BEST OF BEAUTY

EDITOR’S PICK: LA PRAIRIE Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil And they’ve done it again. The doyenne of luxury skincare has, just in time for the holidays, unveiled a precious nighttime oil which took 3 years of perfecting. The potent oil harnesses retinol and lipids from La Prairie’s signature moisturizing ingredient, caviar, and also contains the brand’s proprietary cellular complex, featured in an oil for the first time. We can only describe this as liquid gold, rich without being heavy, and meant to be used as the last step in the nightly face ritual to smooth lines, and provide lifting and firming. All you need is a few drops, so be assured, this mighty little cobalt blue bottle will go a long, long way to making that “mirror, mirror on the wall” your best friend again. 20ml / 0.68 oz. $530 www.laprairie.com

GIORGIO ARMANI – Crema Nera Extrema Supreme Reviving Cream A 24-hour skin hydration cream containing potent patented ingredients in their purest form to target signs of aging like loss of firmness, dark spots, and dryness. We love that it’s soft and rich, but without being greasy, so it’s perfect even for hot and humid weather. 1.7 oz. $400 www.macys.com

IN THE SPIRIT

GRAND BRULOT A cognac like no other! The finest ‘eaux de vie’ from a blend of Ugni Blanc & Colombard grapes from its single-estate is crafted into an elegant 80 proof VSOP Cognac that’s aged for 4-5 years then combined with 100% Robusta Ecuadorian coffee bean essence. The final product, with its equivalent of one shot of espresso per serving, is sublime! Get ready to savor aromas of vanilla, bitter orange, chocolate, and, of course, coffee. Enjoy this on its own, or mix it up with your favorite spirits to create a stunning Espresso Martini, Manhattan, and more. The recipes on the website are going to make you a mixologist par none! 750ml $42.99 www.grandbrulot.com

NEFT Ultra Premium Vodka – Black Barrel The portable, unbreakable barrel, which keeps the small batch vodka cold up to 6 hours is a nifty touch, but what makes this vodka stand out is its distinct taste — a touch sweet — borne of its pure ingredients, not sugar. NEFT, which earned 98 points from the Tasting Panel Magazine and raked up Best Vodka at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, uses water from the Rhaetian Alps in Austria, filtered for over fifty years, and four ancient grains of rye to bring you a vodka that will make fans out of even hardcore gin drinkers. Perfect for that dry or espresso martini. 750ml $29.99 www.neftvodkausa.com

PortoVino WINE PURSES & TOTES Yes it’s that easy now! Thanks to this ingenious tote bag, you can take your wine with you wherever you go, and more importantly, in style! Fashionable and functional, each tote bag holds about 2 bottles of wine in a removable, easy-to-use pouch with pouring spout, and has a unique, zippered, insulated pocket that keeps your drinks chilled for hours, all while having plenty of room for your everyday purse necessities. Need another reason? Each purse sold feeds a child! $54.95 www.portovino.com

GROOMGLOW Wedding White Teeth Unlock your most dazzling smile naturally and stop tinkering with the photo apps! This portable kit uses dual-light technology inside of a comfortable mouthpiece to target a number of concerns. A blue LED light whitens teeth deeply and evenly while the red LED light reduces sensitivity and improves overall gum health. Used in tandem, they are an unbeatable team that will make you smile harder. Safe for use on caps, veneers, braces, crowns, and bridges, this product is gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and uses a sensitivity-free formula that is safe for your enamel. $199.95 www.bridebrite.co

LENSABL If only everything in life could be this easy! Lensabl is an online, one-stop shop for glasses and contacts-wearers who are look for convenience and stylish products without the high retail markups. Peruse their impressive catalog featuring both proprietary and name brand products, use their virtual try-on tool, select your frames, tailor them to your needs, and place your order. In a few days, Lensabl will ship them to you free-of-charge with a 30-day money-back guarantee. They also offer annual vision benefit plans customized to your needs and which won’t break the bank. www.lensabl.com

