This product leans on two classic actives to get you there. Red ginseng brings ginsenosides, the antioxidant compounds used to help boost circulation and revive tired, dull skin. Hydrolyzed collagen supports a plumper, springier surface. The serum is a creamy texture, but it sinks in quickly and leaves skin looking taut and awake rather than tight and pulled. At under $30, it’s a low-cost way to experiment if you like a firming-focused step in your skin ritual.

I still can’t stop reaching for Counter’s All Bright Vitamin C Serum, a longtime favorite that has firmly earned its spot in my AM regimen. What sets this serum apart is its pair of gentle Vitamin C derivatives, used in place of straight ascorbic acid. A water-soluble bis-glyceryl ascorbate and an oil-soluble tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, which together add up to a 10% dose that’s effective without any sting or the common instability issues of L-ascorbic acid. It smells fantastic, absorbs beautifully, and delivers that stacking, lit-from-within glow the longer you use it. Add to cart, on repeat.

Building on the concept of repeat purchases (yes, purchases made with my own hard-earned money), these three K-beauty staples have earned permanent placement in my routine.

The Anua Rice 70 Ceramide Milk Toner is a milky, barely-there, lightweight toner built on 70% rice bran water, niacinamide, and ceramides. It brightens and smooths skin texture while gently balancing oil and reinforcing the barrier. Pat a few drops over clean skin with your hands, morning and night. It leaves you with the softest, most hydrated finish.

I’m on my third bottle of the Iunik Beta-Glucan Power Moisture Serum, which tells you everything you need to know. Beta-glucan is the hero here, a soothing humectant that holds onto moisture even better than hyaluronic acid. It’s paired with adenosine for a little wrinkle-smoothing efficacy. The texture is light, clear, and sinks in without stickiness while calming any redness. I use 1-2 pipettes-worth all over after cleansing and toning. My skin feels immediately plump, calm, and ready for moisturizer.

The Mediheal Madecassoside Blemish Pads are my go-to for calming inflammation. These gauzy pads are soaked in a centella-and-madecassoside blend, along with a healthy dose of niacinamide. They soothe redness, help fade lingering post-inflammatory acne marks, and even out overall skin tone. I swipe one over clean skin to tone morning and night, and when a spot flares up I’ll lay a whole pad over the area for fifteen minutes as a targeted masque-slash-compress. These are reliably calming, so reliably repurchased.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Every once in a while, though, someone innovative comes along who blurs these boundaries and redefines the value and very nature of beauty as a product or service. Mikaela MacLean provided me with a vibrant example of this just last week, with her one-of-a-kind auric facial.

An intuitive beauty practitioner, master esthetician, Human Design reader, and the Director of Intuitive Skin Science at LILFOX, Mikaela approaches skin through an altogether different lens: beauty as an embodied practice. Accompanied by her new Beauty by Design oracle deck and an accompanying ritual box, plus a custom embodiment guide created from my birth chart, we embarked together on a novel venture, reinventing my understanding of beauty as a way of paying attention to myself more deeply.

Beauty Is Energetic.

Human Design occupies an interesting place in contemporary wellness culture.

Some treat it as absolute truth, using it as a tool to guide major life choices and better understand their purpose on this planet. Others dismiss it entirely as woo woo alien snake oil. I’m somewhere in the middle. I’ve dabbled. And while I wouldn’t say I treat Human Design the de facto instrument for navigating this mortal coil, I do find tangible value in holding up and assessing the data from my chart, like a mirror that can better illuminate certain shadowed truths.

If a system like this one offers a shared language that helps us better understand and articulate how we move through the world, what gives us energy or depletes it, then perhaps that system has done its job.

Mikaela seems to approach Human Design similarly. Her materials describe it less as a rigid framework and more like a user manual for yourself, as a synthesis of ancient traditions and modern systems that ultimately help us embody who we are more fully.

A such, the session itself was remarkably grounded. There was no performative mysticism, no grand proclamations about destiny. Just two people talking about energy, work, relationships, beauty, and the sometimes difficult practice of trusting ourselves.

The Master Artisan.

I already knew I was a Generator.

The last time I’d looked at my Human Design chart was probably six or seven years ago and, beyond that single nugget, I remembered very little.

Mikaela describes Generators as “Master Artisans,” people designed to light up the world through their devotion to the things they genuinely love. For the Generator, sustainable energy comes not from productivity itself, but from meaningful engagement in the crafts and pastimes that bring us true personal meaning. Satisfaction fuels vitality. Mastery arrives through steady practice rather than frantic reinvention.

