Your Master Guide to the Best Amazon Prime Day Beauty Deals

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Prime Big Deal Days are back October 6 and 7, and the beauty deals are already getting good. We did the digging and pulled out what’s actually worth shopping, from prestige skincare and makeup to cult K-beauty, fragrance, hair favorites and a few worthy splurges.

SKINCARE

Tata Harper

Our Picks: Regenerating Cleanser, Resurfacing Mask + Elixir Vitae
We recently sat down with Tata Harper for our Living Well series, and her formulas are exactly the kind of splurge we watch for during a sale. Three we love are marked down right now, from the brand’s cult cleansing treatment to one of its most intensive anti-aging serums.

Regenerating Cleanser | $61.60, Originally $88
One of Tata Harper’s best sellers and a longtime favorite, this daily cleansing treatment gently exfoliates as it cleanses to help smooth away dullness and leave skin looking brighter. If you’re new to the brand, this is where we’d start.

Resurfacing Mask | $66, Originally $88
This refreshing gel mask is made for those moments when your skin looks a little dull and needs a reset. It’s designed to boost hydration and radiance while leaving skin looking smoother and more refined.

Elixir Vitae | $278.40, Originally $348
This is the splurge. Tata Harper’s hyper-potent serum is designed for more advanced signs of aging, including severe lines, loss of firmness and dryness. At nearly $70 off the full size, this is exactly the kind of luxury skincare purchase that makes more sense during a sale.

Tower 28

Our Pick: SOS FaceGuard SPF 30 Sunscreen PA+++
Tower 28’s SOS line has become a go to for sensitive and breakout prone skin, and FaceGuard takes that same skin friendly approach into daily sun protection. The lightweight mineral SPF is designed to blend in without the heavy, chalky finish that can make mineral sunscreen a chore to wear. It’s 30% off for Prime Big Deal Days, making this one of the SPF deals we’d grab while it lasts.

Summer Fridays

Our Pick: Dream Lip Oil | 30% Off
Summer Fridays on sale is enough to get our attention. Dream Lip Oil gives lips that glossy, juicy finish with the cushiony feel of a treatment, making it an easy everyday alternative when you want more polish than a balm without committing to a traditional lipstick.

111SKIN

Our Pick: Cryo De-Puffing Eye Mask | $92, Originally $115
One for mornings when your face is broadcasting exactly how little sleep you got. These hydrogel eye masks hug the under-eye area while delivering ingredients including seaweed, vitamin E and a peptide complex to help address puffiness and the appearance of tired skin. Pro tip: stash them in the fridge before using for an extra cooling effect.

Also On Sale: Cryo De-Puffing Energy Facial Mask, Set of 5 | $100, Originally $135
For the full-face treatment, this two-piece hydrogel mask combines caffeine and a tetrapeptide with a cooling, cryotherapy-inspired experience designed to visibly depuff and refresh tired-looking skin. Basically, the one to reach for after a late night, long flight or particularly ambitious cocktail menu.

Barefaced

Our Pick: Toning Pads
Barefaced is 20% off for Prime Big Deal Days, and the Toning Pads are the product we’d start with. They offer an easy way to work exfoliation into a routine without turning skincare into a 12 step project, which is exactly the kind of low effort, high payoff product we want in a Prime edit.

Blue Lagoon Skin Science

20% Off Sitewide
Born from Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon, Blue Lagoon Skin Science brings the destination’s skincare philosophy home with formulas centered around the mineral-rich geothermal environment. For Prime Day, the brand is offering 20% off all individual products sitewide, with sets excluded.
Shop: Blue Lagoon Skin Science

COSRX

Our Pick: Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
One of the rare viral skincare products that has managed to maintain its cult status. The lightweight essence is built around snail mucin to help hydrate, soften and support the look of stressed skin without making a routine feel overly complicated. COSRX is offering up to 56% off select products for Prime Big Deal Days, making this one of the deeper discounts in the edit.

CōTZ

Our Pick: Face Prime & Protect Tinted SPF 40
A mineral sunscreen that behaves more like a silky primer than a traditional SPF. The lightly tinted formula helps soften the look of uneven tone while creating a smooth base under makeup, making it especially good for anyone who usually finds mineral sunscreen too heavy or chalky. Select CōTZ products are 30% off for Prime Big Deal Days.

Soft Services

Our Pick: TheraPlush Overnight Repair Treatment in Hold
Think of this as an overnight treatment for the skin below your neck. TheraPlush is a rich body treatment made to deeply moisturize and help smooth dry, rough skin while you sleep. We’re going for Hold, the scented version, which adds a subtle fragrance to an already very good nighttime body care ritual.

Kai

Our Picks: Eau de Parfum + Body Butter
Remember Kai? The cult gardenia scent still hits exactly the way you remember it, which makes this one of the more nostalgic additions to the edit. We’d go for the Eau de Parfum if you want the full throwback moment, or the Body Butter if you prefer something softer and closer to the skin. Both are 20% off for Prime Big Deal Days.

Sunday Riley

Our Pick: C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum
A longtime favorite for dullness, dark spots and that generally tired looking complexion. This potent vitamin C serum helps brighten and even the look of skin while delivering the antioxidant benefits we want from a morning serum.

ELEMIS

Our Pick: Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm
One of those cleansers that makes washing your face feel considerably more luxurious. The buttery balm melts away makeup, sunscreen and the day before emulsifying with water for a thorough cleanse without leaving skin feeling stripped.

EltaMD

Our Pick: UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46
A dermatologist favorite that has become a staple well beyond the dermatologist’s office. UV Clear is lightweight, fragrance free and formulated with niacinamide, making it an especially good everyday sunscreen for sensitive and breakout prone skin.

Paula’s Choice

Our Pick: C15 Super Booster
Rather than the BHA you’ve probably already seen everywhere, we’re eyeing the brand’s vitamin C serum. The formula pairs 15% vitamin C with vitamin E and ferulic acid to target dullness and uneven tone while providing antioxidant support.

Supergoop!

Our Pick: Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50
If you go through sunscreen quickly, this is the kind of practical Prime Day purchase we support. Unseen Sunscreen disappears into skin with a weightless, primer-like finish that works especially well under makeup.

Youth To The People

Our Pick: Superfood Cleanser
A longtime bathroom shelf staple made with kale, spinach and green tea. The gel formula gives skin that satisfying clean feeling without taking it all the way to stripped and squeaky.

Symbiome

Our Pick: The One Restorative Cream
For the skincare minimalist. Symbiome takes a microbiome focused approach with intentionally concise formulas, and The One is its rich, restorative moisturizer for dry or stressed skin.

