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 hair spray and electric toothbrush. We asked Adrienne Bailon-Houghton — co-host of E! News and former member of the Cheetah Girls (who recently partnered with Bounty on its newest paper-towel launch) — about her “baby Nespresso,” the Byredo scent that both she and her husband wear, and a snack alternative to buttery popcorn made from popped water-lily seeds.
I came across a tiny sample of this at my gym. I was working out and, afterward, I wanted a snack. So I went for it and fell in love. Now I get it on subscription. One of the things I really love about it is that it has a nice amount of magnesium, which has a calming feel to it — if anybody suffers from anxiety or has ever just been a little on edge. I used to be the biggest snacker, especially if I was watching TV. I bring this to movie theaters in my purse. It’s my alternative to buttery popcorn. It gives me that same crunch.
I chose this toothpaste originally because I thought it was aesthetically stunning. Then I actually used it, and I loved the taste. I can’t pinpoint the exact mint, but it still has a minty vibe. I got my husband into it, and we bought the Marvis toothbrushes. The brand has a mouthwash that’s incredible, and it comes in a very beautiful, ornate glass bottle. Turning the everyday mundane things into something that feels a little luxe is cool.
I was told by my interior designer, Erick Garcia with Maison Trouvaille, when he were doing my home in New York, that this was the range Julia Child cooked on. He was like, “You’re getting the Bentley of stoves.” I chose ivory and gold to match the color of my cabinets and walls. I got it just in time for Thanksgiving. There was so much room for all the dishes we were cooking. It was the luxury I had no idea I needed.
I jokingly call this my baby Nespresso. It’s a formula maker, which is so cool. You literally put the formula into the top, and from there, it does everything. It gets it to the right temperature. It makes sure that it’s properly mixed. Then you can grab it and go. The current formula that I’m using is called Bobbie.
We knew that my son was on the way, and we knew we wanted to possibly co-sleep. My sister co-sleeps — she’s got two children, an 11-year-old and an 8-year-old — and they all sleep in the bed together, because they have a custom bed that is 11 feet wide. It’s a huge bed. They all have their own space, but at the same time, it allows them quality time together, and it’s something that was important to her. Hearing about her journey of motherhood, I was interested. I found out about the Ace Collection, and it does these insanely huge beds. We ordered one but knew we wanted a custom frame. So our interior designer designed it. The only problem is that I picked such a luxe material that whenever I’ve got any product in my hair, I’m like, Do not lean your head back on that headboard.
I intentionally wanted to find a Byredo that no one knew about. The first one I was introduced to was La Tulipe, which I still absolutely love as a spring fragrance. From there, my husband bought me Flowerhead. We were in L.A. shopping at Maxfield — it has a little perfume section, and Eleventh Hour was there. My husband and I are obsessed with the number 11. When we were dating, before I’d hang up the phone with him, when it was 11:11 at night, I would always say that we should make a wish. We did that the whole time we were dating, then got married on November 11.
So when I saw it, I originally went to it because of the name. I was going to buy it just to have on our countertop, which sounds crazy, but when I smelled it, I fell in love with the scent. It smelled like winter. It smelled like family. It smelled like apple pie. My husband started wearing it too, so now it’s our main autumn-winter fragrance. But I’m still wearing it in spring, so it might be our year-round signature scent.
I grew up with Bounty, but I recognize that my mom, at some point, tried to cut corners and go for the generic stuff. We’d find ourselves wasting so much more, working two or three times harder to clean. Now, especially as a mom, I don’t want to have to go back to the roll and get three more paper towels. I like using one sheet to make things happen and get as much done as possible with that. I don’t know if it’s a Latina thing, but we’ll reuse our paper towels. I feel like it’s less wasteful. For instance, I’ll wash dishes, dry my hands, then use that same sheet to dry all the splashed areas around the sink. Or the other day, when I finished making a bottle, I had, of course, spilled a little bit of it on the floor. I swept that up and was like, Oh, this is perfect — the durability is insane.
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