To be honest, as I shared with Mikaela, I spent a few years with a little bit of Projector envy. I wanted to be that rare, mysterious type, living more in the clouds of imagination than boring old pragmatism. But age has cured me of that particular jealousy. The older I’ve grown, the more appealing the idea of craftsmanship and slow, methodical attention becomes. The Generator’s MO is going super deep rather than wide, building expertise, and cultivating a life that feels less scattered and more intentional.

Waiting to Respond.

The most useful reminder from our conversation was about the Generator’s strategy. For those unfamiliar, in Human Design, your strategy is the singular way your energy is designed to engage with the world to reduce resistance and maximize flow. This strategy dictates how you should naturally take action and make major decisions, rather than forcing things using sheer mental logic.

Generators, Mikaela reminded me, are meant to “wait to respond” rather than force outcomes. Life presents invitations, opportunities, curiosities, and breadcrumbs. The practice for the Generator is noticing which ones genuinely expand our energy and which simply satisfy the mind’s desire for control. This sounds passive on paper, but it isn’t. Paying attention is active work.

The older I become, the more finite energy feels. Not in a dramatic sense, but in a practical one. Every commitment requires something in return. Every yes carries an invisible cost. I am guilty of pushing hard to grit my way through the tough parts of life, so this reminder was a timely, salient one.

Sleep On It.

The second major lesson concerned emotional authority.

I am, by nature, quite decisive. This is both a strength and a liability.

Mikaela joked that emotional beings (those with a “defined” or filled solar plexus in our Human Design charts) are never really one hundred percent certain about anything, so eighty percent certainty is usually enough. What matters is allowing ourselves enough time for any emotional charge attached to big decisions to dissipate.

The phrase she used that has stayed with me is this: What’s meant for you won’t pass you by. I find that deeply comforting, especially in a culture and time that worships urgency.

Beauty by Design.

Anyone curious about Human Design or Mikaela’s philosophy should definitely grab the Beauty by Design Oracle Deck.

Normally, oracle decks aren’t something I gravitate toward, but this one is different. It isn’t asking you to believe in anything mystical. It just asks you to pay more attention.

The premise is straightforward. Pull a single card, then notice what arises. Each card represents one gate on the Human Design chart (these gates are like the building blocks of your energetic blueprint). Read the accompanying message. Carry that reflection with you throughout the day. Let it unfold rather than forcing meaning upon it. This isn’t divination, it’s an act of reflection.

Each pause on a card is an opportunity to ask ourselves, what am I carrying today? What deserves my attention? What lesson is presenting itself?

The Intuitive Beauty Ritual Box.

For those who want the complete experience, the Beauty by Design Intuitive Beauty Ritual Box is also available through LILFOX and includes the oracle deck, guidebook, four single-use bath soaks, their Bitter Orange hydrosol mist, the iconic hydrating Blue Legume mask, Cupu Cool, and your choice of a Portal Essential Oil Blend.

The standout product from the ritual box is unquestionably Blue Legume. This vibrant blue hydrating mask smells absolutely delicious. It’s fresh, transportive, otherworldly. The Wide Awake essential oil blend mirrors the same aromatic notes of rosemary, spearmint, basil, and tulsi, extending the sensory experience beyond skincare to bath time and elegant, perfumed anointment.

The Body Knows.

Whether we’re talking about beauty, creativity, work, relationships, or self-understanding, many of us have become extraordinarily skilled at thinking our way through life. Less so at feeling it. This experience reminded me to reconnect to feeling, touch, and intuition.

Perhaps beauty, in its highest expression, isn’t really about changing who we are. Maybe true beauty can’t be found through endless clinic treatment, creams, and potions. Perhaps it’s as simple as remembering how to listen to ourselves a little more carefully.

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Rhode continues to launch skincare-in-makeup I can’t get enough of. The Highlight Milk is a riff on their Glazing Milk but with illuminating, subtle pearly shimmer. Shade 02 Pearly Champagne is the perfect sun-kissed, dewy, moisturized glow for summer. They also dropped cream bronzers in the same stick format as the Pocket Blush. These deliver long-wearing, skin-smoothing, sun-kissed warmth. Pebble and Sip are my go-to for golden contour and subtle shaping. To top it all off, the new Pocket Brush is a teeny-weeny yet versatile dual-ended blending tool. The angled side helps back on and buff bronzer. The fluffy side smooths out blush. All in all, these extensions carry forward Bieber’s vision for skincare-in-makeup that’s packed portably, easy to blend with fingers, and packed with skin-loving actives to nourish and soothe skin.