LANEIGE

Our Picks: Water Sleeping Mask + Cream Skin Milky Toner
LANEIGE is one of those brands that makes hydration feel a little more satisfying. The Water Sleeping Mask is the overnight pick for when skin needs a moisture reset, while the Cream Skin Milky Toner gives you that cushiony, milky layer of hydration without feeling heavy. Both are easy, reliable additions to a routine and exactly the kind of products we’d happily replenish during Prime Big Deal Days.

TiZO

Our Pick: TiZO2 Primer/Sunscreen Non-Tinted SPF 40 — 30% Off
A mineral sunscreen that does double duty as a silky makeup primer, TiZO2 gives you broad-spectrum SPF 40 protection with a sheer, non-tinted finish. It’s a particularly good pick if you prefer mineral SPF but don’t love the heavier feel that can come with it.

BODY + FRAGRANCE

DedCool

Our Pick: Mochi Milk Eau de Parfum Deal: 20% off
Sweet without smelling juvenile, Mochi Milk blends marshmallow, vanilla bean and sweet rice milk into a soft gourmand that still wears close to the skin. If you like vanilla but don’t necessarily want to smell like dessert, this is the one we’d grab.

Also Worth It: Milk Dedtergent The detergent is actually the bigger bargain at 45% off, so consider this the practical add to cart after the perfume.

Ellis Brooklyn

Our Pick: Vanilla Salt Eau de Parfum
Vanilla without heading straight into dessert territory. Vanilla Salt pairs sweetness with salty skin and woods for something warm, addictive and considerably more grown up.

Phlur

Our Pick: Vanilla Skin
If you like your vanilla warm, addictive and decidedly grown up, Vanilla Skin is the Phlur scent to grab. The cozy gourmand mixes creamy vanilla with soft woods and a touch of spice for a fragrance that feels sweet without veering into cupcake territory. Select Phlur scents are up to 25% off for Prime Day, making this a very good time to restock or finally see what the Vanilla Skin obsession is about.

Soft Services

Our Pick: Buffing Bar
Body care that actually feels like skincare. The exfoliating bar helps tackle rough texture and buildup without requiring another elaborate step in your shower routine.

Cocokind

Our Pick: Retinol Body Cream
Retinol isn’t just for your face. Cocokind pairs 0.05% retinol with ceramides, squalane and moisturizing ingredients in a body cream designed to address uneven texture and tone without forgetting that body skin needs hydration too.

Lumineux

Our Pick: Teeth Whitening Strips
An easy stock up if traditional whitening strips tend to leave your teeth feeling sensitive. Lumineux takes a peroxide free approach to whitening, making these particularly interesting for anyone who has given up on harsher formulas.

BEAUTY DEVICES

Medicube

Our Pick: AGE R Booster Pro X2
The splurge of the list. Medicube’s newer device packs seven skincare modes into one tool, targeting everything from product absorption and hydration to pores, fine lines and facial definition. At $299 full price, this is exactly the sort of beauty tech we’d rather buy during Prime Day.

r.e.m. beauty

Our Picks: Dreamglow Highlight Serum in Rose Quartz + Mélange à Trois Blush & Highlight Stick + Essential Drip Glossy Balm in Cosmo
Did you know Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty is a clean beauty brand? The line is also entirely vegan and cruelty free, something that tends to get overshadowed by its celebrity founder. The Dreamglow Highlight Serum in Rose Quartz gives skin that glossy, lit from within finish without looking glittery, while the Mélange à Trois Blush & Highlight Stick makes adding color and glow ridiculously easy.

But our first add to cart is the Essential Drip Glossy Balm in Cosmo, easily one of our favorite shades from the line. It delivers the comfort of a balm with enough shine and color to feel like an actual lip product rather than an afterthought. Select r.e.m. beauty products are up to 30% off for Prime Big Deal Days.

Tower 28

Our Pick: Sculptino Cream Contour
If contour usually feels like one step too many, Sculptino makes a pretty convincing case for bringing it back. The creamy formula is easy to blend and designed to add natural looking definition without leaving behind harsh lines or an overly sculpted finish. It’s 30% off for Prime Big Deal Days, making it one of our favorite makeup deals from the brand.

Live Tinted

Our Pick: Huestick Corrector
Live Tinted has always excelled at creating multitasking makeup with deeper and more diverse skin tones in mind. The Huestick is the product we’d start with, a creamy color corrector that can help neutralize the look of dark circles and discoloration while doubling as cheek, eye or lip color depending on the shade. Even better, everything from Live Tinted is 25% off for Prime Big Deal Days.

Jung Saem Mool

Our Pick: PDRN Skin Tint
Jung Saem Mool is the cult Korean makeup brand built around that polished, skin-first finish K-beauty does so well. Our pick is the PDRN Skin Tint, a lightweight complexion product that combines natural-looking coverage with PDRN for a fresh, healthy-looking finish. The PDRN Skin Tint is 30% off October 6–7, with select Jung Saem Mool products up to 40% off.

THE TRAVEL BEAUTY BUY

Cadence

Our Pick: Cadence Capsules, Full Skincare Set
Your full skincare routine, minus the full-size bottles. Cadence’s magnetic, refillable capsules keep your cleanser, serums, moisturizer and more organized and ready to travel.

The post Your Master Guide to the Best Amazon Prime Day Beauty Deals appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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Can Your Skincare Keep Up With Your Screen Time?

Our faces are basically online all day. Between the laptop we work from, the phone we check approximately every five minutes and the late night scroll we absolutely meant to cut short, screen time has become a nearly constant part of modern life. And increasingly, skincare brands are starting to think about what all that exposure might mean for our skin, too.

That question is at the center of Zouck, the new skincare and sun care line from founder Polly Silverman. Developed over more than two years with a chemist, the collection looks beyond traditional sun protection to ingredients selected to support skin against the oxidative stress associated with UV, pollution and blue light. There is mineral SPF for daytime, antioxidant support throughout the day and even a moisturizer aptly named Night Scroll for everything that comes after.

We caught up with Silverman to talk about what screen time actually has to do with skincare, why she became obsessed with making mineral sunscreen feel genuinely good to wear, the ingredients behind Zouck and where she sees the brand fitting into an increasingly crowded SPF market.

In conversation with Polly Silverman

We spend so much of our day looking at phones and laptops now. When you were creating Zouck, what made you start thinking about screen time as part of the skincare conversation?

