If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hairspray and the electric toothbrush. We asked Meena Harris — the CEO of Phenomenal, whose second children’s book Ambitious Girl came out earlier this year — about the wine glasses, slippers, and meat-delivery service she can’t live without.
I aspire to be the person that has a multistep skin-care routine, but I’ve never been able to stick to one. It just feels like too much. Ranavat’s line is the first one that gave me a bit of a multistep routine that feels manageable. I use three products from the brand; a mist, cream, and this brightening saffron serum. The routine literally takes me two minutes, but it feels calming. The scents are really soothing too; particularly the serum’s, because the saffron reminds me of this Indian dish my grandmother would make called kesari, which is like a sweet. Whenever I put on the serum, it’s like I’m putting kesari on my face.
I am extremely particular about lip products. I hate things that have a flavor or scent, are overly slippery, or don’t actually moisturize. I am sensitive to taste and smell, and I feel like scents and flavors interfere with my coffee or wine. I don’t like that at all. I think it’s intended for men, but I like this shea-butter one the most. It feels natural, is pretty much unscented, and so moisturizing. It gets the job done and is very effective.
These slippers are cute, but what I really like about them is that they are cushiony and comfortable enough for travel. When I was traveling a ton, I would always bring them with me because it is so nice to have your own slippers in a hotel. I think it’s kind of gross to walk around a hotel room with your bare feet; obviously some places will have slippers, but they’re always really flimsy. And a lot of hotels don’t have them at all, so these became an essential travel item for me.
I have a Le Creuset Dutch oven, which is great. But what I like about this Great Jones one is that it’s longer and shallower, which makes it easier to cook stuff more evenly and takes less time because everything is more spread out. It’s great for when I’m making gumbo or defrosting okra or cooking shrimp. I can cook those things much quicker and much more evenly using this.
I found this while looking for makeup during the pandemic. I have worn a lot of the same makeup since high school, but I’ve frankly come to hate wearing most makeup right now unless it’s easy and effortless. The Huestick is just so effortless — its whole appeal is that it works on your eyes, lips, and cheeks, but I usually just use it on my eyes. It actually makes me look like I have something going on, even though I usually just spend two minutes just rubbing it on my eyelids with my fingers and then putting on mascara. I use a lot of different colors, but my go-to shade is True.
I got my first Cream Co. meats as a gift during the pandemic. It sounds like a funny gift, but if you know me, it’s actually perfect. I like cooking and learning new recipes. The service has been a game changer — the cuts of meat are just really high quality and fresh. I pretty much exclusively buy meat from Cream Co. now. It got me really into steaks, and — if I do say so myself — I’m so good at making them. It’s been a huge pandemic self-care thing for me.
Wine snobs and wine elitists have a whole thing about not drinking from colored glasses because seeing a wine’s color as you sip is part of the whole experience. I really respect people in that industry, but I’m also like, whatever, I like color! Color brings me joy, and I really love drinking my rosé from these blush-colored glasses.
It took me forever to try “period underwear,” but I love these. I was in and out of pregnancy for like two, three years straight, and when I finally started getting my period again regularly, I was so fucking annoyed. These came into my life at the perfect time. I was extremely over having a period and having to deal with tampons. There are a couple styles, but as a mom, I choose high-waisted for everything.
Barriere is a woman-owned brand that makes disposable, medical-grade face masks that are also cute. These are basically like one of the surgical blue masks, but cuter. I really love how the “vote” is more of a print but still subtle.
I’m obsessed. Historically, people would use toothbrushes for their edges and they would definitely get the job done. But this has a pointed, chiseled edge that really helps you to get in there and get a more refined swoop. If you’re into doing more designs and things, this makes that easier, too. I mainly use it to do my daughters’ hair, but I also recommend it for when you’re putting your hair up in a bun or a ponytail and you don’t want to have flyaways or frizz. This is kind of embarrassing, but I use the styler with the old-school Murray’s Edge Wax. I’m looking for alternatives because I’m sure that’s not great in terms of chemicals.
The message behind this sweatshirt echoes a lot of what we do, which is encourage people to loudly and proudly proclaim who they are in a way that’s bold and unapologetic. I think female ambition in particular is something that is often used against women in a way that it’s certainly not used against men. So the message is very simple: I’m ambitious and I’m not hiding it, I’m proclaiming it to the world. I think the sweatshirt is both provocative and a conversation starter, which is the goal. Beyond that, it’s just so soft and comfortable and my all-time favorite colorway that we’ve ever done.
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