Ah, the elusive re-purchase means a brand has truly made it on my must-have short list. Experiment’s Super Saturated is my go-to for deep hydration serum layering. The Softwear lip balm is the perfect blend of occlusive without feeling sticky or too heavy, locking in moisture all day. Their Continuum breakout serum is a daily soothing, calming, and clearing treatment. Add to cart, on repeat.

AMA is a flow-state inducing drink with detoxified amanita mascaria extract. Google these magic mushrooms and you’ll see pics of a quintessential red capped fungus, complete with white speckles akin to Super Mario Bros. Somehow this coffee-alternative brand for daily, groovy, jitter-free focus has managed to purify the psychoactive properties of this quintessentially cartoony shroom, bottled it up, mixed with caffeine and L-theanine, all while preserving muscimol, a GABA-modulating compound that supports calm alertness. Their rebrand looks chic AF and most definitely evokes the chill, vibey flow the product helps support. Bravo, Jess (@brandperson) on the brand identity and go to market!

Olive Young finally launched a couple of weeks ago in Pasadena and I made it over there on an errands day to check out what all the commotion was about. As expected, you’ll find all the usual cult favorite Korean brands on display. For the most part, the formulas have remained untouched in the journey overseas, with the exception being SPF and a handful of other random SKUs. (Read: don’t stop ordering your far-superior Korean sun filter-powered SPF products from overseas!) All in all, it was a pleasant shop experience, with lots more square footage than Sephora but a more curated, clean merchandising footprint with lots of room to breathe. What’s with all the Western brands, though? Totally unnecessary IMO.

Pixi sent over a slew of classics to rediscover. I’ve been testing three of their cute roll-on eye serums. All are cooling with three metal rollerballs and an aqueous, light gel texture that leaves skin hydrated, soothed, and plump. My favorite of the three is the AntoxifEye Serum with ceramides to nourish. The original Glow Mist also never disappoints as a midday, dewy skin refresh, but the new-to-me Hydrating Milky Mist combines the texture of a milky essence with the convenience of a spray toner. Oat, B vitamins, and hyaluronic soothe and bring deep hydration to skin. In other very-likely “late to the party” news, I tried out Pixi’s pleasantly straightforward fig EDP, with green, citrus, and earthy facets. It’s truly unisex and great if you want something refreshing, bright, a little complex, and not overly tenacious. Longevity isn’t great here, but at $18 I’m fine with a midday reapplication, especially given the portable, kawaii twist-up spray bottle.

Gleanser, Gleanser, Gleanser. I just can’t get enough of this slather-it-all-over head to toe, 50% glycerin (hence the name) face and body cleanser. It’s 1000% non-stripping, nourishes, hydrates, and just feels freaking great. The stringy texture takes some getting used to if you’ve never tried a cleanser with this much glycerin, but the creamy, plush lather is the stuff dreams are made of. Another repeat purchase, ad infinitum. Note: Prequel also offers Glycolic and Salicylic Acid versions, so if you want something to smooth and refine while gently cleansing: check. it. out.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Fabula Coffee does much more than their brand name implies. Their teas are delightfully formulated, with some unexpected surprises in each blend. My favorites for the caffeine-sensitive and wellness-leaning are their Wellbeing Tea and Digestive Tea. The former combines organic rosehips, elderberry, orange peel, hibiscus, lemongrass, and acerola for a fruity, passionfruit-forward flavor with hints of ripe cherry. It’s marketed as a caffeine-free, anti-stress, relaxation-inducing tisane. Check, check, check.

For digestive support, I’m used to seeing all the usual suspects—licorice, mint. Fabula’s Digestive Tea instead blends tummy-soothing dandelion, chicory, burdock, and Saigon cinnamon for a spicy-sweet, slightly nutty profile that supports healthy intestinal flora. Sip deeply, friends!

I love throwing anything fizzy into my water bottle, so I’ve tried all the hydration-supportive, performance-boosting powders and tablets on the market. Or so I thought. Enter H2Tab’s Molecular Hydrogen Tablets. With over 40 whole-body benefits for every major system, these unassuming gray, rounded tablets transform ordinary water into hydrogen-rich water, delivering a potent 12 ppm dose that supports whole wellness at a cellular level. The product’s marketed benefits are cellular repair, energy and focus, gut health, performance and recovery, and more. They even offer a Molecular Hydrogen Bath Tablet. You know me and my penchant for daily baths, so I had to give this a go. Drop a few of these into a warm bath for a calming boost of benefits to skin health, muscle relief, and more. The bath tabs are fragrance free, so you can even stack them with your favorite bath oil, bubble bath, or cleanser.

