I have a handful of weekly rituals that I hold sacred: Sunday morning pancakes from the café down the street, a 90-minute sweat sesh—every Saturday—at my favorite L.A. workout spot, Wednesday night walks along the beach with a couple of close friends, and last but certainly not least, perusing our co-founder and CCO, Hillary Kerr’s, weekly newsletter.
From the best summer books to minimal effort easy sheet pan recipes to ultra-discerning beauty product recommendations, Hi, Everyone With Hillary Kerr brings you the guidance, suggestions, and occasional advice that you actually want. And being the product-obsessed beauty editor that I am, my interest is always *extra* piqued when Kerr is covering the latter—especially when she touts something somewhat obscure (like a $14 foot peel you can snag on Amazon) as “life-changing.”
Yes, we’re already a couple of months deep into sandal season, but if your feet are looking as sad and decrepit as mine are, you’re going to want to keep reading. Not only am I revealing the holy-grail product that gave Kerr “foot model” caliber results in just one treatment, but I’m also including a handful of additional beauty products that have earned her hard-won seal of approval. Keep scrolling!
Kerr shares, “My family spent the majority of January 2021 in La Jolla at my parents’ house, and while there, I went on 4.5-mile walks with my dad most mornings. While the exercise and father-daughter bonding were great, the blisters-turned-gross-calluses on my feet that resulted from that time were not. So I decided to do a peel. I started with the ‘famous’ one—IYKYK; if you don’t, DM me, and I will tell you—and it didn’t work for me at all, despite my meticulous direction following. Someone on IG recommended Barefoot Scientist’s version, and when I tell you it changed my life, I am not joking. I went from having truly unappealing feet to basically being a foot model. It only took one painless soak in the Barefoot Scientist booties and then approximately 13 additional days for all of the dead skin to fall off. Truly a remarkable product.”
“Warning: This story involves labor and bodily functions. If you’re still reading, welcome, you gross weirdo! Just kidding. So here’s the story: I was in labor with my daughter for a long time, and by the time she arrived, I was running an almost 103 fever due to a bacterial infection I’d picked up during the process. Understandably, I was given some pretty high-test antibiotics to get rid of said bug, and then about six months later, the barfing started. For the first 1.5 years of my daughter’s life, I would get violent food poisoning every six months, like clockwork, but I was always the only one in the house to suffer from it. I casually mentioned this to a friend—assuming this was normal, which it’s not—and she rightfully told me to call a gastroenterologist. “After I relayed my story, the doc confirmed that the culprit was most likely the lifesaving antibiotics I got in the hospital and said that my gut would benefit from being repopulated with some probiotics as a start. I signed up for a Seed subscription almost immediately after that and have been taking them nightly ever since. They are expensive, for sure, but the ‘food poisoning’ episodes have stopped, and that is priceless.”
“At some point this year, I realized that I needed an actual proper shower cap, not the elasticized Saran Wrap iteration I was using, which honestly, I’d stolen from a hotel during ‘the before times.’ I had no idea what was new/cool/good in this sector, so I asked for recommendations on IG, and wow, folks came through. A large swath of people swore by Shhhowercap, and honestly, I love it. Is $43 a lot for a shower cap? Absolutely, but it doesn’t get moldy or stinky, it truly keeps my hair dry, and the prints and style are—dare I say it?—chic. That said, it says one size fits all hair types and head sizes, and that may be the case, but on my large noggin, it fits, but snugly.”
“Getting pimples in your 40s (!!!) just feels like a cruel joke, and sadly, it’s one that happens to me still from time to time. The acne products I relied on when I was younger feel way too hard these days, which is why I was delighted to discover this serum from beloved L.A. dermatologist Nancy Samolitis. If you’re having overall breakouts, you can use it as a post-cleansing layer. I just use it as a spot treatment, and it really does the trick.”
