When I was 17, my final high school English assessment was to critically analyze the idea that one could feel connected to the notion of a place, that physical surroundings could foster a sense of belonging. The work I specifically analyzed was a poem by Robert Frost titled The Tuft of Flowers, where two people who have never met in the flesh are connected by tending to the same garden. Once aware of the other layers of that experience had by someone else, the narrator says, “I worked henceforth not alone.”
Our experiences of place, even when not contiguous, connect us to each other as well.
My takeaways were somewhat provincial, but I still managed to grasp the idea that where you are, or where you come from, can alter the way you see the world. It’s something that’s stayed with me well into adulthood, where travel and discovering new places have been defining factors in everything I do (until the pandemic, that is).
Years of my life are now marked by trips I’ve taken, wardrobe items are linked to the country of purchase and I spend hours in my kitchen at home trying to re-create flavors experienced abroad. This intrinsic idea of place is something that’s also saturated my career as a beauty editor.
Brands and products are so often inextricably linked to the story of where they come from. Just look at the French pharmacy, K-Beauty, native Australian skincare ingredients, and so much more.
It’s never been more appropriate to find a sense of place through beauty — experiencing the world through fragrances, ingredients, rituals, and sensations. It feels especially relevant, as we emerge with not a small amount of timidity towards the idea of travel in a post-pandemic world and everything that it may entail.
So, we’ve put together a world map of a different kind, one that looks at places via products, whether it’s a perfectly Parisian bath, a zesty citrus scent that captures all the light of the Amalfi in a single spritz, or an 800-year-old fragrance hand made by Italian monks in the world’s oldest pharmacy.
We can’t travel, but we can have tiny pieces of the world in our bathroom vanity, and I think that’s special. Your journey awaits…
BONDI BEACH, AUSTRALIA
RECREATION BONDI BEACH VIBRANT SKIN FACE OIL
Ahhh, Bondi. Where the surfers are up before the sun. Where the avocado toast is abundant and the air is thick with salt and fresh coffee. It’s the glittering jewel in Sydney’s crown — a blue-water paradise loved by locals and tourists alike. It’s also a place where wellness is paramount. Enter Recreation Bondi Beach: a clean, non-toxic beauty brand founded by former magazine editor Nedahl Stelio. In line with the coastal hub’s less-is-more aesthetic, Recreation recently launched Vibrant Skin Face Oil — a moisturizer-serum-eye-cream hybrid that nourishes all complexions thanks to a blend of 25 botanical ingredients. Take a few drops and really push it into the skin for maximum glow with minimal effort. It’s laissez- faire beauty with a Bondi twist.
Shop Now: Recreation Bondi Beach, Vibrant Skin Face Oil, $96, recreationbeauty.com.
THE AMAZON RAINFOREST, BRAZIL
COSTA BRAZIL KAYA JUNGLE FIRMING BODY OIL
Fashion industry veteran Francisco Costa was born in Brazil, but didn’t actually experience the Amazon Rainforest until 2016. He spent months immersed in its beauty and in the process learnt local healing rituals and the untapped wealth of curative native ingredients. The amalgamation of his experience was Costa Brazil, a sustainably produced beauty brand that feels considered but incredibly chic. Our pick is the Kaya Jungle Firming Body Oil, a superlative blend of kaya, cacay, breu branco, tucuma seed, Brazil nut, buriti, and cupuaçu to smooth the body and nourish the mind.
Shop Now: Costa Brazil, Kaya Jungle Firming Body Oil, $98, livecostabrazil.com.
GREEK ISLANDS, GREECE
KORRES GREEK YOGHURT PROBIOTIC SUPERDOSE FACE MASK
With its sapphire sea, brutish (but beautiful) landscape, and sweeping views, nothing quite possesses the physical impact of the Greek Islands. Somewhere between the tiny white villages and rocky peaks, Korres was born — a brand that pays homage to ancient Grecian beauty rituals. The offering is vast, but our pick is the Korres Greek Yoghurt Probiotic Superdose Face Mask, a gentle resurfacing treatment that will soothe and hydrate better than anything this side of the Cyclades. Just slather onto clean skin, leave for 20 minutes and rinse. It’s not a sunset Assyrtiko in Santorini, but the afterglow is the same.