Joonbyrd’s packaging is irreverent, colorful, and cheeky (literally—if you pull the rubber bottom off the bottle, there’s a little illustration of a butt cheek, hehe). So it’s no surprise their fragrances are similar whimsical. The Big Time Longevity Body Wash plays on both a youthful and timeless olfactory palette, combining peach, banana, cacao, and tonka bean. There’s also something very aldehydic, soapy, and classically perfume-y that feels like an bottle of Chanel got mixed with something more youthful, à la the fruity and gourmand notes listed on-pack. It’s kind of an odd kaleidoscope of competing scents that somehow works for this very specific customer. To top if all off, Joonbyrd taps into longevity science, with bold clinical claims on barrier function and wrinkle depth reduction you don’t often find in bodycare. Buzzyworthy ingredients like plant-based NAD+, centella exosomes, and multi-molecular weight hyaluronic all make appearances. You can feel the quality in the texture and lather. Use PATRICK20 at checkout for 20% off.

I was generously sent a gigantic lab sample of Colorescience’s brand new No-Show Body Shield SPF 50. It’s an all-mineral active, sheerest-of-sheer body sunscreen that blends into skin so beautifully you’ll forget it’s there. Their lightweight formula combines zinc oxide with skin-quenching hydration that melts into skin for a velvety finish, and smooths skin’s texture. You get comprehensive defense from environmental aggressors, UVA/UVB, pollution, blue light, and infrared radiation (IR), plus antioxidants that help defend against free radical damage. Skin barrier-boosting hydration meets powerful defense for every day and every activity under the sun. It looks like they’re also launching it in their globally skin tone-compatible, iconic, subtly-pink, pearlescent Glow format soon, too. Hooray!

In other fragrant news, I’m testing a giant handful of new (to me) fragrances for consideration to my summer rotation. I’ll report back next time with any standouts or stinkers.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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“Weekly Pleasures” introduces you to the sumptuous, inspiring, or otherwise noteworthy amusements I experienced over the course of one week (or in this case, three). Here are my highlights from an extra-special three week block of wellness, health, and beauty highlights, from 10–23 May, 2026.

Malin + Goetz’s Best-Sellers Travel Kit was the perfect mix of hair, body, and face essentials to brave the wedding weekend. Standouts include their deliciously green and citrusy Cilantro Hair Conditioner and bright, uplifting Bergamot Body Wash. There are honestly no duds here, so I was happy to pack light with this all-in, pre-packed Dopp kit. The natural-leaning fragrance profile and pleasant, lightweight textures were ideal for post-celebratory bathtime recovery.

I’ve always been sort of on the fence about Diptyque. Alas, one should never say never. This weekend we stayed in a suite at The Langham Pasadena for our wedding, and I fell in love with the fragrance of their shower amenities. After I ran through the Malin + Goetz kit we packed, I begrudgingly dispensed some of the unmarked, mysterious Diptyque shower gel and body milk. In classic amenities fashion, this is an ambiguous, white label scenario. Brands commonly adapt their DTC formulas at scale for “exclusive” hotel variants, making it tricky to pin down exactly what you’re using and near impossible to purchase. After a deep dive on Reddit, the consensus on the closest fragrance from the brand’s mainline assortment is Eau de Sens, which leans heavily on every part of the bitter orange tree, including neroli, bigarade, and orange blossom EO. Aromatic, green facets like angelica and juniper add zest. I’ve ordered a bottle of the shower gel and will report back my findings. Fingers crossed it’s a dead ringer for the Langham scent.

Doctor Rogers Skincare’s approach to skincare encapsulates the best of gentle-yet-effective, dermatologist-developed, formula expertise. Bioactive (and biodegradable) ingredients are effectively dosed, without known irritants. Everything feels lightweight, delicate, yet efficacious. My favorites from the line are the aloe- and glycerin-loaded gentle Face Wash, the Day Preventive Treatment with Vitamin C, hyaluronic & antioxidants, and the smoothing Night Repair Treatment with retinol-alternative bakuchiol and dual-exfoliant combo glycolic & gluconolactone (PHA).

