What do you wear to a daytime party on a brilliant spring day? Something swishy (the flutter of a gorgeous skirt grazing your calves—is it not the greatest feeling?) with white sneakers to keep the vibe low-key and this perfect subtle tinted lip balm. Its sheen is more dewy than shiny, its tint is juicy-fresh rather than full-on color, and the teensiest creamy dab deposits a rich, buttery moisture bath of jojoba, cacao, and shea butters that lasts and lasts. Even the packaging lights me up; the crinkly recyclable tube reminds me of oil paints. The faint vanilla scent and your-lips-but-prettier tints (Rhythm is a gleamy berry; Bisou, a too-cool burnt orange; and Crush, a peachy pink) feel as chic at a Brooklyn brewery as they do at the office and on date nights out.

“Really? Toner?” I was incredulous that my facialist Jessica Bowers was giving me homework. (A treatment at her West Village skin studio is bliss, plus she has you pull tarot cards at the end of every session.) I’m always tackling a breakout—my face, at 38 years old, remains something of a minefield—and using a gently exfoliating toner morning and night, Bowers explained, could really help balance my skin.

As it turns out, Alpyn’s gorgeous pale-violet one is a miracle: It gently exfoliates and deep-cleans pores with salicylic acid, hydrates and plumps with borage oil and tremella mushroom, and boosts radiance with a supercharged blend of exquisite botanicals. It feels so good going on—I pour a little pool into my palm, then press it over my just-rinsed skin, following with moisturizer—and it’s really helped my skin.

There is no place like a redwood forest. The deep stillness feels as real and penetrating as a language, the height of the trees makes your very existence feel surreal, and, oh my god, the scent: earthy, gentle, fresher than anything, stunning. It’s an essence I didn’t think could be bottled. This mysterious blend of redwood pine, cedar, tobacco leaves, and silky vanilla comes close. It’s somehow sexy, woodsy, casual, and beautifully genderless all at once, and its made-in-California vibe is exactly what I want all the time (the founders are two friends from Northern California). Note: If you love a redwood forest, don’t miss “What the Forest Remembers”—a chapter of Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House, which also appeared in the New Yorker as a short story.

Best trick in the world: brown eyeliner. Whether you’re going for a mellow cat-eye, smudgy definition, or smoky French-girl, the magic of this ROEN pencil is its understated glamour. It’s amazingly creamy and blendable yet somehow also stays exactly where you want it, and the deep-brown shade flatters any skin tone and is less in-your-face edgy than black liner. I wear it slightly effed up for night, and the distinct little flourish it delivers, day or night, is just perfection.

It’s TikTok-famous, but it’s even better than people say it is. I’ve been using this little pocket skin-sculpting wizard with its 5-Minute Facial-Lift treatment every day for three months now and the results—brighter, smoother, plumper, more sculpted and luminous skin—have made me so happy. I’ve been getting I-can’t-put-my-finger-on-it-but-you-look-amazing compliments from everyone from my sister to a stranger in line at the Nanushka sample sale to even my facialist (who actually uses NuFACE in her treatments). “Your skin really looks better,” she said, peering through her magnifying glass. “What have you been doing differently?”

It’s incredibly easy to use—it connects to your phone via Bluetooth for step-by-step tutorials, treatment reminders (reminders happen to be my love language), and more. And it’s so low-maintenance and quick that it’s an easy habit to stick to.

Commit to the 5-Minute Facial-Lift every day and I swear you will not regret it; try the Advanced 15-Minute Facial-Lift before a big event or a night out and prepare to be amazed.

I’ve become something of a blowout expert, and my secret weapon is this: I glaze my hair with this featherweight cream-spritz before I even think about touching a hair-dryer. It’s like a primer—moisturizing and helping protect my hair from heat damage with a silky blend of avocado, almond, and rahua oils. Dry ends and breakage don’t stand a chance, and the luscious, subtle coconut-and-guava scent lingers in your hair. I love it so much that I spray it in my hair even when I’m not heat styling—it’s like a little moisture-bomb that delivers glossy shine and beautiful texture every time.

While reporting for bridesmaid duty last month in Austin and after suffering from a combination of seasonal allergies, stressful flights, and too many spritzy cocktails at the rehearsal dinner, I woke up with totally out-of-whack, puffy, red, dull skin—the morning of the wedding. But I had come prepared: I smoothed on this calming gel sheet mask and left it for 20 minutes to flood my skin with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, passion fruit, and aloe.

When I peeled off the mask, my fellow bridesmaids were in full disbelief at the change in my skin: It was noticeably plumper, dewier, brighter, and more moisturized. I’m now so obsessed that I plan to do one every few weeks as a supercharged nourishing treatment—and, of course, keep a stash ready in my suitcase.

This airy pale-pink gel-cream is made with two of my favorite skin-boosting ingredients—hyaluronic acid and vitamin C—plus nourishing botanicals like hibiscus peptides to brighten, moisturize, and smooth. My skin looks and feels so dewy, fresh, and luminous that I’ve been wearing less makeup, and on the days I do wear it, the cream leaves my skin so hydrated and smooth that it works as a primer, helping both foundation and concealer blend imperceptibly.