Shop Now: Korres Greek Yoghurt Probiotic SuperDose Face Mask, $49, sephora.com.
THE AMALFI COAST, ITALY
TOM FORD MANDARINO DI AMALFI
Bronzed limbs, salty hair, languid afternoons spent dipping in and out of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Few have captured the brilliance of the Italian Coast quite like Tom Ford. Mandarino Di Amalfi specifically is light, luminous and inviting, just like the Costa Amalfitana itself. A sunny blend of jasmine, orange blossom, grapefruit and mint, it’s the olfactive incarnation of the European summer many of us (sadly) are not having: the precariously steep drive down the cliff, endless scoops of gelato and too many glasses of local wine at Da Adolfo. Proof that scent has the power to take us places… even if just for a moment.
Shop Now: Tom Ford, Mandarino Di Amalfi, $270, tomford.com.
NIGERIA, AFRICA
LIHA BEAUTY IDAN OIL
In Nigeria, it’s tradition to extract oils from local nuts, barks, and plants to create nourishing soaps and elixirs. These rituals and learnings are what informed Liha Beauty, a Black-owned brand that’s staked a claim within Net-A-Porter’s beauty offering. At the heart of Liha is the Idan Oil, a delicious blend of cold-pressed coconut oil and tuberose flower. Aside from smelling like a sun-drenched exotic vacation, it nourishes from top to toe. Smooth it onto hair and massage into the body for silken, glistening limbs.
Shop Now: LIHA Beauty, Idan Oil, $55, lihabeauty.com.
THE COTSWOLDS, ENGLAND
JO MALONE ENGLISH PEAR & FREESIA COLOGNE
Just two hours from the bustle of London are The Cotswolds, a place of rolling hills, quaint cottages, and pastoral clichés as far as the eye can see. Yet, it’s a world we desperately yearn for: one of chunky cardigans, cobbled streets, and freshly cut flowers. Thankfully, Jo Malone has captured the pure magic in scent form: English Pear & Freesia Cologne. This fragrance feels light and chic and quintessentially English: Think clean laundry, ripe fruit, and early-morning dewdrops clinging to flower petals.
Shop Now: Jo Malone, English Pear & Freesia Cologne fragrance, $145, jomalone.com.
NEW DEHLI, INDIA
UMA OILS PURE CALM WELLNESS OIL
Ayurveda is an ancient form of Indian medicine that puts a great deal of importance on the mind-body connection. It is not just a science but a philosophy for living, whereby our beauty and health are rooted in the balance between our physical, spiritual, and emotional selves (along with our physical surroundings). Uma Oils is a modern Indian beauty brand built around the principles of Ayurveda, using the finest essential oils from the family-owned Uma Estate in Central India. A ritual worth partaking in is an Ayurvedic foot massage using the Pure Calm Wellness Oil, a soothing blend of chamomile, vetiver, jasmine and clary sage. In Ayurvedic tradition, the feet are considered organs of action, so gently apply it to the soles, heels, and the thin skin between the toes.
Shop Now: UMA Oils, Pure Calm Wellness Oil, $85, umaoils.com.
ALGERIAN DESERT
CIRE TRUDON ABD EL KADER CANDLE
It’s late at night in the Algerian Desert and there’s a cool breeze moving across the Mascara Coast. It cuts through the thick air, offering temporary respite from the desert heat. It also carries a fragrance — a heady blend of mint, ginger, clove, tea and tobacco. It’s fresh but deep; light but dark. A tribute to the Ouled Naïl tribe, Cire Trudon’s Abd El Kader candle is like a shimmering mirage in scent form. Housed in a hand-blown green glass vessel, it’s a desert dream from the comforts of home.
Shop Now: Cire Trudon, Abd El Kader Candle, $125, trudon.com.
