Caudalie Fig Body Oil: Practically Perfect in Every Way

Caudalie’s new Smooth & Glow Oil Elixir, (Sephora Canada, $66) is for anyone who spent the summer in the water until their fingers got all pruney and their hair turned to straw. Or it’s for that optimistic soul who stayed too long in the sun, trying to bank enough residual heat to keep them warm throughout the winter. Pity that doesn’t actually work.

But dreading winter aside, this is the oil blend to take your dried-out, late summer skin from faintly reptilian to a hydrated, ‘let’s turn the clock back, shall we?’ dream state. Loaded with antioxidant-rich prickly pear, argan and shea oils, Caudalie Smooth & Glow Elixir also adds softness and shine to crispy, frizzed out hair. All with a wonderful, ‘fig bush after a summer storm’ fragrance. And while the scent is epically figgy, there’s also a faint undercurrent of warm cedar to temper the sweetness. (If you like Diptyque’s Philosykos, Caudalie Smooth & Glow is for you.)

But I’m betting you won’t truly appreciate this oil until you crack open a bottle in deepest darkest November. Then you’ll get a serotonin jolt of happy from the scent and your skin will be very grateful for the much-needed moisture. But why would I even mention November? That seems unnecessarily negative.

Upgrade: Deborah Pagani Silver Hair Pin

This large Deborah Pagani hair pin looks like a modern money clip or elegant murder weapon.

I never realized just how embarrassingly susceptible I am to the lure of pretty things until I was stuck at home for months on end with nothing but the internet and a credit card to keep me entertained.

This Deborah Pagani silver plated hair pin (Saks Fifth Avenue) looks like a sculpture or a murder weapon and is a much more elegant hair tamer than a plastic, drugstore claw clip. Its creator, Deborah Pagani, posts calming Instagram videos where she twists her (abundant, never frizzy) hair into a bun before effortlessly anchoring it with one of her heavyweight pins.

After a couple of lopsided results, I think I have it down. I rake my favourite leave-in conditioner through my hair (Rene Furterer Absolue Keratine Repairing Beauty Cream) before I begin to twist, and the result is a satisfying cross between a bun and a French twist. It’s worthwhile remembering that achieving an effortless ‘not trying too hard’ look actually requires some effort. And best of all there is no plastic claw clip in sight.

Rene Furterer’s Keratine Absolue line smooths even the wiriest of wiry hair.