“If I could only spend money on one single beauty product this month—or even this quarter—I think this cream blush would be it. Do not be scared by Sephora’s categorization of the color as a berry; I think it’s actually more of a dark, pinky coral, and it’s wildly, wildly, wildly pretty on the skin. (It’s also Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s fave, according to the Rose Inc site.)” “While I generally prefer a cream blush—so yes, I was inclined to like this one—it’s a truly exceptional product. It’s super blendable and buildable but still has a decent amount of pigmentation, plus it just melts into your skin, making you look exceptionally, naturally glowy. It’s not heavily marketed for the lips, but I’ve been wearing it on mine, and I 11/10 recommend trying it.”
“Much like kitchen knives, there are countless makeup brushes on the market right now, most of which are basically unnecessary. I’ve tested tons, but recommend almost none of them. I’m making an exception to this rule for the Rose Inc. double-sided concealer brush, which is my favorite brush in this category, in no small part because you can use it in a zillion ways.” “The vegan brush does the job it was made for beautifully, letting you cover an area precisely, contour where necessary, and buff product into your skin for that no-makeup makeup look. It’s also unimaginably soft, and I honestly cannot imagine doing my makeup without it now.”
“I’ve been a big fan of Tower 28 for ages—I wear its BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Color ($20) all the time—because the products are great and formulated to also work for folks with super-temperamental, sensitive skin (ahem, me). But even so, I am not inclined to ever purchase a facial spray, until I read about Tower 28’s version, which is formulated with hypochlorous acid. If this ingredient is unfamiliar to you, it’s an antimicrobial that’s used in medical settings all the time for wound healing. In terms of day-to-day skincare, it’s noteworthy because it also fights bacteria (which lead to clogged pores and acne) and inflammation (it helps soothe eczema and psoriasis).” “I spray it on clean skin in the morning and let it dry before moving on to the rest of my skincare routine and sometimes do the same thing at night, in the same order. My summer skin, which always runs on the fussy side, has been significantly calmer and smoother, and it also helps with weird bug bites, wrist rashes from my Apple Watch band, and even little scrapes. The brand also just launched a more concentrated serum version, if that’s more your speed.”
“Because you’re hearing about all of my skin woes, let’s talk about something else that mildly annoys me: keratosis pilaris, aka chicken-skin bumps. I’ve had mild (sometimes moderate) KP (keratosis pilaris) on my upper arms since I was a kid, and while it’s mostly under control these days, I still get flare-ups from time to time, usually during summer. One thing that really helps is this body scrub, which I use once or twice a week. While I’d personally never use a granular exfoliant on sensitive skin like my face, it’s never irritated my arms.” “That said, the formula does contain glycolic and lactic acid, which can make me a smidge more sun-sensitive than usual, so I don’t recommend using it seconds before going to the beach, for example. It’s not marketed for body acne or exfoliation, but it also is quite effective for both.”
“I am not a supplement person. After years of requests from all my doctors, I finally started taking a daily dose of vitamin D, and as you now know, I am also quite religious about my Seed probiotics—but that’s it. Two kinds! For your average L.A. resident, that’s basically nothing.” “And now, I can say I’m officially committed to another new one: Ouai’s Thick and Full Supplements. My hair right now is pretty okay due to the fact that I have significantly reduced the number of days a week I heat-style my hair and also because I basically stopped using dry shampoo. But I have really fine hair, and I feel like there could always be more of it, right?” “So when the Ouai team sent me these supplements, I thought, Just try it and see what happens. That was two months ago, and I can confidently say that these pills are legit. I have taken them every day and have loads of new hair growth, especially underneath my bangs, right at the hairline, and it seems like I’m shedding less. Even better: Unlike many other hair supplements I’ve taken in the past, these don’t make my scalp greasy, and I swear they’ve made my brows and lashes a little better. But here’s the thing: It takes a while to see results, which is true of any supplement, so if you can commit, I think you will like the results.”