FLORENCE, ITALY
SANTA MARIA NOVELLA ACQUA DI SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence is thought to be the oldest pharmacy in the world. It dates back to 1221 when a group of monks started experimenting with herbs and flowers, turning the Monastery into an apothecary of sorts (it even produced herbal treatments designed to treat the Bubonic Plague). In the 16th century, the Queen of France commissioned the monks to create a fragrance in her honor resulting in Acqua di Santa Maria Novella: a light, watery scent that smells distinctly of Italian citrus. The tiny piece of Florence (and French royalty) is still available for purchase today. Ciao Bella!
Shop Now: Santa Maria Novella, Acqua di Santa Maria Novella, $135, smnovella.com.
PARIS, FRANCE
ROUGE HERMÈS LIPSTICK
Few transpose the romantic ideals of Paris quite like Hermès. Born in the French capital, it embodies all the intricacies the city is known for: luxury, quality and a keen eye for artistic detail. The house ushered in its Beaute Métier earlier this year, giving us all a tiny piece of Paris in the form of Rouge Hermès, a high fashion take on the humble lipstick. Now at the turn of seasons, we’ve been presented with an ephemeral curation of three limited shades: Rose Ombré, Rose Pommette and Rose Nuit. Inspired by fine art, the trio all play with the color pink… how perfectly Parisian of them.
Shop Now: Hermès, Rouge Lipstick FW2020 Collection, $72, hermes.com.
NEW YORK CITY, USA
PERFECT BY MARC JACOBS
John F. Kennedy once said that most cities are nouns, whereas New York is a verb. It’s dynamic, electric, gritty but hopeful. It’s got its own pulse, an electric current that vibrates through each and every person within it. For Marc Jacobs, growing up in such a place has played a formative part in his career, one that’s been as diverse and colourful as the city itself. His latest fragrance, Perfect by Marc Jacobs, is the Big Apple bottled: a clash of bright flowers, juicy fruit and softer, deeper, more complicated notes. But most importantly, it’s a celebration of originality, quirkiness, and the perfection of being imperfect.
Shop Now: Marc Jacobs, Perfect Eau de Parfum, $100, marcjacobs.com.
KYOTO, JAPAN
TATCHA DEWY SKIN CREAM
Tatcha is a brand inspired by the unmatched beauty of the Japanese Geisha. The ethos is one of holistic treatments and gentle products, all extracted from a sacred Japanese text that mapped out ancient beauty rituals (widely considered to be the oldest text of its kind). Take Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream, a rich, emollient moisturiser that leaves even the driest complexion plump, luminous and smooth. It also contains Tatcha’s signature Hadasei-3 blend of green tea, rice, and algae. Sounds like a sushi restaurant, but for your skin.
Shop Now: Tatcha, The Dewy Skin Cream, $69, tatcha.com.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
SULWHASOO FIRST CARE ACTIVATING SERUM
Of all the far-flung destinations, none are tied to beauty quite like Korea. It’s the birthplace of snail mucin and 10-step routines, all in the name of a complexion that’s glassy, bouncy and seemingly poreless. K-Beauty products are in no short supply, but Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum is in
a league of its own. Since launch, it’s sold two trillion units thanks to the signature JAUM Balancing ComplexTM — five herbs perfectly combined to nourish, calm and hydrate the skin. The critical element is to apply directly after cleansing to boost all that comes after. Glass skin, minus the flight
to Seoul.
Shop Now: Sulwhasoo, First Care Activating Serum, $89, sulwhasoo.com.
PROVENCE, FRANCE
L’OCCITANE LAVENDER FOAMING BATH
Every year come June, Provence’s sprawling farmlands turn a striking shade of purple as the lavender blooms. With its scent — soft, delicate, clean — suspended in the air, a blue-ish haze falls over the provincial town (blue magic, as it’s affectionately referred). The resulting crops are picked and packed, shipped internationally so the rest of the world can enjoy a tiny piece of Provence at home. Luckily for us, L’Occitane has done the legwork, infusing the French flower into its Foaming Bath. Lights dimmed, jazz on, red Bordeaux in hand… who needs a vacation anyway?
Shop Now: L’Occitane, Lavender Foaming Bath, $39, loccitane.com.