There are a million reasons to limit your screen time, but most people don’t realize that skincare might be one of them. Blue light, including the very light coming at your readers right now, has been studied for its ability to generate free radicals that create oxidative stress in the skin, contributing to inflammation, persistent pigmentation and the breakdown of collagen.

The first time I read about the harmful effects of blue light, I was lying in bed with my laptop just inches away from my face. The idea for Screen Screen was immediate. Making the product come to life took a lot longer.

Over two years working with a chemist, I formulated Screen Screen with the range of oxidative stressors of modern life in mind: UV, obviously, but also pollution and blue light. That’s why Zouck’s formula is mineral sun protection combined with antioxidants, including vitamin E, ethyl ferulate and green tea. But our exposure to blue light doesn’t end when the sun goes down. Most of us just take it to bed with us. Night Scroll is a nighttime moisturizer that supports skin against that same oxidative stress without the SPF. And Screen Screen Face Oil layers under SPF and Night Scroll for an extra antioxidant boost and a delicious application.

When you started developing the line with your chemist, what did you want to change about the way sunscreen looked, felt and fit into a daily skincare routine?

I wanted sunscreen to earn its place in your daily skincare ritual.

Most skincare has an immediate payoff, for example, a toner that makes your skin feel tighter and clean clean, or an oil that gives you suppleness right away.

Sunscreen has historically only offered a future payoff: less sun damage, less pigmentation, lower cancer risk. Those reasons are important, but humans are notoriously bad at delayed gratification. My goal for Zouck was to create a sunscreen that people will put on every single day. More than once a day. Even when it’s not sunny. I wanted to create a product so appealing that you’ll actually want to reapply.

Beyond zinc, we built in things I wanted from my skincare: snow mushroom and glycerin for hydration, antioxidants like green tea and ethyl ferulate, adaptogens like purslane and ashwagandha. It had to protect skin, but it also had to make skin look and feel good right now.

BLUE Oléoactif shows up in both Screen Screen Oil and Night Scroll. What was it about that ingredient and its research that made you want to build it into the collection?

BLUE Oléoactif was exactly the kind of ingredient I'd been looking for, and finding it meant other people were already thinking about this the same way I was.

It's a patented ingredient derived from black, brown and red rice, with naturally occurring antioxidant compounds. What drew me to it was the research on environmental stressors specifically, blue light, pollution, which fit the broader idea of protection for modern life that Zouck was already built around.

Zinc oxide is the physical shield you want during the day. It's also famously gentle and calming (it’s the main ingredient in diaper cream!). But you don't need SPF at night, so that’s where Night Scroll comes in. We formulated it for hydration, antioxidant support, soothing ingredients, and barrier support. It’s built around BLUE Oléoactif, calming chamomile, snow mushroom and purslane, to support skin after everything it's encountered during the day.

Are there any other ingredients across the line that you became particularly obsessed with during the development process, either because of what they could do or because you hadn’t seen them used much in sun care?

Zouck doesn’t have a single hero ingredient. Everything in the formulation is there for a reason. Or, put another way, every single ingredient in the formula is a hero.

For example, I’m obsessed with snow mushroom. It’s a humectant, so people often compare it to hyaluronic acid, and I love the way it feels on skin. It gives you this plumped, hydrated feeling without that tackiness you sometimes get from hyaluronic acid. And its polysaccharides have antioxidant properties, so it made sense within this larger idea of helping support skin against oxidative stress.

Ashwagandha and purslane were two of the bigger discoveries, adaptogenic botanicals that made so much sense within this idea of environmental stress.

Then there are the ingredients that aren't glamorous but matter so much. Triethoxycaprylylsilane helps disperse the zinc oxide evenly, which is what determines how a mineral sunscreen spreads, feels, and looks on skin. I became just as obsessed with those technical ingredients because they’re what really holds the formula together and makes it a product you actually want to use.

Screen Screen SPF goes beyond zinc oxide with ingredients like green tea, purslane, snow mushroom, tara, rice extracts and ethyl ferulate. What did you want that formula to offer someone beyond traditional sun protection?

We tend to think about sunscreen as a product associated with the beach, but the reality is that skin encounters a range of environmental stress every day, and I wanted our products to reflect that.

Our skin is living in the same world we are: pollution, lack of sleep, light across the spectrum. All of those things can contribute to oxidative stress.

So I wanted Screen Screen to do what I already wanted from my skincare: hydrate, nourish, support the skin barrier and provide antioxidant support. Zinc oxide is there to do the essential job of protecting against UV, but I didn’t see why the formula had to stop there.

Sunscreen is something you’re ideally putting on your face every single day, probably more consistently than almost anything else you own. That’s an incredible opportunity. I wanted it to feel less like sunscreen layered over your skincare, and more like sunscreen that is your skincare.

Mineral sunscreen is notoriously hard to get right when it comes to texture and white cast. What took the most trial and error with Screen Screen before you finally felt like you had the formula you wanted?

Everything. We spent over two years on the formula, because every improvement affected something else. This isn’t white-labeling, taking a ready-made base and tweaking the packaging. Zouck was made from scratch. Getting zinc to feel elegant on skin without sacrificing protection was the hardest part.

Zinc is bright white. That's where the cast comes from. The usual way brands deal with it is to add a tint, so the color cancels out on your skin. But a tint only suits certain complexions, and the pigment rubs off on your clothes. I didn't want to hide the cast. I wanted a formula that didn't leave one in the first place.

That's what pushed me toward real oils, butters, and plant extracts, building a light, spreadable base that carries finely coated zinc so evenly it goes on clear, no color needed. It's the hard way to do it. Every one of those ingredients behaves differently on skin: some sink in and disappear, some feel rich and sit on the surface, some turn greasy or chalky if you use a little too much. Getting them to work together, so the whole thing glides on, sinks in, and still feels good hours later, took version after version.

The other shortcut I refused was silicone. Many mineral formulas get their smooth, elegant feel from a silicone called dimethicone, but I didn’t want to rely on silicone to get that slip and spreadability. So I was chasing a combination almost nothing on the market pulls off at once: genuine zinc protection, a texture that feels like a luxury moisturizer, no silicone, and no tint. Each of those alone is easy. Together, without compromising on any of them, they fight each other constantly. That's what took over two years to get right.

I didn't want something that disappeared but felt dry, or something nourishing that sat visibly on top of skin. It couldn't pill. It couldn't sting if it got in your eyes when you sweat. There were endless versions that were almost right, and the real test was always the same: would I reapply it? I kept reformulating until the answer was yes.

Night Scroll is such an interesting counterpart to all of the daytime protection products. What was the thinking behind creating something specifically for the skin after a full day of sun, pollution and screen exposure?