“I don’t know about you, but I personally always want at least one red nail polish in rotation during the summer, and this watermelon red from Olive and June is a truly delicious option. Normally, I find pink-reds a little unsophisticated, but this one is nice and juicy without being too shouty.”
“When it comes to eyeliner, I’m a real Goldilocks—this one’s too dry, that one’s too smudgy, this one doesn’t last long enough, that one’s irritating—you get the picture. For my money, I’m generally a Charlotte Tilbury Rock ‘n’ Kohl Eyeliner Pencil ($29) sort of person, and I’ve been very happy with that choice for the past handful of years.” “Of course, that hasn’t stopped me from trying pretty much everything that hits the market, which brings me to my newest discovery: Hourglass’s gel eyeliner. Folks, when I say this is wildly dreamy, I mean it. The texture is so incredibly soft it feels like a cloud. There’s no dragging on your skin, just soft, easy pigmentation. The colors are incredible. Plus, they blend nicely and work in the waterline. It’s a pencil, but instead of having to deal with a sharpener, you just twist up the base, which I love. If you’re looking for a subtle color that still brings definition to your eyes, I very much swear by Solstice, which is a perfect-for-summer bronze color, but the standard black is also quite excellent.”
“Full confession: When it comes to bodycare, I’m not particularly discerning. It’s not a category I’ve felt passionate about, and I honestly tend to use pretty much whatever is around, without much thought or loyalty. There are a few brands I love—like Nécessaire, which is incredible but expensive, or Dr. Bronner’s, especially in Peppermint or Lavender, but I’ve been sort of indifferent otherwise. Until now.” “I’m deeply adoring of entrepreneur Iskra Lawrence’s bodycare company, Saltair, which makes really luxurious bodywash, lotion, and natural deodorant. The line uses buzzy skincare ingredients like niacinamide and retinoids in its products, has sustainable packaging, and honestly just smells like a dream. My favorite product thus far is the Exotic Pulp Body Wash because it’s formulated with passionfruit oil, which is simply divine, but there are loads of other delicious options, ranging from the woodsy Santal Bloom to fragrance-free.”
“I’m annoyingly into U Beauty products—annoying because they’re pricey, but honestly so good I can’t stop buying—but I will be honest, I paused when I saw founder Tina Craig’s newest addition to the lineup: The Plasma Lip Compound. It looks like a Juicy Tube but is priced like Tom Ford, and color isn’t even involved, I grumbled to myself when the package arrived. But then, I tried it. And tried it. And tried it some more. And I kept going back to it because it’s actually really smart.” “The compound is a topical treatment for your lips that moisturizes, softens, and plumps. Plus, you can use it at night on those fine little vertical lines you get around your lips, which are the bane of my existence. I don’t have lip filler—not that there’s anything wrong with it—but after two weeks of using it, I noticed my lips just looked fuller but in a supernatural way. I keep thinking of it as a really lovely eye cream for your lips, and I’m unfortunately really into it. Thanks a lot, Tina.”
“I don’t really wear concealer. It’s not because I don’t get under-eye circles or pimples; it’s because I mostly just don’t care about them. And also because I think concealers are unflattering. If you have any fine lines around your eyes—all of us, let’s be honest—it invariably seems to settle into those grooves and then crack when you smile. While I adore Anne Bancroft as Miss Havisham in the 1998 version of Great Expectations, I don’t particularly want to emulate her beauty look. #IYKYK” “But when I heard Lawless was coming out with a new concealer, I have to admit I was curious. The brand is a favorite of mine (it has the playfulness, color, and full-on-ness of ’90s MAC but with clean formulations, plus the founder, Annie, is a wonderful human with a cool backstory), and I’ve been impressed historically, so I gave it a shot, and honestly, it’s a 10/10 for me. The coverage is medium-to-full, but it disappears into your skin, and best of all, it doesn’t crease. And no, I don’t use a primer because, as I’ve said before, I’m lazy.”