MUSIC

MODERN TALKING Back for Good (MOV) This seventh studio album by the world famous German duo with an infectiously melodious sound packs in new version of all their hits including You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul, Brother Louie, You Can Win If You Want, and Cheri Cheri Lady. The 18 tracks (including a superb hit medley) remain faithful to the songs’ integrity, amping the bass and speed just a tad to update them. Presented in 180 gram, white and black marbled vinyl in a limited edition of 2,500 numbered copies. $39.99 www.amazon.com

THEO CROKER – BLK2LIFE A FUTURE PAST (MOV) $39.98 It may be fair to say that Grammy-nominated artist, Cocker has created a genre all its own, fusing hip-hop, funk, r&b, soul, and jazz to deliver an eclectic, superbly vinyl-friendly sonic journey. Tracks like Lucid Dream deliver a distinctly jazz, neo-soul vibe, while Imperishable Soul highlights Croker’s seductive trumpet. There is melancholy, hope, fun, and a dozen other emotions swirled into this unique, accomplished sixth album. 180 gram audiophile vinyl with gatefold sleeve mastered on 45 RPM. $39.98 www.amazon.com

MINAMATA (Original Soundtrack) – Ryuichi Sakamoto (MILAN) Sakamoto, whose signature style as evidenced on soundtracks like The Sheltering Sky, and most recently, The Revenant, is in top form in this soundtrack brimming with emotion. From the opening track, Minamata Piano Theme, Sakamoto sweeps us away into a melodious and melancholic journey with strings and piano, and only occasionally breaks the serenity in tracks like Chrisso Gate, as required by the film’s subject matter. Overall, a meditative and heartbreaking score that is presented in 180 gram classic audiophile black vinyl by Milan (who has also released this in a 500 copy limited edition of translucent grey with black and gold colored smoke vinyl. $31.98 www.milnrecords.com

SILFUR – Dustin O’Halloran (DECCA – Deutsche Grammophon) Recorded during the past year of self-isolation, O’Halloran’s sparse but gorgeously tender and desolate album is a masterpiece that deserves the “active listening” of vinyl. Though joined subtly by the Siggi String Quartet, it feels as if the composer is alone at the piano, reflecting on the nature of solitude and reflection without once slipping into monotony or dullness. $31.49 www.Decca.com

NO TIME TO DIE (Original Soundtrack) By Hans Zimmer (DECCA) Zimmer gives Craig the ultimate send-off, even curtsying to the late maestro, John Barry, as in Matera, a thematic reprise of We Have All The Time in the World from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. There are adrenaline pumped tracks as well as sweeping romantic ones, replete with recognizable motifs to please everyone, just as the Bond movies aim to do. Includes Billie Eilish’s title track. Also available in a Limited Edition Nomi Picture Disc! $34.99 www.Decca.com

BOOKS

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK Prophet Muhammad’s Encounters with Christians By Craig Considine (Hurst) An essential and timely book that clears biases and intelligently explores why we have much to admire about Prophet Muhammad and Islam. An award-winning professor, Consodine reminds us that interfaith coexistence was and is a tenet central to Islam, offering us hope in a fragile time. $29.95 www.amazon.com

THE HOUSE OF JAIPUR: The Inside Story of India’s Most Glamorous Royal Family By John Zubrzycki (Hurst) Jai and Ayesha were India’s mid-century golden couple, its answer to the Kennedys, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Sinatra, Capote and Mountbatten, throwing lavish parties and globetrotting with the best. But changing times and politics would threaten to turn their world upside down. Can someone make a limited series out of this one quickly please? $34.95 www.amazon.com

CAPOTE’S WOMEN: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era By Laurence Leamer (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) Barbara “Babe” Paley, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, Slim Hayward, Pamela Churchill, C. Z. Guest, Lee Radziwill — this book reads like a who’s who of some of the most beautiful and glamorous women of midcentury New York. And they all had one more thing in common — an enchanting and then toxic friendship with the acclaimed author who first seduced with his charm and flamboyance, then betrayed them. A juicy page-turner that that takes us into the inner circle of Capote’s swans and reveals all the sadness and insecurities lurking behind the glamor. $28 www.amazon.com