I've always thought of Zouck as a 24-hour idea, rather than just a sunscreen brand. During the day, you protect. At night, skin needs time to recover, just like you.

Night Scroll came out of my own delightful habit of bringing my phone into bed and tunnelling into IG, the news, TikTok, sometimes switching between real headlines and The Onion just to see how close they've gotten.

I wanted something restorative you can put on at night to give something back to your skin: hydration, antioxidants, barrier support, ingredients that soothe and replenish.

Zouck isn't about pretending we have perfectly optimized lives. It's about making products for the lives we actually live.

And for the person who spends eight hours at a laptop, checks their phone constantly and then winds down by scrolling in bed, what would your ideal Zouck routine look like from morning to night?

Oh, you mean me? My routine is pretty simple. In the morning, I wash my face, apply a bit of toner, and then I use Screen Screen Oil. It delivers instant nourishment and glow. (It's like the skincare equivalent of getting your lashes tinted; you just look more awake.)

Screen Screen SPF is the essential last step. I keep Re around for reapplication during the day.

At night: cleanse well, then Night Scroll. If my skin's dry, I'll layer Screen Screen Oil on top. That's basically it.

Protecting your skin doesn't need to be another complicated wellness project. Protect during the day. Give something back at night.

There are so many excellent sunscreens on the market now, from dermatologist staples to luxury skincare formulas. Where do you see Zouck fitting into that landscape, and what do you think makes the line meaningfully different?

There are a lot more sunscreen options out there these days, which is great. But if any of them was just right, I'd be using it, and Zouck wouldn't exist.

The way I think about choosing a sunscreen is that it's a funnel. At the top, there are hundreds of formulas. But the funnel narrows quickly once you get specific about what you want. For me, I had five criteria:

First, mineral, not chemical. I wanted zinc oxide because it’s gentle and dependable, particularly for sensitive skin, and provides broad-spectrum protection with just one ingredient. That decision alone eliminates a vast number of the sunscreen formulas currently on the market.

Second, no silicone emollients. Dimethicone is a silicone often used to give mineral sunscreen the slip and spreadability people want. I didn’t want to lean on that silicone feel to make the product seem elegant. Zouck gets its glide and delicious texture from plant-derived esters, and its substance from oils and butters, cocoa, soybean, karanja, lipid chemistry that mimics the stuff skin already makes.

Third, no tint. Mineral sunscreen tends to leave a white cast. Tint is a common way brands make the white cast of mineral sunscreen less noticeable, but it makes the product less accessible and the pigment gets all over your clothes. We got our finish the harder way: finely coated zinc, evenly dispersed in a light, spreadable base, for the most cast-free result mineral can give.

Fourth, actively hydrating. I wanted an SPF that left my skin feeling genuinely nourished. Snow mushroom and glycerin pull water in; cocoa seed butter and soybean oil keep it there.

And fifth, a stack of antioxidants to help defend against the oxidative stress associated with blue-light exposure. In Zouck, that's green tea, vitamin E, ethyl ferulate.

By the time you reach the bottom of that funnel, very few products remain. Zouck exists because I couldn’t find one that met all five criteria without asking me to compromise somewhere.

The post Can Your Skincare Keep Up With Your Screen Time? appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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This Mediterranean Stuffed Salmon Is Easier Than It Looks

Bright, savory and full of Mediterranean flavor, this stuffed salmon is the kind of dinner that feels impressive without requiring much effort. Rich salmon meets Greek-inspired ingredients for a dish that’s satisfying, fresh and easy enough to make on a busy night.

The recipe comes from Rachel Mansfield’s new cookbook, More, Please!, and is one she makes for her own family several times a month. As Mansfield shared in our recent In the Kitchen With interview, her approach to cooking is all about making everyday meals easier without sacrificing flavor. Serve this salmon with a crisp Greek salad or your favorite roasted vegetables for a dinner that’s simple, flavorful and anything but boring.

MEDITERRANEAN-STYLE STUFFED SALMON

Images and text with permission from More, Please! by Rachel Mansfield, photography by Lauren Volo. Published by S&S/Simon Element.

SERVES 4
Gluten free
Nut-free

4 (6-ounce) salmon portions (longer, thicker pieces of salmon work best), skin left on, Extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach, chopped, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 11/2 cups crumbled feta cheese, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet with the skin side down. Using a sharp knife and without slicing through the skin, slice a deep, lengthwise slit down the middle of each piece of salmon, leaving about ½ inch of the fish intact on either end. Brush the salmon with oil and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the spinach, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach is wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the feta, Parmesan, and roasted red peppers. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Divide the spinach-feta mixture evenly among the salmon portions, gently pressing the mixture into the slit. Bake until the salmon flakes in the thickest part and measures 145°F, 15 to 20 minutes. We tend to let ours go on the long side because we like the top a bit crispy! You can also broil the salmon for a few minutes at the end for a crisp, golden top.

Serve hot

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8 Breastfeeding Myths a Breast Surgeon Wants New Moms to Stop Believing

Breastfeeding comes with no shortage of rules, from pumping and dumping after a drink to massaging a clogged duct. But according to Dr. Katrina B. Mitchell, much of that familiar advice isn’t actually supported by what we now know about breast anatomy and physiology.

A breast surgeon, international board-certified lactation consultant, and perinatal mental health provider, Mitchell brings a rare combination of expertise to breastfeeding care. She is also the founder of Physician Guide to Breastfeeding, a widely used evidence-based resource for parents and healthcare professionals. Her new book, Go With the Flow, out today, takes on some of breastfeeding’s most persistent misinformation. We asked her to break down eight myths new moms can stop believing.

+ You can’t drink alcohol while breastfeeding.

New research shows that even binge drinking is unlikely to result in any significant blood level of alcohol in an infant. This is because the baby consumes a fraction of the volume of alcohol that mom does (for example, 1 ounce, not the entire beer) and then has to metabolize that through his stomach, gut, liver, and into his bloodstream, after the mom’s stomach, gut, liver, and bloodstream have already done the same. The main issue is being too drunk to hold your baby and nurse. But if you’re on a getaway without baby and planning to pump and dump, save that precious milk instead.

+ You also can’t drink caffeine while breastfeeding.

This myth is particularly painful for exhausted new moms craving a badly-needed pick up. Unless you’re pounding countless uber-high-caffeine energy drinks a day, caffeine (even on the high side of coffee consumption) is safe. While there is some very minor transfer into breastmilk, like alcohol, the amount isn’t clinically significant.

+ Use heat to treat mastitis or a “clog” of milk in your breast.

