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 the electric toothbrush. We asked Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet, who just launched a loungewear line called Big Feelings, about the refreshing ginger juice, tinted moisturizer, and patchouli-scented perfume oil she can’t live without.
From the moment I used this mascara, I haven’t used anything else; I have had it in my makeup kit since. Because one, it doesn’t run — it literally lasts 24 hours. And two, it’s not terrible to get off at night. You put it on and your eyes light up. It’s thick enough to give you volume. The brush has almost an hourglass shape, and goes on very quickly and easily.
I’ve always been obsessed with U Beauty products — they seep into your skin and make you glow. The Hydrator has a tint, so it’s the only makeup you need during the day. There’s a whole thing on the site that helps you pick out your shade. I picked shades one and two to see what worked best; the one is better, but if I want to have more color, I mix them. I will put this on almost like a primer, then maybe a bit of Kevyn Aucoin under my eyes or some Too Faced foundation. You need very little, once you use the Hydrator. It goes into your skin like a cream. It’s like skin science. So often, makeup just sits on top of your face. This is actually moisturizing.
During the pandemic, I started going in on this ginger-juice obsession — making fresh juice and tea. But it takes a long time. You have to boil the ginger. Peel it, purée it. It’s a whole process. I discovered Suja and I was like, How did I not know about this before? It’s pure ginger and lemon, with a little cayenne and pineapple. You can mix the drink with a hint of mint. You can mix it with a club soda. It’s so refreshing. I love to drink it during the day. It kind of feels like a cleanse. A lot of those bottled juices are disgusting, but this is so clean and fresh. It tastes gingery, not as pungent as a shot, very clean going through you. It has to be cold. I put it in a Yeti with ice.
When I was living in Malibu, Kourtney Kardashian sent me a sample after they made it for the first time. Ever since then, I have stocked it for myself at home. I feel like it’s an underrated product. The butter smells really kind of earthy. It’s not perfume, you know what I mean? It’s so hydrating. You have to let the butter really get in. If you have oily skin, this is not your pick. If you have dry skin, it’s terrific. It absorbs into your skin and makes you soft. The jar lasts for a while. Sometimes you get body stuff that’s so tiny. You’re like, Wait, I used this once, and it’s gone. I don’t use this every day because it’s very rich. Maybe three times a week, after getting out of the bath. I’ll just put it all over.
The Picotin bag is like a little satchel. It’s not so obvious, right? It’s not, I’m walking around with my fancy Hermès bag. But it’s Hermès, so it’s the nicest leather in the world. I have an orange one. It comes with a lock, but I like to tie a scarf around the handles so they’re tied together instead. You can have a lot of stuff in it without walking about with something weighing 50 pounds. I always have a small bag with my makeup, a wallet, and never less than three pairs of sunglasses with me. I definitely am someone who puts a lot of things in a bag.
Enfleurage is a little hidden treasure in the West Village. They make custom oils. You go in, pick your oil, and turn it into a roll-on. Everything there is super organic and natural. They make this one roll-on called Sex, which is a mix of patchouli, ylang ylang, and lime. They make another called Sanctuary with sage in it. They’re really the only scented things I wear, because certain things that are chemically pungent give me a tremendous migraine. Any sort of chemical perfume scent, like a Chanel or Dior, I banned from my house. So whenever I smell something that’s, I want to say a non-oil, I’m always like, Who’s got it on? Who’s got it on? Everyone who works for me knows and laughs at me about it. There are days when you just feel like you need a little protection from the world, and you put the Sanctuary on. Then there are days when you’re feeling a little funkier, and you put your Sex oil on.
I don’t like wearing flat sneakers. I feel so sad in them. I have pairs of Nikes that I take to East Village Shoe Repair in Brooklyn and have them add platforms. Nike Dunks were the latest ones. I’m so not a sneakerhead. I’ll be like, Oh, I love the color of those! Or, That works for the shoot I’m doing. But my kids love Nike Dunks, so I got Nike Dunks. I’ll wear them with leggings and a crop top and jacket. I’ll even wear them sometimes under a ball-gown skirt to be comfortable.
You could probably write a whole article on my sunglass fashion. I wear a lot of different sunglasses. Max Mara makes a pair that I wear a lot. Tom Ford — I have a lot of his. Loewe makes ones that aren’t a fortune. There are Phoebe Philos, which are admittedly a small fortune.
I was kind of a collector of the mask glasses during the mask moment. I would say the ones that I’m the most loyal to are these. Rick Owens was the OG maker of the mask-sunglass trend. Everyone copied him. These sunglasses are excellent. They cover your face. They’re not heavy. They don’t hurt your nose. They’re the coolest shape. They feel both futuristic and modern. I’m on my second pair. I try to take really good care of them.
I think of the new brand almost as Alice + Olivia’s little sister. The whole concept was that we all have big feelings and we need to learn to love those big feelings. All of our sweatshirts come with a bracelet attached to a sleeve. You can take them off — with these little heart snaps — and share them, collect them, trade them. The bracelets are meant to be a sign of community, a reminder of how a small gesture can change someone’s day. The sweatpants have these built-in boxers. You feel cool in them. These aren’t I’m-sad-at-home sweatpants. They are, I think I might go out to dinner in these. This is something you can’t really convey online, but the fabric is so soft when you touch them.
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