Experiment Beauty is taking a holistic approach to fighting breakouts with their latest launch, the Continuum Daily Multi-Clarifying Treatment. Rather than approach breakouts with harsh, reactive or aggressive actives, this everyday serum instead focuses on a multi-pathway blend of ingredients proven to gently unclog pores, balance oil, calm inflammation, fade marks, and reduce redness, all while supporting barrier function and helping to accelerate the skin’s natural recovery response. Skin is left calm, resilient, and balanced, with post-inflammatory dark spots reduced in 74% of clinical study participants. Texturally, it’s a lightweight, milky emulsion that absorbs quickly, without residue and without any noticeable fragrance.

Counter Beauty now offers Body. The same accessible pricepoints, chic packaging, and delicious textures are available in body-optimized formulations. I tried the non-foaming, Sugarbuff Body Polish and Luminous Hydration Body Oil in their signature body scent, Neroli Nectar. Notes of neroli (duh!), citrus, bergamot, and geranium lift this beyond basic citrus-scented body care. The Hydrating Body Lotion, interestingly, is fragrance free. I personally would have liked a neroli version for layering this pleasantly juicy aroma from head to toe.

Laneige has created something truly unique with its Water Bank Aqua Facial Serum. The name itself is confusing, as “facial” makes this sound like a rinse-off treatment masque. Not so! This is a leave-on, exfoliating and hydrating glow serum. Designed to help easily recreate the brand’s beloved and elusive glass skin effect, this all-in-one serum is loaded with smoothing, softening and plumping ingredients like AHA, BHA, PHA, hyaluronic & polyglutamic acids, PDRN, and ceramides.

Lightly sweet with a perfectly balanced flavor profile, the TÁCHE Pistachio Milk latte has become my go-to caffeine kick. Creamy pistachio milk plus cold brew, free of added vegetable oils. What more could you ask for?

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Mellow’s CloudAlign is a bone-shaped (yes…), TikTok-viral, height-specific, chiropractor-recommended, cooling pillow that my partner hates the look of, but my body loves the feel of. I run hot, and this bouncy dream-inducer helps me keep cool while its contoured zones protect head, neck, and shoulders. Tested for comfort with back, side, and (risky-risky) stomach sleepers. It’s only a matter of time before I convert my partner to the comfy side.

I’m only a few nights into using the Hatch Restore 3 smart sleep clock and already sold on the simple power of this tactile, aesthetic sound machine slash light show slash gentle morning alarm. Pre-programmed rest and wake cycles create a gorgeous wash of soothing warm light to wind down in the evening, or a wave-sloshing, picturesque sunrise to wake up to. Much better than gasping awake to the blaring sound of an iPhone’s default alarm. Plus, the membership offers meditations, ASMR, bedtime stories, and more. Did I mention how dang cute it looks on my bedside table?

Saltair (relatively recently) launched a KP Body-Smoothing Exfoliating Milk. (Okay, maybe not that recently. I’m a bit behind!) The light texture sinks into skin easily, so it’s great for layering with your favorite traditional body moisturizer or cream. I’m using it on targeted zones like the back of my arms and thighs, both of which are more prone to keratosis pilaris. Four-way exfoliation (glycolic, salicylic, enzymes, and urea) helps gently smooth and soften, while loosening the keratin that can block hair follicles and cause KP.

Pocket AI is a portable personal assistant that’s (aptly) pocket-sized, and even snaps onto the back of your MagSafe-compatible phone. You might smirk and say, “Ugh! Another AI notetaker?” Well, yes, you’re right. There’s nothing this device is doing that an app on your phone can’t do just as well. However! If you’re forgetful and in all-day meetings like me, there’s something nice about having a dedicated, (cute) physical reminder to record that works better than opening up an app on your locked phone. The summaries generated can run through Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude and the tone of output is configurable as well. Also, it can record offline, so if you’re phone-free and need to record an important call or meeting, you’re covered. Just be sure to check your state’s legal requirements for disclosure to record conversations.

The team at MARA kindly sent over their new Aura Cleanse, a gentle, non-stripping, foaming gel cleanser loaded with the brand’s signature “marine intelligent” ingredients for a glowing, soothed complexion. Arctic algae, glacial water, seaweed extract, and berberine combine here for a never-stripped, never-tight, soothed-clean feel. Sustained hydration and a strengthened barrier are hard to come by in a gel-formula cleanser, but this one has the study to back it, with 100% stating their skin felt hydrated and supple after seven days of use. Pair with MARA’s iconic, OG Algae Enzyme Cleansing Oil for the most nourishing, decadent, thorough-not-stripped double cleanse that dreams are made of.