It’s impossible to get a discrete “clog” of milk in the ducts of your breast. Milk is stored in milk-making cells, not ducts. You have billions of microscopic ducts in an interlacing, cobweb-like design, not a few straws that form cysts that need to be melted, or squeezed out or popped. When you get swelling and redness in your breast, it’s from a lot of blood flow in the area – not a stuck “clog” of milk. Like you would for a sprained ankle or after surgery, ice continuously to reduce the swelling and pain.

+ You need APNO for your nipples.

APNO (all-purpose nipple ointment) is an expensive, compounded product that contains an antibacterial, antifungal, and steroid component. But the nipple is one of the last places on the body where a fungal or bacterial infection wants to occur. Steroids can be dangerous if used for long periods of time. Women deserve better. No man would tolerate an APPO—all-purpose penis ointment—and we should not consider APNO acceptable for our bodies either.

+ Bras cause mastitis.

Bras do NOT cause mastitis. It’s like saying that a tight belt causes an intestinal obstruction. The bra myth too often results in moms’ experiencing unnecessary neck pain, back pain, aching breasts, redness, and swelling. Likewise, you do not develop mastitis because your posture was wrong, you were wearing a seat belt, you slept on your side at night, or you used a carrier for your baby.

+ Massage helps “unclog” a “plug” of breastmilk.

The idea of massaging a lactating breast is probably the most dangerous concept in lactation, and one that persists in all corners of the internet. Massage leads to the worst breastfeeding complications: mastitis and even abscess if you’ve massaged those delicate cells and blood vessels into a literal breast soup. All you need is ice and to treat your breasts gently like you would any other spot in your body that is irritated.

+ Milk stasis causes mastitis.

The milk stasis myth causes people to pump frantically, heat, and massage, which often ends in mastitis, galactoceles, and abscesses. Women have been taught that breastmilk forms a cesspool of infection if they don’t regularly “empty” their breasts. But remember that we do not need to eat on a schedule to prevent a gallbladder or stomach infection. We don’t experience an intestinal obstruction from fasting. Our bodies are designed to accommodate variability in feeding patterns, and we up and downregulate blood flow and secretions in response to fluctuating stimuli. Trust your body, not the lactation industry.

+ A “yeast infection” is the cause of your nipple’s pain, itching, redness, or rash.

Yeast grows problematically in very specific parts of the body (generally the vagina and esophagus), NOT in your breast or on your nipple. Excruciating, toe-curling, razor-blade-like or shooting, shocking pain? That’s nerve pain that can be treated by certain types of medication (NOT anti-fungals). An itchy, flaky red rash is most likely dermatitis (eczema) that resolves nicely with stopping exposure to a specific allergen (for example, lanolin nipple balm) and a short-term prescription steroid cream.

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In the Kitchen With Chef Greg Frey: Why Golden Door Doesn’t Believe in “Spa Food

At Golden Door, so much of what ends up on the plate starts just steps from the kitchen. On a recent stay, we spent an afternoon walking through the gardens with Executive Chef Greg Frey Jr., tasting what was growing and learning more about the way he thinks about food. For Frey, it starts with good ingredients and knowing when to let them do the work.

It’s an approach he’s been refining throughout his career, from the kitchens of Charleston Grill and Bernardus Lodge to more than a decade at Golden Door, where he’s helped move wellness cuisine away from restriction and toward food that is seasonal, nourishing, and genuinely enjoyable to eat.

That philosophy is also at the heart of his newly released cookbook, The Golden Door Table. We caught up with Frey to talk about the kitchens that shaped him, what cooking at a wellness retreat has taught him, his longtime obsession with beekeeping, and the simple cooking tricks and kitchen staples he thinks are actually worth knowing.

In the Kitchen with Chef Greg Frey

Your culinary journey has taken you from Charleston to Carmel Valley to Golden Door. Looking back at your time at Charleston Grill, Bernardus Lodge, Pamplemousse Grille, and Bluefire Grill, how did each kitchen help shape the cooking philosophy you have today?

I love this question because the places I’ve worked are so central to who I am today.

Charleston was the perfect training ground for a young chef. It’s a small peninsula, so after a crazy service, everyone ended up at the same neighborhood bars. You’d be a beginner sitting right next to chefs who had been doing this for 30 years. If you just listened, you could pull a lifetime of knowledge in a short amount of time. Plus, working at the Charleston Grill under Bob and Michelle gave me the absolute best mentors I could ask for.

After some traveling, I landed at Bernardus, which completely shaped my cooking style. Chef Cal is a wizard in the kitchen with one of the best palates I’ve ever seen. But the biggest takeaway for me was his relationship with local farmers, fishermen, and winemakers. It wasn’t a PR stunt; it was how we lived every day. As a young Chef de Cuisine, I just tried to soak it all in. That’s where my real understanding of garden-to-table cooking was born.

Later, Pamplemousse introduced me to the San Diego culinary scene and really taught me the business and financial side of running a kitchen successfully.

That led to Blue Fire Grill, where I had the honor of reconceptualizing the menu to focus on farm-direct cooking, balancing a healthy perspective with resort dining. It really solidified who I wanted to be as a chef and acted as the guiding river that brought me to the Golden Door.

You've been Executive Chef at Golden Door for more than a decade. What drew you to the property in the first place, and what has kept you there and for readers who may not be familiar, how would you describe Golden Door and what makes it different from other wellness retreats?

It is honestly hard to believe that I have been at Golden Door for over 12 years now, in chef years, that is an incredibly long time! What has kept me here is a combination of the amazing team I work with every day, having the most incredible dining room a chef could ask for, and an ownership and management team that understands giving you an open space to create allows truly amazing things to happen.

One of the unique things about my time here is that we radically changed direction when I first arrived. Back then, the food trend leaned toward austerity. It felt clinical and far too strict, which didn't align with what I believed Golden Door should be. To me, Golden Door exists to help us live, enjoy, and appreciate a better life. I believe that means eating the bounty of what the world has to offer, rather than constantly saying 'no' to this or that.

I set out to completely destroy the old stereotype that spa food is just a hard-boiled egg, a rice cake, and some microgreens. I wanted people to look at healthy food and realize it represents everything beautiful that nature has to offer.

How is cooking at a wellness retreat different from cooking in a traditional restaurant or luxury resort?

This is easily the toughest part of the job. At a normal luxury resort, guests go out into town, visit friends, or try different restaurants on the property. But at a retreat like Golden Door, our biggest challenge is keeping 41 incredibly well-traveled, multicultural guests happy eating at the exact same place 21 times in a row.

