welp now that it’s the literal end of summer, I guess it’s high time I put out this product roundup that I’ve been working on SINCE APRIL. life, amirite? I tell ya…
let’s get to it.
beauty
french skincare
if you read my french souvenir roundup or have spoken to me in the past three months, you know how stage-v clinger obsessed I am with french skincare rn. I’ve always loved it, but after my recent trip to paris I’ve been a total psycho. anyway, my must haves are…
1. the entire avene line, particularly the lip balms (classic and cold creme) and the antirougeurs line because I have redness that needs to be in check. the gentle cleansers and micellar water are great.
2. obsessed with embryolisse lait-crème concentré (an absolute must have cream in everyone’s arsenal)
3. my caudalie serum that’s legit 50% cheaper in france but still available here at sephora and nordstrom.
drunk elephant
I got introduced to this cult fav with a kit of minis I scored at soulcycle for — again — being a psycho (I went 4 times in a week which feels v normal but they rewarded me with some premium skincare. who’s the psycho nowwwww) (it’s me) (still). anyway, the two standouts from this, without me even knowing they were a thing, are the glycolic acid serum and the virgin marula oil. I was immediately drawn to those two and noticed amazing effects almost instantly. then I started hearing more and more about how those are two of the best sellers and they’re often used together. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend trying out their mini set of those two (under $30!!!) to resurface, brighten, and even your complexion while still keeping luster and moisture. it has been a tiny facial miracle for me.
second on this list is the tlc sukari babyfacial, which many beauty experts told me is a miracle. despite the fact that the first 4-5 mins of my experience with this “facial” felt more like I was singeing off the first several layers of my epidermis via liquid magma paste, it has since settled, my skin calmed, and it’s as miraculous as ’twas explained to me. cellular renewal ftw.
one-two lash
I’ve been talking a lot for a while (over a year actually!) about how much I love my lashes. I’m still here to be your magnetic lash evangelist. all the pros of false lashes without the nasty glue or the poking of your eyeball; all the pros of extensions with the ability to remove them at night (or whenever you want), and no risk of lashes falling out. they’re also EXTREMELY cost effective. I wear them all. the. time.
fragrances
though I’ve been a one-fragrance-at-a-time kind of girl for like 20 years, this year I decided to branch out. my therapist told me to keep telling myself “I am many things” and I took that as an excuse/reason to spoil myself with LUSHURY …. AMIRITE LADIES!!!??? I’m fine. ok so a few I fell in love with this year:
tom ford: soleil blanc rose gold body oil — if “luxury tropical vacation” had a fragrance, this would be it. it smells like wealth, coconut cocktails, saint tropez, cartier love bracelets and SPF 30. if you’re not into rose gold, it comes in actual gold, too.
guerlain: mon guerlain — not gonna lie, this is a gorgeous parisian fragrance from a storied french parfumerie, and I straight up bought this at epcot in disney world when I got drunk at fake france by myself. soft powdery floral with a touch of spice. lavender, jasmine, sandalwood, vanilla. apparently it was inspired by angelina jolie.
louis vuitton: attrape-rêves — I did not have any plans to buy this perfume, but an LV saleswoman in paris gave me a sample and my first reaction upon wearing it was “oh f**k that’s good” and was so smitten/obsessed with it, I decided to buy it on my next trip to france. as fate would have it, on my return trip to the US (which included a night in london) I got dropped off at the wrong location to get vat tax papers, and it was outside a louis vuitton store. ready and willing to take ANYTHING as a sign from the lord to treat myself, I capitalized on this serendipity and went for it. this fragrance smells like dreams coming to fruition, sophistication that doesn’t compromise on fun, a day without a cell phone in a botanical garden in france with no concerns and the world’s best sundress, and aspiration. in actual descriptive terms, the brand says these are the notes: cocoa, peony accord, litchi accord, patchouli heart, turkish rose absolute, ginger, bergamot. it’s unlike anything I’ve ever smelled tbh.
entertainment
books: band of shadows
outside of self dev books (obv I love self care books! join my self care book club lol LIKE COMMENT SUBSCRIBE) I love fantasy. huge harry potter nerd, still reading game of thrones (shit is LONG), and recently my best girl hailey released her first YA fantasy book band of shadows. it’s aaaamazing. think: if the cupboard in chronicles of narnia went to a gryffindor-common-room type place in a magical rainbow tropical rainforest, but harry potter is actually a girl with cool purple-tinged hair and different kinds of superpowers. it’s rad honestly, I’m obsessed. get it here. read it. let’s talk about it.