I discovered some new-to-me Counter Beauty staples, and re-upped on my most-reached-for brightening treatment, the All Bright Vitamin C Serum. The Clear Pore Cleanser is a thorough but gentle facial exfoliating scrub formulated safe for daily use, with an invigorating, refreshing citrus aroma. Their Adaptive Moisture Lotion has mini hyaluronic acid, algae, and squalane designed to adapt to your skin’s specific moisture needs throughout the day. This idea of customization-in-formula is showing up in skincare more and more lately. It’s exciting to see the concept adapted here at a consumer-friendly price point with approachable, easy-to-understand ingredients and pleasantly simple, sensorial formulas that are easy to pick up and play with. The moisturizer has a marzipan-almond aroma—I’m assuming from the plum oil, used for skin-smoothing benefits and nourishment. (Both plum kernel and almond contain benzaldehyde, which accounts for their sweet-nutty-cherry-like odor.) I’m loving all three of these, but especially excited to have the beloved All Bright Vitamin C back in my daily rotation. It smells and feels fantastic, while delivering noticeable, immediate and stacking glow when used regularly. I can’t get enough!

The Good Stuff from For Wellness is a powdered coffee booster with L-theanine, MCT, cinnamon, and collagen to help provide calm clarity and brain benefits to your morning brew. I’m more of a hojicha or matcha gayl (yes, you read that correctly), and this works just as well there as a supplement to soften the adrenal load of caffeine first thing in the morning, preventing the classic spike-then-crash that comes from caffeine while also claiming to support joint, bone, muscle, and skin health. The flavors are all delicious and the formula adds a smooth creaminess, never chalky.

Thank you for sharing this week with me. See you next Sunday with another roundup of “Weekly Pleasures.”

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Cleanse

First up, cleanse morning and night with The Outset’s Gentle Micellar Cleanser, an unfragranced, antioxidant-rich gel cleanser that lifts away excess oil and impurities without stripping skin, leaving you feeling fresh and balanced. Zero harsh sulfates that could risk drying skin or overstripping the barrier. Suspended micelles make washing your face feel luxurious and leave your complexion bouncy, hydrated, and nourished.

Prep

Mara’s Pearl Peptide Essence is the perfect multi-use, multipurpose toner-essence hybrid to help prep skin for optimal penetration of the actives in your serum. It has a pleasant lemon-y scent that’s not overpowering and doesn’t linger, but does add to the overall awakened, fresh, and plump feeling this does-it-all prep step brings to skin. Deep hydration and balance, all before a serum even touches your face.

Treat

Thanks to polyglutamic acid, glycerin, and ectoin, multilevel hydration is packed into this thin, almost water-weight quenching serum from Prequel. The aptly named Multi-Quench Serum is proven to deliver lasting hydration and glow. I love that it layers weightlessly with other treatments and plays well with any moisturizer in your rotation, adding next-level relief to dehydrated skin. It’s a no-brainer, always-on favorite to keep in your heavy rotation, regardless of skin type or concern.

A patented peptide and tiered-vesicle release system make the Ourself Complexion Brightening Serum faster-acting than many other discoloration-focused treatments. 87% saw an improvement in discoloration and dark spots by 8 weeks. Post-laser and BroadBand Light, I’m keen to protect and amplify results, so this hydroquinone-free brightener is a must.

Tretinoin 0.1% in the evening, every other night. Without fail. Sandwiched if I’m feeling conservative, or straight-up if I’m feeling spicy. (Though more the former leading up to the big “I Do.”) It’s proven effective, with decades of clinical research to support its efficacy for anti-aging, smoothing benefits.

COSMEDIX Define is my preferred serum-treatment in the evening, on non-Tret nights. It does pack a small dose of retinol, alongside multiple forms of skin-loving, cell-sloughing, smoothing, and brightening hydroxy acids. This is the most active in the “stable and steady” lineup of skin hacks (besides the tretinoin, ofc) but it’s worth the *very low* risk. If you can tolerate gentle acids and want a lotion-serum hybrid you can use to accelerate skin renewal for brighter, smoother, glowing skin—this is it.

Eyes

OneSkin’s OS-01 Peptide Eye Cream is my most reached-for AM eye product. It improves texture, tone, and elasticity by increasing collagen by an average of +130% in lab studies. Its rich texture is luxe but not heavy, boosting firmness, adding hydration, and strengthening the delicate under-eye area.

BY:ERA’s Bright & Firm Eye is a weightless, enlivening eye contour serum-cream that brings an alert, awakened look to tired eyes thanks to its combination of caffeine and hyaluronic acid, packaged in one of the most soothing, cooling, smooth, and sleek metal applicators on the market. Skin-like iron oxides mask discoloration without a made-up look or feel.