Think about it, you don’t even eat at your own house 21 times in a row! So when people come here to be pampered, the pressure is on us. We have to design our menus so that every single meal period feels fresh, exciting, and like somewhere they actually want to return to every single day.

You've spoken about how tasting produce directly from farmers transformed the way you think about food. What should people look for when shopping for fruits and vegetables?

To be honest, it started even before farmers, tasting what I grew in my own garden as a kid completely ruined grocery store produce for me! You just don't get that real flavor at the supermarket. To be fair, commercial farmers have to grow varieties that look pretty, pack well, and travel long distances. I always say that produce gets jet lag just like humans do!

But if you want to know what to look for when shopping, the absolute biggest secret is understanding ripeness. People buy unripe fruit thinking it’ll magically get better on the kitchen table. It doesn't, it just starts to rot. My number one rule, especially for fruit, is to use your nose. It should smell amazing before you even cut into it. Grab that pack of berries; if it doesn't smell like a fantastic strawberry from the outside of the package, it’s not going to taste like one when you get it home

What’s worth splurging on in the kitchen, and where is it totally fine to save?

In my opinion, you should absolutely splurge on your vinegars and oils. The quality of those two things makes a ginormous difference in the final dish. On the flip side, it’s perfectly fine to go inexpensive on things like flour, grains, and even sugar. The only caveat there is to look for the least processed version possible. For example, we use natural evaporated cane sugar for that exact reason.

You're also known as a passionate beekeeper. How did that journey begin and what's your favorite way to use honey in the kitchen?

While I was at Blue Fire, the property's general manager challenged me to develop a unique project that would bring added value to the restaurant and resort, similar to a kitchen garden. Because we lacked the space for a full garden, the idea shifted to installing beehives on the property to harvest our own honey. After doing some research, I fell in love with the concept and decided I didn't just want to oversee the project, I wanted to be the beekeeper. As for my favorite way to use honey? It's hard to beat eating it straight off the spoon.

After years of guests asking for recipes, what inspired you to finally write your upcoming cookbook, The Golden Door Table, and what can people expect?

Golden Door actually has a history of publishing cookbooks, I believe this will be our fifth, but our guests started asking me for one just a year or two into my time here. Writing a cookbook is a massive undertaking, but I'm glad we took our time because the final result is exactly what it needs to be.

The Golden Door Table isn't an ego project or a book about luxury. I wrote it for the everyday home cook who wants to eat healthier. I want to shatter the myth that healthy cooking is complicated or difficult—it’s actually pretty simple.

My main goal was to make these recipes incredibly approachable. You won't have to visit twelve different specialty stores to find the ingredients. While there are a few unique items that might be new to some readers, everything can be easily found at your local grocery store or ordered online straight to your doorstep

How do you build flavor without relying on excess salt, sugar, or heavy sauces?

I like to summarize this by sharing a piece of advice from my old chef. He told me, 'Greg, you aren’t creating flavor, you’re harnessing it.' Our job is to collect flavor, advance it, and present as much of it on the plate as possible.

When you cook with fresh, high-quality ingredients, heavy sauces actually ruin the food because they mask all those bright, natural flavors. Salt and sugar should only be used as subtle enhancers to wake a dish up, but you should never actually taste them in the final bite.

What's one kitchen habit you've developed over the years that makes cooking easier?

The simplest one is to clean as you go. Keep your work area clear, your cutting board wiped down, and your knife clean. It really comes down to the old saying: a clean and organized space gives you a clean and organized mind.

What's a kitchen gadget that's actually worth the counter space and investment?

VitaMix blender.

What's your go-to meal when you don't feel like cooking?

Carbonara

What's a chef's trick that home cooks rarely use?

Reaching for the acid vs salt when the flavor is less than expected.

What are three pantry staples you think everyone should keep on hand?

Great great quality vinegar and agromato olive oil and diamond crystal kosher salt.

If someone wanted to bring a little bit of the Golden Door philosophy into their own kitchen, where would you tell them to start?

I always tell people to start by looking at their plate like a pie chart: one-quarter protein, one-quarter complex carbohydrates, and the entire other half fresh vegetables. If you do just that, you are already halfway there.

To take it a step further, make sure that vegetable half is a rainbow of colors to ensure you are getting a rich variety of nutrients.

Finally, challenge yourself to go completely without salt for three days. It will be tough—maybe even feel impossible, but it resets your palate. Once those three days are up, you will taste ingredients differently and start using salt in a much more mindful way going forward.

The post In the Kitchen With Chef Greg Frey: Why Golden Door Doesn’t Believe in “Spa Food appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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Not All Glutathione Supplements Are Created Equal. Here’s Why Formulation Matters

Glutathione is having a moment, but the real story is not just that another ingredient has entered the healthy aging conversation. It is that more people are starting to ask better questions about their supplements. What form is being used? Can the body actually absorb it? Why are certain ingredients paired together? And is the formula built with intention, or is it simply following the trend?

That matters with glutathione because the ingredient itself is already doing important work inside the body. It is one of the body’s most essential antioxidants, naturally produced in the liver and tissues, and it plays a central role in helping protect cells from oxidative stress.

But as more glutathione products enter the market, the labels can start to look similar. According to Dr. Terry Kitagawa, Senior Innovation and Education Sales Planning Manager at Youtheory, the difference often comes down to how thoughtfully a product is formulated.

“The most meaningful formulations are typically those where the science, dosage, and intended benefit are aligned,” he says.

Why Formulation Matters

A well formulated supplement should not just combine popular ingredients because they sound good together. It should have a clear purpose. In the case of glutathione, that means looking at the form of the ingredient, how it is delivered, the dosage being used, and whether the supporting ingredients make sense.

As Dr. Kitagawa explains, thoughtful formulations start with a clear understanding of the ingredient and the research behind it. The goal is not to make the biggest promise. The goal is to build something that makes sense from a scientific and practical standpoint.

That is especially important in a category where consumers are seeing glutathione tied to everything from skin glow to immunity to healthy aging. The most useful question is not just “does this contain glutathione?” It is “how was this formula built, and why?”

Why Delivery is Part of the Conversation

One reason glutathione supplements can vary so much is that delivery matters. Some compounds do not make it through digestion easily. Others may degrade before the body has a chance to absorb them efficiently.

In those cases, Dr. Kitagawa says, “simply increasing the dose doesn’t always solve the problem.”

That is where liposomal delivery comes in. Liposomes are tiny spheres made from phospholipids, the same type of molecules that make up our cell membranes. In a supplement, they can help encapsulate and protect certain ingredients as they move through the digestive tract.