“I am embarrassed to admit this, but sometimes I find beauty products in unusual places in my house, and I have no idea how they got there nor have any recollection of getting them. Live Tinted’s correcting stick is one of those products—in this case, discovered in a basket my daughter uses to transport her Paw Patrol dogs around the house—but I am so glad I found it.” “At first glance, I just thought it was an awesome orange-red fat lip crayon, and that was great enough for me. The color is excellent, the formula glides on, and it just feels excellent in your hand. But then I realized that it’s also an Allure Best in Beauty award winner (2020 and 2021!) because it also is excellent for cheeks and on your lids, and it can be used as a color corrector for dark circles or spots, like melasma or hyperpigmentation. And then it hit me: This is the viral product by Live Tinted’s founder, Deepica Mutyala, that I knew about but hadn’t tried myself.” “Anyway, while it’s new to my makeup drawer, it’s obviously a legendary product and absolutely worth it. Honestly might be the hardest-working multitasker I’ve come across in years. Definitely worth your money.”
“The brilliant celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel—he’s Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Garner, Charlize Theron, and more’s go-to talent—is also the creative director of this excellent haircare (and beyond) brand, which has won tons of awards and is beloved by so many. I’m a fan of the brand’s Full Shampoo ($40) and Full Conditioner ($42) (another 2020 Best in Beauty award winner) but have recently also started using the Flourish Volumizing Styler, which has helped my fine hair tremendously. (On that note, if you have postpartum hair loss, stress-induced hair loss, or thinning hair, you should definitely check out Virtue’s whole Flourish category, which is drug-free and pretty remarkable.)” “And if you have a chance, I very much recommend listening to the recent episode of the Who What Wear Podcast I did with Adir, in which we discussed Kristen Stewart’s epic award season hair, where he gets his inspiration for all his A-list clients, and an incredible story about having to do Jessica Biel’s hair for an overseas premiere when his hair kit went missing.”
“I was picky to the max when it came to sunscreen until I met Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 ($36), which has been my go-to for a while now. So when I heard the brand had another newish option on the market I hadn’t yet tried, I was intrigued because I like so many of its products. (The CC Cream, $42, is another one I use on a very regular basis.)” “In terms of texture, the Every Single Face Watery Lotion really lives up to its name; it’s very lightweight, blends into my skin in seconds with no white cast, and might be the thinnest-feeling sunscreen I’ve ever used. It also doesn’t sting my eyes if I sweat while wearing it. (I put it on before doing one of my Ness trampoline cardio classes and didn’t cry once, which is a big bonus for sensitive-eyes me.)”
“I have always been a lipstick person, and when I say I love it all, I mean that. Give me anything from the faintest balm-like color to a full-on pigmented hue, and I’m happy. That said, while I will always have a tube of Charlotte Tilbury’s perfectly bold red-orange Tell Laura lipstick in my bag, I’ve found myself drawn to easier, lighter formulations over the past couple of years. I want color and comfort, which can be tricky to get just right.” “Enter Merit’s new Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick. It’s the opposite of drying, the colors are all buildable, and the formula is so forgiving you can put it on without a mirror while running after your spirited 2.5-year-old, and it will still look excellent. My inner ’90s middle schooler is partial to the berry brown of L’Avenue, but the neutral pink Baby and more fuchsia-forward berry Fashion are also top picks.”
“My skin has been a little blah lately, so when a tube with the words ‘glow’ and ‘sleeping mask’ showed up at my house, I was like, yes, immediately yes. It’s meant to be used as your last step before sleep—and not on nights you use retinol—and is a super-thin gel mask that gives you bouncy, glowy skin in the morning. As always with masks, I don’t really use it on my chin—which still is prone to delightful breakouts—instead, [I focus] the products on my mid-to-upper face. I try to put it on at least 30 min before I go to sleep and haven’t had any pillow transfer or issue with this process.”