You guys know how much I ride or die for COSMEDIX. In the evening, I smooth the tiniest, pinprick-sized dot of their Elite Eye Doctor under each eye. Its iridescent, groovy, and proprietary liquid crystal tech and gentle vitamin A smooth wrinkles and brighten dark, puffy eyes overnight. It’s more of a thick, velvety serum-balm, so it spreads far and has a lot of grip. Bottom line: this stuff looks and works like magic.

Hydrate

One Skin’s OS-01 Face Topical Supplement is just a fancy name for a wildly effective, not overly heavy daily moisturizer. To keep things simple and remove any risk of congestion, I’m sticking to just the one daily moisturizer for AM and PM. Slather across face and neck to drench skin in firming peptides, niacinamide, soothing allantoin, and three molecular weights of hyaluronic.

Protect

I love a bit of glow, but most tinted sunscreens are either too heavy, too oily, or too sparkly. YSE’s Skin Glow SPF 30 Primer is the perfect marriage of lightweight hydrating glow and SPF, without a glittery finish. Pearlescent, skin-compatible microsphere pigments blur and scatter light without ever looking shiny or overly made up. Just a natural skin-filter effect with line-filling, weightless silicones and sheer glow that gives you barely-there coverage.

Finish

Westman Atelier’s Vital Pressed Skincare Powder in Bubble sets everything in place with its micro-milled powder form to further blur skin, adding a satin-matte finish that looks and feels hydrated, plump, and (like the name implies) vital. Bubble is a sheer, pinky-translucent tone for light to medium skin tones that subtly amps up radiance while setting makeup for hours.

Ourself Replenishing Lip Filler. Use this morning and night to subtly enhance lip contour, shape, and sustain volume. The sheer cream formula and holy-hell-it-works tech actually gives your mouth a noticeable boost of hydration and fullness. The key is consistency on this one. Its sleek, portable, metal pen packaging makes this one ideal for quick, on-the-go touch-ups. Easy to refill, too.

Thanks for reading Ratio & Ritual. As a reminder, paid subscribers receive all the premium content on offer, like the R&R podcast, In Conversation, and monthly longform essays lovingly dubbed Field Notes. Plus, unlimited access to the full archives—so you can read everything on offer, any time.

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There’s something utterly transcendent biting into about a fresh, plump tomato. The combination of green, vibrant, sweet-meets-sour, umami acidity hits the tongue with aromatic, herbaceous, and fruity qualities. From intensely zesty to verdant and bright, the tomato gives us an unlimited range of variations on a hit. To celebrate Fresh Tomato Day and my unyielding love for this unabashedly ripe, fleshy treat, I’m rounding up all my favorite tomato, tomato-inspired, and tomato-adjacent amusements.

A Creamy, Juicy, Tomato Enzyme Cleanse from LILFOX

This non-foaming, milky cream cleanser from LILFOX smells like a hot summer day in the garden with the scent peppery green tomato leaves and freshly watered, earthy soil. Gentle fruit enzymes help sweep cellular buildup away while naturally-derived salicylic acid from black willow refines skin texture. Tomato seed delivers antioxidants and carotenoids to soothe, quench dryness, and brighten. It’s an indulgently fluffy, cushiony cleansing veil that leaves skin plump, refreshed, smooth, and radiant as a fresh, plump tomato. Buy the Tomato Milk Cleanser.

Peruvian Tomato & Scandinavian Redcurrant Huile Antique from Buly

Fast-absorbing and silky, Buly’s body oil leaves skin luminous and smooth while this unexpected blend of tart redcurrant and green, sun-warmed tomato feels fresh, vegetal, and utterly addictive. A standout for more adventurous scent connoisseurs. Buy the Body Oil.

A Jumbo, Juicy Tomato Bar Soap from Flamingo Estate

Flamingo Estate’s Heirloom Tomato Soap is exactly what it promises: a huge, juicy brick of garden-fresh indulgence. The scent leans unmistakably green with tomato leaf crushed between fingers, the snap of fresh herbs, the hum of heat rising off soil at golden hour, all lifted by wild tarragon and a sprinkle of black pepper. The lather is rich and creamy, thanks to a generous dose of plant oils, leaving skin soft, nourished, and faintly fragrant. Buy the Heirloom Tomato Soap.