SHADES OF SENSUALITY By Tina Trumpp (teNeues) The first large-format collection of Trumpp’s moody, tastefully erotic work treats us to 180 color, and black and white photographs that put her formidable skills as not just a photographer, but a storyteller on full display. The photos, reminiscent of Renaissance paintings, are imbued with texture, fantasy, sensuality, and a pronounced admiration for the beauty of women. The models appear gentle, inviting, dreamy, but indisputably self-possessed. $60 www.teneues.com

THE SOUL OF JEWELLERY By Carole Martinez (Flammarion) Published in collaboration with Maison Chaumet, this hefty book takes a deep dive into the opulent world of jewellery by culling myriad perspectives from the likes of artists, perfumers, novelists and more. Replete with mesmerizing photographs by Simone Cavadini and Julia Hetta, drawings and archives from Maison Chaumet, and never before published insights that go way beyond the dazzling aesthetic into the art of creating jewellery. $75 www.amazon.com

INNER HARMONY Living in Balance By Jon Kolkin (teNeues) Just flipping through this book is enough to bring down your blood pressure and put you in a meditative state. Renown photographer, Jon Kolkin captures the lives of Buddhist monastics across Asia over a period of 12 years in 220 breathtakingly beautiful, intimate photographs that sometimes appear like chiaroscuro paintings. Well-deserved forewords from the Dalai Lama and the Queen Mother of Bhutan preface this spiritual journey. $55 www.teneues.com

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CÉZANNE IN THE BARNES FOUNDATION By Andre Dombrowski et al (Rizzoli Electa) The genius of the Impressionist artist hailed as a father of modern art couldn’t find a more worthy and respectful tribute than in this hefty tome focusing on the monumental collection at The Barnes Foundation, which began acquiring his works in 1912. The collection has never before been published in its entirety, and in such a lavish way, so here’s a unique opportunity to explore every period of the master’s career and fully grasp his genius from the comfort of your couch. $85 www.BarnesFoundation.org

THE ROLLING STONES UNZIPPED By The Rolling Stones, Anthony DeCurtis (Thames & Hudson) Arguably the “greatest rock n’ roll band in the world” The Rolling Stones have had a seismic impact on popular culture around the world. Unzipped traces the band’s influence on music, art, design fashion, photography, and movies. Packed with archival photos, artworks, outtakes, and memorabilia, as well as commentaries by the band members, and interviews with the likes of Shepard Fairey, John Varvatos, and Martin Scorsese. Be on the lookout for the blockbuster touring exhibition. $50 www.amazon.com

TIM WALKER: STORY TELLER By Robin Muir, Tim Walker (Thames & Hudson) Magical, whimsical, spellbinding. Photographer, Tim Walker, formerly a picture editor at British Vogue and the Sunday Times Magazine, takes us into his dreamworld where fairytales, fantasies, and even nightmares coalesce into a visual extravaganza. Some of the biggest names like Tilda Swinton, Helena Bonham Carter and the late Alexander McQueen are involved, but the biggest star here is undoubtedly Walker himself and the fantastical world he has created. Available in paperback for the first time. $45 www.amazon.com

LOUIS KHAN: The Importance of a Drawing By Michael Merrill, Louis Kahn (Lars Muller Publishers) Kahn, considered an architects’ architect, cultivated the art of drawing as a basis for architecture. The book features over two hundred, mostly unpublished drawings by Kahn and his associates, and is accompanied by incisive commentary to elucidate the soul of their work, especially the Dominican Motherhouse, an unbuilt place of worship for the Sisters of St. Catherine de Ricci on which Kahn worked on from 1965 to 1968. Though the project was never realized, the book pays fitting homage to it and explores the gestation of a great idea. $85 www.amazon.com