For glutathione, this can be especially relevant because the molecule is relatively fragile. Liposomal delivery is used to help protect the ingredient and support its absorption and bioavailability.

It is also part of a larger shift in supplementation. The conversation is no longer only about discovering the next trending ingredient. It is also about finding better ways to deliver ingredients the body already knows how to use.

As Dr. Kitagawa puts it, “the future of supplementation isn’t just about discovering new ingredients, but also finding better ways to deliver them.”

What to Look for Beyond the Hero Ingredient

Another sign of a thoughtful formula is whether the supporting ingredients actually make sense. In the glutathione category, that means asking whether additional ingredients are there for a clear reason, or simply because they make the label look more impressive.

Dr. Kitagawa says Youtheory approached its Glutathione+ formula as “a system rather than a single ingredient product.” The reason, he explains, is that glutathione’s effectiveness depends in part on how well it can be delivered and utilized by the body.

In Youtheory’s formula, that starts with liposomal glutathione. It is then paired with taurine and resveratrol, two ingredients selected for their complementary roles in supporting healthy glutathione levels and the body’s natural defenses against oxidative stress.

Together, he says, these ingredients create “a more comprehensive and advanced approach than glutathione alone.”

The broader takeaway is not that every formula needs to include the same supporting ingredients. It is that the supporting ingredients should have a purpose. A longer ingredient list is not automatically better. A more intentional one usually is. SHOP Glutathione+ HERE 

How to Tell if a Formula is Thoughtful or just Trendy

As glutathione becomes more popular, it is worth looking past the front of the bottle. A smarter formula should be clear about the form of glutathione being used, the delivery system, the supporting ingredients, and the intended benefit.

It should also be realistic about what glutathione can and cannot do. Glutathione is not an overnight fix. For most people, it works behind the scenes, helping support antioxidant defense, cellular protection, and the body’s natural resilience over time.

That may not sound as flashy as some supplement claims, but it is probably the more honest version of the story.

A good formula should be able to answer a few simple questions: Why this form? Why this dose? Why these supporting ingredients? And what is the product actually designed to support?

If those answers are vague, that may be a sign the formula is more trend driven than science driven.

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We Found the Dreamiest Porcelain Vases That Look Like Draped Couture

For fifteen years, Sullivan Owen made her name in flowers. She was named Best Florist in Philadelphia just six months after opening her studio, designed luxury weddings and events, landed in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Martha Stewart, and earned a spot in Rizzoli's In Full Flower alongside a new generation of floral artists. Then 2020 emptied her calendar overnight and shut her studio for nineteen months.

She threw herself into a garden renovation at home, something she'd never attempted before, and then, once the summer heat made digging unbearable, into a beginner pottery class. It was meant to be a temporary distraction. It turned into four years of teaching herself clay chemistry, mold-making, 3D software, and how to build and maintain the printers she now works on, all in pursuit of something she already knew: how a flower actually behaves once it lands in a vase.

The vases came out of all that. She thinks about the stems first and the shape second, and those folds that look like draped fabric are really just clever hiding spots for a flower that won't cooperate. We sat down with her to talk about the leap from florist to vase-maker, the pieces she can't stop arranging in, and her case for why a supermarket bouquet has more potential than you'd think.

In Conversation with Sullivan Owen

For readers discovering your work for the first time, how would you describe the world of Sullivan Owen and the feeling you hope your pieces create?

My day to day looks like a lot of solo-preneurs': juggling a growing business while pushing new ideas forward. I made my vases because I knew the literal constraints of modern designer vases firsthand- pretty to look at on a shelf, not so great for actually arranging flowers.

Having spent fifteen years as a florist, I have a deep love for the people who grow my flowers and the many characters I buy wholesale from, and I saw my vases as a way to grow their businesses too. By making vases that people genuinely crave to fill, everyone gets to enjoy flowers more easily, any time, in their own homes.

You spent more than 15 years working as a floral designer before beginning to design vessels. How did that experience shape the way you see flowers, form, and proportion?

Fifteen years of arranging flowers for other people means you notice things most vase designers never do,  because most people who design and make vases, especially for wholesale, don't actually arrange flowers themselves. I see the stems inside the vase first: where they need to sit in the water to hold a visually pleasing composition above the rim. The folds and ridges that mimic fabric aren't just decorative,  they guide the stems into place, giving the arranger specific spots to tuck a rogue stem so it falls exactly where it should.

Your design process moves between hand-sculpting and digital tools. Could you take us from the first sketch or clay idea through 3D modeling, flower testing, mold-making, and the finished porcelain piece?

I sculpt in a variety of mediums,  wax sculpture clay, sometimes a gloopy combo of fabric and Mod Podge  then move to high-tech scans of those 3D sketches and sculpt digitally from there. I'm entirely self-taught in 3D modeling, but like most digital mediums, it allows for so much play and iteration.

Once I feel I'm heading in the right direction, I 3D print the piece in my home lab, which is built from printers. I also had to learn to build and service myself. I print in a plant-based filament that lets me make full-size, watertight vases I can actually put real flowers in. A lot of pieces don't make it past that first print, they stay on shelves, in boxes, for me to come back to later.

Every piece in the collection came together differently. Some were instant- Draped No. 1 barely changed from wax clay to 3D print to final porcelain form. Others took years: my new Pedestal No. 1, a fresh take on centerpieces, took close to three years of iterations and studying other forms.

A piece is really ready when I can't stop arranging in the 3D-printed version. At that point I make a scaled-up model, which goes to Oregon to have a pottery plaster mold made, that's what lets us produce the porcelain pieces.

Your vases have the folds, curves, and sense of movement we normally associate with fabric. When you begin designing a new piece, what comes first: a particular flower, the gesture of an arrangement, or a visual reference from fashion or art?

It really varies. With Draped No. 1, it was the flower. My collection of rare tree peonies, which only bloom for five or six weeks. I wanted a vase that could hold a lot of their huge blooms but still let them fan out and shine individually.

Sometimes it's a gesture like holding a handful of stems in your hand as you're cutting from the garden, or picking up small bunches at a market stand. Most people are looking at the flowers above their grip; I'm looking at what those stems need to hold them exactly as they are in my hand.

And sometimes it's a reference like an image that strikes me. That can spark an idea so vague I can't connect it to a piece yet, or it can lead somewhere entirely new. Right now I have a few references I'm considering for candlesticks and votive holders, a product category I haven't made before.

Twist No. 1 was influenced by archival and contemporary Dior and the way fabric is draped around the body. Can you walk us through how you translated that softness and movement into the form of a vase?