Fine Fragrance From the Garden from Replica Maison Margiela

Tomato leaf as a note in fine fragrance is notoriously difficult to render without veering sharp or synthetic, but From the Garden captures it in a way that feels both polished and quietly intimate. Here, the verdant snap of tomato vine is softened by juicy green mandarin and grounded with damp earth. Patchouli and geranium add a humid, nostalgic warmth. Crisp yet contemplative, it’s an easy but refined scent for anyone who wants their fragrance to evoke a sense place, not just a scent. Buy From the Garden.

The True Scent of Tomato in a Candle from Malin+Goetz

If you’ve ever crushed the leaves of a tomato plant, you know the unmistakably green, slightly bitter, almost electric aroma. This candle nails that experience perfectly. Basil, mint, and lavender open with a fresh, herbaceous clarity before giving way to the denser, juicy realism of tomato leaf and vine. There’s a subtly citrus lift and a soft, woody drydown that keeps everything clean yet warm. It fills a room with the unmistakable feeling of late summer abundance. Windows open, fresh herbs arranged on the counter for a bright tomato salad. Buy the Tomato Candle.

Three Essential Recipes Starring the Mighty Tomato from NYT Cooking

Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini. A deeply comforting, herby sheet-pan moment where jammy roasted tomatoes burst against earthy chickpeas and crispy tofu, all glossed in a bright, nutty tahini drizzle.

Crispy Halloumi With Tomatoes and White Beans. Golden, crispy-chewy slivers of halloumi melt into a saucy bed of sweet tomatoes and creamy white beans, finished with a drizzle of honey and a squeeze of lemon. Rich, savory, and easy to make.

Creamy, Spicy Tomato Beans and Greens. A slow-simmered, creamy, lip-purringly tangy tangle of white beans, tomato, and cream, layered with heat, umami depth, and a bright, peppery finish.

Thanks for reading Ratio & Ritual. As a reminder, paid subscribers receive all the premium content on offer, like the R&R podcast, In Conversation, and monthly longform essays lovingly dubbed Field Notes. Plus, unlimited access to the full archives—so you can read everything on offer, any time.

You can also receive free premium access by referring a friend you think will enjoy Ratio & Ritual. Thank you for helping to expand this community.

Get 30 day free trial

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These are some of the thoughts that emerged during these sustained moments of reflection. I hope they’re helpful for anyone else experiencing major change or inner conflict. Whether you identify as a creative person or not, many of these are universal experiences that connect us all as we move through life. If something resonates or you have another insight to share, please sound off in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

The Quiet Pause of Creative Silence.

Everyone always wants to know, What’s next?

Burnout has a way of flattening curiosity, which for any creative or strategic thinker can feel completely destabilizing. When your work revolves around generating ideas or storytelling, temporarily losing touch with that curious inner voice can feel like losing a part of yourself. But it isn’t gone. It’s just resting.

Lately I’ve been reframing this quiet time as recalibration. It’s a pause. One that’s long enough to actually metabolize the experience and extract something useful from it.

If you’re in a similar moment, the question may not be what’s next, but what did this teach me? What worked? What didn’t? What will I do differently the next time opportunity presents itself?

Mid-Career Reinvention.

After more than two decades working in beauty in various shapes and forms, I’ve seen nearly every company structure, strategy, and leadership philosophy under the sun. And yet, I find myself in a phase of career that people rarely discuss honestly: the senior-leader-to-executive inflection point. It’s a time when all the years of expertise, reputation, and network suddenly sit on a precarious seesaw between what you were, what you’ve learned along the way, and who you’ve become.

In industries like beauty, this can be especially complicated. Many companies in the $0–15M range rely on extremely lean teams, where strategy and execution blur together. The expectation is often total commitment to vision and a relentless, high urgency culture of “doing,” regardless of level or title. I still believe in the creative and cultural potential of beauty. But I’ve also felt exhausted by its machinery.

There’s a friction point that emerges here. You can deeply love the craft of the work, but still feel fatigued by the systems (or lack of systems) surrounding it. Having previously run my own brand for more than seven years, I’m also not sure if I have the emotional and physical appetite to churn that hard for someone else’s small business. I’m actively rethinking what it could look like to actually have a reasonable, healthy employer-employee relationship. What are the mechanisms and structures that allow for creativity, for space to both dream and operate in synergy, and to focus on what matters most, that drives value within my wheelhouse and area of expertise?

Burnout isn’t always about the industry or organization you’re working within, either. Often, it can stem from a misalignment between personal values and environment. For me, creative and professional reinvention is an ongoing practice of remembering that identity and profession are not the same thing.

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