music: angèle, therapie taxi
on my quest to become a french person this year (clearly) I discovered two artists/musical groups with which I am OBSESSED. angèle is a like 23-year-old from belgium and I think she might be the voice of our generation. LOVE her musical style. therapie taxi is a group with some funky beats (they do a collaboration with angèle’s rapper brother, romeo elvis — yes that’s his name) and though I’m obsessed with their music as well, I would strongly recommend you don’t repeat any of the lyrics if you’re not a french speaker. they’re… explicit.
check out my v cool (très cool) french playlist below… it has both of those artists!
health and stuff
kodiak cakes s’mores flapjack cups
YOOOOO big news, kodiak cakes has done it again and created an ideal healthy sweet treat. I love the minute muffins and flapjacks and brownies from this brand, and they just launched the s’mores flapjack in a cup which seriously spoke to my marshmallow-loving soul. HIGHLY recommend.
pure organic passionfruit pineapple
another healthy snack I’m so into, this fruit-only treat is kind of like a grown up fruit rollup. I love all things passionfruit, and these are tiny and travel well so it’s been my go-to travel snack.
lululemon self care
I wrote this post mostly months ago so this is not like NEW news but still, lulu released a collection of “self-care” items including a decadent lip balm, fresh dry shampoo, super light gel moisturizer, and aluminum-free anti-stink deodorant. the entire collection is seriously fabulous, and every product smells SO GOOD. I’ve been sweat testing the deodorant, and so far so good! it’s a spray, so it’s not what I’d bring in a carry on bag, but I do think it’s working better for me than kopari and lavanilla, which have been my deodorants for the past year and a half.
goop elderberry chews
I have been wanting to write about these for several months but keep forgetting… these chews SAVED me when I was on the precipice of getting very sick during a cross country press trip. I got to test them (media sample wutup) and they legitimately work. I love elderberry in general, and these are hands down the best tasting elderberry edible product I’ve had. like on par with my fav zarbee’s chews. seriously, check these out. traveling, summer colds, etc. boost dat immunity gurl.
clothes + style thangs
scarves
look I know this is a basic bitch category but it’s only going to get worse. I mean I started out with french skincare so your expectations couldn’t have been THAT high. ok moving on. I’m obsessed with scarves, mostly wrapping them in my hair. I grabbed a few inexpensive ones (these on amazon) in basic colors and turned them into headbands. new fav look.
my basket bags
I love handbags and have been dreaming about the day when I can get the chanel boy or medium double for basically 20 years, but I swear to g I’ve never had more compliments on a bag in my life than I have with basket bags this year. I started wearing them in the spring and have been stopped by so many people asking where I got them. not sure if this is going to phase out since it’s fall now (whoops looks like I missed the boat with this entire post, as per usual) — and I’m not like a trend forecaster, but hey… I like these bags.
behold! 
basket 
bags! 
they’re great!
wide leg denim
I’ve been wearing my j.crew wide leg jeans almost nonstop since I got them (mine are sold out but there are similar online). I saw an article recently that said they’re the least flattering pants ever, but I disagree! LET ME LIVE.
dresses: reformation, self portrait, fame & partners, anthropologie
so I’m like WAY late to the game, but I only recently got into reformation and now I like can’t stop and I’ve never had addiction problems before but maybe this is just it for me. anyway.
some of my best new outfits this year have been one piece: a dress. whether it’s a slip dress from anthropologie (highly recommend this dress/the plum color), a wrap dress from reformation, a jumper that looks like a dress from fame and partners, or a piece-of-art-in-dress-form from self portrait, I’m all about the leg freedom and feminine simplicity of a dress, and plan on taking that ish with me into the next season.
juicy tracksuits
they’re bAAAAaaaack! absolutely here for that saccharine-pigmented velour sweatpant lifestyle. I now am the proud owner of two hot pink juicy tracksuits that surprisingly are not my own vintage possessions (unfortunately donated my originals years ago). I vow to keep these ones fo lyfe.
dog mom stuff
being a dog mom has been the biggest blessing in my life, two summers in a row now. despite the fact that stella is actual trash sometimes and ate one half of my magnetic lash set, she is the dearest thing in the world to me and my precious baby angel.
here’s what she/we have been loving the past several months:
treatos
doggy treats galore! stella loves jiminy’s (cricket based) treats (so sustainable and high protein!), I and love and you, and espeeeecially buddy biscuits... I swear she would do a gd backflip for one of those if I asked.
grooming
she sheds like crazy (she is a golden retriever after all) and this rubber slicker brush is an actual godsend. kong zoom groom — get it on amazon. it’s part dog toy, part grooming wizardry.
this is a lot… so I’m gonna cap it off here for now. happy shopping, listening, reading, facialing….
xx,
Dominique
beauty & the beach 
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