During the pandemic, when couturiers were working from home with old fabric, Maria Grazia Chiuri's team posted a neon tulle drape, not a full design yet, just pinned to a dress form. I was struck by the color and the way the folds flowed diagonally across the body. My grandmother was a fashion stylist and buyer going back to the early '60s, so I grew up with a broad knowledge of the greats of that era, and that neon dress reminded me of a piece from Mr. Dior's own time, that same line was there.

I started sculpting that line into what would become Twist No. 1, widening the opening at the top like the neckline of a dress so flowers could spill out, and trying to capture some of that same movement in the "hem" of the piece.

I was so excited later to see JW Anderson referencing some of the same archival pieces in his early collections. There's an embrace of femininity and curve in these houses that lends itself naturally to flowers, a lot of designers even refer to their flowers as "she."

You have described your garden as a living floral arrangement, planted in evolving palettes with textures and colors designed to unfold across the seasons. Has growing your own flowers changed your definition of what makes an arrangement beautiful?

Growing my own flowers has only deepened my appreciation for them, and for the people around the world who grow them for all of us. My garden has taught me patience and given me more optimism than I ever thought I was capable of. I grew up a cynical little New Yorker. Picture a five-year-old in all black, holding court with the eighty-year-old regulars at the corner cafe.

But planting a tiny plug plant, a sad-looking bare-root peony, or sowing seeds too small to see is an exercise in hope. It's a belief that you'll be here to see those flowers bloom, here next year for the next round, here in ten years to watch the tree they're attached to mature. It took me until I was forty to really understand that, and I'm grateful I finally did.

Why has Barely Cinched become one of the pieces you use most often yourself?

It was my first vase, so it's incredibly special to me. In 2020, I was in a dark place, like a lot of people were. I'd spent a decade building my floral design studio into something that supported me and my small team. We were doing work we were proud of, with clients who trusted new ideas. Then it all went on hold, which to me felt like it had simply gone away, through something entirely outside my control. I blamed myself for not being prepared, for not somehow foreseeing a global pandemic.

I threw myself into the garden doing everything myself that I'd planned to hire out, growing my own plugs, moving tons of compost, exhausting myself daily just to sleep. By August, with 100-degree days, that wasn't sustainable anymore. I needed an indoor project, and a video of someone throwing a planter on a wheel was the spark. Philadelphia has a wonderful nonprofit called The Clay Studio, and they'd just resumed small in-person classes. I signed up for the one technique I'd never tried in eight years of art classes, including two years of art college: slip casting and mold making.

The minute I made my first mold, which was a simple two-part mold of a lightbulb I was obsessed. You can achieve folds and wall thicknesses in slip casting that hand-building or throwing can't touch. I took the class twice and, by the end, became an Associate Artist, meaning I could work on and fire my own pieces independently. I still hold that title; it's still my play space.

I made the first Barely Cinched in my second class session. It was a hard piece to mold. I wasn't 3D printing or sculpting in wax yet, so it was rough. But the vase itself was a joy to arrange in. I'd made it for the handfuls of flowers I'd walk around the garden cutting, and it just worked.

I used it, people loved it on Instagram, but I didn't think about actually selling it until I gave one to a client, the mother of a bride in 2022. She found me again in 2023 and told me she used that vase every week, sometimes every few days. It never left her kitchen island. That was the spark for turning it into a collection. Without knowing someone had used and loved it for a full year, I don't think I'd have had the nerve to invest the years it took to make the rest of the collection real.

How should someone choose between Twist No. 1, Barely Cinched, Envelope No. 1, Draped No. 1, and Baby Twist for a particular arrangement?

I actually answer this for clients all the time, I ask what flower they always want to display.

Peonies in spring, roses in summer, dahlias in autumn? Barely Cinched. SHOP IT HERE

A snip of daffodils, a few tulips, a couple of fall leaves? Baby Twist, to add color and life to a desk or bedside. SHOP IT HERE

Hamptons hydrangeas, tall beachy grasses, a branch of plum or peach blossom? Twist No. 1. SHOP IT HERE

Bits foraged from late winter or early spring, a few herb stems, a stem knocked down in the rain? Envelope No. 1. SHOP IT HERE

Draped No. 1 is different. It's the piece you have to really want, especially at its price point. It's less about a specific flower and more about wanting that particular form in your home. SHOP IT HERE

Which vase would you recommend for someone who loves loose, romantic arrangements but does not have professional floral experience?

Baby Twist is what all my customers would say. It's a great way to try out small designs. It’s personal, low-stakes, and it lets people flex their creativity and find what they actually love in flowers and color. It's also everyone's favorite piece to gift someone who'd love having flowers around more often.

From there, most people build out their collection based on their favorite flowers or a spot in their home they want to fill. I designed the whole collection with something like a vase library in mind, no matter the season or the flowers, there's a form that works. Pedestal No. 1 is the newest addition to that library: a true centerpiece form that's actually easy to arrange in. Bowls are notoriously difficult to arrange in, and I've removed that challenge entirely. I can't wait for people to experience it.

Is there one vase in the collection that most fully embodies your floral design philosophy, and what about it makes it feel so representative of your approach?

I wouldn't put a piece in the collection that didn't work well, but I think Twist No. 1 most fully embodies what I'm trying to achieve. A tall cylinder vase is always hard to arrange in the rigid, straight sides and long reach down to the water means flowers have nowhere to go but straight up, fighting the vessel the whole way. By changing those lines, adding folds and movement to the rim, and leaving room for stems to flare out at both the base and the top, it achieves an effortless, natural-looking arrangement. The flowers themselves are exactly the same. I've just made space for them to behave the way they would in nature.

What is your best advice for making grocery-store flowers look more romantic and elevated?

Take the bunch apart. Grocery bouquets are designed to look full in the sleeve, not good in a vase. Pull them out, cut every stem to different lengths, and remove anything you don't love, this is your chance to curate the bunch to your own taste, not anyone else's. Then add one thing from outside: a branch from your yard, an herb, a few leaves. That one foraged element is what makes it read as designed rather than bought.

What is your best trick for making an arrangement look beautiful from every angle?

First, where is this arrangement actually going, and from what angle will it be seen? If it's going against a wall, you only need to worry about one side, don't waste time perfecting a back no one will see. If it's going somewhere it'll be viewed from all sides, turn the vase constantly while you're working, every few stems rather than waiting until the end. Most people build a front and discover the back later.

The post We Found the Dreamiest Porcelain Vases That Look Like Draped Couture appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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